Behold He comes…

Earlier this week, we were caught in the midst of a fierce thunder storm. There were weather warnings for torrential rain, possible flooding, thunder and lightning. The rain came shortly before midnight; big drops that started slowly but within a couple of minutes became a deluge. I could hear rumbles of thunder in the distance and looked up the “live lightning” map on my phone. There was nothing within a 15 mile radius of my house. I fully expected it to hammer down for a few minutes and then pass us by.

The thunder was soon accompanied by small flashes of sheet lightning however, so I decided to turn the lights off, open the curtains for a bit and enjoy the light show through the patio doors. A couple of minutes later, there was a sudden, blindingly bright flash that lit the entire sky, and a simultaneous enormous crash of thunder. The whole house shook, the letter box in the front door rattled and I heard the circuit breaker clunk as the electrics kicked out. It really made me jump!

As I looked around, I realised the lamp in the other room was still on and a bit of investigation revealed that it was just the ceiling lights which had shorted out, not the sockets. Unfortunately, I can’t reach the circuit breaker box as it’s too high and, as it was very late, I couldn’t be bothered to search out a stool in the dark, so just went to bed.

The next morning, I asked my son to reset the fuses (he’s about ten inches taller than me!) and he said, “Oh, did we have a storm last night then?” I couldn’t believe that he had slept through the whole thing! Unbelievable! It turned out that there had been a lightning strike at a nearby golf course, but it had been literally felt and heard for a good 3-4 mile radius with many houses losing their electricity temporarily. Now, I’m no scientist, but the amount of power that earthed there in the torrent of water that was pouring down could probably have powered a small town! It was an unimaginably huge burst of pure energy!

Hold that thought…

So, the following day I met a friend at a coffee shop for a catch up. I very rarely buy coffee out as it’s quite expensive, plus I like my own coffee! It was nice to meet up though as we haven’t seen each other in a while. She went to place the order and I sat looking round. The more I looked, the more I felt like crying! I saw people going about their day, just as they did yesterday and will do tomorrow, all things being equal. I would bet that there were very few, if any of them, who were saved though. They were just carrying on with their lives with no recognition of their sin or their need for a Saviour, and no thought about what will happen to them after they die! They were literally like lost sheep.

Later in the day when I checked some notifications on You Tube, there was a community post in my feed with a picture of a violent lightning storm, with the words…

Luke 17:24 NIV
For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.

Whoa! The lightning that I saw the night before was incredible; so much power! And it was widely seen and felt, but really only in a relatively local area in the scheme of things. The (second) coming of the Son of Man is going to be like that, but so much so that no-one will miss it! Can you imagine how shocking and terrifying that will be?!! EVERY knee will bow! And how much horror will there be at the realisation that everything the bible said was true, and Jesus has come back as Judge! Of those who realised and accepted the truth AFTER the rapture, many will have already been executed for their faith – but for those who took the mark, it will be too late to change their minds.

Revelation 13:16-17 NKJV
He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, [17] and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Revelation 20:4 NKJV
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

You would think that the supernatural event of the rapture, prior to the second coming, would have opened everyone’s eyes, but so many will be fearful and confused, and will believe the official explanation regarding the missing millions – whether it be alien abduction or whatever! The deception will be great!

Eternity, somewhere, awaits everyone eventually so, pray for the unsaved wherever you go. Pray that the Lord will supernaturally open their eyes so they will have a revelation of who Jesus is and choose to believe on him, before it’s too late. If only people knew the truth of what awaits, no one would want to be left behind…