
These times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness.
Acts 17:30.31.
In the French Antilles, on the island of Martinique, there is near the city of Saint-Pierre a volcanic mountain called Mount Pelée. At the beginning of May 1902 muffled rumblings could be heard in the vicinity of the volcano. The inhabitants of the island laughed and said, “The old monster is grumbling in his sleep.”
These unusual sounds were soon followed by explosions. Some geologists came to examine the situation and declared that there was nothing to fear. The morning of the 8th May dawned in clear sunshine.
Suddenly a terrific explosion occurred among the hills behind which the city was situated. An enormous column of white smoke erupted from the crater, then huge scorching clouds rushed down the slope at high speed. In less than a minute the city was destroyed.
There was a single survivor: a prisoner protected by the thick walls of his prison. The Bible states that divine judgment will one day come upon the human race just as suddenly as the volcano caught the inhabitants of Saint-Pierre unaware. Now the Word of God contains explicit warnings, to which many people remain deaf. It is time to heed them before it is too late. Judgment will fall on the entire guilty world for having rejected the salvation offered by the Son of God who died on the cross to save it.