Success and Failure Blog

The Gulf Oil Spill, which may become the largest man-made disaster in human history, is getting worse, as the news shows it’s now full of methane.

Pictures show things which appear to be out of the Book of Revelation, as the oily mess appears blood-like in color and texture. (It looks close enough to blood, the squeamish should be ready.) With devastation of almost Biblical proportions possible, including worst case scenarios involving billions of barrels , it makes one wonder if this is some kind of judgment.

God is a God of grace and mercy. He loves to pardon sinners who come to Him by faith and repent; He came to this world to seek and save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10) He is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any perish, but that all come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) Mercy is not getting what we deserve – grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Because of His love, God loves to shower those good things on us.

But, God also is a God of justice. We like it when other people get what they deserve, especially if they wronged us. Well, this latest Gulf Oil Spill is so bad, it’s almost certain to be a disaster of Biblical proportions by the end. This leads some to ask, is America being judged?

Let’s look at that dichotomy for a moment, the love of God as shows in His mercy, and in His divine judgment.

Not a Contradiction

It is certainly not a contradiction – a police officer or judge, for instance, can be very wise and fair, and good at tracking down and punishing criminals to the “full extent of the law,” he or she may “always get the bad guy,” but yet that same officer or judge can be a warm, loving family man who is lenient and merciful with his or her children.

The difference, of course, is the relationship. Oh, that person will provide discipline and correction when needed, but in a merciful, more gentle way because they are his or her children. That person lovingly nurtures them, as the Bible instructs fathers, and will not provoke them to wrath, as fathers are warned not to do. (Eph. 6:4)

God is just like that. He hates sin, and must punish sin, because He can’t allow it into His perfect Heaven. This is how much he loves us, and how His love includes punishing sin. Because, just as a loving judge punishes criminals partly with innocent family members in mind, so, too, does God punish sin so we won’t have to deal with it in Heaven. He keeps sin completely out of it.

There’s another reason Heaven will be so wonderful. It’s because God will wipe away all tears, there will be no suffering, no pain, no sorrow or death. (Rev. 21) Nobody can imagine the wonders that await us, because we are finite humans. Who knows, we might have senses we never felt before, just as the blind will see for the first time.

See, this world was made perfect – there was no decay, no death, no sin. However, when people sinned, they brought that into the world, and it spread like crazy. It was a catastrophe that touched the whole world. God had to judge that sin, but He consistently gives us a chance to repent. Indeed, He will put it off if enough call on Him with repentant hearts. He was willing to spare Sodom from judgment if there were only 10 righteous people in the city. (Gen. 18) And, wicked Nineveh was spared from destruction for 70 years, because they repented. (Jon. 3)

However, even before He judges something or somebody, He lets them realize the natural consequences of that sin, which can be enormous. Indeed, even secular researchers have shown that humans naturally repeat mistakes & don’t learn from disasters.

They don’t always understand that it’s our fallen nature, but it is – we are not perfect because of sin. Sin separates us from God, and it’s only by His grace that He loves us. He never stops loving us, even when we turn away from Him. In fact, as he suffered on the cross, being punished in our place, Jesus – God Himself ion flesh – called out for them to be forgiven. (Luke 23:34)

That part – allowing people to experience the consequences of sin – isn’t always God directly allowing disasters; it’s often just His removing His hand of protection. Because, this entire world is filled with awful things that could happen, but don’t

Divine Judgment or not?

So, did God allow this to happen as a consequence for sin? Is He judging America? Has He removed His hand of protection?

Nobody can claim to know God’s heart for sure, except by what it says in the Bible. It can’t be certain that God has removed His hand of protection from anything. However, we don’t have guidelines that tell us it is possible, and that tell us what to do.

God condemns those which call good evil, and evil good. This has happened quite often in our society, as our culture has so much hatred, greed, corruption, and so on in it. The Bible tells us that in the end times, “the love of many shall wax cold” (Mat. 24:12) It’s true – that deep, unconditional love that we should have for others has been replaced by a shallowness in many cases. We’re so busy with our lives, few people care about others anymore. However, others are supposed to be put ahead of ourselves and our feelings. That means we shouldn’t be offended at every little thing, nor should we be selfishly trying to get everything for ourselves. The “great love chapter” of the Bible, after all, tells us what love really is; among other things, it isn’t hurtful or selfish. It “seeks not its own,’ meaning it doesn’t keep trying to get; it’s all about giving. And, so on. (1 Cor. 13) We have refused to condemn sin.

We need to love all sinners, but sin separates us from God’s perfect love, and needs to be confessed and forsaken. At the same time, we need to love the sinner, and show them compassion and understanding. We need to help them do as Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery when he forgave her – “Go, and sin no more.” (John 8:10) And, if we sin, we need to confess and forsake it, because “We have an advocate with God the Father – Jesus Christ the righteous,” (1 John 2:1), who took the punishment for our sins.

Of course, we’ve had problems for centuries, in how we treated other human beings. We refused to show natives, Africans-American/blacks, and other minorities love and compassion. We were, at times, filled with hypocrisy, as individuals, state governments, and as a national government.

Yes, we built a great nation, but we confess that we are not a perfect one. We were still blessed richly, though, despite all of our problems, because we had enough people who insisted on following the Golden Rule with everyone, regardless of who they were – such people were just drowned out by the wicked. Just like today, those who insist on moral decency and common sense are drowned out at times.

The Conclusion:

It’s hard to say if God has removed His hand of protection on us or not. But, we know 2 things for sure about this situation.

1. The Gulf Oil Spill could be a foreshadowing of the prophecy of a third of the seas of the world turning to blood, and a third of the sea life dying (Rev. 8:7-9, which also mentions hail – which the evaporation could cause to look like bits of blood), and then everything in the sea dying (Rev. 16:3-4). Revelation tells us it will partly happen because of a comet or meteor, but the tidal wave caused by a meteor crashing into the sea would definitely cause this to spread a lot more than it is even now. In other words, we could be close to the end times, just based ont his alone.

2. Just as we, and other nations, have in the past called on God in repentance and prayer to forgive and save us, we can do it, too. Second Chronicles 7:14 is a great model for this type of national prayer of repentance, calling on God to forgive us.

Whether or not this is God lifting His hand of protection, we are getting closer and closer to the days prophesied many years ago in the Bible. Life won’t be the same. However, each person alive today has a future.

That future is with Jesus. Jesus is God in flesh – He and His father are one. (John 10;30, etc.) He came to this world because, while He is a God of justice, He is also a God of mercy. That same Jesus who cried out, while being crucified, “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they d,” died for you, and rose from the dead the third day. He took the punishment for each of our sins – mine, yours, everyone’s – because HE DOES NOT WANT YOU TO FACE JUDGMENT. (I normally wouldn’t type in caps like that, but something in my Spirit, which is how God indwells believers, is just thinking about how bad this *could* get, and crying out for people to come to Jesus, so He can lead them through this with the peace that passes understanding!)

He is a God of everlasting mercy, who doesn’t want to see people suffer. Like that policeman or judge in the first example, who doesn’t want his or her children to grow up to become hardened criminals, God knows what awaits those who reject his perfect love and goodness. It’s everlasting destruction from the presence of God. (2 Thess. 1:9)

I don’t know how bad the oil spill will get, but even if it’s not near the end, this is the time to make peace with God, because none of us knows what tomorrow will bring. You don’t have to do anything to make peace with Him, though. You don’t’ have to clean up your act and then come to Jesus – you can’t. It was “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) He gave us a free gift – the gift of life forever with Him. (Rom. 6:23) All we have to do is “call upon the name of the Lord,” and we’ll be saved.(Rom. 10:13) Salvation is “by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

All you need to do to receive Him, and have Him in your heart to give you peace and to guide you through things and get you to Heaven someday, is to: A. Admit you’re a sinner, just like me, just like everyone, and that this sin keeps you from heaven; B. Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins, took your punishment on the cross,and rose from the dead; and, C. Choose to turn from your sins (repent) and receive Him as your Lord and Savior; invite Him into your heart and life, making you new on the inside.

It’s not about specific words, but you can pray something like this right now to receive Him:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. I can’t reach Your perfect Heaven on my own, because my sin separates me from you. I know You died for my sins, though, and rose from the dead. You took my place, You suffered my punishment on the cross. Lord Jesus, I turn from my sin, and I trust You to forgive me. I choose today to become a follower of You, and I invite You into my heart to make me new on the inside, so I can have a relationship with You. I accept You have done all that is needed to get me to Heaven, and I trust You as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

That’s all there is to it. If you prayed that and meant it, you are a child of His now, and nothing can take you away from Him. (Rom. 8:38-9, Eph. 4:30) Tell others all about His wonderful love and grace, in how He has forgiven them, too, and all they must do it turn to Him by faith for forgiveness. He never tells us in His Word to do anything but call on Him.

Find a good Gospel preaching church where the love of God is also shown, as well as the truth of God’s Word being preached. I recommend the “rapture ready” bulletin boards, too, as a good place to fellowship and learn about all the apostasy (false religion) that is out there.

Our nation has lots of problems. It may or may not be under God’s judgment; but soon, the whole world will be. It might still be quite a while from now. But, His return for us has always been imminent; even in the first century, people awaited that blessed hope of His Glorious Appearing.

We can look forward to that, too. The Gulf of Mexico, and life in that area, may be greatly harmed, but Jesus promises that “In this world, you will have tribulation; but, be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) And, He can help you to overcome, too.

The incredible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to draw attention, as people struggle to find fixes . Warnings of a massive hurricane season, even if they prove to be wrong, make it seem even worse. Pollution now is bad enough that some fear that the whole planet – the oceans, air, land, and everything – is in dire trouble.

There is incredible anger over what this is doing to the environment. While the Earth has the capacity to bounce back in time – sometimes faster than we realize – things may well get worse; and one day will get much worse before they get better.

Thankfully, there is hope. Everyone can rest assured that one day, the world will be new. Here’s why.

The world was once perfect

Yes, this terrible world of man-made and natural disasters once was Paradise. Though mankind has done many horrible things, we see in places like Chernobyl that things are slowly rebounding – even if the rosiest outlooks are untrue.

The world, then, has the ability to recover – but short term results are catastrophic. This is analogous to the problem that changed this world from its perfect paradise into the sin-laden world we have today. As the beautiful Gulf of Mexico is, in many parts, a toxic mess exists – though for now, the Tampa/St. Pete area and some other parts of Florida are still unaffected and can hopefully help take some sting out of the economic calamity), In the same way, mankind’s sin brought all sorts of problems to the world – and brought with it consequences that went far beyond spiritual and eventual physical death that God warned about. All Creation groans because of sin.

Things will get worse before they get better

Sadly, not only the Gulf, but the whole world, will get worse before it gets better. The Bible warns us of that, and promises a way to escape.

That way is by putting your faith in the One who wrote it.

We all live by faith, every day. You live by faith sitting in a chair. You don’t hold tight to the arms, preparing to leap up quickly because you fear that chair will collapse. You rest in it, put your whole weight in it. Fiath is the same, whether we’re talking about chairs or God. And, we have a very sure word of faith – his Bible.

The Bible has over 2500 prophecies in it. All have either come true or will come true – 2000 have already come true. I’ve mentioned a few in other blogs – television and webcams (the world looking on something in Revelation), for instance, or the nations lining up now in the Middle East (Ez. 38), or how Jerusalem shall be a cup of trembling, and a burdensome stone, to all who touch it. (Zech. 12:2-3)

There’s a big one about the oceans, too – a full third of them will become as blood, totally unlivable, toxic, etc.. A third of all marine life will die.

Think what that will do to the rest of the environment. Think of the horrible stench. Think of the damage of a huge sheet of oil is underwater, and a hurricane comes, or…a “star” (meteor) comes crashing into it, a ball of fire. God says such an event will happen in Revelation 8:8-11. With all that oil, it’s eventually possible. Or, it could be something supernatural, too.

The horrible end this present world will come to is spoken of in toher places, too. Isaiah 24 gives a number of illustrations, such as the earth going “to and fro as a drunkard” – much like the many recent big earthquakes.

Thankfully, the worst of the calamity will come after an event known as the Rapture. The Church is never shown on Earth in Revelation 4-18, when all the destructiveness happens, and the world criesout so that a world ruler known as AntiChrist comes on the scene. Instead, the Church is in Heaven, protected, celebrating its redemption. Faith in Israel are brought through the judgments as God’s chosen people, despite the war the AntiChrist tries to wage against them.

You can be one of those who escapes the worst of the problems, by simply accepting that Jesus Christ – God in flesh – died for your sins and rose from the dead, and receiving Him into your hart and life as Savior, turning from your sin and letting Him make you new on the inside. It’s not about what you do for Him. It’s all by simple faith.

Thankfully, one day, all that will be over, and a new Heaven and Earth will appear.

Eventually, God will remake the world

An earthquake of about 11 on the Richter scale willl come at the end of what’s known as the Great Tribulation, and the whole world will miraculously be made new. The lion will lay down with the lamb, and all God’s creatures – including people who receive Christ during the Tribulation – will live together in peace. There will still be sin, because of people’s choices, but the devil and his demonds will not be allowed to tempt people for a thousand years. That Millennium is mentioned numerous times in Revelation 20; it’s a literal thousand years. And, Christ will rule and reign over the whole world.

Then, the devil will be let out a “little season,” and the final battle will end. After that, the whole Heavens will be made new again. (Revelation 21) Everything will be perfect once more.

The first world was destroyed by flood, and next time – the one we are on, that is – it will be by fire. (2 Peter 3:7) But, thankfully, you don’t’ have to be part of that destruction. Things are bad now, but you can be redeemed from that.

Two verses later is one of the many verses that show God’s love toward us – He is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) See, it’s never God’s will that people spend eternity separated from him. He is constantly calling on people to trust in Him. It is they who choose not to, when they reject His free gift.

That free gift is eternal life forever, in God’s perfect heaven, where nobody can imagine the awesome wonders that await us. If you’ve never received it, you can do so right now, just as I said above. If you have, tell everyone, through your words and actions, about Him. Because, He gave us the duty to tell others, as part of His longsuffering ways, about His great love and grace and mercy toward sinners such as ourselves. We’re not perfect – we can’t be, because of that human nature that started when man brought sin into the world. But, we can be forgiven, and made new creatures, with Christ living inside us, working in us till the day when we join Him.