LANDING
TOO LATE

Topics: Last Things; Peace with God; Watchfulness

Reference: Matthew 25:1–13

On July 25, 2000, Air France Concorde flight 4590 crashed on takeoff in Paris. A hundred passengers were killed along with nine crew and four people on the ground as the Concorde banked, stalled, and then plunged to the ground, exploding on impact.

The cause of the crash was a sixteen-inch strip of metal on the runway. The metal burst the aircraft’s tire, and debris from the blowout ruptured a fuel tank in the aircraft’s wing. With the plane on fire, the pilot could not halt the takeoff, though he planned to make an emergency landing at a nearby airport. His last words as he fought to save his stricken craft were “too late.”

We only have one life to live. If we fail to make our peace with God before life ends, it will also be too late for us.

—Owen Bourgaize, Guernsey, United Kingdom