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“The peace of God…shall keep your hearts and minds.”Philippians 4:7 

Storm Clouds 

In hikes through the woods, I have experienced the power of storms. As I sat to gather my strength and enjoy the peace of the woods, I would often watch storm clouds race over the horizon, gathering in strength and intensity as they approached my location.  

The animals would grow quiet, in anticipation of the pending storm. The wind would bring the fresh smell of rain. As the rain clouds passed my location, raindrops would plummet me. I would watch the flash of lightning in the distance and feel the earth shake from the reverberation of the thunder.  

Occasionally, a bright branch of lightning would escape from the cover of the clouds and strike a solitary tree. In a flash, the tree that had just moments before seemed to be a formidable tower of strength, would lay smoldering and broken on the ground.  

The storm would pass, the woods would again come alive with the sound of animals, and the fallen and smoldering tree would be the only reminder of the passing storm. 

In all my years of watching thunderstorms and the strikes of lightning, I never recall seeing lightning strike from a clear, sunny sky. No, there was always the warning of possible lightning, when the storm clouds would start to gather. 

Hell Clouds. 

Like the storm clouds that bring strikes of lightning, the torments of Hell are also forewarned. As Matthew 13:41-42 warns: 

“The Son of many shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” 

Like the storms clouds of a summer day may often appear unexpected, each person’s day of judgment also appears unexpected. A person can live their lives believing that they will never die. On the day that a person dies, they usually don’t awaken with the sensation that this is the day that they will die and that this will be the last opportunity to repent. Those that die having failed to repent of their sins, face Hell.  

 

Wait, after a sinful person dies, won’t they be allowed to repent of their sins and then enter Heaven?  

When storms clouds approach, some people will enter their homes, in order to escape the coming rain and potential lightning strikes. The person that enters the house during the storm, remains the same person that exits the house, after the storm has passed and the sun has begun to shine. The person did not change, just because they entered the house, rather than being caught in the rain. 

Revelation 22:11-12 advises that the state of person’s spiritual being at the time of physical death, is the spiritual being that will be judged: 

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” 

When a sinner dies, they will be judged according to their sin. After physical death, the sinner won’t be given the opportunity to repent and subsequently avoid Hell. 

I’ll just avoid death. 

Perhaps, a person has no physical ailments and is the epitome of health: Physical death will occur many, many years from now. 

2 Peter 3:8-14 provides a warning that the return of Jesus Christ may preempt the judgment resulting from physical death: 

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise…..But is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night….Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” 

Whether in death or at the second coming of Jesus Christ, will He find you in peace, without spot, and blameless? 

There is an old adage, “Lightning never strikes twice.” I imagine that the person that has been struck by lightning just once, would agree that once is more than enough contact with lightning to discourage a second encounter. 

Likewise, a person can escape the judgment of this world for countless sins and atrocities, as justice is sometimes blind in this world. However, if this same sinful person dies (or sees the second coming of Jesus Christ), then the single strike of lightning from God’s judgment will send him into the eternity of Hell. One strike will be enough. 

 Copyright by Bruce Durbin