Unless You Repent, You Will all Likewise Perish

A true story is told of a blind man, his guide dog, and the life-changing power of faith and trust in the face of terror. On September 11, 2001, Michael Hingson, who had been blind since birth, was working on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower when a hijacked plane struck the building. Beside him was his guide dog, Roselle, who remained calm despite the chaos of shattering glass, smoke, debris, and terrified people.

Trusting Roselle and controlling his fear, Michael relied on the emergency preparation he had done before the attack. Because he had carefully learned the layout of the building and its exits, he was able to guide himself and others safely toward the stairwell. Although guide dogs assist with navigation, Michael explained that handlers must still know their surroundings and direct the dog.

As the evacuation unfolded, Roselle led Hingson and around 30 other people down 1,463 steps to safety, guiding them through smoke, confusion, and fear. During the descent, they gradually realised the seriousness of the situation from the smoke, fire, and smell of burning jet fuel. After nearly an hour, they escaped the tower just before it collapsed.

While fleeing, Michael feared the building might fall on them, but he later said he heard a clear inner voice telling him not to focus on what he could not control, but instead to keep running with Roselle and trust that the rest would work out. Michael believed this was God speaking to him, and he chose to listen.

It took Hingson an hour to make his way downstairs, with Roselle sticking with him throughout the ordeal. Once outside, he had to move quickly amid fears the buildings would come down.

“I thought ‘God, I can’t believe you got us out of a building just to have it fall on us,’” he recalled thinking as he was fleeing away from the World Trade Centre. “I heard in my head as clearly as you hear me now a voice that said, ‘Don’t worry about what you can’t control. Focus on running with Roselle, and the rest will take care of itself.’”

Hingson continued, ‘Was that God talking to me? Absolutely, it was. I have no doubt about that, but the issue is: I listened.”

Jesus lived to see a disaster when a tower fell, much as the towers in New York collapsed. Now we don’t know whether the tower that fell in Jesus’ day had a natural cause or a human cause. Was it a bad bit of building? Or was it an earthquake? Or was it even a mixture of the two that it was not strong enough to withstand tremors in what is a well-known earthquake zone? Whatever the cause, whether it was natural or human, it was a disaster of great proportions, and many people lost their lives. Some people came to Jesus and said, ‘Were the people who died in the disaster worse than us, worse than the survivors?’

In other words, was the disaster targeted at getting rid of people who were worse than others? Jesus’ answer was very simple. He said no, they were not worse, but they were no better either. Jesus’ answer says this: they deserved it, and so do you, and so do I, and you have been given an opportunity to put things right before you die. ‘Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish’ (Luke 13:3).

Thank God for his mercy in giving me a chance to put things right before I go the same way. That I am still alive at my age is a mercy of God; it is not something I deserve. It is not something I have a right to. It is something that He has allowed me. I could have died very much earlier than this. The question is: When did you last thank God for all He has done to keep you alive?

Jesus predicted that near the end of this present age, there would be a significant increase in disasters caused both by humanity and by nature, and He mentioned them together. In Matthew 24:7, He spoke of wars, famines, and earthquakes. Wars are clearly the result of human actions, earthquakes are natural events, and famines are often caused by a combination of both human and natural factors.

These disasters are becoming more frequent, and as a result, pain and suffering will also increase. But why is this happening? In simple terms, I believe it is because God is gradually removing His restraining influence from both nature and human nature. We may never fully understand how much we owe to God for holding back sin, crime, and moral corruption. Yet Scripture teaches that He has been restraining these things. In the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, we are shown what happens when God withdraws His restraint from human society.

There is a rise in unnatural sexual behaviour, an increase in violence, growing breakdowns within families, and children becoming increasingly disobedient to their parents. Reading Romans chapter 1 can seem strikingly similar to reading the headlines of a modern newspaper. According to the Bible, these things occur when God removes His restraining hand from human nature.

But why would He do this? The answer given in Romans 1 is straightforward: when people abandon God, He allows them to go their own way. That is presented as both fair and just. As humanity gives less attention to God, He withdraws His restraining influence. People stop worshipping and thanking Him, and in response, He permits evil to spread more freely throughout society and the world. In this way, the Bible presents a picture of God removing His hand from human nature, and the effects of this can be seen all around us.

Who could argue with Paul’s analysis of what happens when God takes his restraining hand off society? But we are told in the Bible that towards the end God will take his restraining hand off nature as well, and therefore it will behave more and more badly. This will build up.

The Bible teaches that Jesus Himself plays a role in this act of divine judgment. In the Book of Revelation, He is described as opening the seals of a scroll containing the final events of human history. As each seal is broken, warfare, violence, disease, and death are released upon humanity. This is an important aspect to consider when seeking to understand the complete character and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible, therefore, presents a picture of increasing catastrophes, whether caused by human actions, natural forces, or a combination of both. For this reason, the Asian tsunami is seen as only one event among many that will continue to increase in frequency and severity. Scripture ultimately describes a massive worldwide earthquake that will shake the entire earth, as tectonic plates collide and unleash enormous amounts of energy beneath the oceans and across the land. This is the image presented in the Bible. It is not a comforting one, but only time will reveal whether these biblical warnings prove to be true.

Another remarkable claim found in the Bible is that God has already judged this world as beyond saving. It is considered too corrupted and polluted to be restored. According to Scripture, a specific time has been set not only for the destruction of Earth, but also for the entire universe around it. The Bible also suggests this destruction will occur in a manner that aligns with Einstein’s theory.

Einstein’s famous equation, E = mc^2 expresses the idea that the energy contained within matter is equal to its mass multiplied by the square of the speed of light. This represents an astonishing amount of energy. The same principle eventually led to the creation of atomic and hydrogen bombs, which release immense power from only a tiny amount of matter.

Every particle and every piece of matter in the universe contains stored energy placed there by God. And while God once destroyed the world through water, the Bible teaches that in the end it will be destroyed by fire.

A New Heaven and Earth

Will the Lord simply release the energy that He has packed in, and the whole thing burns out? I don’t know, but the Bible says:

Beloved, I am now writing you this second letter. In both of them I have stirred up your unsullied sincere mind by way of remembrance, that you should recall the predictions of the holy consecrated, dedicated prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior given through your apostles.

To begin with, you must know and understand this, that scoffers and mockers will come in the last days with scoffing, people who walk after their own fleshly desires. And say, where is the promise of His coming? For since the forefathers fell asleep, all things have continued exactly as they did from the beginning of creation. For they wilfully overlook and forget this fact, that the heavens came into existence long ago by the word of God, and the earth also which was formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.

But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been stored up reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly people. Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape you, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish (pass away) with a thunderous crash, and the material elements of the universe will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to being the meantime in holy behaviour that is, in a pattern of daily life that sets you apart as a believer and in godliness displaying profound reverence toward our awesome God, while you earnestly look for and await the coming of the day of God. For on this day the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the material elements will melt with intense heat! But in accordance with His promise, we expectantly await new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

So, beloved, since you are looking forward to these things, be diligent and make every effort to be found by Him at His return spotless and blameless, in peace that is, inwardly calm with a sense of spiritual well-being and confidence, having lived a life of obedience to Him. And consider the patience of our Lord His delay in judging and avenging wrongs as salvation that is, allowing time for more to be saved; just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him by God (2 Peter 3: 1-15 AMP)

One of the most remarkable statements made by Jesus, who foretold these events, is that these sufferings are not death pains, but birth pains. While death can be painful, birth is painful as well. Jesus taught that when we see disasters increasing, we should not become overly distressed, because creation itself is in labour, preparing for a new world that is yet to come.

This presents a completely different perspective on growing disasters: they are seen as signs of the beginning of a new creation. According to the Bible, God has already determined that this present world will pass away and be replaced with a new heaven and a new earth — a completely renewed creation. In this new world, God intends that nothing evil or corrupt will ever enter again. He will establish an entirely new universe where righteousness dwells.

The Bible also teaches that God desires people from every nation, tribe, language, and ethnic group to be part of that new world, because He created them all. Yet He will not force anyone to enter it. Instead, He seeks those who are willing to be changed. The Bible describes this change with the word “repent.” Those who are willing to turn toward God and be transformed are invited into that new creation. Having already experienced the brokenness and suffering of a world separated from God, they will never desire to return to such a condition again.

Conclusion

So, what did Jesus mean when He said that unless people repent, they will likewise perish? The meaning seems to be this: those who suffered such terrible ends never expected it to happen to them. They understood, in a general sense, that death would come someday, but they were unprepared for the reality and terror of it when it arrived. The suddenness and severity of their end took them completely by surprise.

Jesus warns that the same will be true for all who remain unrepentant. Their final end will be far more serious and dreadful than they imagine, and they will not be prepared for it when it comes. In that sense, they will “likewise perish.” The parallel is not necessarily in the exact manner of death, but in the shocking and unanticipated reality of facing judgment unprepared.

Those people did not expect their lives to end as they did, and many today live with the same false sense of security, assuming there will always be more time. Yet Jesus teaches that life can change suddenly and without warning, as described in Luke 17:27–30. People were carrying on with ordinary life: eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building, until judgment unexpectedly came upon them.

According to Scripture, only repentance, a true turning of the heart toward God, can prepare a person to meet Him with readiness rather than fear.

Just as Michael Hingson testified that he heard God’s voice while escaping the towers, he chose to focus only on what was directly before him, continuing to run with Roselle, his guide dog, and leaving the rest in God’s hands. Even when fear arose that the building might collapse around them, he sensed a clear inner prompting telling him not to dwell on what he could not control, but simply to keep moving forward with Roselle and trust that everything else would unfold as it should. Michael believed this was God speaking to him, and he chose to obey that voice.

The Lord is speaking to each of us every day. However, the question for each of us is this: are you listening to repent and change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner self instead of rejecting it?

Yet I urge you not to accept these words merely because they are spoken here. Rather, cry earnestly to God that He Himself would reveal the truth to your heart, convincing you of its reality and establishing you firmly in it by His Spirit through His Holy Word.

A faith built only upon human persuasion will not endure when trials and temptations come with force. But when truth has been confirmed in the soul by God Himself, it brings strength, stability, and endurance in the hour of testing.

If we rely only upon outward impressions or borrowed convictions, we may discover in difficult moments that we lack the spiritual strength we once assumed we possessed. Therefore, seek not merely information, but true assurance from heaven itself.

Until next time, God willing.