On September 11th, like millions of other Americans, I sat glued to my television set. As I watched in fascinated horror, the twin towers of The World Trade Center were each hit successively and deliberately by hijacked passenger jets. As the thousands of gallons of jet fuel erupted into gigantic fireballs, the buildings resembled huge candles with badly smoking wicks. The temperature within the buildings was reported to be in excess of fifteen thousand degrees Fahrenheit, causing the occupants to choose to jump to their deaths from the 110 story buildings rather than be burned alive. 

The horrifying scenes of the jetliners crashing into the towers, the erupting fireballs, and the imploding buildings that were replayed over and over again on television are indelibly frozen in my mind's eye. A construction worker, covered in grey soot and dust, who was on the top of a nearby building, gave a gut-wrenching response for us all when asked by a television reporter to articulate what he had witnessed just moments before. When queried as to how he felt, he drew back in consternation and answered, "How did I feel? How did I feel? First of all I see an airplane slam into the side of one of the towers creating a fiery inferno! Then a few minutes later I see another plane slam into the side of the other tower with the same fiery impact! And then bodies began falling out of the sky and you want to know how I feel? My heart's in my mouth, that's how I feel!" And that's how I feel – to this day! 

As the victims in the twin towers escaped the inferno within the building by leaping into the smoky space outside, I couldn’t help but cry out in my heart, “Where are you going?” I knew, at that moment, what mattered the most was not the color of their skin, nor the size of their stock portfolios, nor their religious affiliation, nor their educational degrees, nor their positions in the company, nor anything else except their personal relationship with God. I wonder how many of them plunged down – but went up to heaven? I wonder how many did not go to heaven because their friends or co-workers had never shared the Gospel with them? Why hasn’t my heart been in my mouth?! Why hasn’t your heart been in your mouth? Is it due to intimidation by our pluralistic society or fear of personal rejection or fear of being labeled exclusive, intolerant, and unloving? You and I just have to go and tell other people what’s in our hearts – we have to tell them about Jesus and how they can be safe for eternity!

I wonder how many parents were faced with teary, terrified children who returned home from school Tuesday afternoon asking, “Mommy, Daddy, are we at war? Are we going to die? Will we be safe?” How did the parents answer? Did they speak the truth? Or did they just give hollow words of comfort because they have no answers? While we cannot guarantee our children’s safety – or our own – in this life, we can, praise God! guarantee our safety in eternity! When you and I place our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, God promises that we “will not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) And the “everlasting life” will be lived with God and His family in Heaven!

In Revelation 21 the Apostle John describes the glimpse he was given into God’s heavenly Home. In fact, the angel that led him on a guided tour literally measured the dimensions of Heaven, emphasizing that it is an actual place! (Revelation 21:15) Heaven is not:
      an abstract idea,
        or a small child’s fantasy,
          or a fearful person’s imaginative escape from harm,
            or an artist’s concept of celestial beauty,
              or a musician’s theme for a symphony.

It is the only true Home that will keep your loved ones happy, healthy, and safe – forever!

In Heaven, you and I need never fear...
                    hijackers or bombers,
                      terrorists or threats,
                        lawsuits or gunshots,
                          bullets or bandits,
                            boundaries that stifle,
                              roadblocks that stop,
                                limits that squelch,
                                  walls that strangle,
                                    planes that crash,
                                      buildings that implode!

As John gazed in awe at Heaven, he described “a great, high wall . . . made of jasper” that surrounds our future Home. (Rev. 21:12, 18) The wall is described as being over two hundred feet thick and made of material that is like a diamond! Can you imagine the beauty of two-hundred-foot-thick walls made of “diamonds” that reflect the light of God? Can you imagine the security of those who live inside walls that are 200 feet thick?! The walls are so big and strong that God’s loved ones will be safe forever! 

Did you have a loved one or a friend on September 11th in one of the four jetliners used as flying missiles? Or in the twin towers of The World Trade Center? Or in the rescue effort swallowed up by the imploding buildings? Or in the Pentagon? Have you yourself ever been the victim of some other violent crime such as a hijacking or a kidnapping? A rape or a robbery? Mugging? Drive-by shooting? Has one of your children ever been the victim of a violent crime or perhaps been involved in a tragic car accident?

When my three children were growing up, I did all I knew to do to insure their safety. Child-proof caps on medicines, chemicals up out of reach, seat belts securely fastened, hands tightly held as we walked, stern warnings about fire and electrical outlets, all were part of the normal, daily routine. When they grew up they went off to college, then to other homes and cities where I have been unable to supervise. There is no way of tracking moment by moment what they are involved in or whom they are involved with. But I have a deep peace because all of my children, when they were young, placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their own Savior. I know they have been born again into the family of God and therefore, God’s heavenly Home is also their own. Regardless of what happens here in this life, I know they are eternally secure.

What have you done to insure that your children will be safe in eternity? Don’t leave the issue of your child’s safety up to the church, or a school, or a “professional” religious leader. Even though God has no “grandchildren” and each person has to make his or her own choice, it’s our responsibility and privilege to tell our children about God, about their own sin, about their need to claim Jesus Christ as their Savior so their sins will be washed away, about Heaven and how to get there. If for any reason you no longer have opportunity to insure the “safety” of your children, then just pray, trusting God for the safety He will one day provide for you and asking Him to work on behalf of your children – and grandchildren. Then go and tell someone else’s children or grandchildren how they can be safe forever in God’s heavenly Home.

When I read . . .

of suicide bombers and hijacked airlines,
of fiery infernos and leaping victims,
of terrorist attacks and imploding buildings,
of germ warfare and nuclear bombs,
of overcrowded slums and disintegrating shanty-towns,
of sweat-shops and slave labor,
of drive-by shootings and drug addictions,
of incurable diseases and untimely deaths,
of mysterious disappearances and missile strikes,
of gang rapes and violent robberies,
of financial failures and business bankruptcies,
of stock market fluctuations and military invasions,
of racial hatred and social injustice,
of national corruption and political oppression,
        I praise God for Heaven where I will be safe and secure – forever!

And so this AnGeL says, “Go!” Go with your heart in your mouth! Go to your family and friends, to your co-workers and neighbors – now – and tell them how they can be safe forever in Heaven! 

For His Glory,