Dear Friend of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Europe has suffered many tragic disasters, both natural and man-made--mostly the latter. Through the centuries it has suffered bloody, cruel, religious, even "Christian," persecutions. The papacy severely oppressed Bible-loving Christians (and there were Protestant persecutions, too). Europe also has suffered endless wars, including two World Wars and the unspeakable horror of the Holocaust. Man's inhumanity toward man has been terrible. The most enlightened continent suffered the greatest man-made cruelty.
But there was one outstanding natural disaster that came upon Europe--the Lisbon (Portugal) Earthquake of November 1, 1755. It was the Roman Catholic All Saints' Day, which followed Halloween. Extending 700 miles in radius (some reports said 1800--even to Norway), it shook Europe severely, even England. Followed by a tsunami of about 20 feet, some 30,000 perished, and Lisbon's 12,000 homes were destroyed.
Bible believing Christians recognized it as the "great earthquake" that ushered in the "sixth seal" of Revelation 6:12. Multitudes were sobered; the wealthy and the royal saw there was something more to live for than decadent parties and festivals. John Wesley was moved to devote his life to saving England from the horrors that became the French Revolution. The deeper thinking that became the great Advent Movement began to spread. Daniel's "time of the end" was about to begin (in 1798).
Did God speak to the world in the Lisbon Earthquake? Yes! He is calling the world to Day of Atonement living. He deserves our attention. Let's listen for His Voice.
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 7, 2005.
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