Gone In A Flash!

Do you remember the old cartoon about Wylie Coyote and how he would zip across your TV screen in a flash? Beep! Beep! Gone in a flash! I used to love that cartoon. Well, to be honest, I still love it whenever I see it. It reminds me so much about how things can happen in a flash.

As I was studying my Sunday School lesson from the 4th chapter of the book of Daniel about King Nebuchadnezzar and how he had this vision about tall trees and how they reached into the sky and the foliage was so beautiful and filled with abundant fruit which provided food for so many of the beasts of the field and the branches provided shelter for the birds of the air. It was such a beautiful dream but he didn’t know what it meant, so he sent for Daniel to interpret it for him.

After Nebuchadnezzar had told Daniel his dream, Daniel, whose Babylonian name was Belteshazzar, tried to break the news to the king gently. He said, “You know, if only this dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries. That tree you saw in your dream! Well, it is you, O king.” He went on to describe the king as having become great and grown strong, and his majesty has become great and reached to the sky. My advice to you king is to chop it down and destroy it and leave the stump in the ground. He went on to say this is the decree of the Most-High.

All this was to advise the king to repent of his sins and recognize that it is Heaven that rules. He was then given a year to repent of his sins. Now, we are not given a year to think or even contemplate our sins, are we? King Nebuchadnezzar was advised to repent and God allowed him twelve months to make up his mind.

At the end of the twelve months, or one year, he was so filled with pride. He found himself walking along the top of the walls of his palace overlooking all that his pride had built. We don’t know for sure who he was talking to but he said, “Isn’t this the greatest thing I have ever built with my hands by my power? Look how beautiful it is!” And he didn’t even get all the words out of his mouth when the Lord spoke to him and declared, “sovereignty has been removed from you and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most-High is ruler… Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled, and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle…” (Dan. 4:31-32 NASB).

The whole point of the lesson to me is how quick God can take something away from us. King Nebuchadnezzar was talking and before he could finish saying the words, he was down on the ground eating grass like cattle. The Bible also says in a flash that the king lost his mind too. He was completely insane! Listen, God can take so much away from us in just a flash. Everything we own can be gone in a flash!

We are not given a year to repent of our sins or to contemplate our misgivings. We have to make that decision now! If you are one of those who have been thinking about giving your life to Christ but you haven’t done it yet, my friend, the time is NOW! Don’t wait! This opportunity can be Gone In A Flash!