W HY CATASTROPHE?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22356, 1 September 1934, Page 24

WHY CATASTROPHE?

TO TUE EDITOR.

Sin. —Mr Steel asks the above question with reference to my letter in Saturday’s issue. Here is the answer in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: “But as the daj’s of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood

they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be ” (Matt, xxiv, 37-39; Luke xvii, 26-27). Surely that was a terrible catastrophe! Why was the flood sent? “ And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. Vi, 5). “The earth also ivas corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with ( violence. And God looked upon' the earth, and behold it was corrupt: for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before rne; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold! I will destroy them with the earth ” (Gen, vi, 11-13), There will be two stages in Christ’s second advent. He will, first of all, come for all w'ho really believe in Him. “ For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, .with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and we shall ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. iv, 16, 17). This next great event may take place any day. In the New Testament all the people in the world are divided into three classes —the Jews, the Gentiles, and the Church of God (1 Cor. x, 32). All who are tnisting in Christ alone for salvation belong to the Church of the Living God. By reading the New Testament carefully we notice that the words “Jew” and “ Israelite ” are always used synonymously. When every member of the true church has gone there will be a time of awful trouble in this world. The Jews will continue to go back to Palestine, and will prosper greatly.' The other nations, will become very jealous of them and will come and fight against them. It is then that what we read in Zachariah xiv will be literally fulfilled. “ Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations . . . and His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives. . . . (yerses 3 and 4). In verse swe read: “And the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” So Christ must first come for His saints before He can come back with them. After the judgment of the living nations of which we read in Matt, xxv, 31-46, Christ will begin His glorious reign over this old world, which will last for 1000 years (Revelation xx).—l am, etc., MaraN-ATHA.