On November 30, 1965, a 32-year-old lawyer named Ralph Nader published a book entitled Unsafe at Any Speed: The designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile. It immediately became a best-seller and led to the passage of seat-belt laws in 49 states in 1966. Seat belts and padded dashboards had been available for $27 extra, but only 2% of car buyers purchased the options. Nearly 40,000 people were killed in cars in only one year, and the number continued to climb.
“Words from Above” in the Bible tell us in Hebrews 9:27 that “it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.” There are two actual exceptions recorded in the Bible concerning the death of men, one of which was a man named Enoch. Hebrews 11:5, 6 say, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Translation for Enoch meant that God carried him to heaven, but we are not told how God did that. Another exception was a prophet named Elijah, who was taken to heaven by God in chariots of fire, pulled by horses of fire. Every other person will experience death, unless Jesus comes back to Earth to gather people up out of the Earth in a great event called the Rapture.
Hebrews 9:28 tells us that because it is appointed unto man once to die, “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto those who look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” What this means is that Jesus appeared on the Earth, born in human form, to offer Himself as a sacrifice on the Cross, to pay the penalty for the sins of the entire human race. Romans 3:23 explains that “all have sinned, and have come short of the glory of God.” Romans 6;23 says that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord.”
What this all means is that it is unsafe to live on the Earth, because all people are on a collision course with eternity, and will die unless the Rapture occurs first. Seat belts will not save us, nor will other modern-day devices installed in cars or elsewhere. Only the blood that Jesus shed on the Cross to cover the sins of the world can save us from spiritual death, the death of the human soul. No amount of money can purchase our salvation, because Jesus has already paid the price for our salvation by His own death.
Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville. Everyone is welcome to attend. For informa-tion, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.
