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chernobyl

Meltdown

Read: Revelation 6:12-17


On April 26, 1986 one of the worlds deadliest tragedies erupted in the town of Chernobyl in The Soviet Union. At the time, Pripiyat,where the Chernobyl Nuclear power plant was located, was part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). The disaster was at first kept secret, and while a deadly drama was unfolding, a sleeping Soviet Union was completely unaware. Operator error was the leading factor in the crisis; safety systems were purposely turned off during a hurried late-night stress test; design flaws and reactor operators working contrary to the stress test checklist also contributed to the catastrophe.

The radiation was so intense that it literally turned one firefighter's eyes from brown to blue. In the vicinity of the reactor core the radiation was measured at 30,000 roentgens (R/s) per hour. An estimated total of more than 150,000 elective abortions were performed in fear of the ensuing cancer that was sure to follow. The pregnancies may very well have been normal, but the fear of the radiation damage prompted a panicked public to act.

The events of Chernobyl are a grim reminder that disaster can strike anyone at anytime. In Daniel 12, a revealing of end times concludes with a hopeful glimpse:

[ And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. (v.3) ]

We need to remain vigilant, and take check of our own faith and avoid the impending calamity that awaits those who refuse to bow a knee to God. Like the stars, let us choose to shine, and as we are saved by grace, let us strive to save others.

Dear Heavenly Father, please create in me a blueprint for others to follow that I may do the work I am called to do. I pray that you turn my weakness into victory that I may share your word and your love and your grace.

God sends us his message loud and clear that he wants to protect us. He wants us to be drawn to him in faith, and He knows our hearts better than we do. Mark 13:32-33 gives us simple, yet implicit instructions; the author implores us to stay awake in our faith: 32 "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake.[a] For you do not know when the time will come."