NEPAL Earthquake - Reflections on a Tragedy
The Nepal earthquake is clearly an enormous tragedy in terms of both loss of life and damage to housing and infrastructure. As importantly, could this be a precursor to a more widespread earthquake. As Christians looking for the Return of Jesus Christ our hearts are often torn between knowing that, like birth pangs, earthquakes will increase in intensity and our compassion for those affected.
There are some interesting aspects of the Nepal earthquake that are worth noting. Interestingly, NEPAL is an acronym of PLANE. Three plane crashes (the missing plane, the shot down plane and the one flown into the mountains) in the past year or so have highlighted the word plane. The earthquake took place on Saturday 25 April 2015 - this was the same day Australia and New Zealand were celebrating 100 years since the joint landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACS) at Gallipoli.
In fact it has been an emotional week for Australians with some of the worst East Coast storms on record (and more very heavy rain this weekend) and the execution of two Australian drug traffickers in Indonesia (two of a total of eight from all countries).
On the Torah Bible Codes website (http://www.realbiblecodes.com/) there is a bible code (discovered after the earthquake). The message is built around Zephaniah 3: 6-7 (NKJV)
I have cut off nations, their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, with none passing by. Their cities are destroyed; There is no one, no inhabitant. 7 I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me, You will receive instruction’. So that her dwelling would not be cut off. Despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.
Nepal and Same Sex Unions/Marriage
Now I know that God’s judgments do not always coincide with moral collapse. However, God did judge Sodom and Gomorrah for homosexuality - and other sins laid out in Ezekiel 16:49.50. Interestingly, God protected the little city of Zoar because Lot’s family went there. Recently, Chile passed laws to legalise same sex marriage (passed in April, with recognition from October). Around the time these laws were being passed Chile has experienced serious volcanic eruptions. Nations are literally playing with fire as they pass laws that go clearly against the Word of God.
When the Nepal earthquake took place, I thought that this would be a clear example of there being no link to same sex marriage. After all, why would an impoverished nation in Asia move in this direction? I thought I would check any way. Below is a summary, from Wikipedia, of the current status of same sex unions/marriage in Nepal . The link is below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Nepal
On November 17, 2008, Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled in favour of laws to guarantee full rights to LGBT people, and all gender minorities must be defined as “natural persons” under the law; this included the right to marry. The court asked the government to form a committee to study same sex partnership laws in other countries.
In August 2014, the Associated Press reported that the committee had decided to recommend the legalization of same-sex marriage. The committee submitted its report to the government on 9 February 2015. If the parliament passed the bill it would make Nepal the first in Asia to allow such marriages.
In brief, legalisation of same sex marriages in Nepal is not there yet, but it is much further along the way than I could have imagined, and could be very close. Whether this links to the earthquake is a matter for the Omniscient Mind of God. However, nations need to be aware that by moving down these paths they are moving out of God’s protection. The strong role of Nepal’s Supreme Court in this issue is reminiscent of court actions in the United States, and note should be taken of this.
Maranatha!! Denis