Shaking Christchurch (6) - Reading Signs

Jesus rebuked the people of Jerusalem because they could read weather signs, but they could not discern the times in which they were living. They knew that when the south wind blew, the weather would be hot, but they did not understand what was happening in their own city (Luke 12:55-56).

This strange comment roused their curiosity, so some of those present asked Jesus about two recent events. In the first, some Galileans had been killed by Pilate and their blood mingled with Roman sacrifice. In the second, eighteen people had been killed when the Tower of Siloam had fallen on them. He explained that these events were an indicator of their spiritual status.

Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish" (Luke 13:2-5).

Jesus was clear that the sins of the people killed in these tragedies were no worse than those of other Galileans, or other people living in Jerusalem, but he warned that unless they all repented, everyone would perish.

The city of Jerusalem was hardening its heart against Jesus, whom God had sent as their messiah. As they rejected him, their protection from evil began to slip away and the devil began to flex his muscles. He is no respecter of persons, so he does not limit his attacks to sinful people. He used any freedom he gains to have a go at anyone in the way. The men killed by the Romans and those struck by the stone were no worse than anyone else in Israel. They just happened to be in the way when evil got busy.

The message for Israel was clear. If they continued down their current path, evil would gain greater freedom in their county and worse destruction would follow. If they pursued their opposition to Jesus right to the end, they would completely lose God’s protection and be totally exposed to evil. This is what happened. The Jews crucified Jesus and persecuted his followers. These actions totally eliminated God’s protection. In AD 70, the Roman army besieged Jerusalem, smashed down its walls and slaughtered those who survived. The blood of many people was used in Roman sacrifices.

When people forget about God, he sometimes warns them through his prophets. On other occasions, minor occurrences of evil are a warning of more serious perils that will follow, if people do not get back under the protection of God. Being abnormal and unusual, these events are noticed by everyone. Because they reveal the mind of the devil, these small scale evils are a type of what he will do if he is given a free hand to wreak worse evil.

Christchurch is no worse than any other city. If the earthquake is a sign of anything, it is a reminder that we too are at risk of losing the protection of God.
New Zealand is in the process of forgetting God. It is not that people are hostile, but more that they have lost interest, because being a Christian no longer seems like a very attractive option.

Unfortunately, this gradual forgetting has a serious consequence. This world is engulfed in a spiritual war. When people ignore God, they lose his protection and become vulnerable to evil attack. We have casually allowed evil to make a home in our society and the cracks in our foundations are now being exposed.

As more and more people choose to ignore God, his ability to protect us is being diminished. As the number of people of faith declines, the evil has greater freedom to work. There must still be sufficient residual faith in Christchurch to restrain the worst of evil, as no one was killed by the quake. However, if the decline in faith continues, the last restraints on evil will gradually fall away.

Faith declines when the Church does not do its job. If this city has lost God's protection then his Church is responsible. The earthquake should be a wake up call for all followers of Jesus.