Here one minute and gone the next. Life is short. We know that. Death can happen at any moment. Here are three unrelated stories that are tragic, yet they serve as a wake-up call. Are you ready to meet God? Charlie Kirk was. So was the pilot of the flight on 9/11 that left Boston and flew into the first tower of the World Trade Center. Below are 2 videos from an American Airlines Captain who was supposed to be on that flight. Then we have the recent crash of the Amazon Prime Air cargo jet in Miami.
What these people have in common is that they were alive one minute and then they were gone. They didn’t expect to die that day. But they did.
Let’s start with Charlie Kirk…
I can imagine the morning of September 10, 2025, Charlie woke up in his hotel room in Utah, excited about the event at Utah Valley University in a few hours. I bet he called his wife, said hello to his kids, and then went to breakfast with his team. On the way to the university, they must have talked about what students could bring up. Yes, they thought about security; they always did.
Someone I admire and follow is Dr. Frank Turek of CrossExamined.org, who was with Charlie Kirk the day he was murdered. He was with him in the car as they sped to the hospital. At one moment, Frank realized that Charlie was gone. He quotes this verse…
“Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NIV
The moment a born-again Christian dies, his soul is no longer in the body. He is at home with the Lord. That’s the hope for us who are in Christ: that this evil world is not our home!
I pray for Erika Kirk, her kids, Charlie’s parents, Frank, the whole TPUSA team, and all of Charlie’s friends who are remembering him this week.
Next, we have Captain Steve…
Captain Steve should have died on 9/11. I’ve been watching him on YouTube for a while. He’s good at investigating and explaining airline crashes and mishaps. I had no idea he was also a Baptist preacher! He tells a heartfelt story about how God had a plan for him on 9/11.
First, we have his story recorded 15 years ago at the 10th anniversary of 9/11…
Then, this video was recorded in honor of the 25th anniversary of 9/11…
I pray for all the families and the survivors of 9/11 on this 25th anniversary of the evil attack on America.
Lastly, we’ll talk about the recent crash of the Prime Air cargo jet at Miami International Airport…
I used to live in Miami, and I’ve driven countless times on NW 67th Ave next to the airport. I’ve seen the planes coming in and taking off. Where I live here in Phoenix, I hear and see the planes all the time. I never think that one of them might crash and kill people.
Imagine going to work at the airport. You have a job as a cleaning crew on some airlines. Your company van pulls up to the airport parking lot, and before you can get out of the van to go to work, it’s hit by a jet plane. 5 of the 7 people in that van died. There are still people in the hospital as I write this, recovering from their injuries. Imagine the driver of the Toyota on 67th Ave. minding his or her own business, listening to music or a podcast, maybe going to meet some friends for a Sunday afternoon outing. You never know.
I pray for them and for the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident, and for healing for those who were injured.
Are YOU Ready to Meet God?
In the Book of Hebrews, we read…
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
Hebrews 9:27-28 NLT
Charlie Kirk was a born-again Christian, as was the captain flying the jet from Boston that crashed into the World Trade Center. We know where they are: in Glory with Jesus. I don’t know about the people in the van or the other victims of 9/11.
The point is, you never know when you’re going to be here one minute and gone the next.
It could be in a devastating earthquake like the ones that hit Venezuela, Colombia, Japan, and other places. The people in Venezuela were at home because it was a holiday. They were waiting to watch a World Cup game, and then the earth shook so violently that poorly built buildings crumbled. Over 6500 people died that day. Furthermore, there may be bodies that will never be recovered from the rubble of the buildings. In Japan, people were at a mall when the earthquake hit. They were just shopping when the building shook and fell apart, killing many.
You could be driving or crossing the street and a distracted driver runs a stoplight, and you’re gone. That almost happened to me one evening in downtown Phoenix. The car missed me by an arm’s length.
Related: An Urgent Message: The Surfside Condo Collapse, No Guarantees of Another Day
Are You Sure About Your Salvation?
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ, and He died taking your sins away forever, and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins: In other words, stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender it all to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you, He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean, past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism: Show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in your heart.
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
isnt it about time you let him in
