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peii , with many famous Roman
residents, was the chief city in the
area.
It
was known for its good cli–
mate, fert ile soil , fine baths, the
Emperor Nero's favo r and its
enter tainment.
The passion of the Pompeiians
was the gladiator games, where
meo cruelly battled each other or
animals--often to the death- for
the pleasure of a ravenous citizen–
ry.
Archaeologists have also discov–
ered many o ther purs uits that
were fashionable in Pompeiian
society. Prosti tution was openly
accepted; signs conveniently noted
locations and prices. Much evi–
dence from contemporary litera–
ture suggest1>
that divorce and
infidelity were commonplace. Life
seemed to be good to most Pom–
pei ians. Then, one day their world
carne literally crashing down on
their heads.
Violent earthquakes had sbaken
the area before the erupt ion, but
no one seemed to be all that con–
cerned . The Romans felt that
Vesuvius was extinct. Therefore,
the huge " pine tree-shaped" cloud
of ash that rose from the volcano
on August 24 took the Pom–
peiians, assembled in numbers in
the amphi theater, by surprise.
The poisonous gases from the
volcano killed hundreds. Others
were buried alive by 1O feet of
volcanic ash in Pompeii or 60 feet
of boi ling mud in Herculaneum.
We can view many of these
tragic victims today through repli–
cas from preserved mold s o f
corpses found in the hardened vol–
canic ash and mud. Many reftect
the agony of t h e inha bi tan ts'
wretched deaths as they struggled
for their last breatb . The loss of
more than 1O percent of the pop–
ulations of these cities shocked the
Roman world and sent ma ny
searching for the reason for the
anger of their gods.
The destruction of Pompeii and
Saint-Pierre means little to most
people today. Yet there is a striking
similarity between the life-s tyles of
the inhabitants of these two cit ies
and those of our world today. Many
live out their lives tragically uncon–
cerned with the ramifications of
their act ions. But the Creator God
is concerned.
He has given us living
26
laws by wbicb we can live happy
and fulfilled lives. We break these
rules at our peril.
Of course, time and chance hap–
pen to aH. Possibly- just possi–
bly- t his is what happened in
Saint-Pierre a nd Pompei i . But
don't count on it! The Bible men–
t ions instances when God inter–
vened in the atfairs of men to halt
activities that were a g rievous
insult to God and meo. The cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah were
dest royed for their wickedness. The
world of Noab's day was destroyed
in a ftood because of its licentious–
ness and previously unparalleled
violence.
Are the ruins of Saint-Pierre and
Pompeii merely the end product of
time and chance, or is there a les–
son here? In Proverbs 11:11 , God
says, "Through the blessing of the
upright a city is exalted, but by
the mout h of the wicked it is
destroyed" (New In ternational
Version throughout).
It is food for thought , especiaJly
when we can look around and see
the many crimes and sins rampant
in our cities today.
Perhaps a pre-erupt ion message
scrawled on a wall in Pompeii pro–
vides a fitting epitaph for that city;
it simply reads, "Sodom, Gomor–
rah." Maybe someone then saw the
analogy and recorded it on the wa11
for a warning to Pompeiian society.
lt
went unheeded.
How about our own societies?
Could we soon witness similar cata–
s trophic di sas t e rs- o r worse?
Scientists believe we are headed for
a reawakening of volcanic activity,
but they cannot te11 us when or
why.
For these answers, we must
turn toa source that lies outside the
realm of science: the Bible.
Prophesied to Happen
Bible prophecy does indeed foretell
a tumultuous period of natural
disasters. World condi t ions plainly
indicate that we are in the perilous
last days that J esus described in
Matthew 24. J esus warned that
before he returned to rule this
earth, there would be "earthquakes
in various places" (verse 7). Other
scriptures plainly show that these
earthquakes wi 11
be accompanied
by historically unpa ralleled vol–
canic activi ty heralding the coming
of Jesus Christ to rule the earth
(Matt. 24:29-30) .
" Suddenly, in an instant, t he
Lord Almighty wi11 come with
thunder and earthquake and great
noise, with windstorm and tempest
and ftames of a devouring fire"
(Isa.
29:5-6).
Why wi 11 these events happen?
J esus elaborated on this coming
punishment in Matthew 24:29.
H e r e he quoted from I sa iah
13: 10- 11: "The s tars of beaven
and their conste11ations will not
show their light. The rising sun
will be darkened and the moon
wi ll not give its light. 1 will punish
the world for its evil , the wicked
for their sins...." See also Deu–
teronomy 32:2 1-22.
For nearly 6,000 years, man has
rejected the peace and security our
C reator has offered us through
obedience to his laws. The result
has been sin- untold grief and pain
caused by living a selfish way of
life. And unless God stops our pres–
ent course, there will be nothing
left of this physical creation to sal–
vage (Matt. 24:22).
In the pas t , mankind largely was
blinded to the truth of God's cre–
ation by superstition. Now he is
blinded by a vain assessment of his
abi lities.
Those who have scotfed at their
C reator, and yet seen the wonder–
ful design in his creation, will soon
be astounded as the elements of the
creation become aroused by God's
fierce wrath at this world's conduct
(Rom. 1:20).
The whole earth is going to be
a ffected by these soon-comi ng
events. God is merciful, however.
He has plainly told tbose who are
wi ll ing to listen, " Be always on the
watch, and pray that you may be
able to escape a11 that is about to
happen, and that you may be able
to stand before the Son of Man"
(Luke 2 1:36).
But a disbelieving world is going
to be ensnared.
How about you?
Take this warning to heart. Find
out where your life is leading- ask
God to open your eyes- BEFORE
IT'S
TOO
LA
TE!
For more information, why not
write for our free booklets
Are We
Living in the Last Days?
and
Why
Were You Born?
o
The PLAIN TRUTH