We Have Been Warned
For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 52-3:3 NKJV)
Hurricane Ian
This week one of the strongest storms to ever hit the west coast of Florida is unleashing its fury. I have been watching the streets of Fort Meyer on TV that have been turned into rivers. Parking lots are lakes. And the wind is howling at approximately 150 miles an hour. Any person who did not heed the warning to evacuate, is going to wish that they had. For some reason people assume that they will be able to ride out storms like this and some do. But those who do often wish that they hadn’t. Some need rescuing and some perish.
The Day of the Lord
We live in what has been called the day of grace when people from every tribe and language group and nation can be saved. However, the Bible warns people that judgment is coming and that there is a need to flee from the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7). There is a day coming when instead of living in the day of grace, people are going to be exposed to the wrath of God during the day of the Lord. As I understand that day, it is a day when the vengeance of God is going to fall on those who have rejected the Son of God, Who died to put away their sins. The Jews formally rejected Him when they asked Pilate to crucify Him. They said “His blood (guilt) be on us and on our children (Matthew 27:25).” But the nations that were not Jews (Gentiles) were also involved. People today do not take the warnings of coming judgment seriously. They are like the people who do not take the warnings seriously when it comes to preparing for hurricanes. They assume that they will be alright, until they aren’t and then emergency crews cannot help them.
I have been looking up references in the Bible to the day of the Lord. Judgments that came to the nation of Israel through Assyria and Babylon picture some of the judgments that will fall during what the Bible calls the “great tribulation (Matthew 24:21).” If we think the storms and earthquakes and wars and pestilences and famines and economic collapses that we are seeing today are bad, we haven’t seen but the tip of the iceberg when God begins to judge the world for rejecting His offer of salvation. He loved His Son. He gave Him for us because He loved us and it is not His will that any should perish. Reject God’s Son and He will reject you. There is a judgment coming on this earth but for those who die having rejected God’s offer of love, there is an eternal judgment called the lake of fire that will be endured by unbelievers along with the great deceiver himself, the Devil. People mock this eternal judgment and I have heard people say that they will be in good company since they know good people who have rejected the Lord. But I don’t think being with the Devil and his angels will be comforting company.
Safety in the Face of the Coming Storm
The believers (in the Lord) at Thessalonica had prepared for this coming storm. They had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 NKJV). There is safety in Christ. I have believed that the storm of God’s wrath is coming. I have taken refuge in Christ and I hope you have as well.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the weeks of September 18 and 25, 2022