Sitting high in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, hurricanes are usually the last thing on my mind. However, as we view the path of destruction left by the latest hurricane in Florida, all news outlets are keen to give us a full documentation of the aftermath. The thing about hurricanes is that we know when they are coming. Our weather forecasters have gotten pretty good at giving residents of those areas that frequent such natural disasters ample alerts about the general place and time when the storm will hit. Residents are often told to evacuate and given enough lead time to pack up their essential belongings and head out of the path of the storm. Others board up their properties and batten down their proverbial hatches to weather the wind, rain and flooding that is on its way. With such advance warning and the ability to make preparations, you would think that there would never be a life lost to hurricanes anymore. Yet we see many people stranded, hurt, and killed in hurricanes who are seemingly caught unaware.

Just like a hurricane, the Bible forecasts a devastating event that is heading our way and tells us to make preparations. It is known as the rapture and is followed by the tribulation period – seven years of unspeakable carnage on the earth where a day with only a single hurricane will be welcomed with open arms. But while the Bible gives us all the warnings and offers to equip us with all we need to avoid that time of tribulation, it also tells us that many will be caught unprepared. “As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37-39). There are two key reasons why the people in Noah’s day didn’t get on the ark with Noah. They are the same reasons that some don’t prepare for hurricanes in our day and also why many won’t be prepared for the return of Jesus Christ. From this passage and others we find that these two things control our thinking:

1. This is the ONLY life we know – Noah took over 100 years to build the ark and all the while was telling the people that a global flood was going to wipe them out. He gave up his normal routine for all those years and got to work building a boat the likes of which nobody had ever seen. He knew that if he didn’t make his life about building that boat, there would be no life for him at all. In contrast, the people were “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark”. They were content with the life they knew and wanted to just keep on doing their thing. How many times do we see people willing to ride out the storm in their homes because it is the only life they know? How many of those people are surprised when the storm overcomes them?


2. The storm won’t be THAT bad – It had never rained before the great storm of Noah’s day broke loose. When Noah began to predict the great deluge that was to come, the people simply didn’t believe it would be as bad as he said. Some probably didn’t believe him at all. Isn’t that the same case with those who choose to ignore the evacuation orders and go into the storm unprepared? “We’ve been through storms before – there is no reason that this will be any different”, they say. But when the forecast becomes a reality, it takes them by surprise.

The good news is that for those facing down a hurricane right now (or dealing with the aftermath), God has promised from Noah’s day to never flood the whole earth again. You may never face a physical storm as bad as Noah, but you are being warned of something far worse. The Bible tells us to “be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:44). How can you be ready for the rapture? You need to trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you like some help to get an explanation about this, please write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you already know the Lord, you are like the weather forecaster, the National Guard, and FEMA all rolled into one. You need to warn your friends and family of the judgment that is coming and offer them the refuge that can only be found in Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, you can be prepared when the true “hurricane” comes.