“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilence’s, and earthquakes in various places.” Those were the words of Jesus in Matthew 24 when he was asked by His disciples for a sign of his return and when the end of the age would come.
And one such sign was
seen in the form of a deadly earthquake in Nepal in late April - one that was followed by another smaller one
this week. The death toll for the large quake was over 8,000 along with another
19,000 being injured. Nepal's Prime
Minister has said the number of dead could reach 10,000. The quake was estimated to be 16 times more
powerful than Haiti’s 2010
disaster and was the worst natural
disaster to strike Nepal
since the 1934.
According to the
USGS, the temblor was caused by a sudden release of built-up stress, along the
major fault line where the Indian Plate, carrying India, is slowly diving
underneath the Eurasian Plate, carrying much of Europe and Asia. The earthquake
triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest,
killing at least 19, making it the deadliest day on the mountain in history.
Satellite images reveal that the highest mountain in the world actually lost a
fraction of its height from the event.
Geophysicists
and other experts had warned for decades that Nepal was vulnerable to a deadly
earthquake, particularly because of its geology and
architecture. Concern was expressed
that harvests could now be reduced or lost this season as people affected by the
earthquake would have only a short time to plant crops before the onset of the Monsoon
rains. Nepal is one of Asia's poorest countries and has little ability to fund
a major reconstruction effort on its own. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates economic losses from the temblor could reach about 35 percent.
But there is another aspect of
what has occurred in that devastated region that was less reported than other
news about the killer quake. It is estimated that some 45 of the Christian
churches in the area were destroyed and that 500 hundred worshippers were
killed. That is because Saturday, the day of the week that churches meet there
for prayer, was the day when the event took place. And article in Christianity
Today online shared the following headline from May, 4. ‘Nepal Christians
Return to Worship after Earthquake Turns Churches into Tombs: Evangelicals bear
brunt of Christian deaths.’
But what about the Christian
church in Nepal?
What is their normal existence like? According to CBN news, their numbers have
grown from 29 people, when the first church was planted in Nepal 60 years
ago, to nearly 1 million today. But the practice of their faith is not an easy
one. The country’s Christians are looking for a new constitution because they
do not really have equal rights and religious freedoms. One pastor said, "There’s
no respect for Christianity and we are not allowed to have open
fellowship. The government allows us to have fellowship inside a hall or a
building, but our churches are not registered.
Nepali Christians are also
disrespected in death. Rarely are Christians given a place for burial since
extremists believe non-Hindu bodies desecrate the land. Christians report
militants often force them to dig up the buried remains of loved ones. One
Christian woman reportedly kept her deceased husband's decaying body in her
home because she was prevented from burying him.
The bottom line is that
Christian brothers and sisters in Nepal are facing a long hard road
and one that was exacerbated by the recent events there. And yet, in the midst
of it all, many are helping survivors deal with the crisis. Despite being
outcasts, God’s people are showing His love through their reaction to universal
suffering. And when considering that the quake took place at the exact time
that they were worshipping, that must cause some to consider more the claims of
Christ. One local pastor stated, "We want to keep the witness of God in
this place and improve the church. Our main purpose is to influence all of the
villagers,"
Today, Nepal is a
mission field even more than before the April earthquake. Christians there are
suffering as are others. But the church there has hope and answers that others
there do not. As God leads, pray for brothers and sisters in the Lord there. Pray
for the rebuilding of their personal lives, their churches and for the sharing
of their testimony even in a hostile culture. And if God so moves,
support those organizations that are helping to meet both the physical and
spiritual needs in a difficult and devastated part of our shrinking world.
Doing so will help fulfill the biblical injunction seen in Romans 12:15.
"Rejoice with those who
rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
Bill Breckenridge
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