When high-voltage lines in an Ohio utility company short-circuited, the power failure “cascaded” through the interconnected district utilities with incredible speed. Within seconds the failure raced through the neighboring states and parts of Canada. An estimated 50 million people were suddenly cut off from electric power.
The effect was greatest in major cities, from Detroit to New York where the evening rush hour was well under way. Subways, elevators, trains and traffic lights all stopped, stranding people in unexpected places. There was a frantic scramble for any kind of transportation home. The ferries, where available, had their own power and so were thronged with commuters. Streets were filled with people walking—walking—walking toward home.
Soon there was a reaction: People began to cope as best they could, and lanterns, flashlights, candles and generators were hurried into use. Little by little, those in darkened subways found their way to the surface; step by step people in the high-rise buildings came down from thirty-forty-fifty stories.
Reaching the ground floor, there was little to do but mill around with others on the streets or go in search of a safe place to rest. It was a long night!
The first question everyone was asking was: “How long will it last?” No one could tell.
The second question-one that it was said would be a conversation-starter for years to come-was: “Where were you when the lights went out?” No one would ever forget that moment, or how they managed to spend that night.
But as darkness fell on August 14, 2003, the darkness was not total. There were stars, the soft light of a half-moon, and glimpses of emergency lights here and there to still the panic and assure the victims that “it isn’t the end of the world.”
There is going to be another blackout—a total blackout—and it may be soon. This time there will be no comforting moon and stars—no candles, lanterns, generators—and no hope for a quick end. How long will it last? FOREVER!
There will be no friendly question of “Where were you when the lights went out?” No one else will ever care; you will be alone with your ever-painful memory of that moment.
That darkness is reserved for all those who have not made sure of the salvation of their souls. They have not chosen to “walk in the light, as He [Jesus] is in the light.” They have chosen darkness rather than light. At last God has to give them up, and they will go out into “the blackness” forever. It will be a time of “weeping and wailing” and the beginning of endless remorse.
Why not turn to the light now-tomorrow may be too late. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:1212Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)).