THE sky was gray and overcast one November day as a passenger jet approached the airport. The captain and copilot in the cockpit of the airliner could see about 15 miles through layers of broken clouds.
“We would like permission to approach runway 21,” the captain radioed to the control tower.
An air traffic controller responded, “Fly southwest toward runway 21. You may descend, but fly no lower than 7000 feet.”
The captain repeated what he thought he heard: “Descend to 5000 feet.” But was that the altitude given to him by the controller?
Nobody caught the mistake. The captain thought he had heard “5000 feet,” and the copilot, who was at the controls, began to descend slowly through broken clouds.
When the jet reached 5700 feet, a warning light suddenly blinked on, followed by a loud alarm and a voice that ordered, “PULL-UP!” The copilot immediately climbed higher, and the warning stopped.
The alarm and voice had come from the Ground Proximity Warning System, which is special equipment which warns that a crash is about to happen. Although these pilots had probably never heard it sound in real flight, they were trained to obey it at once.
As they leveled off and continued on toward the airport, the captain said, “That warning may be false... the radar might not be working right.” The copilot began to descend again.
At 5500 feet the warning sounded again with the loud alarm and the voice ordering, “PULL-UP!” He pulled up sharply, climbing as steeply as the aircraft would climb.
The captain called the controller on his radio and asked, “What is the terrain clearance out here?” He wanted to know how low they could safely fly on their way toward runway 21.
“Climb to 7000 feet,” the controller immediately told him. They obeyed, and were soon on a safe course again. The captain and copilot looked at their map and saw a mountain peak of 5200 feet right where they had been headed. They had come within 300 feet of the mountain! Later figuring showed that they were only about seven seconds away from hitting the mountain when they obeyed the warning and pulled up to safety.
Seven seconds away from eternity! What solemn thoughts must have gone through these pilots’ minds as they realized how close they and their passengers had been to certain death! They thought they were doing the right thing, following the right directions to a safe landing. We are glad that, in spite of following wrong directions, these pilots obeyed the warning voice in time, and were spared from a fiery crash.
No airline pilot would step into the cockpit of a plane without knowing where he is going and the direction he should fly. There is no guesswork he follows a flight plan. And there is no guesswork about the only way to heaven. God loves you and me so much that He gave us clear directions so there would be no misunderstanding. We want to make sure that each of you is following the right directions, which are found only in the Word of God. He clearly tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8,98For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8‑9). You can’t work for salvation. It is a gift. Yet so many people think that they can get to heaven their own way, ignoring God’s directions. They believe that if they stay away from bad habits, do the best they can, and maybe go to Sunday school and learn verses, this will be enough to get them there. But God’s Word, the Bible, warns us that “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:1212There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12).
God’s directions are clear, simple and positive. You need to admit to Him that you are a sinner and believe that the Lord Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He promises that you will be saved and on your way to heaven. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:99That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9).
ML-07/21/1991