LightGrams
September 3, 2026
Volume 30, Number 31
While visiting a nearby recreation area, a loud siren went off and lights began flashing. It was a warning to trout fishermen downstream to get out of the water. The dam upstream would soon release large amounts of water to generate electricity. The rising waters would pose a danger to any who were casting flies in the stream below.
Early Warning Systems have been developed to alert people to impending natural disasters. Hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and wildfires can often be detected a few days ahead, giving people time to evacuate to safer places.
There was no warning at all for residents of a Himalayan valley bordering Nepal and China. On the morning of August 26, a wall of ice, mud, rock, and debris hurled down the slopes destroying anything in its path. As of September 2, more than 1,100 had been confirmed dead and almost 3,000 were still missing. Rescue efforts are ongoing.
Humans still have a lot to learn when it comes to natural disasters. We well remember Hurricane Helene which struck Northeast Tennessee and surrounding areas on September 27, 2024, leaving a stunning wake of destruction in its path. We had heard about Helene, but who imagined that it would bring devastation so far inland? Recovery is still underway for many.
“Without any warning at all” is the label to apply to the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth. Jesus taught this idea in Matthew 24:42-44: “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Peter wrote about some who were mocking the idea of Jesus returning a second time. “He hasn’t come yet!” they scoffed. He truly will come, Peter responded, and here is a vital fact to keep in mind: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10). No, there will be no warning when Jesus is ready to return.
So, what is our hope, if there will be no warning of the Lord’s return, signaling the end of time and the arrival of Judgement Day? Peter gave the answer in the next verse: “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11). Live each day as if it’s your last.
Will the Lord return before you read this article? I don’t have the answer for that. But I can state with confidence that today we are one day closer to His coming. And we are one day closer to eternity, either in Heaven or in Hell. Let’s prepare without delay!
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2026, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
Permission to reproduce and/or use the messages for noncommercial purposes is freely granted provided the messages are not altered.