Seventeen-year-old George had thoroughly enjoyed his trip. He and more than sixty others had flown to Lake Tahoe for a weekend of fun and skiing and were now ready to return home.
As the passengers buckled their seat belts in preparation for takeoff, the stewardess aboard the charter flight began her usual warnings concerning safety procedures in case of an emergency. Many of the passengers had heard the warnings so often before that they felt no real need to pay attention to the instructions.
"It seemed like when the stewardess was going through all those safety things," George stated, "everyone was just laughing. I took her seriously."
Does that sound familiar? Perhaps you have heard the gospel so often and have had warnings as to your soul's need presented to you so frequently that you no longer feel the need to pay attention.
"It's just the same old stuff," you mutter to yourself. "I've heard it all before."
The warnings, however, are necessary. "God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not." Job 33:1414For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. (Job 33:14). "Because there is wrath, beware." Job 36:1818Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee. (Job 36:18). God has declared that sin is punishable by death, and that "all have sinned." Rom. 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23). He also warns us that "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Heb. 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27). These warnings may sound harsh, and you may be tempted to throw this magazine down in disgust, feeling that while someone else may need these warnings, you certainly do not. All, however, have sinned, and all need a Savior.
I have flown thousands of miles in many different types of aircraft and have never once needed to put into effect the emergency procedures outlined so carefully by the crew at the beginning of each trip. That does not mean that I can ignore the warnings. Emergencies do occur occasionally, and it is necessary to know the correct procedure to follow.
George and his fellow-passengers heard the instructions, whether or not they needed them, and the charter flight took off.
"All of a sudden we hit some turbulence," he reported, "and we were going up and down and it was pretty shocking. But everyone was laughing in the airplane and thought it was nothing. I just saw sky out my window," he continued, "and all of a sudden I saw the ground coming up and the pilot said we were going to crash."
Suddenly the laughter turned to screams and within seconds it was all over. George, following the safety instructions, had his legs up and his head covered with his hands. He found himself sliding through fire and debris and suddenly realized he was outside the plane. Ripping off his seat belt, which was still attached, he ran from the burning plane as it exploded.
"I thought I was dead," he recalled. "I was scared!"
George, his father, and one other man survived. Sixty-eight others perished in spite of the safety warnings. Some, depending on their position at the moment of impact, had almost no chance of escape from death. God, however, is offering you a sure escape from coming judgment. He sent His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, down to this earth to suffer and to die so that you could escape the wrath to come. The blood which He shed on the cross can wash away every stain of sin and make you ready for an eternity with Himself in heaven.
Won't you accept God's offer of salvation today?