Lisbon

By David Hobbs

This is a letter-to-the-editor I wrote that was published 1/9/16, the same day of our Solemn Assembly (which went quite well). It was based on a book entitled The Gulf of Fire b y Mark Molesky that my brother Jesse sent me. It  was a message that God dropped into my lap out of the blue to publish in our paper. 

"Lisbon," as quoted in  the book from The London Magazine of Jan. 1756, "might be said to be at once the most visibly rich and the most abandonly wicked and superstitious city in the world." The godly priest Malagrida saw Lisbon as being a "new Babylon," whose "theaters, songs, immodest dances, obscene comedies, amusements [and] bullfights" made it guilty in the eyes of God. The lesson this story holds for America in the present day is indeed chilling.

Dear Editor,

Does the name Lisbon ring any bells? Most people today would draw a blank, but it’s the capital of Portugal, a country many people also have never heard of.

            Yet 260 years ago, Lisbon was the premier city of Europe, wealthier and better known than London, Paris, or Vienna; its glory compared to Solomon’s splendor. Its people were very religious, but the religious system was deeply corrupt. Their idea of religion was what we would today call idolatry: clinging to images, statues and icons of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, and giving them credit for their prosperity, with no real attempt to live godly lives. Roughly 10% of its 200,000 population were homeless; convents routinely doubled as brothels. Any dissenters to the corrupt system were brought before the Inquisition Court and punished, often severely.  

Then, on the morning of Nov. 1, 1755, a tremendous earthquake struck the city. It happened at the worst possible moment—it was All Saints Day, one of their major holidays. The churches were packed with worshippers, while the streets were thronged with people coming to the next service. The churches collapsed into rubble, killing the worshippers inside and those outside in the streets. Survivors fled to the waterfront to escape the falling buildings, only to meet a powerful tsunami. The prisons broke open and the convicts looted what remained (people kept their money in strongboxes in their homes). A fire broke out and raged for 5 days. An estimated 40,000 people died.

The churches were destroyed, but the brothels in the outskirts were mostly spared, which caused some to question whether it was really God’s judgment. Yet it was totally consistent with Jesus’ actions on Earth. He spent time with the prostitutes and sinners while being angry only with the religious, especially the religious leaders, who in turn had Him crucified.

            Lisbon never recovered, but remains a backwater city in what has become arguably the least-known country in Europe.

            What’s the point? There are chilling parallels to Lisbon in its heyday and America today. They never thought they could ever lose their wealth and splendor, yet it vanished overnight. Their glory days lasted some 250 years, about as long as we have been a nation.

            Let’s not tempt God by thinking we are beyond the reach of His judgment.