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Liberty Advocate http://www.libertyadvocate.com
Earthquake in Haiti:
Judgment or Geology? by Karen
Pansler-Lam, J.D.
What is the Biblical truth about natural disasters?
Are earthquakes judgments on the wicked? Is Haiti cursed? Is Pat Robertson right about the earthquake in Haiti? Is Haiti cursed? Was the earthquake God’s judgment on the Haitians for making a pact with the devil in 1791? Is the Haiti
consul to Brazil, George Samuel Antoine, right that the earthquake that
hit his country may have been caused by voodoo? Are
earthquakes acts of God or merely the shifting of the earth along geologic
faults? Are
natural disasters deliberate acts of God or only random acts of nature? What is the Biblical
truth about natural disasters?
Are they judgments on the wicked? Before
we begin a study of Biblical natural disasters, let me state that I am a
1998 graduate of Regent University School of Law, which was founded by Pat
Robertson in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
However, I did not attend Regent University because I am a follower
of Robertson. In fact,
sometimes I disagree with Robertson. But I wanted to attend a Christian
law school. And I received an
excellent legal education that trained me to study the highest law -
God’s Law. My legal
training has been invaluable in interpreting God’s Law. Now
before we can judge whether the earthquake was Divine judgment on Haiti
for practicing voodoo, we must have a thorough knowledge of God.
Unfortunately, there is a famine of the knowledge of God across this
nation. Sadly, professing
Christians support their religious opinions with emotion and imagination
instead of Biblical instruction. They are willfully ignorant.
In fact, the average professing Christian rarely quotes Scripture
to support his beliefs, and, if he does, the Scripture is often taken out
of context and misinterpreted. To repeat, modern Christians are woefully
ignorant of God’s Law. Like
the ancient Bereans, we must search the Scriptures daily to know the truth
(Acts 17:11). And like the apostle Paul, we must reason with people out of
the Scriptures (Acts 17:2). As
you study the Divine Word, pray that God gives you the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17). Listen,
if a lawyer argues his case in a court of law based on emotion, opinion
and imagination instead of law, he will be judged ignorant and
incompetent. Therefore, any Christian who argues his beliefs on emotion
and opinion and imagination without arguing God’s Law is woefully
ignorant and incompetent. It
is vain babbling. So,
was the earthquake God’s judgment on the Haitians for making a pact with
the devil in 1791 and practicing voodoo?
Voodoo
is Devil Worship What
is voodoo? Let’s look at a few sources: 1.
Voodoo or Vaudoux (Creole French, vaudoux, a negro sorcerer).
Voodoo is the name given to certain magical practices,
superstitions and secret rites prevalent among the Negroes of the West
Indies, notably in the republic of Haiti.
Serpent-worship and obscene rites involving the use of human blood,
preferably that of a white child, were considered features of this
religion. (Encyclopedia
Britannica, 1938) 2.
Voodoo is a class of mysterious rites or practices, of the nature of
sorcery, witchcraft, or conjuration, prevalent among the Negroes of the
West Indies and the southern U.S., and probably of African origin.
(The New Century Dictionary, 1948) Simply
put, voodoo is sorcery and serpent-worship. The Devil appeared to Eve in
the form of a serpent. And
Revelation mentions “that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan”
(Revelation. 20:2). So, voodoo is devil worship.
And devil worshippers hate God.
God’s
Law and Judgment
Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the Lord understand all
things. Proverbs
28:5
As
stated earlier, in order to determine whether the earthquake is God’s
judgment on the Haitians for making a pact with the devil and practicing
voodoo, we need a thorough knowledge of God and His ways. And true
Christians consider the Bible as the only authentic and authoritative
source of the knowledge of God. Because
of its Divine authority it is the primary source for Biblical truths.
Therefore, this message will only cite the Bible as its source for Divine
Law.
We
must search the Scriptures to know the truth about God and His ways. For
instance, the prophet Jeremiah instructs us in the leading attributes of
God: “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and
knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment,
and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the
Lord” (Jeremiah 9:24). Notice
that God exercises judgment. Judgment may mean a judicial decision, or justice.
And judgment may mean a Divine decree or sentence: “And I will
utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have
forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the
works of their own hands” (Jeremiah 1:16).
In this case, punishment is regarded as inflicted by Divine
sentence for the wickedness of forsaking the Lord God and worshipping
false gods. For
the purpose of this message, we will focus on judgment meaning a Divine
decree or sentence inflicted by Divine sentence for the wickedness of
forsaking the Lord. And we know that God’s judgments are just because He
forewarns us of judgment if we break His commandments.
First,
in the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites to have no other gods
before Him: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the
Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me”
(Exodus 20:3, 5). “He
that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be
utterly destroyed” (Exodus 22:20).
Later,
in the New Testament, Jesus commands all peoples and nations: “Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37, 38).
And
Jesus warns all cities who refuse to hear and obey the Gospel: “And
he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there
abide till ye depart from that place.
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart
thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them.
Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha
in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6: 10 –12). Modern
Christians focus on the lovingkindness of God, but ignore the judgment of
God. Indeed the Lord God is
longsuffering “not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).
But God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalms 7:11). And
modern Christians are ignorant of God’s righteousness. Modern Christians
establish their own righteousness. They do not submit to the righteousness
of God. “For I bear them
record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about
to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted unto the
righteousness of God” (Romans 10:2, 3). Righteousness
is obedience to God’s Law. Unquestionably,
God commands us to worship Him only: “I the Lord thy God am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third
and fourth generation of them that hate me.”
Yet God is merciful and forewarns us that judgment will come on us
if we forsake Him.
Natural
Disasters, or Acts of God, in the Old Testament
Clearly,
God commands us to submit to His righteous Law.
And those who disobey are sentenced to judgment.
So, are natural disasters God’s judgment, or only acts of nature?
Though
natural disasters such as earthquakes may be produced by natural causes,
they are under the control and direction of Providence. This is what the
prophets teach. This is what true Christians believe (Psalms 68:8; 104:32;
Job 26:9-14; Exodus 19:18). There
are no Old Testament Scriptures to refute this truth. In
the Old Testament, the first mention of a natural disaster, or act of God,
is the Flood recorded in Genesis chapter 6: 5
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. 6
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it
grieved him at his heart. 8
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. In
this case, Noah was saved because of his righteousness. And God commanded
him to build an ark and take both clean and unclean animals so that they
would repopulate the earth. Moreover,
Noah and his wife and their three sons and their wives were saved from the
Flood so they would replenish the earth: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth” (Genesis 9:1). To repeat, God saved Noah because of
his righteousness. Remember
that God never promised not to destroy mankind again.
God promised Noah: “And I will establish my covenant with you;
neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood;
neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth” (Genesis
9:11). Of course, the rainbow
is God’s token of this covenant. The
next natural disaster, or act of God, mentioned in the Bible is the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because
of the wickedness of these cities, the Lord God decided to send judgment
on the people. But Abraham stood before God, “Wilt thou also destroy the
righteous with the wicked?” (Genesis 18:23).
And Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy the righteous with the
wicked: “Shall not the
Judge of all the earth do right?” In
the end, Abraham persuaded God not to destroy the wicked cities if there
were ten righteous people found there.
You know the rest of the story: ten righteous could not be found.
“Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire
from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the
plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the
ground” (Genesis 19:24, 25). Because of the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, God sent
judgment on them. The cities were destroyed by natural disasters:
brimstone and fire. Irrefutably, these natural disasters were acts of God
and acts of judgment. Unquestionably,
God would have destroyed the righteous with the wicked if Abraham
had not pleaded with Him. Next
let’s talk about the ten plagues sent by God upon Pharaoh and Egypt as
recorded in Exodus. After Joseph died, the children of Israel “were
fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding
mighty; and the land was filled with them.
Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph”
(Exodus 1: 7, 8). The king
feared that the Israelites would grow mighty and fight against Egypt, so
he enslaved them and made their lives bitter with hard bondage. After the
king of Egypt died, the children of Israel cried to the Lord: “And it
came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the
children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and
their cry came up unto the God by reason of the bondage. And God heard
their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac,
and with Jacob. And God
looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them”
(Exodus 2:23 - 25). In
answer to their cries, God sent a deliverer – Moses.
Moses was to deliver the Israelites from the oppression of Egypt
and lead them to the Promised Land. Moses
and his brother Aaron repeatedly went before Pharaoh and proclaimed:
“Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they
may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.” However, Pharaoh hardened
his heart and increased the Israelites’ burdens. And God spoke unto
Moses: “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I
will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid
you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm,
and with great judgments” (Exodus 6:6). And
we know that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and performed many signs and
wonders so that Moses would lead the Israelites “out of the land of
Egypt by great judgments” (Exodus
7:4). The purpose of the signs and wonders was to punish the
Egyptians so they would know that “I am the Lord” (Exodus 7:5). The judgments that God sent were: 1) all the water turned to
blood; 2) plague of frogs; 3) plague of lice; 4) plague of flies; 5) death
of cattle; 6) boils on man and beast; 7) thunder and hail, and fire; 8)
plague of locusts, 9) plague of darkness; and 10) the death of the
firstborn. Notice that one of
the judgments on the Egyptians was thunder and hail, and fire. And
when God delivered the Israelites and fulfilled His promise to make them a
great nation, He gave them laws for judgment, or justice.
These laws are written in the Law, or the first five books of the
Bible. For example, “He
that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death”
(Exodus 21:12). So, under the old covenant (old testament), the people were
given laws, commandments, and statutes.
And the person who disobeyed was judged and given a sentence of
judgment. Moreover, if the
nation of Israel rebelled against the Lord, He sent judgments upon them
for being a rebellious and stiff-necked people.
Clearly,
in the Old Testament, God judged both the heathen and the Israelites for
wicked rebellion by sending natural disasters, or acts of God. But
before leaving the Old Testament and discussing New Testament judgment,
let’s talk about Job and Jonah. Job
was “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil”
(Job 1:1). The Bible tells us
that God allowed Satan to test Job’s faithfulness by many trials and
tribulations. One of which
was the death of his sons and daughters when a great wind from the
wilderness hit the eldest brother’s house where they were eating and
drinking. And the great wind
caused the house to fall upon them and killed them. In this case, God
makes it perfectly clear in His Word that these trials and tribulations
were to test Job’s faithfulness. They
were not judgments for wickedness. However,
Job did question God. And God
reproved Job. And Job
repented: “Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too
wonderful for me, which I knew not…Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent
in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3,6). After
Job repented, the Lord God gave Job twice as much as he had before. In
this case, Job was a righteous man whose faith was tested. The
true story of Jonah teaches the mercifulness of God if we repent of our
wickedness. God called Jonah to pronounce judgment against Nineveh, the
capital city of the Assyrian Empire: “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great
city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me”
(Jonah 1:2). And we know that Jonah ran from the call of the Lord and was
swallowed by a great fish. And
Jonah cried out to God, and the Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited
Jonah out upon dry land. And
God called Jonah the second time to go to Nineveh and he went to Nineveh
and cried: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown”(Jonah
3:4). Thankfully, because of Jonah’s preaching, the citizens of Nineveh
repented of their wicked ways and turned to the Lord.
As a result, God withheld the disaster He had threatened against
the city. In this case, the
wicked repented and God withheld judgment. In
conclusion, natural disasters in the Old Testament were a pronouncement of
judgment against the wicked. And it was only because Abraham interceded on
behalf of the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah that Lot and his wife and
daughters were spared the wrath of God.
Hence, natural disasters, or acts of God, are sentences of judgment
on the wicked. And if there
is no intercessor, the righteous may be destroyed with the wicked.
However, for the righteous, natural disasters are trials of faith,
as in the case of Job.
Earthquakes
in the Bible Two
types of earthquakes are mentioned in the Bible – historical and
prophetic. Historical
– 1.
When God reveals Himself to Moses and the Israelites at Mt. Sinai
(Exodus 19:18). 2.
When rebellious Korah and his followers are destroyed (Numbers
16:31 - 34). 3.
In the reign of Saul (I Samuel 14:15). 4.
When Elijah flees to Mt. Horeb (I Kings 19:11). 5.
In the reign of Uzziah (Amos 1:1; Zechariah 14:5) 6.
Upon the death of Christ (Matthew 27:51 – 53). 7.
When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary visit Jesus’ tomb (Matthew
28:2). 8.
When Paul and Silas are jailed in Philippi (Acts 16:26). Prophetic
– 1.
When Isaiah pronounces judgment upon Jerusalem for honoring God
with their lips, but not with their hearts (Isaiah 29:6). 2.
When Christ prophesies the end time before His second coming
(Matthew 24:7). 3.
In the Apocalypse (Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 11:19, 16:18). This
message will not be an exhaustive study of all the earthquakes mentioned
in the Bible. However, please study the above and others not listed.
Earthquakes
in the Old Testament
As
we just learned, God sent natural disasters in ancient days as judgment
against the wicked, except in the case of righteous Job, or if the wicked
repented. And sometimes He
sent earthquakes. According to the Bible, when the earth quakes, it is a
demonstration of the greatness and majesty of the Lord God.
“The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of
God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of
Israel” (Psalm 68:8). Earthquakes
demonstrate the power and the glory and majesty of our omnipotent Creator.
He created the earth and has the power to destroy the earth to
punish the wicked. God
cannot allow sin to go unpunished. His
attribute of perfect justice demands it.
For
instance, the Book of Numbers records God’s vengeance on Korah and
others who rebelled against Moses and Aaron.
God caused the earth to open and swallow up the rebels and their
houses (Numbers 16). And
Isaiah prophesied to the city of Ariel, or Jerusalem: “Thou shalt be
visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great
noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire” (Isaiah
29:6). God was sending these
judgments because they turned away from the Lord to worship false gods.
And
the prophet Amos alludes to the earthquake as judgment that he foretold
(Amos 1:1). And
the prophet Nahum pronounces the impending judgment and destruction and
desolation of Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian nation.
Jonah had preached repentance to Nineveh, and the people repented,
but soon backslid into their old sins.
Nahum warns them of the wrath of God: “The Lord is slow to anger,
and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath
his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of
his feet . . .The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the
earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell
therein. Who can stand before
his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger?
his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by
him” (Nahum 1: 3, 5, 6). Though
earthquakes may be produced by natural causes, they are under the control
and direction of Providence. Earthquakes
are acts of God. Earthquakes
in the New Testament
Now,
what about earthquakes in the New Testament? The
first earthquake mentioned in the New Testament occurred at the
crucifixion of Christ: “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded
up the ghost. And, behold,
the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and
the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out
of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and
appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him,
watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they
feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew
27:50-54). Unquestionably,
this earthquake was not a result of natural causes.
This earthquake expressed God’s anger against the wicked murder
of His Son. It also demonstrated the power and greatness of God. And
Matthew records that when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to
Jesus’ tomb, “there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord
descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door,
and sat upon it” (Matthew 28:2). And
Acts records an earthquake occurred when Paul and Silas were jailed at
Philippi. At midnight, when they were praying and singing praises unto
God, suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the
prison were shaken. Immediately, all the doors were opened, and their bands were
loosed. This earthquake was a
demonstration of God’s power and anger that His apostles were jailed.
The earthquake caused the jailer to tremble and fall down before
Paul and Silas, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they
said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and
thy house” (Acts 16: 25-34). Then the jailer took Paul and Silas to his
house and the apostles preached the Word of God. The
Book of Revelation also talks about earthquakes as expressions of God’s
wrath (Rev. 6:12, 8:5, 11:13, 11:19, 16:18).
Earthquake
in Haiti Is Pat Robertson right about the earthquake in Haiti? Is Haiti cursed? Was the earthquake God’s judgment on the Haitians for making a pact with the devil in 1791? Is the Haiti
consul to Brazil, George Samuel Antoine, right that the earthquake that
hit his country may have been caused by voodoo? To
determine whether the earthquake is God’s judgment on the Haitians for
making a pact with the devil and practicing voodoo, we need the facts
about Haiti and voodoo: 1.
On 14 August 1791, a black slave and witch doctor named Boukman led the
slaves in a voodoo ritual. They sacrificed a pig and drank its blood to
form a pact with the devil, whereby they agreed to serve the spirits of
the island for 200 years in exchange for freedom from the French. The
slave rebellion commenced on 22 August 1791, and after 13 years of
conflict, the slaves won their independence. On 1 January 1804 they
declared Haiti the world's first independent black republic. An iron
statue of a pig stands in Port-au-Prince to commemorate the "Boukman
Contract". Since independence, Haiti has been in a continual state of
political struggle and wracked with poverty.
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/11197.htm 2. Unaware he was
being recorded, the consul of Haiti in Brazil, George Samuel Antoine, told
Brazilian TV network SBT that the earthquake that hit his country may have
been caused by voodoo. "I think it has to do with messing so much
with voodoo, I don't know what it is ...." Antoine also said that
" the African himself has a curse. Everywhere there are Africans it's
....."
http://www.brazzilmag.com/component/content/article/81-january-2010/11701-
haiti-consul-in-brazil-blames-quake-on-voodoo-and-curse-africans-have.html 3.
In 2003 the Haitian government made voodoo an official religion. 4.
Christian Aid reported recently (14 August), "One ministry spokesman
in northern Haiti said five of its pastors had been murdered recently. He
blamed it on the strong influence of Voodoo in the area. No other details
were available." This report, from a highly trusted and reliable
source, is being further investigated.
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/11197.htm 5.
Haitians who immigrate to the United States bring voodoo - devil worship -
to our Christian nation. New Orleans is especially known for its large
Haitian voodoo population.
Judgment
God
is holy and just. He has given us laws, statutes, and commandments that we
must obey. If we break His Law, He judges us and pronounces a sentence
of judgment. However, He is
longsuffering and pleads with us to repent before He disciplines or
punishes, but judgment will come sooner or later.
If not while we are living, then when we shall all stand before the
Judgment Seat of Christ (Revelation
20: 11- 15). And,
as discussed earlier, God commands that we have no other gods before Him:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind. This
is the first and great commandment.”
Irrefutably,
voodoo is open rebellion against God’s commandment.
Voodoo is sorcery. Voodoo
is serpent-worship. Voodoo is
devil worship. In
fact, Isaiah prophesies a judgment of doom on those who practice sorcery
in 47:9 - 15. 9
But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the
loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their
perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the abundance of
thine enchantments. 10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None
seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy
knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am,
and none else beside me. 11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from
whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be
able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which
thou shalt not know. 12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitiude of thy
sorceries, wherein thy hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt
be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. 13 Thou art wearied in the multitiude of thy counsels.
Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly
prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come
upon thee. 14
Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they
shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not
be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it. 15
Thus shall they be unto thee with who thou hast laboured, even thy
merchants, from thy youth: they
shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee. Isaiah proclaims that sorcery cannot save the wicked from the judgment of God.
Hear,
O Haiti: Repent!
Clearly,
God’s Law pronounces a judgment of doom on the wicked.
Devil worshippers are doomed to earthly destruction and eternal
damnation. “He
that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he
shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone” (Revelation 21:7,8). Hear,
O Haiti: Repent! “Blessed
are they that do his commandments, that they may have the right to the
tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and
murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie”
(Revelation 22:14, 15). Hear,
O Haiti: Will you spend eternity in hell with The Old Serpent – the
Devil? “And
the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone,
where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and
night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Hear,
O Haiti: Repent! January 2010 Liberty Advocate http://www.libertyadvocate.com
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