By EDDIE BURCHFIELD / Guest Columnist

More than 6,000 people died on a September day in 1900 in Galveston, Texas. The local weatherman, Isaac Cline, told the people the hurricane was coming, but said it would not be severe.

A hurricane had never hit Galveston before, so the people thought that this would be no exception. As the water began to flood the streets, the people went about their usual business. Children played in the water, men gathered in the local diner for breakfast, and no one fled the storm that was about to strike.

A sign is defined as a gesture expressing a command, wish or thought, also as a lettered notice publicly displayed for advertising purposes, or for giving directions, or warning.

In Matthew 24:3, the disciples ask Jesus a question. “What would be the sign of His coming, and of the end of the world?”

Matthew 24: 4-14 gives the answer to this question. Can you find one of these not being done today? Can we not see the storm clouds forming on the horizon? There is definite moral and spiritual decline that continues to erode our lives, our nation and the world.

The warning signs are there for us to see – the signs that Jesus is coming soon.

The signs beckon us to return to the Lord, and to seek refuge in Him.

My daughter, Corinne, and my granddaughter, Lauren, recently returned from a mission trip to Peru. There were more than 17,000 saved and hundreds of miracles.

John Smithwick, the minister they went with, said, “How can I tell a man twice about Jesus, when there are people in the world that have never heard of Jesus once?”

The preaching of the truth set these in Peru free. The preaching of the truth will do the same for us here in America. Only the Holy Spirit can open our eyes to the signs that are everywhere.

We need to know God, and we need to know God’s word. Saint Gregory said, “if offense arises from the truth, it is more expedient that offense be permitted to arise, than the truth should be abandoned.”

Lord, open our eyes before it is too late.