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THE EARTHQUAKE IS
THE SIGN OF GOD'S WRATH

"We believe and confess that

God teaches us and gives us
His signs" (Isaiah 8:18)

Everyone complains about the weight of our times we live, but nobody wants to accept also his
part of guilt for this upwards and confussion of the moral values.
We all see that our neighbor is ruled by the most savage selfishness but we don’t realize that we
ourselves are drowned in the same sin. We are revolted by the avarice of others, without denying our
own. Great and proud are we but we are troubled only by the pride and vanity of others. We say
constantly blasphemies on God but we are horrified when we hear others taking His name in vain. We
are rebellious and disobedient to parents, unthankful and ungrateful to our benefactors, lack of fit and
love in the relations with our neighbors but we resent terribly when others do the same to us.
Unforgiving when it comes to forgive the mistake and sorrow did to us by our neighbor, but we are
gripped by rage and longing for revenge when he behaves just like us. We speak evil about others, with
the enemy thinking of ruining their good name, but, forbid that anyone speak the same on us, that we
grabe him by the throat. We live a life of frivolous and without restraint, but we find no enough hard
words to stigmatize the breakers of the good morals. We are angry on injustice but ourselves go over
the line. Cruel to bloodshed and grievous to murder, however, we ask mercy and kindness from others.
We rejoice with devilish joy when we see our brother in distress and torment, but woe betides him if he
would behave the same with us.
Also, we can see the mote in our brother's eye, but do not see the beam in our eye.
Everyone wants badly and hardly waits the changing of times and people, but none tries to start
this transformation with himself. We are satisfied with the appearance of true faith, but through our
reckless wear, we deny her power.
For these sins and many other lawsless deeds, which is a shame event to talk about, because of
the disobedience to Heavenly Father and disregarding of His commandments, life has become a
crushing burden, and the days we live cruel and oppressive to despair. "And the anger of the Lord was
kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book." (Deuteronomy
29:27). "Thy way and thy doings procured these things" (Jeremiah 4:18). Indeed. The year 1940 is the
year of the most painful trials of our nation. This year, His wrath that destroys and His fury who
frightenes, went overwhelming upon our dear country.
The great edifice of the unified Romania built on the tombs of heroes, as on the shoulders of
giants, collapsed. The boundaries marked with the blood of brave men have been torn. The act of the
tranquil eternal dominion over the holy inheritage was turned apart and the body of our dear country
was crippled by the greed of our people’s enemies. The dream for a thousand years in which our dead
ancestors have hoped and longing was crushed after only 22 of lasting, because of our unworthyness.
With tears in the eyes, whith tense face, with heart in bloody pain, with the hands nailed on
weapons we watched helplessly how it collapses and vanishes the clironomy entrusted to the hands of
unworthy heirs.
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But it had to fulfill the Scripture that says: "The disorderd King destroys his people" (Sirach
10:3).

And because we have rejected the laws of God, trampled on His commandments and did not
awaken to repentance, the waves of divine anger have not yet subsided.
We sow our seed in vain and in vain we toiled the land with the sweat of the brow, because the
enemies ate the fruits of our labor.
Bessarabia and the other provinces were kidnapped just when they were ready to harvest ripe
crops.
But since even after that we did not become wiser, the horror of God's wrath has appeared in a
different guise.
The heavens closed and the earth looked like copper and our efforts were in vain because the
fields have not yielded and the trees in orchards have never made fruit. We ended up paying 1 kg. apple
and pear from lei 50-100 lei kg.
Since, however, even after all this we're not turn back and we have not repented but we put
across and we did not listen to the law of the Lord, God brought foreign sword in our country, in order
to crush the pride of our power and we eat the bread and weighed in scales. (See for all these Leviticus
26:16, 19, 20, 25, 26), and starvation is grinning threatening at the door of everyone, since never were
the injustice and greed for winning flourished more than now. "For from the least of them even unto the
greatest of them every one is given to covetousness" (Jeremiah 6:13). And in this desire of enrichment
nobody take into account the law and justice, mercy and love. There's no day left by God which does
not appear in the journal names of merchants, who losing their sense of shame and humanity without
mercy speculate that found in trouble, although the divine teaching commands: "Ye shall do no
unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure." (Leviticus 19:35). And if you
despise the word of God, "Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the
midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give
up to the sword." (Micah 6:14).
Yet, in spite of all these dreadful threats, all have turned aside, together they have become
corrupt.
For these large and heavy faults and law trampling, other even more terrible threats are hanging
over our heads. For not only God will deny us any support and help, but "And I will give children to be
their princes, and babes shall rule over them", says the Lord Almighty. (Isaiah 3:4). What is then the
Communist threat, which is becoming increasingly daring, than trying to overthrow the good order and
enthrone anarchy when "people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his
neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the
honourable." (Isaiah 3:5).
But the multitude of our transgressions surpassed the edge of divine mercy and patience who is
slow to anger, and for that other Scripture is being fulfilled today in our ears and say "I will make your
cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation… And I will bring the land into desolation: and
your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it." (Leviticus 26:31-32).
For behold, who did not shake shuddered with horror of earthquake in the night of 9-10
November 1940, and who has not heard of ruin and desolation that has been done in the haunted
regions?

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbd70yvDI28&feature=channel_video_title)
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To try to interpret this terrible geological phenomenon as being caused only due to the
settlement movement and deep layers of the earth without seeing in him a menacing finger of God
means to increase even more the feeling of fear and horror in the blind powers and frightening nature.
Because if man would know himself only at the mercy of these forces left uncontrolled, where
would he be able to find support and hope, where will he find life support in such circumstances?
That is why, in these moments of public horror "and it shall be, as with the people, so with the
priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender,
so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him." (Isaiah 24:2).
Learned people, as well as the unlearned are gripped by the same sense of nothingness, which make
them brothers in prayer. "At that day, saith the Lord, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the
heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished…" (Jeremiah 4:9), the hope of some as the
others being only in God. And in such moments no one does not hesitate nor run to the bookshelf to
scientifically explain the cause of the earthquake but everybody's thoughts rise only towards The
Highest One from where one looks for help.
Especially, the true Christians are fully convinced, that if any of those birds who are sold two to
a penny, it is not falling on the ground without our Father's knowledge (Matt. 10:29), the more the land
will not shake on its foundations without the permission of his Creator.
And rightly so. From beds of The Holy Book we pick up shoots of the too beautiful teaching,
that God, who is dressed in robes of majesty and splendor, waved of the rays of light, stretched out the
azure sky like a protector tent and He also reinforced the land on his foundation, which will not rinse
for ever. (Ps. 105:2 and 5).
Knowing such tings, when we see that such horrendous events are passing on, however, that the
land slips away from our feet "we believe and confess that God teaches us and gives us His signs"
(Isaiah 8:18) and therefore, earthquakes, about which until now scientists have not yet been able to find
their origin or whether to propagate through the atmosphere or the ground, are not only seismic
phenomena but also signs of the divine anger for our sins and transgressions.
By building the man after His image and likeness, God put man as an emperor over the creature
and put him in Paradise to guard and to work it. But the man, being disobedient to the divine command,
the wickedness abounded in the world, so much, so God regretted that He made man on earth and
grieved in His heart. Then the Lord said: I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the
earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I
have made them." (Genesis 6:7). And this wrath of God has appeared and is still shown in many ways
and in many things: in giant flood or severe drought, the deadly pestilence or cruel wars, terrible
heavenly signs or fearsome earthquake.
For, if God opens His hand all are filled with goodies, but when He is hiding His face, they all
dread. He takes back the soul, they die and return to their dust, if He sends their spirits again, they are
built again and renew the face of the earth. He touches the mountains and they through out smoke and
if He looks to the ground, it makes the shakes. As the guilty child trembles before his father or his
mother, as the pupil who knows himself not knowing the lesson in font of the teacher, or the criminal
shakes in front of his guilty conscience.
Thinking to all these I remembered the prophet who says: "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth
empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof'...
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws,
changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth,
and they that dwell therein are desolate." For this "the earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean
dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be
removed like a cottage" Why? Because " the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it..." (Isaiah
24:1, 5, 6, 19-20), and dragged the wrath of God. And "at His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the
nations shall not be able to abide His indignation." (Jeremiah 10:10). "The mountains quake at Him...
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the earth is burnt at His sight... Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the
fierceness of his anger?"(Nahum 1:5-6).
And now if someone asks, what relationship can be between sin and the earthquake, he will find the
answer also in the Scriptures, which assures us that because of the originally sin, not only humans, but
"the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." (Romans 8:22) for, neither land
escaped the wrath of God, and the Scripture bears witness by saying: "Cursed is the ground for thy
sake." (Genesis 3:17). More, if someone will look carefully, he will notice many similarities between
the pain and anguish of the human soul and the writhing bowels of the earth. For as the man after a
serious illness is often shaken by fever and moaning, just after the big earthquake the ground is still
shaking from time to time by easy trembling, like some startles of conscience, upset by the bitter
remorse.
I still want to attract your attention, Christian brother, to keep yourself away from those who are
looking for your soul and now find time with opportunity to confuse your step into the trap of
wanderings and departing from orthodoxy.
By the distorted interpretation of the signs of time according to their false faith, the sectarians
will try to assign you that the end times are near, and God is at the door. "Take heed that no man
deceive you, For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matt.
24:4-5) "but of that day and hour, knoweth no man, no; not the angels in heaven, but My Father only"
(Ibid. 36). Be strong in faith. "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not
troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. And there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Matthew 24:6-
8).
Of course, in the face of such terrible and shocking calamity and terrible missfortunes, the
imagination of the crowd is shaken to the depths and overwhelmed by horror is thinking that
everything is over.
This noisy fuss and fierce clash of nations, the bloody and unending wars between the nations
of the earth are the result of passions that are struggling into the members of humanity, ruled by the
spirit of hatred and pride, the spirit of deceit and delight.
The Holy Book teaches us that war is an evil, allowed by God as a means of punishment against
the peoples, for their iniquity and lawlessness.
Therefore, as long as the world lies in evil is natural that all these happen, but the believers must
not be afraid but they count them as a sign of divine chasting, which can be soften through repentance
and prayer.
As people are kneaded and get angry, so the heavens and the earth are in motion. As there is a
turmoil of the moral forces, there is also a fight of the physical powers.
When these forces collide inbetween, in the mankind occur unespected and impressive changes,
up to fear mongering. And if somehow in some circumstances the balance of forces is somewhat lost
when going some way to topple the ordinances of nature, which sometimes have catastrophic
consequences.
And in this state of instability of the elements, when even the elements of nature seem to stand
against, the true Christian must stand unshakened in the belief that not a hair of his head will perish
without the permission of the Heavenly Father.
But, since we know that the waves of God's wrath is poured out in fury against the wicked,
sinful and stubborn, against the nonbelievers and unrepentant, against those who forget God and are
unjust, persecutors and hypocrites, lest climb in our hearts the proud and sly thought and opinion that
only those who have suffered devastating damage or sudden death fell on this occasion were indeed
sinners and those still alive are the only ordained by God to the acquisition of salvation. Do not be.
About this our Savior himself entrusted us.
For this is what we read in the Holy Gospel.
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"There were present at that season some that told Him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had
mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans
were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew
them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except
ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:1-5).
So I ask you now beloved reader: Do you think that the hundreds of people over the collapsed
block Carlton, or have perished under the ruins of other buildings collapsed by the earthquake, were
they worse sinners than all the other inhabitants of our country?

Carlton Block: „The highest building at that time didn’t stand against the earthquake”
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Emergency units were carrying the victims from Carlton

No, of course. But God wanted that throgh the punishment of others we become wiser.
And then, knowing that nobody can resist the divine chasting, is naturally is to ask: What will
we do then, for "mercyful, gentle and easy to be forgiving to be to us the good and men loving our God
and to turn back His anger, which starts against us and to deliver us from his righteous dreadfullness."
The answer is short: "Be ye reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Here is the path. But how do we achieve this reconciliation? Let us first acknowledge the sins,
which have attracted the wrath of God upon us, let us wash them in tears of contrition and take the
resolute determination not to commit them again. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins
may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts
3:19-20).
But, if we listen to God's word and we will walk in His statutes and keep His commandments
and will accomplish them, then he shall send us rain in good time and the earth will bear its gifts and
the orchards their fruits. Then, as the Scripture says "your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and
the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your
land safely. And I will give peace in the land and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you
afraid...""And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. And five of you
shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall
fall before you by the sword." (Leviticus 26:5-8).
And, in order not to be caught again in the net of sin and cause again the fierce wrath of God,
let us pray without ceasing as not to fall into temptation. Then will be fulfilled the Scripture that says:
"And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves… saying, They have humbled themselves;
therefore I will not destroy them." (2 Chronicles 12:7), for God's anger softens towards the faithful and
is eased by His mercy.
Therefore, let us pray together with the church saying:
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"O Christ our God, Who lookest on the earth and makest it tremble: Deliver us from the
dreadful threat of the earthquake, and send down upon us thy rich mercies and save us, through the
supplications of the Theotokos." (Troparion of the earthquake).