The explosion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. that wiped out Pompeii and Herculaneum was so sudden that the residents were killed while going about their daily routines. Men and women were at the market, the rich in their luxurious baths, and the slaves were at work.
They died amid volcanic ash and superheated gasses. Even family pets suffered the same quick and final fate. It takes little imagination to picture the panic of that terrible day.
The saddest part is that these people did not have to die. Scientists confirm that ancient Roman writers record weeks of rumblings and shakings that preceded the actual explosion. Even an ominous plume of smoke was clearly visible from the mountain days before the eruption. If only they had been able to read and respond to Vesuvius’s warning!
There are similar “rumblings” in our world today: Covid-19, icebergs melting, seas rising. warfare, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, the nuclear threat, economic woes, and the breakdown of the family and moral standards.
While not exactly new, these things do point to a coming day of Judgment (Matt. 24). We need not be caught unprepared. God warns and provides an escape to those who will heed the rumblings.
Thanks to Michael Bogart
What are YOU doing in concrete terms to heed the warnings of God that you see in today’s world?
God Gave You THIS LIFE Because God Knew You Were STRONG ENOUGH To Live It.
