JEREMIAH 8:20

“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!”

The ancient city of Pompeii is less than a mile from the foot of Mount Vesuvius. In the summer of A.D. 79, Vesuvius erupted suddenly and with great violence. Hot ash, stones and cinders rained down on the city and the air became filled with poisonous gases.

Most of the people escaped, but not all. Among the approximately 200 remains that have been found was one of a woman with her jewels in her hands. Apparently she had spent her time gathering her treasures instead of fleeing from the doomed city. Because of her delay, she lost both her jewels and her life.

As Jeremiah contemplated his own people, he came to a similar conclusion. God had sent warning after warning to Israel through various prophets. Even at the eleventh hour, the Lord raised up Jeremiah to call the people to repentance. But they refused to heed him. Their response was to plot against God’s prophet (Jer. 18:18) and eventually to throw him into a mud-filled cistern (38:6).

As Jeremiah saw it, the people had reached a point of no return. They had squandered their time in fruitless pursuits and, in their delay, they had missed the opportunity to experience God’s salvation. The Babylonian army was at their doorstep and judgment was at hand.

God is gracious and gives us many warnings. His desire is always for repentance rather than judgment. But such warnings must be heeded before it’s too late. One day–you don’t know when–death will close the door to your opportunity to get right with God.

Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” The Bible is very clear: there are no second chances; there is only judgment.

Listen to God today. Respond to His call without delay. When the time for repentance is past, it’s gone forever.

DON’T WAIT; GET RIGHT WITH GOD TODAY.

WOODROW KROLL
www.backtothebible.in