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Verse:For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. —1 Thessalonians 5:3
Pompeii was a thriving and sophisticated Roman city near the Bay of Naples, Italy. It attracted many wealthy tourists.
With only about twelve thousand residents, the city had a pleasant Roman theater and a running water system with three streams —one to public fountains, another to public baths, and a third to the homes of wealthy residents.
Archaeological excavations have revealed a town-wide system of prostitution and sexual immorality. There were at least six public Roman baths, the central Lupanare Grande (Purpose-Built Brothel) along with several other brothels, and 153 taverns. Walls decorated with pornographic pictures and graffiti were everywhere.
Some believe that the city was the sexual capital of the Roman Empire, but modern historians suggest that it simply reflected the brutality and passion of ancient Roman society. In AD 62, a strong earthquake damaged large sections of the city. This was a warning for the residents of Pompeii. Many left and never returned.
Then, on the morning of August 24, AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, propelling a tall mushroom cloud of superheated rock and gas into the air.
Pompeii, being about five miles away, was not immediately hit by the volcanic lava. So, the inhabitants still could have escaped. But the next morning, a cloud of toxic gas poured into the city, suffocating all two thousand people who remained.
Then a flood of volcanic ash completely buried the city, bringing its licentiousness to a dreadful end. The Bible speaks of other immoral civilizations and cities that were punished by God for their brazen iniquity —the antediluvians (Genesis 6; 7), Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), and Babylon (Daniel 5).
We could also add Pompeii and Herculaneum, the other city destroyed by the volcano’s eruption. Our world today is rapidly becoming like it was in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37–39) and Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7).
What should we expect other than its impending destruction? Yes, our world will soon be destroyed by God’s intervening hand.
But the same fire that will consume sin and all its expressions will also purify the earth, preparing it for God’s new creation.
Then there will be “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).