Thursday; June 29

        In early September, 1935 one of the strongest hurricanes to ever develop in the Northern Hemisphere was just off the Florida coast.  At the time, hundreds of U. S. Military veterans were working on a project to bring rail travel to the southernmost part of the United States.  Weather forecasting was not as sophisticated as it is now, often relying on hunches and history to supplement scientific data.  The area was not serviced by an adequate highway system and the only reliable transportation was the railway.  On Labor Day all of these factors came together in a horrific event that took the lives of almost 500 people; half of whom were the veterans working in the WPA Camp.  A train was sent from Miami to Islamorada to rescue those in harm’s way, but it was too little, too late.  The train, the camp, the railway and the community were destroyed.  In retrospect, there wasn’t much that could have averted the property damage to the Middle Keys, but preparation could have prevented much of the loss of life.
Have we ever read the penetrating words that warn, “… the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”?  (II Thessalonians 1:7-8)  These words are not merely a prophecy of the fate of the world, they also serve as a warning that there will be a time when repentance is too late.  In contrast to the great storm of 1935, no one has an excuse to be caught unprepared.  The vengeance of God has been predicted and the way of escape has been detailed.  There are only two questions that remain.   When will this happen and how will each one of us respond to the warning?  As to an inquiry of “when”, the Bible is silent.  As to the question “what are you going to do”, that is up to us.  We can escape the judgment of God or we can fasten our spiritual foundation to the ways of this world.  Just as those shanties built in the Florida Keys were obliterated by the 200 mph winds, everything about this world will melt in the presence of God’s judgement.  Are we ready when God decides time us up?
Think about it!

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