The world has been watching with horror and amazement as the Kilauea volcano erupts in Hawaii. Though it has been erupting since 1983, with social media, its power has been on full display. Every day we see pictures and video of molten lava spewing into the air or flowing across the tropical landscape to the horror of local residents. Thrill seekers get up close to feel the heat or get close-up pictures of this slow motion disaster. The surreal scenes of golfers getting in a last round under the shadow of towering plumes of smoke and ash went viral on the internet. Calm periods of tourists snapping pictures and locals anxiously watching are interrupted by dramatic evacuations as another hole is opened in the earth.
The destructive power is highlighted as the advancing flow burns and then covers everything in mounds of liquefied burning lava. Houses have been consumed and the surrounding property destroyed. It was easier to be drawn to the spectacular displays before the first human casualty. Authorities warned of explosions that could hurl burning lava the size of refrigerators into the air, but no one had been hit. Maybe that is why a man was watching the action from his balcony? A small fragment of molten rock struck and shattered his lower leg. It could have killed him, but instead he learned a painful lesson.
Authorities monitor the volcanic action and have been great at sounding the alarm and directing the people to safety. They are powerless to prevent the destruction, but have so far managed to keep the people safe. With this success, people may become complacent and forget the dangers of living near an active volcano. They may even stop heeding the warnings. That could have a disastrous result.
The fiery destruction of the volcano seems like a glimpse of Hell. The only thing missing is the tortured souls, writhing in agony. Is that is too morbid, or too harsh to mention? It would be worse to leave it unsaid, as hundreds of thousands of people enter into that torment each day. Like the erupting volcano, this didn’t just start happening. Unsaved people have always “lived” heartbeats away from eternal damnation. Remember the rich man in Hell (Luke 16:23)?
Much like the warnings about the volcano, the message has been going out, but it is losing intensity. People don’t want to hear “Hellfire and damnation” messages. They want to hear about GOD’s love. Actually, this is love. GOD doesn’t want you to continue on the path of certain destruction. You need to know “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). You also need to need to know that whosoever believeth not in Him, will perish and have everlasting death in Hell.
Heed the warning! Accept JESUS as your Savior and you to will move from danger to safety, death to life. Then you can warn others and tell them Hell is real, but so is the saving power of JESUS CHRIST!
Wayne Lance (2018)