Toilet Paper and Eternity

I won't be tedious and quote the entire chapter of Revelation 18. I link to it here for your convenience. Please read it. It speaks to what most people are thinking about today – the corona virus. No, I am not at all suggesting what we see happening all around us – the virtual shutdown of cities and towns, the near-collapse of local and even global economies – I am NOT suggesting or even intimating the corona virus is the subject of Revelation 18. But what I do hope we will see in that text is how QUICKLY things can change – for nations, for cities, for economies, for individuals. Look at the somber repetition of time in verses 10, 17 and 19:  "For in one hour your judgment has come;’ for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!;’ Woe, woe, the great city . . . for in one hour she has been laid waste!’ Who was concerned about the corona virus a month ago? Who even HEARD of it two months ago? And now look at us. Professional sports have been cancelled or placed on hold. Schools and universities are closed. Businesses are shut down, or just hanging on by the proverbial thread. Adult care facilities are on lock-down. Movie theaters are empty. Subways are empty. The list goes on. So, what’s my point? Let me repeat, I do not believe the corona virus measures up in any way to the judgment of God as described in Revelation 18. That devastation is yet to come. But, please. Listen. God is not one to be mocked and ignored and blasphemed for very long – and He has already put up with it for at least two generations here in America. Yes, His patience is long-suffering. But it is not without limit. Have you been to the supermarket lately to buy toilet paper? Judging from the empty shelves, I wonder if many people are more concerned about securing toilet paper than they are about securing their eternal souls. What will it be for you? Where are your priorities in life – in this one and in the eternal one? Sometime in the future, world economies – and with it, civilizations as we know it – will be devastated in one hour. Sixty minutes. But your life, as is true of mine, can be devastated faster than that. It can be only seconds when your life changes forever. And when that happens, you will not care at all about toilet paper. But you WILL want the assurance of God’s forgiveness, and with it, eternal life. So, here is my point. If you haven’t given your life to Christ, now is a good time to tell Him you want to do so. And if you HAVE given your life to Christ, now is also a good time to reaffirm your obedient relationship with Him. ‘One hour’ can be for any of us in one hour.