Bible Study » Daily Devotional
AN AMAZING FACT: On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked
Pearl Harbor. The number of Americans who died was 2,388, the number
wounded was 1,178, and the number of ships sunk or damaged was 21.
Each year Americans commemorate Pearl Harbor Day in memory of
the thousands who were injured or killed when the Japanese made their
surprise attack on the American naval base in Hawaii. It was a major
turning point in World War II. Though the number who remember that day
becomes fewer over the years, many can still hear President Franklin D.
Roosevelt’s famous address, in which he says December 7, 1941, will be
“a date which will live in infamy.” Is it still remembered? About 4,000
people visit Pearl Harbor each day, and 1.5 million visit the USS
Arizona memorial each year.
The attack lasted only 110 minutes, from 7:55 AM until 9:45 AM. Plans for the assault had been in the works for almost one year. Its code name was “Operation Hawaii” and was later changed to “Operation Z.” The Japanese chose to attack on Sunday morning because they believed the Americans would be less alert and more relaxed. When the Japanese commander Mitsuo Fuchida called out “Tora! Tora! Tora! [Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!]” when flying over Pearl Harbor, it was a message to the entire Japanese Navy that they had caught the Americans totally by surprise.
The language of Joel when describing the “Day of the Lord” sounds familiar to those who watched the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is a grim comparison. “Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand: A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness. … A people come, great and strong. … A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns” (Joel 2:1–3).
What a great and dreadful day that will be! For those who give their lives to Christ, however, it will not come as a surprise attack.
The attack lasted only 110 minutes, from 7:55 AM until 9:45 AM. Plans for the assault had been in the works for almost one year. Its code name was “Operation Hawaii” and was later changed to “Operation Z.” The Japanese chose to attack on Sunday morning because they believed the Americans would be less alert and more relaxed. When the Japanese commander Mitsuo Fuchida called out “Tora! Tora! Tora! [Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!]” when flying over Pearl Harbor, it was a message to the entire Japanese Navy that they had caught the Americans totally by surprise.
The language of Joel when describing the “Day of the Lord” sounds familiar to those who watched the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is a grim comparison. “Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand: A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness. … A people come, great and strong. … A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns” (Joel 2:1–3).
What a great and dreadful day that will be! For those who give their lives to Christ, however, it will not come as a surprise attack.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt
with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall
be burned up.
2 Peter 3:10
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