The Return Of Christ And The End Of The World

The city of Galveston, founded in 1839, had survived numerous storms, all of which the city survived with ease.

In 1900, Galveston was the fourth largest municipality in terms of population in the state of Texas and had among the highest per capita income rates in the U.S.

Galveston had many ornate business buildings in a downtown section called The Strand, which was considered the "Wall Street of the Southwest". The city's position on the natural harbor of Galveston Bay along the Gulf of Mexico made it the center of trade in Texas.

With this prosperity came a sense of complacency, as residents believed any future storms would be no worse than previous events.

In fact, Isaac Cline, director of the Weather Bureau's Galveston office, wrote an 1891 article in the Galveston Daily News that it would be impossible for a hurricane of significant strength to strike Galveston Island.

In August of 1900 a disturbance had moved northward over Cuba. At the time, they discouraged the use of terms such as "hurricane" or "tornado" to avoid panicking residents in the path of any storm event.

The Weather Bureau forecasters had no way of knowing the storm's trajectory, as Weather Bureau director Willis Moore implemented a policy to block telegraph reports from Cuban meteorologists at the Belen Observatory in Havana – considered one of the most advanced meteorological institutions in the world at the time – due to tensions in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War.

Weather Bureau forecasters believed that the storm had begun a northward curve into Florida and that it would eventually turn northeastward and emerge over the Atlantic.

Cuban forecasters adamantly disagreed with the Weather Bureau, saying the hurricane would continue west. One Cuban forecaster predicted the hurricane would continue into central Texas near San Antonio.

Few residents saw cause for concern. Few people evacuated across Galveston's bridges to the mainland, and the majority of the population was unconcerned by the rain clouds that began rolling in by midmorning.

According to his memoirs, Isaac Cline personally traveled by horse along the beach and other low-lying areas to warn people of the storm's approach.

The 1900 Galveston hurricane, also known as the Great Galveston hurricane and the Galveston Flood, and known regionally as the Great Storm of 1900 or the 1900 Storm, is the deadliest natural disaster in United States history. The strongest storm of the 1900 Atlantic hurricane season, it left between 6,000 and 12,000 fatalities in the United States; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000. Most of these deaths occurred in and near Galveston, Texas, after the storm surge inundated the coastline and the island city with 8 to 12 ft of water.

In addition to the number killed, the storm destroyed about 7,000 buildings of all uses in Galveston, which included 3,636 demolished homes;

The disaster ended the Golden Era of Galveston, as the hurricane alarmed potential investors, who turned to Houston instead.

2 Peter 3:10-18 (New International Version)

When the world is at its worst, God’s people need to be at their best.

In a world of darkness we need to be light.

In a world of decay we need to be salt.

And the second coming of Christ should challenge us to that kind of living.

Pastor Paul Powell once told this story.

When I was a pastor I stopped at the coffee bar in our church office one morning to get a cup of coffee. As I walked down the hall to my study, a secretary came out of her office and bumped into me, splashing coffee all over my shirt and tie. I was to have lunch with the mayor that day, so I rushed home and changed into some clean clothes. I would have been embarrassed to meet him for lunch wearing a stained tie and a dirty shirt.

I have an appointment one day to meet someone far more important than the mayor. I have an appointment to meet the Lord Jesus and when I do I want my life to be “without spot.”

The return of Christ and the coming end of the world should challenge us to PREPARATION.

2 Peter 3:14 NVI

Por eso, queridos hermanos, mientras esperan estos acontecimientos, esfuércense para que Dios los halle sin mancha y sin defecto, y en paz con él.

As Peter saw it, every day the Lord delays should be regarded as a further opportunity for persons to repent and turn to God.

Time is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. It is not ours to waste.

He does not want any to perish but he wants all people to come to repentance.

That’s the only reason he did not return to- day.

In 1979 a tornado struck Wichita Falls, Texas, killing 47 people and doing millions of dollars in damage. Glenn Booth, later to serve as the head of the Ministers Counseling Service of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, lived in Wichita Falls at the time. He said when the tornado alert came over the radio he and his wife paid little attention to it. Even when their son was sent home from work early they were not concerned. He said, “We had heard such warnings many times before and nothing had ever happened. We thought this was just another false alarm.” When the tornado struck, it was too late.

We face the same danger with regard to salvation. I remind you it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. And by the time the first drop fell it was too late to get aboard. The door had been shut by God.

the return of Christ and the coming end of the world should challenge us to CONTINUATION.

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow …

King Saul of Old Testament fame ended his life in disgrace. Alone, afraid, and desperate, he consulted a witch from Endor for guidance, only to be rebuked and condemned. Shortly after, he ended his life by suicide.

Samson began his life with all of the potential of a long bright day in June, only to prostitute his gifts for sensual trifles. Eyeless in Gaza, as a slave of the Philistines, he ended his life in a final act of murderous self-destruction.

Even the great Solomon, who began life with great promise, seeking wisdom and honor from God, continually made wrong choices. He ended his life embracing the pagan deities of his

Don’t let your name be added to that list.

C. S. Lewis set the end-time in proper perspective when he wrote, “Regardless of your view, all that really matters is that ‘you are at your post when inspection comes.’”

Peter writes, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 18).

Everything God does with living things involves growth. If it is alive, it grows. That applies to our spiritual lives the same as it does to our physical lives. At conversion we are born again. But this experience is only the beginning. Just as it is normal for a child to grow from birth to maturity, so God’s children should be growing spiritually.

First, we are to grow in grace. We either grow in grace or we grow in disgrace.

And we are to grow in knowledge. To grow in knowledge, we must go to the book of knowledge, the Bible, and search it diligently: It testifies of Christ.

We must feed on the word of God, exercise ourselves unto godliness, and rest in him. Prayer, Bible study, witness, work and worship are essentials in Christian growth and development.

Growth, of course, presupposes life. A fence post placed in the ground will not grow. It has no life in it. Rocks buried in the ground will not grow. They have no life in them.

A lady once told me that as a child she took her brother’s rare, agate marbles and planted them in their cornfield, expecting them to grow. They never did and they never found them again — and he never forgave her. Dead things don’t grow.

But, the smallest seed will grow, for it has the germ of life in it. When God enters into us, growth is not only possible, it is ex- pected.

In the early days of World War II, General Douglas MacArthur and his army experienced one of the darkest times in American history. When the Japanese attacked the Philippines his isolated forces fought desperately, but they were forced to withdraw to Bataan Peninsula, where they resisted courageously for four months. In March 1942, President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to Australia to become commander of the Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific. In Australia he told of his reluctance to leave his men in the Philippines and made his famous promise, “I shall return.”

On October 20, 1944, his forces invaded Leyte Island and six months later the islands were liberated. He left in defeat; he returned in victory. He kept his promise. He did return.

John 14:3 NVI

Y si me voy y se lo preparo, vendré para llevármelos conmigo. Así ustedes estarán donde yo esté.

Just so, our Lord, who went away, said, “I will come again” (John 14:3). As a thief in the night he will appear, gloriously and victoriously. When the day comes we must be ready.