It was as if a boiling, seething caldron of foul, menacing weather had tipped oner and had spilled its contents on the Great Lakes in one furious storm. In gale winds, towering waves and blinding snow, the Plymouth, towing an old schooner which had been converted into a barge, could make no headway. The captain of the Plymouth, in order to save himself and his ship, ordered the tow rope cut, leaving the barge and the men on it to their own devices. John Turner was one of the men on board the barge. After watching the Plymouth disappear from view, he scribbled this last message to his wife, stuffed it in a bottle, and threw it overboard. The letter read, Dear Christine, The snow is falling so fast I can barely see into the distance. At times the waves so high over the barge, I am surprised we haven't been swallowed up. The captain, without telling us what he was doing, has just cut the tow rope and left us; he never even said goodbye. Tell our girls their father loved them. My Darling, I have loved you too. I hope to see you in heaven.
Your Husband,
John Turner.
The Plymouth made it safe to harbor. After the storm abated it went out in a fruitless search for the barge.
Several days later the bottle with the note was discovered and delivered to John's wife. I wish I could tell you how she understood the one part of the letter which said "I hope to see you in heaven." Was the husband sure he was going to heaven because he had trusted in the Lord Jesus and the blood He shed? And was he expressing the hope that his wife might also come to know the Savior that they might meet again? That is one possible explanation of the sentence.
Another possibility was that John was not sure of his salvation. Yet God had made the way to be saved, and also the truth that we can know we are saved, abundantly clear to us in the Bible. It is not necessary for any one to pass into eternity without being absolutely certain of his soul's salvation. If salvation were of works, then it would be natural for us to wonder if what we had done were acceptable to God. But it is not; salvation is not of works, it is of grace.
Eph. 2:88For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8) says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." At Calvary's cross the Lord Jesus completed the work of redemption, and now all who trust Him as their Savior are saved and can know they possess eternal life beyond any shadow of doubt. 1 John 5:1313These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13) reads, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
If you are not saved you can receive the free gift of salvation by receiving the Lord Jesus as your Savior this very moment. You need not "hope" to go to heaven as though the final outcome must remain in question. By coming to the Savior you may have the absolute knowledge that you will go there. Then your hope of being in heaven will be a sure thing. It will be like the hope we read about in Heb. 6:19, 2019Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 6:19‑20), "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus."