THE ELECTION THAT KILLED

In May of 1902, the election season was heating up on the Caribbean island of Martinique. So was the island volcano Mount Pelée. As the volcano belched smoke and fire, the citizens of Saint-Pierre, at the foot of the volcano, regarded it with mounting concern. The governor of Martinique however, was more worried about the upcoming election than he was about the volcano.

Governor Louis Mouttet feared that a panic would hurt the candidates of the ruling Progressive Party. So he directed the editor of the local paper to downplay the danger of an eruption. He set up roadblocks to prevent people from leaving the city. He suppressed telegrams warning of the danger. And in a grand gesture, he paid a visit to Saint-Pierre three days before the election to assure everyone that things were just fine.

The following morning. at 8 A.M. Pelée erupted. The blast of superheat ash killed the governor and thirty thousand others in less than two minutes. There were only two survivors (Source: Rick Evans The Greatest Stories Never Told).

It seemed destruction didn’t care what party was ruling.

Politics is always a “hot” issue. Let me give you a warning. It doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you fall, what party you back or what policy you support, ultimately our citizenship is in heaven (Philippian 3:20). Our friends and neighbors are in a greater danger than just electing the wrong guy; they are in danger of hell. We need to make sure we don’t get so caught up in playing politics that we don’t forget to sound the warning call.

Lots of folks don’t mind posting on Facebook or knocking doors in town to get their candidate elected yet would hesitate to say anything about the fate of someone's soul. What does it profit a man if gets a majority in the legislature or controls the Supreme Court, yet loses his soul?

Destruction is coming. It will rain down fire on everyman regardless of party affiliation. Are we prepared? Have we given warning to other? Are we making roadblocks to people in coming to know Christ? Do we tell everyone it will all be fine if we vote this way and ignore that something greater than the election is at stake, our souls?

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