Anarchy, I tell ya!

The snowstorm of Christmas 2010 will go down in the books as a monster. Pouring out snow at the rate of 2-3 inches per hour at its height, covering a third of the nation with snow inside of 2 days, and stranding thousands and tens of thousands of people at mass transit points, is definitely a monster by any definition. News reports used words to describe the mood as irate, outraged or vexed. But it didn't take long for headlines to start using words like chaos, fury, and anarchy. It took a day, actually.

US snow travel chaos
Fury as city is paralyzed by blizzard
Lord of the Fliers: Will Anarchy Break Out Among Throngs of Stranded Air Travelers?

The fun wasn't limited to the US, either. Moscow had its own travel chaos this week, too. Fights broke out. In Moscow, air travel clerks were beat up. Aeroflot personnel were now scared of dealing with agitated passengers, saying the airport did not have enough security guards.

Soon there was no food. 400 people were stranded on a train overnight with no water and nothing to eat. At JFK, the thousands of people languishing inside the airport soon ate up all the food at the restaurants, and no replenishment trucks arrived to bring more. There was a fracas at McDonald's when they ran out of food. Video here.

Daniel 12:4 records that the angel told him in the days of the end, many will go to and fro. So many people today boast that we can go here and there in a heartbeat, such is our advancement in technology. We think nothing of taking jobs that are located so far away from where we live, relying on trains, buses, and highways to get there. But what all that means is that we rely heavily on infrastructure. On any given day, a high percentage of the world's population is commuting or voluntarily traveling far away from their home. The lines supporting all this going to and fro are thin. In the case at JFK, the airport is not far from one of the largest cities of the world but still, the snow prevented thousands from reaching food and hotels.

It only took a day for the support lines to break down. One day. And by a day after that, people were reverting to hunter-killer mode of the jungle days. People who cut in line at the airport were beaten back. People angling for food in front of Sbarro's were fought off. Moscow airline Clerks were too afraid even to appear behind the desk. Even people safe at home in NYC were furious that the snow hadn't been cleared yet and resorted to obscenities and anger. Even worse, there were casualties because of the storm: ambulances could not reach a woman's newborn, who died in a hotel lobby. A grandmother in NYC also died due to delays in paramedics getting there. Trash hasn't been picked up in days and it's piling up.

It is not just New York and Moscow struggling to handle masses of people who are angry and stranded, Northern Ireland's cold is popping water pipes all over the place. Many families have been without water for 8 days, and now there are public health fears. 40,000 homes and businesses in Belfast and 80 surrounding towns are dealing with raw sewage and/or lack of water as septic systems overflow and water pipes don't. Scotland Yard is attempting to bring enough bottled water and showering facilities to the stricken people.

The truth is that we are so dependent on invisible supply lines, (water pipes, plow trucks, ambulances, grocery re-supply trucks) we begin to think they will always be there to provide for us in emergencies. This is not an essay about the fact that infrastructure crumbles almost immediately when pressured. It is about man's  reaction to what happens when the supplies and transport we have counted on break down. Going to and fro suddenly seems like not such a good idea.

The 2010 break-down occurred after only two days, which resulted in anger, fighting, fury, and anarchy. Craven humanity resorts to anger and fighting in such a short time...with the Restrainer STILL ON EARTH. (2 Thess 2:7). The Lord will take Him out of the way at the rapture. Imagine what will happen when the world is subjected to peace being withdrawn from the earth, men slaying each other, no food, wild beasts attack and devour people all over the globe, the stars fall from the sky, and every mountain and island are moved from their places in a giant earthquake?

I just gave the highlights of the first set of judgments on the earth in Revelation 6. If people fight over a Happy Meal, if they punch the airline clerk because they haven't been home in a day, if they get furious over lack of plowing, with the Restrainer on earth, imagine the reaction in the Tribulation!

It is not a time that you want even your worst enemy on earth. Does this motivate you to be more patient with your annoying co-worker? Does this fact implore you to show the peace of Jesus in all you say and do? Does this knowledge help you strengthen your resolve to have that difficult conversation with the unsaved family member? I hope so! Time is running out.

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