The forecasts were all right; in fact, they could hardly have been more accurate. “At a certain time today, a very severe storm line will hit the Midwestern states, and precautions should be made at once.”
Exactly as predicted, the storm did hit that area. A line of tornadoes roared through right on time and caught most of the town’s residents scrambling for cover and safety. There were damaged homes and shops, but the major damage was in the many injuries to the people. There were many shelters available (after all, they lived in an area called “Tornado Alley”), but few had availed themselves of them.
Before the storm, many were saying, “We’ve heard it all before; the storms usually miss us!”
After the storm, the most frequent remark was that “next time we’ll be ready for the worst that can happen! We’ll be fully prepared!” But very few sought shelter in time this time, and the probability is that the “next time” will find them just as complacent beforehand.
There is a greater storm coming; it will come on all the earth, and the warnings have already been issued. The warning flags are out, and still people are muttering, “We’ve heard it all before.” The warnings of Christ’s second coming to earth have been heard for years — yes, hundreds of years, and the reaction is pretty much the same: “We’ve heard all that!”
Once in a while someone says, ”I mean to get serious about preparing for the future — someday.” We can pray that they will “get serious” about preparing for the future of their souls before it is too late.
One forecaster said, “It is disheartening to speak to people for years and years, and still have them throw away their lives.” No, it is heartbreaking, when it is an immortal soul at stake. Have you listened, really listened, to the warnings you have had? It may well be “too late’’ when this latest warning goes to press. You may never see it — never have another chance. It is truly heartbreaking to realize that the warning was real, but that it is too late to seek for shelter from that terrible storm.
The salvation God offered wasn’t refused; it wasn’t rejected; it was only neglected — only put aside for “another time.” The question is: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” There is never any promise of another time.