Years ago an American ship was being attacked by enemy gunboats. At that very time, a passenger airplane took off from an airport nearby. The pilot, not knowing that a battle between the ship and the gunboats was going on, traced the route of his flight to pass directly over the battle.
As soon as the airplane took off, it was picked up by the ship’s radar and identified as a military aircraft. Believing it was a fighter plane that was coming to help the enemy gunboats, the commander of the ship sent a message by radio warning the airplane that it should identify itself, or else it would be fired upon by the ship.
It is not known if the radio in the airplane was off or if the pilot was not paying attention to it, but the men in the ship received no answer. The instruments continued to show that the airplane was coming directly to the point where the ship was. The commander gave orders to fire a missile.
In only minutes the passenger airplane became a ball of fire, falling into the ocean. All the passengers, more than 100 persons, were killed. That pilot had no idea that the route he had traced would take him and his passengers to their deaths. And the passengers were enjoying the flight without knowing that a destroying missile was approaching their plane. They were all caught by surprise!
The same happens to people who live without Christ. They are traveling in this life without thinking about or paying attention to the warnings that God is giving in His Word, the Bible. They make their plans, trace their routes and don’t realize that the route they are traveling leads to death and eternal punishment. There is a judgment for his sins waiting for each sinner, unless he trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. Here is God’s warning: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:27-2827And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:27‑28)).
Listen to the warnings that God is sending you and trust right now in the Lord Jesus. Then the Lord Himself, who loves you, will change your route and trace a new one that will take you directly to heaven when you leave this life.
ML-02/22/2004