Today’s Scripture Reading (March 22,
2015): Revelation 8
In September
12, 1942, the RMS Laconia was sunk off the coast of West Africa. A lot of the
details of the incident seem to be mired with intentional misinformation, but
the story, as close as we can tell, is that a Nazi German Submarine sunk the
Laconia believing that it was carrying Allied troops during late summer of 1942.
There seems to be little doubt that he Laconia was a legitimate wartime target
for the German U-boats. But on this trip the Laconia, while carrying some military
personal, was transporting mostly civilians and Italian prisoners of war. The
commander of the U-boat made an unprecedented decision when he realized who it
was that was dying in the Atlantic Waters – he placed a Red Cross Flag across
his guns and decided to try to rescue as many of the survivors as possible. He
even went as far as to call in other German boats and to offer free passage to
any Allied ships in the area if they wanted to come and pick up the survivors.
But in the pressure of World War II, it seems that the message was not heeded
by many Allied Vessels fearing that this was a German Trap.
Rescue
efforts proceeded for the three days. Prisoners, civilians and even Allied
military personnel were pulled out of the water and either given passage on the
U-boats or set into life rafts. All of this continued until an American Bomber
spotted the subs on the surface of the ocean and decided to take them out. In an
act for which they would later receive medals, the American Bomber sunk the
German U-boat in the midst of its rescue operations. Well, at least that was
what they thought. Later it was revealed that the U-boats had submerged at the
beginning of the attack and that all of the German vessels escaped the incident
without injury. The same could not be said for a couple of the life rafts filled
with survivors from the Laconia. The life rafts were blown out of existence.
But the incidents surrounding the Laconia at least appear to be an unbelievable
act of mercy in the midst of war.
As we read
about the blowing of the trumpets in this section it is easy to fixate on the
unimaginable tragedy that is about to be received by the earth. The first four
of these tragedies appear to involve natural catastrophes, but the last three
fall distinctly onto the human race. We have even called this passage “the
Great Tribulation.” But the name itself is a bit of a misnomer. As the events
of the Second World War, into which the events surrounding the Laconia fit, or
the Great War that preceded it are considered, there have already been trumpets
of judgments that have fallen on the human race. James Burton Coffman believes
that it is better to understand “The Tribulation” as a time period that began
with the cross and will continue until the end of time itself.
But
something else that we tend to miss in these blasts of the trumpets is that
they all come with mercy attached. And not only is mercy attached, it triumphs.
With the blowing of each of the trumpets, mercy is greater than the
tribulation. Even here, God protects that which he has created.
The Laconia
incident was the last act of the mercy to be shown by German U-boats during the
war. The incident was the reason for the issuing of the “Laconia Order” by the
German high command prohibiting German U-boats from taking part in rescue
operations. In contrast, God’s mercy will not disappear. His mercy, for his
creation, will extend as long as the trumpets are blowing - until the very end
of time.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:
Revelation 9
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