The recent earthquake in Turkey and northern Syria, along with numerous similar disasters both natural and man-made, again evoke questions in thoughtful minds as to the role of God—or lack thereof—in such events.
Few need reminding of the language used in many insurance policies, which exempt the company from having to cover what are called “acts of God.” (One wonders what conception of the divine character such policies suggest.) Are tragedies of this nature in fact the work of God? The work of Satan perhaps? Or simply the random consequences of life in an imperfect world?
Divine Punishment Not Always a Factor
Jesus shared some insightful observations about events like these in the thirteenth chapter of Luke:
There were present at that season some that told Him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things?
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:1-5).
Jesus wasn’t saying, of course, that natural and other calamities do not at times befall those who disobey God. The great Flood in Noah’s day, the plagues that befell the Egyptians on the eve of the Exodus, the famine that struck the northern tribes of Israel in the days of Elijah, and the earthquake that opened the doors of the Philippian prison and set Paul and Silas free, offer decisive evidence that God at times employs such forces for punitive or instructive reasons, or both.
But Jesus’ statement in the above passage helps us understand that such occurrences are not always the work of the divine hand. However, His warning that “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:3,5) underscores the fact that God remains in control of the course of human events, and that destructive consequences will indeed attend those who ultimately shun repentance and refuse to claim His grace for forgiveness and the power to overcome.
Both God and Satan at Work
The following Ellen White statements are clear that natural disasters and similar tragedies offer a glimpse both into the ultimate purposes of God and the workings of Satan:
The time is at hand when there will be sorrow in the world that no human balm can heal. The Spirit of God is being withdrawn. Disasters by sea and by land follow one another in quick succession. How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property! Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of disorganized, unregulated forces of nature, wholly beyond the control of man; but in them all, God’s purpose may be read. They are among the agencies by which He seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger [##1|Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 277.##].
During a vision of the night, I stood on an eminence, from which I could see houses shaken like a reed in the wind. Buildings, great and small, were falling to the ground. Pleasure resorts, theaters, hotels, and the homes of the wealthy were shaken and shattered. Many lives were blotted out of existence, and the air was filled with the shrieks of the injured and the terrified. . . . The awfulness of the scenes that passed before me I cannot find words to describe. It seemed that the forbearance of God was exhausted and that the judgment day had come. . . .
Terrible as was the representation that passed before me, that which impressed itself most vividly upon my mind was the instruction given in connection with it. The angel that stood by my side declared that God’s supreme rulership and the sacredness of His law must be revealed to those who persistently refuse to render obedience to the King of kings. Those who choose to remain disloyal must be visited in mercy with judgments, in order that, if possible, they may be aroused to a realization of the sinfulness of their course [##2|——Testimonies, vol. 9, pp. 92-93.##].
Even now he (Satan) is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous [##3|——The Great Controversy, pp. 589-590.##].
The restraining Spirit of God is even now being withdrawn from the world. Hurricanes, storms, tempests, fire and flood, disasters by sea and land, follow each other in quick succession. Science seeks to explain all these. The signs thickening around us, telling of the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to any other than the true cause. Men cannot discern the sentinel angels restraining the four winds that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed; but when God shall bid His angels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture [##4|——Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 408.##].
What is clear from these statements, among other things, is that while Satan is the principal cause of the calamities here described, God remains in ultimate control of them, that the judgments thus visited are at times acts of mercy by which men and women can be aroused to repent of their evil course, and that the final loosing of the winds of strife at the close of time will be God’s decision and no one else’s.
Conclusion
The words of our Lord cited at the beginning caution us against assuming thoughtlessly that natural and other calamities come to people solely as a punishment from God for their sins. Sometimes this is true, but at other times it isn’t. However, the Savior’s warning that “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3,5) makes plain that such tragedies serve as a means whereby God arouses the human conscience to a sense of its ultimate need.
Moreover, the above inspired statements tell us that while Satan is in most cases the cause of natural and other disasters, God remains in ultimate control of these forces, and when in the last days these forces are loosed in all their power upon an impenitent world, it will be God who looses them.
Our hearts go out with deepest anguish to the victims of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and to their suffering families and loved ones. Whatever we can do to relieve their pain and assist them in their need, let us do. (Those wishing to help the quake victims through the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) can visit the following link: https://donations.adra.org/humanitariancrisis-ws?_ga=2.246233613.849730703.1676035218-54376574.1676035218.) But let us also keep our eyes on the multiplying signs that Jesus is getting ready to come, and by which He seeks to arouse inquiring and searching hearts of the ultimate, eternally-consequential choices that lie before them in these fleeting moments of lingering time.
REFERENCES
1. Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 277.
2. ----Testimonies, vol. 9, pp. 92-93.
3. ----The Great Controversy, pp. 589-590.
4. ----Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 408.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan