Love Jesus - the Key to Heaven!
Love Jesus - the Key to Heaven!
Hear the Cry for Revival - Awaken the Church to Save the World!
Hear the Cry for Revival - Awaken the Church to Save the World!
ARE THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD
COMING UPON NEW ZEALAND?
ARE THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD
COMING UPON NEW ZEALAND?
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EARTHQUAKES
In the Bible we find that when God judges people, one way He does it is by sending earthquakes. Does that mean that every earthquake in the world is a judgment of God? Maybe not, but what it does mean is that with every earthquake we should have a repentant heart before God and a plea for His mercy. The Bible says that the LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise (Isaiah 29:6).
The prophet Ezekiel spoke of the time when God’s hot anger will be aroused: “In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground” (Ezekiel 38:18-20). When God is angry with a nation He sends earthquakes upon them.
God gave this warning to the people of Israel in the Book of Leviticus: ‘And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you’ (Leviticus 18:28). The land will vomit you out if you defile it. Now how could we defile the land? That whole chapter is about sexual sin (Leviticus 18:1-23).
In the next chapter there is a verse that I want to focus our attention upon: ‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness’ (Leviticus 19:29). The land will be filled with wickedness due to allowing and promoting the sin of prostitution. This can only go on for so long and then the land begins to vomit the people out.
THE CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE
On February 22nd, 2011, an earthquake struck New Zealand’s second most populous city, called Christchurch. 181 people were confirmed dead in the quake. Prime Minister John Key said that 22 February “may well be New Zealand’s darkest day.” The quake took place around lunch time, 12:51 pm, and immediately it was covered by the TV news. The nation was shocked. This was shortly before the Japanese earthquake and devastating tsunami which took place on April 7th.
On Thursday, 10 March, 2011, less than three weeks after the Christchurch earthquake, I read a news article on MSN NZ entitled, “Business booming for prostitutes in Christchurch.” The article read:
‘Business is booming for Christchurch’s prostitutes following last month’s earthquake. Earthquake relief workers have reportedly kept sex workers busy as they seek their own relief once a days’ work is done.
Sex worker Candice, 24, said she had seen a spike in her workload servicing search-and-rescue staff, builders, and even two New South Wales police officers, The Press reported. She had made an average of $700 a night since returning to work two nights after the February 22nd quake and on her best night she had made $1400, NZPA reports. “In three years, I’ve never made this much before. The foreign ones are the best - they pay the most.”
Another sex worker, Mary, who lost her house in the quake, said she had also been happy with the additional business. “It’s their way of dealing with it. If they can get some relief, I think there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Unfortunately this is a classic example of what it will be like when the judgments of God are devastating the earth and people refuse to repent and get their lives right with the Lord. Instead they will seek to continue their sin and go deeper into it. That news article is a disgrace to the nation and illustrates how spiritually blind we have become.
What we often fail to realize is the seriousness of living in sin and disregarding the righteousness of God. Sin is a disgrace to any people and when a nation is given over to prostitution then you can be assured that in due time the judgments of God will come. When people refuse to repent after having been given many warnings, they will reap what they have sown. The judgments of God are coming and what are the people of the world going to do? Instead of taking heed to the warnings of God they want to go out and sin all the more. Yet major calamities call for nationwide repentance.
THE SINS OF THE NATION
When a nation promotes laws that are an abomination to God the land will begin to vomit the people out. In my home country we have to warn the people about God’s judgments due to the following changes of law:
Homosexuality and Abortion – These things were once considered a crime in New Zealand, yet under NZ Labour Party administrations of the David Lange, Geoffrey Palmer and Michael Moore eras, homosexuality was decriminalized and abortion access became easier to obtain.
In 1986 the Homosexual Law reform Act passed in New Zealand, legalizing sex between males over 16 years old. Currently in New Zealand (2012), girls under the age of 16 can have an abortion, without their parents being informed. The predominant reason for most certified abortions in New Zealand is on the grounds of mental health.
Drinking Age – In 1999, New Zealand’s legal age for drinking alcohol was lowered from 20 to 18. Since allowing 18 year olds the right to drink, the consequences of teenage drinking, such as rising incidents of admissions in hospitals due to drinking and problems of alcohol addiction, have come to plague this country. Car crashes among youth increased when the legal drinking age was lowered.
Civil Unions – Also in 2004, the Civil Union Act made it possible for couples of either same-sex or opposite-sex to formalize their relationship without the religious or historical boundaries of marriage, through a ceremony called a civil union. Through The Relationships (Statutory References) Act 2005 Civil Union partners and de-facto couples were given the same rights and responsibilities as married people, with marriage no longer having the unique or special status it deserves.
THE SIN OF SEEKING TO REDEFINE MARRIAGE
Marriage has always been a union between a man and a woman, for that is how God created it (Genesis 2:24). Certain politicians have opposed the righteousness of God and have led the nation astray by promoting gay marriage.
REPENT OF ANY SEXUAL SIN
Sin has become so deceptive in New Zealand that many laws are entwined with abominations to God. Our situation is very serious because it is this toleration of sin which unleashes upon us the judgments of God.
Society tries to say that fornication, adultery and homosexuality are permissible alternative lifestyles. God says they are an abomination. Who are you going to listen to? The wrath of God is upon you if you are living in a sexual relationship outside marriage (Ephesians 5:3-7). You might not feel that wrath because God in His love and mercy is giving you another chance to repent, but if you are dishonouring marriage you need to put things right immediately (Hebrews 13:4).
If you are having a sexual relationship outside marriage you are in deception. The call of God is to repent and to put God first in your life. Cry out to God from your heart.
“Oh God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”