The Most Important Question Came Too Late
by Murray McCandless
On December 20th 1995, an American Airlines Boeing 757 took a regular scheduled flight (AA965) from Miami, Florida, to Cali, Columbia (photo above), carrying passengers mainly returning for the Christmas holidays.
Captain Nicholas Tafuri, age 57, and First Officer Don Williams, age 39, were highly experienced and skilled pilots, but through a tragic navigational mix up they erroneously put the aircraft on a collision course with the 3,000-metre El Diluvio mountain 38 miles north of Cali, instead of the Cali runway.
Three minutes before the fatal impact, first officer Don Williams was recorded asking “Where are we?”
Moments later 151 out of 155 passengers were killed, along with 8 crew.
A reporter the following day poignantly assessed the tragedy in these words:
“The most important question came too late.”
The fact is, “Where are we?” is the big ‘life-question’ for all of us. So, let me ask you right now, before it’s too late, where are you?
The Bible puts us all on one of two roads. Either on the broad road to hell or the narrow road to heaven. In the words of the Lord Jesus, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction [hell], and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life [heaven], and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14, NKJV).
Take a moment to look at this chart and ask yourself “Which road am I on?”
This is vital, because ultimately where you go when you die is determined by what road you are on!
The Bible clearly teaches that we are all born sinners and live our lives astray from God (Psalm 51:5, Isaiah 53:6). Whether we are religious or secular, rich or poor, black or white – it makes no difference! We are all on the broad way leading to hell and we need to be saved.
Are you willing to acknowledge this fact? Have you clearly and honestly located yourself? If you have never been saved, the answer to the question “Where am I?” is this…”I am on the broad road leading to hell.”
Most people never face up to this. They want their own way and don’t want to be disturbed on their downward journey. That’s why you need to wake up to your danger and immediately get off the broad road.
But how? By religion? By living a good life? By prayer and confession? No. The Bible is clear that salvation from sin is “not by works” (Eph 2:8). To be saved you need to enter through the “narrow door”. That is to say, there must be a moment in your life when you repent of your sin and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
In Matthew Ch 7, “entering the door to life” is the Bible’s way of describing the moment of personal salvation. Listening to the words of Christ, the people had a simple choice: either to keep flowing down the easy and popular path to destruction, comfortable in their sin and even in their religion…or face the fact of their need of forgiveness and turn to God through Jesus Christ.
Yours is the same choice. Carry on undisturbed to hell, or make it your urgent business to enter the door to life today. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). The Lord Jesus bore God’s punishment for sin when He suffered and died on the cross. Three days later God raised Him from the dead and then seated Him at His right hand in heaven; proving and declaring that the work to save sinners was and is complete. If you are willing, without reserve, to agree with what God says about you:
– to admit you are on the broad way to hell
– to own up to your guilt
– to admit you deserve God’s judgment
– to acknowledge your utter helplessness
…then the following four Bible verses will bring hope to your soul. Please read them slowly, thoughtfully and carefully:
Isaiah 53:5 “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”
Romans 5:6-8 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly…But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 Peter 2:24 “Who His own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree…by whose stripes ye were healed.”
John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Have you acknowledged you are on the broad road to hell? Then repent and believe the gospel! Enter the door to salvation at once and be saved. Trust in Christ now. Do not leave it until another day. Don’t let the most important question “Where am I?” come too late for you.
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