Ladies & Gentlemen - We Will Be Experiencing Some Turbulence

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will be experiencing some turbulence over the next twenty to thirty minutes.” These are words that most people don’t like to hear during a flight. I can honestly say it has never bothered me to hear that. But then again, I am pretty chill about most things, that is just my nature. However, I may look around the plane as it bounces around to see the reactions of others. No, I’m not being morbid. I just have the inner peace knowing that everything is most likely going to be okay, especially if you consider flight crash statistics versus car accidents and other tragedies.

When you hear of a situation like the Southwest Airlines emergency landing from this past week, my reaction could be different than chill during such an event, but I’ve never encountered this so I really don’t know. I could imagine it was terrifying for those on the flight. This might sound crass, but it’s a serious observation: I wonder for SWA passengers how the boarding process is now. What I mean is, I could picture being in the “B” or “C” boarding class, and walking down the aisle of the plane to see that most of the window seats are available while the aisle seats are taken.

I am writing this article, because Jesus in his teaching made an announcement similar to a pilot’s announcement concerning turbulence in these last days we currently live in. While answering his disciples questions about the end of this age, Jesus said the following:

'He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.'
Luke 21:8-11 NIV

I wonder how many people realize or know that there was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake near Mexico City this past September 2017? Here is a clip of the highlights: 7.1 Earthquake Central Mexico - click here

Honestly, I did not remember much about the earthquake beyond seeing a glimpse of a headline back in September. Possibly that is because, during that same month, there were two other major earthquakes amongst other world shaking tragedies. In ONE month last year  these things happened. Here is the September 2017 list of major events:

EARTHQUAKES:
Chipas, Mexico – 8.1 scale quake
Central Mexico – 7.1 scale quake
Central Mexico – 6.2 scale quake

VOLCANOES:
Bali, Indonesia – Alert level 4 eruption

FIRES:
Kenya – Building fire killed 7 children
Malaysia – Building fire killed 24 children
Romania – Building fire killed 19 people
Los Angeles, CA – Brush fire burned 5,800 acres – largest fire in history for the area

BOMBINGS:
Syria - Israel bombed a base killing 2 people
Afghanistan – Suicide bomb killed 3 people
London – Train bombing killed 29 people
Pakistan – Roadside bomb killed 5 people
Iraq – Suicide bomb killed 7 people
Syria  - Russian bombing killed 1 child & injured many others

ACCIDENTS:
2 separate helicopter crashes killing 5 people including country music star Troy Gentry
Myanmar refuge boat crash killed 14 people as they almost arrived in Bangladesh
Mumbai, Kenya – Stampede on a bridge killed 22 people

TERRORISM:
Plano, TX – Mass shooting 9 people killed
Nashville, TN – Mass shooting at a church, 1 person killed and 7 wounded
Edmonton Canada – Vehicle ramming attack injuring 5 people

STORMS:
Vietnam & Philippines – Typhoon Damrey kills approximately 100 people
Florida, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin – Hurricane Irma category 5 kills 134 people
East Coast US & Bahamas – Hurricane Jose category 4 killed 1 person
Puerto Rico – Hurricane Maria category 5 killed 112 people and downed power for the entire island

I randomly picked the month September 2017 as an example for this post after discovering the 7.1 earthquake video (linked earlier in this article). It is remarkable to me, that such an event did not even register in my mind. Perhaps it’s because these things are occurring almost daily and we are becoming desensitized to this type of news? Jesus did say in his teaching that these events would be similar to labor birth pains, which all moms know increase in frequency and intensity the closer you get to delivery.

I remember in the 1980’s (yes, I am that old – getting younger everyday) when a major earthquake would have definitely been the story of the month, or even the news story of the quarter, if not the year. Yes, these are the times we live in.

Back to my airplane analogy: During my most recent flight this past January, we experienced about ten minutes of some really bumpy turbulence. The plane shook fairly well, with even a few quick dips, but I stayed chill. As I looked around, I noticed a variety of responses. Yes, I had an aisle seat.  The responses ranged from a prayer that I heard audibly in Spanish, a person rocking intensely in their seat with their head down, others were staring out of the window, and several people were looking down at their tablets, possibly engaged in a book or movie.

That scenario reflects much about the times we live in. There is going to be some increasing turbulence. Some people are so engaged in the latest Netflix binge watching series that they have no clue about what is happening. Others are worried out of their minds, while there are some who are aware of the turbulence but not fretful about it. What are we as believers supposed to do? 
A few suggestions from scripture:
1) Stand up and look up because our redemption is coming quickly.
2) Do not be troubled or worried in the least bit.
3) Encourage one another about God’s promises and the next age about to come.
Fear not my friends!