Mr. Edwards was a happy Christian who lived on the beautiful island of St. Vincent in the West Indies. He lived in a little house on the side of a volcano called Soufriere. His job was to check on the volcano so he could warn people if he thought it was going to erupt.
Every day Mr. Edwards would climb up the side of the volcano and check the temperature of the water in the crater at the top. Then he would report to the authorities what he had found.
Not everyone liked hearing the reports Mr. Edwards gave. Some people grumbled that he was just trying to scare everyone. Others laughed and said that old Soufriere had been around a long time and had never done much damage.
Maybe you boys and girls feel the same way about what you hear in Sunday school. Perhaps you think you are just being told scary stories. But the warnings you have been given are all true.
Just as men could not predict exactly when Soufriere would erupt, so man cannot predict exactly when God’s judgment will fall on this sinful world. We need to pay attention to the warning in Matthew 25:1313Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:13) which says: “Watch therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
One morning Mr. Edwards got up, read his Bible, and prayed for God’s help for the day as he usually did. He was just finishing his breakfast when he heard the first rumblings. Alarmed, he realized that Soufriere was about to erupt. Leaving his breakfast, he ran down the mountain shouting to all the villagers to run for their lives!
Some of them just laughed. “Mister,” they said, “we’ve heard those noises all our lives and nothing has ever happened.” Others said, “There’s still time... we’ll start getting our things together and soon we’ll leave.”
“No! No!” Mr. Edwards shouted. “Leave now! The volcano may erupt any minute!”
Some believed the warning and ran with Mr. Edwards down the mountainside to safety. But others weren’t in any hurry to leave, and some just decided to stay behind in their homes.
Suddenly the volcano erupted with a roar... and for those who had not paid attention to the warning, it was too late. More than 1000 people lost their lives.
God has warned you of judgment that’s coming. Do you believe His warnings? Put your trust in the Lord Jesus now before it is too late.
ML-09/07/1986