This is a very familiar term to airplane pilots. In any flight there is the takeoff, the trip or journey and with the airport in sight the final approach and finally the landing.
For pilots, some flights can be a piece of cake with no mechanical or weather problems. On the other hand, some flights can be troublesome, maybe with mechanical or weather problems or just long tiring trips. Many pilots give a sigh of relief after a long trip and say or think, “On the ground at last.”
Those flights remind me of something in the Bible.
Our journey or flight begins at conception and birth. Then there is the flight or our life on earth. For some life may be easy and there are very few problems. For others it may be difficult with lots of problems. Some lives may be short while others may have many years. We never know when we may be on final approach in this life. It is when we are about to leave this world and step into another.
Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.
For a Christian or those who have accepted Christ, it is leaving this world and stepping or arriving into the presence of God.
John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...
Luke 23:43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
See also Luke 16:23.
For those who have ignored or rejected God, they step into another world of great suffering but not into the presence of God.
Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
See also Luke 16:19-31.
See you in Church next Sunday.