#83 Bolt from the blue (8 april 06)

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a
great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat...'
2 Peter 3:10

Since time immemorial, from the first man, Adam, men
have always had an inquiring and unfortunately,
disbelieving and disobedient mind.

The Roman Catholic Church of old, kept the bible
off-limits to the masses, for knowledge is power.

By the grace of God, in the last days of the once
great Roman Empire, the invention of the printing
press and one Martin Luthur in the fifteenth century,
were two sides of the plier that prised loose this
grip,which led to the masses having access to the Word
of God.

Today, the legitimacy and comprehensiveness of the
most popular book in the world, the Bible is
challenged by alternative books(Agnostics),
alternative text(in England) and of the Da Vinci
Code(fiction becomes quasi non-fiction), amongst
others.

'For as the lightning comes from the East and flashes
to the West, so all will the coming of the Son of Man
be'
Matthew 24:27

Lightning strikes somewhere on the surface of the
Earth 100 times every second.
East Midlands is the lightning capital of Uk with 76%
of the annual lightning strikes Uk.
Closer to home, for a small island, on a per sq km,
Singapore which used to have the greatest number of
births in one hospital(at Kandang Kerbau) still holds
the honour of having the greatest number of lightning
strikes. One reason i don't play golf.

'Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your
Lord doth come'
Matthew 24:42

'therefore you be ready for the Son of Man...'
Matthwe 24:44

Today, in our local newspaper, is a very poignant
article on hospices in Singapore.
For those who know who the Beatles are, you might
remember that in Chinatown, there used to be a street
literally translated as 'dead peoples'lane'
For along that street was a place where many
immigrants with no families spent their last few weeks
on Earth.

We the healthy living spent an inordinate of time
preparing for tomorrow, but give very little thought
to eternity.
Even when we do, we approach God from our cynical
intellect.

One interesting observation by a caregiver in the
hospice was that those who have a faith, seems to be
more at peace, even as their timeline nears its end.

To know a person takes time. To believe and to follow
Jesus Christ is a long process. Of course, God could
transform you with a bat of an eyelid.

But would you take the chance that the next bolt of
lightning to hit you is
- not an instant transformation but either
- an obliteration of your soul in a split second or
- like the hospice patients, a much reduced time line
of getting to know your Saviour, if you so desire

Do reflect and not deflect these thoughts

God Blesses

Eng Hieang