Atlanta’s traffic was unusually quiet. The hum of engines and hollers of expletives had simmered down. The once-thundering interstate was eerily tranquil. Except for a swarm of police motorcycles and SUVs, the southbound lane was barren. Seconds later, an army of black sedans and Suburbans with blacked-out windows trailed behind. Moreover, police were stationed at every exit, ramp, and overpass to ensure that no one could enter or exit the interstate. As Dakota and I drove home from a sunbaked Florida vacation, we were mystified by the absence of drivers and the presence of police.

Someone important must have been passing through to require an escort like that. After doing some research, I discovered that Vice President Mike Pence was headed for the airport after speaking at a rally in Atlanta—and we had just missed him. The Secret Service paused everything to protect him. Downtown Atlanta literally hit the brakes because of the presence of the world’s second most powerful man.

A day is coming when the sovereign King of the universe shall return in glory and judgment—and everyone on earth will slam their brakes at His glorious and terrifying presence. The normal traffic of everyday life will come to a halt (Matthew 24:36-44). An army of angels will be His heavenly escort (Matthew 24:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7). There will be no road of escape (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). It will not, however, be eerily quiet, as there will be both joyous shouting and horrific screaming (Revelation 1:7). And when this King returns, it will not be a brief visit to one city, but a final visit to earth to judge the wicked, reward the righteous, wage war on Satan, and dissolve our cosmos to make way for a new one (Hebrews 9:28; 2 Peter 3:1-13; Revelation 20:7-10).

Do a little research in the Book—this is what it will tell you:

“When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, [he will inflict] vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:7b-10).

Only God knows when this day will come, and no one is allowed to see His calendar. Therefore, prepare yourself now by embracing this King as your only Savior and Lord. As the psalmist graciously counseled, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:12).

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Bible Gleanings is a weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky. In the event that the column is not posted online, it is be posted for reading here.