A few weeks ago, 4 different tornadoes blew through my county here in northern Ohio. This is an account of the lessons I learned on that day. Dear RR readers, if you think this article might be a useful way for the Lord to speak into the hearts of lost family or friends, I invite you to prayerfully forward it to the names the Holy Spirit may bring to your mind. Thanks for reading. Robert Asher Mandel, [email protected]
It was a beautiful afternoon when we arrived at the nature preserve. My brother-in-law, Tim, and I set up our lawn chairs beneath a spreading green tree, tied up my 5-month-old Cavapoo puppy, and equipped with chocolate malt and coke float, we settled in for a long afternoon of rest and relaxation.
We spent a wonderful hour in the sun until the sky began to cloud over. I was not concerned. Soon, the temperature began to drop; it only made the day cooler and more pleasant. Not long after, I felt a few drops of rain, so I casually asked Tim to get the weather report. But I was not in a hurry to leave such a comfortable spot!
Suddenly, Tim called out, “Bob, there’s a storm warning up! We’ve got to go!” I slowly stood to leave, taking my time, still hoping that things would blow over and return to normal. But within 30 quick seconds, strong winds were upon us, and the rain started to pour down! I yelled over to Tim to grab his walker and get into the car. I gathered up the pup and got her to safety. The chairs had already been blown apart, and by the time I collected everything, I was fairly well-soaked!
We quickly drove down the mile-long access road to the park, watching large branches snap and hearing the frightening sounds of heavy debris falling on our roof! Halfway to the main road, a woman in an SUV stopped to warn us to turn around because a tree had fallen across the road ahead! “Maybe she is exaggerating,” I thought. I decided to forge ahead because, even if her report were true, I imagined myself to be possibly capable of moving the small (?) tree, so I proceeded ahead despite her warning.
One hundred yards ahead, I found the situation just as she had said and, needless to tell, I could not budge the large tree one inch! I turned my car around to return to the relative safety of the picnic shelter we had left behind, but too late! In the 3 minutes since I had disregarded the message of my would-be rescuer, another large tree had fallen across the road behind me, blocking my way of retreat! C-R-R-A-A-A-CKK! W-H-A-A-M-M-M! We were trapped in the path of danger!
With nowhere to go, I told Tim to grab the dog and hunker down as I tried to position my vehicle away from the dead trees on either side. I called 911. I called the local fire department. Both told me that they were swamped with other more urgent calls and they would get to me when they could. It took about 2.5 hours! Caught in raging winds and rain, we listened to the loud cracks all around us and prayed that God would prevent that third tree from finally finding its mark! I had plenty of time to think back on how many warnings I had ignored and how similar the situation was to the way that many in the world are living today. I wrote this simple article as I waited out the storm.
The lessons of my experience are obvious. I was far too reluctant to leave my little oasis of comfort. I ignored the signs. I kept hoping that things would return to “normal.”
I waited too long. To compound my errors, I foolishly let my pride convince me that I could deal with whatever obstacles might be in my way as I made my escape. All of this left me facing terrible danger that I could have avoided had I been more humble and wise. The Lord spared my life, but it could have been different!
Dear friends, the Bible has provided us with many concrete signs to alert us to the arrival of the last times. I have been studying the prophetic scriptures for over 50 years. Please hear me when I tell you that we are now seeing those signs of the end occur all over the world! Even if you are not a Bible believer, you may well have a sense of impending danger as you see the skies darken and feel the first drops of rain. Friend, don’t make the same mistakes I made. You may still feel comfortable and safe, but it is far better to heed the warning signs before the storm breaks than once it hits.
Don’t be prideful like I was, believing yourself to be capable of dealing with whatever may come. Read the Book of Revelation, just chapters 6, 8, 9, and 13, and you will realize that you may have underestimated the seriousness of your impending danger. When God sends a messenger to warn you to turn around from the path you are on, don’t disregard their warning. Believe their words!
If you are humble and wise, you will reply to this email to ask the sender what you can do to deliver yourself from the deadly tragedies looming on the horizon for all on Earth!
If you would rather, just read the passages listed below and obey them. You will be eternally sorry if you don’t but eternally joyful if you do! May God bless and help you to escape the path of danger up ahead.
The Gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 12 and 13
“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” (verses from NLT)
The Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 3.
“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.’”
The Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 16 & 17
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
Romans, chapter 3, verses 23-26
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
Romans, chapter 10, verses 9 and 10
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
The Book of Revelation, chapter 3, verse 20
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”
The Book of Revelation, chapters 21 and 22
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