This Day in History: April 20th A Shadow of Wrath to Come

This Day in History: A Shadow of Greater Tribulation

Today is Adolf Hitler’s birthday, and to be quite honest, if there is a name that sits in the modern collective mind — especially in the western hemisphere — as the very embodiment of evil, it would be hard to find one more infamous.
When we want to compare an enemy to true wickedness, we say they are “another Hitler.”

We seldom say they are “a Caesar,” and yet a brief history of Rome’s conquest of the world would, quite frankly, make some of the atrocities of Hitler seem almost timid by comparison.
We seldom compare someone to Genghis Khan, though the Mongol hordes raped, pillaged, and devastated from one side of Asia to the other so thoroughly that even today, a large portion of the world’s population carries the bloodline of those assaults.

Hitler disposed of enemies in ovens.
Rome crucified them by the tens of thousands and lined their highways with the bodies, using them as human torches to light the way.
Stalin slaughtered three times as many of his own people as Hitler killed — and the Communist Party in China, under the worship of Chairman Mao, killed two times that or more.

The swastika flag is rightly abhorred by the world, yet Japan’s atrocities — including live human experimentation, mass killings, and systemic abuse — are brushed aside as the “Rising Sun” flag flies proudly over Tokyo.

This is no apology for Hitler, nor for any of them.
It is, however, a sobering reminder that when men seek to measure evil by comparison, they often forget the greater atrocities — or excuse them for political convenience.

And yet, all of these horrors are merely a whisper compared to what is still to come.

“For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days…
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.”
— Mark 13:19–20, 22 (KJV)

Adolf Hitler was such a monster that even dressing up like him for Halloween would be universally condemned — yet people will dress as Satan without shame, listen to bands that glorify the Antichrist, and consume entertainment that mocks God openly.

The History Channel, the BBC, the Smithsonian — and every other “scholarly” organization — will make apologies for the monsters of history so long as they are long enough ago to be safely admired or excused.
But no matter the chaos, no matter the trauma, no matter how awful — if Pompeii were to happen in every city, if Hitler were to rise up in every nation, if floods and earthquakes tore across America, if the San Francisco earthquake, the Chicago fire, and the bombing of Hiroshima were to happen ten times over — it would still be nothing compared to the Great Tribulation.

All the evil men of the world — Caesar, Genghis Khan, Antiochus Epiphanes, Titus, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and countless others — would be mere flickering shadows compared to the Man of Sin who will arise, who will exalt himself above all that is called God.

The abomination of desolation, the horrors of Rome, the slave ships that scarred Africa, the cannibalism hidden in dark jungles, the children thrown to drown in the Nile — all of it, the blood and the tears of thousands of years — are but the beginning of sorrows.

The world builds memorials to the Holocaust.
It weeps at Hiroshima.
It mourns the victims of inquisitions, famines, plagues, and wars.
And yet it mocks the only remedy to all this evil — the cross of Jesus Christ — turning it into nothing more than a piece of gold jewelry to hang around their necks.

But Christ has not forgotten His own.

For those who know Him by faith, He promises:

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (KJV)

While the world hurtles toward judgment, while the mystery of iniquity already works, and while the stage is being set for the great delusion — today, the invitation of mercy still stands.

“To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
— Hebrews 3:15 (KJV)

The door is still open.
The blood of Christ still cleanses.
The offer of salvation is still freely given.
But the day will come when the floodgates of wrath will open, and those who refused the truth will be given over to strong delusion — to believe a lie, and to be damned.
(2 Thessalonians 2:10–12)

Today, this day, hear His voice.
While the memorials still stand, while the warnings still echo, while the gospel still calls — flee from the wrath to come.

There is one Deliverer.
There is one Savior.
There is one Name above every name — Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Trust Him while you still may.

A final invitation:
Friend, the evil of this world is not the final word.
History’s monsters may rise and fall, but there is a greater judgment coming — and a greater mercy offered even now.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, left the glory of Heaven to walk among us, to bear our sins in His own body on the cross, and to rise again the third day in victory over death, hell, and the grave.

The wrath that the world deserves was poured out on Him —
and to those who believe, there is no condemnation.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
— John 3:16 (KJV)

You and I are not made right with God by our own goodness, our own religion, or our own efforts.
We are made right with God by repenting of our sin and believing in Jesus Christ alone — trusting His finished work on the cross.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
— Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)

Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart.
Today is the day of salvation.

Come to Christ now.
Call upon Him in simple, humble faith — confess you are a sinner believe on His name, and receive the gift of eternal life.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
— Romans 10:9–10 (KJV)

One day soon, the door of mercy will close.
But today, the door is still open — the blood of Christ still speaks better things than judgment.

Come while there is still time.
Come and live

A final final illustration:
The Door of the Ark

Imagine a great ship standing alone on dry ground:
Noah’s Ark — massive, silent, and heavy with warning.
For years, Noah had preached, building this impossible vessel as the world mocked and laughed.

The skies were blue.
The birds still sang.
The world went on eating, drinking, marrying, building — just as it had the day before.

Then came the first drop of rain.

Then the second.
And the third.

And suddenly the door of the ark — the only door — closed by the hand of God Himself.
No more invitations.
No more warnings.
No more hope outside.

The flood came, and took them all away.

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“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
— Matthew 24:37 (KJV)

Friend, today the door of mercy stands open.
The cross of Christ is the Ark — and you are still invited to enter.
But the day is coming when the door will shut — and no man will open it.

Come to Christ today, while the door is still open.