Encouraging Words

Speaking of Landmarks and Memorials

The history of mankind is filled with violence and unrest. We have this upheaval because of the carnal nature of man. This nature began with the failure of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

God was faithful to record this depravity in His Word beginning with the murder of Abel. In fact, we learn much about ourselves when we study Genesis chapters one through eleven.

Today I want to point out two memorials on opposite sides of the planet that pause us to remember a series of events; the historical fact of the atomic bomb.

Seventy-five years ago today, July 16, 1945, the stillness of the New Mexico desert was shattered when scientist detonated the first atomic device. Known by the unofficial nickname “gadget,” the news was quickly dispatched to then president Harry Truman who was attending the Potsdam Conference.

There is a monument at the site of the explosion. The place is known as the “Trinity Site.”

On the other side of the world in Hiroshima, Japan, is another monument known as the “Hiroshima Peace Memorial.” Unofficially known as the “Atomic Dome,” the building was near the epicenter of the first atomic explosion used in warfare. The ruin of the building was left standing as a memorial to the 140,000 people who died as a result of the atomic attack.

I do not pretend to understand the mind of American leaders 75 years ago today. Back then, the world had raged with war for over six years and the United States had been at war with Japan for nearly four years. The Nazi’s had been defeated in Europe and the world was ready for peace.

The decision was soon made by the president to use the atomic weapons. A little over three weeks from July 16, 1945, to August 9, 1945, The United States used atomic devices on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Within days, the war was over.

I am so thankful that atomic weapons have not been used since 1945. A few nations have developed the technology and tested atomic devices but never again used them in warfare. I believe the memorial markers have served as a reminder of the horrific nature of these weapons.

God reminded Israel of the importance of landmarks and memorials. In Exodus 12:14 we have the Passover designated a memorial. “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.” The Passover is the celebration reminder of the freedom the Children of Israel granted from Egyptian bondage by God.

A popular landmark is the property boundary markers used for legal property descriptions. God said in Deuteronomy 19:14 “Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.”

Statues, monuments, and landmarks are an important part of our lives remembering historical events and important boundaries.

For the Believer in Christ, the most important marker is that of the cross. The cross is the marker and symbol of the work of Christ, shedding His blood for the forgiveness of sin. This is necessary because of the holiness of God. The depraved and carnal nature of man cannot be in the presence of a holy God, therefore the atoning work of Christ makes it possible for us to be accepted of God. Under the blood of Christ we are once again holy and pleasing to God.

I pray that atomic weapons are never used again. I believe the two monuments in the New Mexico desert and Hiroshima, Japan, are ample reminders of events we desire to never repeat again. Even if someone decided to tear the monuments down, it does not change the fact that the events actually happened.

See you in church. ---Bro. Louis