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To the Editor:

The Bible teaches that in the end days disasters will increase. Increasing earthquakes and winds and seas roaring the Bible says are signs of the soon return of Jesus and the coming tribulation. 

Hurricane Helene brought widespread damage to hundreds of homes and power outages in Carter County. Our prayers go out to the families that suffered loss. Hundreds had to flee with little warning and were forced to leave behind belongings and with them irreplaceable memories. Thankfully many churches and people in Carter County have responded with Christian compassion and kindness to those suffering. 

Sadly in Washington County they had six evil looters arrested trying to steal from those suffering.  

In the past, East Tennessee has suffered floods and fire deaths. Gatlinburg, Tenn., burned in November 2016 causing 14 deaths. Carter County was flooded in January 1998 causing seven deaths. Suffering and pain, the Bible says, is to be expected because we live in a fallen world. Jesus said in this world you will have troubles, but Jesus overcame this world. Our pain is real, but Jesus with us in our pain is more real. The Bible says Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and Jesus is near to the brokenhearted. We know that to follow Jesus is no guarantee that one will be protected from the horrors of a fallen world; all but one of the apostles was martyred. For those who choose Jesus, their souls are saved. But even so we all know our earthly bodies will be subjected to death and decay until we receive our glorified bodies at the resurrection or rapture that many believe will happen soon.

Many Christians dreamed that when we have two moons then the rapture would happen and now we have two moons. For Christians one constant is that God’s grace (Jesus) will preserve us through whatever is to come. As Romans 5 says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character, and character produces hope.”

For Christians we can be thankful that Jesus loved us so much. Jesus endured great suffering on the cross so that we might have the hope of salvation. Those Christians that love and trust Jesus can never be homeless because you have a home in heaven! In these end days Titus 2 says we should speak and remind people to keep, “Looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ!”

 

D.D. Nave

Elizabethton