I was sitting beside the pilot of a small plane as we flew over terrain unfamiliar to both of us. Spread out on my knee was a map of the section we were crossing, and we had other maps to use as we passed from one area to another. In our ears there was the incessant beep-beep of the “omni” signal, the dots and dashes of the radio navigational station that told us we were on course. In addition, the pilot was maintaining voice contact with the towers of airports in the vicinity. All was well.
For efficient and safe flying, numerous means are available to enable a pilot to know his position. Instruments show altitude, air speed, position of the plane in relation to the horizon, fuel supply, direction, and the like. More sophisticated planes have radar to warn of storms ahead or of the presence of other planes as well as the ever-present voice to give information and advice—the voice of one trained for this task and ever ready to help. All these modern aviation helps are available to the pilot of a small single-engine plane as well as to the crews of the largest jets aloft.
Amazing though advances in aviation may be, many more can be expected. Private industry and government join in deep concern for the comfort and safety of all who fly.
Many of us may never leave the ground for a flight by plane. All of us, however, will be confronted by the certain, unavoidable experience spoken of in Hebrews 9:27: “It is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment” (RSV).
Because death is the experience from which none will escape, because it is irrevocable, and because it is not the end of existence, it is the thing for which everyone should prepare while yet there is time.
Although none dispute the inevitability of death, many develop their own philosophies about the next life in which they reject the clear teachings of the Bible about the judgment to come. Yet the fact remains that no truth in all the Word of God is more clearly stated than that of an ultimate and final reckoning based on what response we make to Jesus Christ.
The Old and New Testaments unite in foretelling a day when the thoughts and actions of all men will be revealed. For some it will be a day of unspeakable joy; for others, a day of great sorrow. It is spoken of as “the day of the Lord,” and the repetition of this phrase should speak to every person and add emphasis to the witness of every Christian.
In the Book of Malachi we read these solemn words: “For behold, the day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch” (4:1).
Figurative language? Within the space of eight verses “the day” is spoken of four times; the last time it is referred to as “the great and terrible day of the LORD.”
When we travel in a plane, we never question the maps, instruments, and radio signals as we pass along our course. We know all are working for our good, to help bring us safely to our destination. Why, oh why, do men question the clear signals God has given us? Why do we discredit the Book that tells us things God wants us to know?
The Apostle Paul has the answer, and it is revealing: “If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God” (2 Cor. 4:3, 4).
Let me repeat: There is no truth more clearly taught in the Bible than that a day of judgment is coming, a day that will mean joy or sorrow.
A few months ago I crossed the Atlantic on a large jet that held nearly two hundred persons. Up front there was a crew trained in navigation, engineering, meteorology, and all the other specialties needed in the operation of the plane. Not once did a passenger make light of the pilot or his associates, or question the fact that we were headed for a certain destination. Nor did any passenger offer to take over. Of course not. But many in the Church have devised their own theories and philosophies and are trusting in them rather than in the clear teachings of God’s Word.
In Malachi we find a description of that Day, under the signature, “The LORD of hosts”: “Then once more you shall distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him” (3:18). We live in a time when many refuse to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. The distinction between good and evil has been blurred. The vast gulf between those who are God’s own and those who willfully reject him is not recognized. This blindness leads to eternal loss.
The inevitability of the Day is stressed in the Bible, and the safety of those who put their trust in the Son of God is expressed with comforting certainty. The statement that “no man is ready to live who is not ready to die” is not a pious cliché; it is the affirmation of a great truth. He who through faith in Jesus Christ is prepared for that Day has nothing to fear. He has the assurance of an eternity with the Lord.
Let those who will, speak of this as “pie in the sky,” or sentimental “otherworldliness,” while they try to discredit the ultimate aim of the Cross. In doing so they are crucifying afresh the Lord Jesus Christ, who came for the specific purpose of giving eternal life to all who believe.
This life is very uncertain, fraught with vicissitudes on every hand. But its end is as sure as the presence of the obituary column in the daily paper. None can escape the Day when all will stand to be judged, and when there will be a permanent division of the souls of men—some to damnation, some to ever-lasting life in the presence of God.
What, then, is the crucial question of all time? “What shall I do to be saved?” And the answer is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”
What is the simple word of hope for the world? What is the message of gravest importance? “That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3a,4).
Many things may be said and done in the name of Christianity, but they are all in vain if they do not prepare men for that Day. The world desperately needs to hear that Christ died for our sins, and that in and through him we have nothing to fear now, at that Day, and for all eternity.
