Minutes in Hell

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

As we remember September 11th, the iconic images float before us once again.

A tower on fire.

Screaming sirens.

Plane slamming into the other tower.

Confused faces.

Firefighters running towards the chaos.

Blackness engulfing as the towers fall.

Silence and death creeping towards more victims.

We saw it in real time. We witnessed the horror. We try to make sense of the evil we saw.

Can you imagine the terror overtaking those souls as they waited in hell?

47 minutes. How long Flight 11 was in the air before slamming into the North tower.

48 minutes. How long Flight 175 was in the air before crashing into the South tower.

34 minutes. How long Flight 93 knew they were hijacked before crashing themselves to the ground in PA.

56 minutes. How long the South tower was on fire before collapsing to the ground.

100 minutes. How long the North tower was on fire before collapsing to the ground.

Minutes that seemed like eternity.

Minutes lived in uncertainty and fear.

Minutes which became their last.

Those in the planes or towers suffered while waiting.

Waiting for certain death on the plane or the unknown in the tower.

In an instant all went to meet their Maker.

Were they ready?

Were they ready to meet God?

We never know when our last day will arrive.

Could be today, could be tomorrow.

Or maybe in a few years.

Guessing none of these precious people even thought about death that morning before events erupted.

But that didn’t matter, did it.

We must be ready today as God doesn’t guarantee our tomorrows.

As those precious people waited long minutes in hell, their life ended, quitting the turmoil surrounding their end.

But if we are appointed to meet God, and we’re not ready?

Our hell will last for all of eternity.

Those minutes will evolve into hours, days, months, years, and decades, turning onto forever.

Forever separated from God.

Forever living in agony.

Forever living in hell.

We try to imagine the hellish moments endured by those precious people on September 11th.

We cry out from the depths of our souls at the injustice of their suffering.

Yet it will be nothing compared to our eternity apart from God.

The choice is still yours.

Where will you spend eternity?

Choose wisely. God has already chosen you.

Photos by Martina MainettiAidan BartosTim Mossholder, & Ben White on Unsplash

In a Moment

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. Psalm 62:1

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Your time can arrive.

God can scoop you up into His arms in a moment.

At any moment.

Are you ready?

Ready to meet your Maker?

Sometimes we have the luxury of knowing our impending death.

We might be diagnosed with an incurable disease and can take our time making our life right with God.

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 But what if you don’t?

What if God takes you during the sweet sleep of life?

What then?

There will be no one talking to you as you go, making sure your trust is completely in the One true Almighty God.

No one securing your spot in heaven is ready just for you.

The examples of instant death are numerous.

Comas or surgeries people never wake from,

Car accidents,

Terror attacks,

School shootings.

Those are void of moments for a witness assuring you of your salvation.

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Are you ready?

God can call you home at any moment.

At any point in time, you could cease to exist on this earth, relying on your earthly profession or defiance of God to determine your forever future.

The time is now.

Confess that God is God.

Proclaim your faith in Him.

Declare that Jesus died for your sins.

That’s what matters.

Absolutely nothing else does.

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Photos by Ales Krivec, Tristan Gassert, Uroš Jovičić & Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash