“‘But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father. Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is.'” (Mark 13:32-33; MKJV)
100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
I happened to be listening to a San Francisco radio station the morning of the 100-year anniversary of the Great 1906 Earthquake.
They were doing live coverage (it was around 5 a.m.) of the commemoration ceremony.
My grandfather happened to be 13 years old and living in San Francisco in 1906 (where my mom would eventually grow up).
And so it’s always been a fascinating thing to me to think about what it must have been like for him to have experienced such a catastrophe.
THE QUAKE ITSELF
The quake hit at 5:12 a.m. on April 18th.
(It would register 7.8 on the Richter scale.)
The shaking lasted approximately 45 to 60 seconds.
And then it was over except for the fire that would go on to devastate the city.
225,000 people (out of 400,000) were left homeless.
28,000 buildings were destroyed.
Over 400 million dollars in property damage was calculated (that equals 80 billion dollars in 2006 money!).
And last, but not least, around 3,000 people were killed.
(Stats from USGS website)
THINGS CAN SURE CHANGE IN A HURRY
And what I really wanted to say with all this is:
Things can sure change in a hurry.
One minute, you’re sleeping in bed.
And then not even one minute later (45 to 60 seconds!), all hell has broken loose.
With this in mind, and when you add to it the kind of dangerous day we live in, how very important it is that you and I are ready to meet Jesus and we don’t put it off.
(Post and Grant Avenue Look picture file above is in the public domain: click here.)
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