It was a dreadful scene of devastation. A Germanwings plane, on its way from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany, had crashed in the French Alps. The plane had impacted with such speed and force that the largest piece of wreckage was about the size of a car. One hundred and fifty people lost their lives that day, among them sixteen high school students and two teachers who had been on a student exchange program in Spain.
It did not take long for the truth to come out. The copilot, in a giant, monstrous act of selfishness, had deliberately and carefully planned how to commit his own suicide and the murder of other innocent people. When the pilot left the cockpit to use the bathroom, the copilot locked the door from the inside. Then he set the autopilot to descend to 100 feet and increased the speed of the plane several times thereafter to increase the force of the crash. All radio communications from air traffic control were ignored, and he actively blocked the captain from entering the cockpit in spite of his repeated demands to open the door. In only about ten terrifying minutes, one hundred and fifty souls were swept into eternity when they crashed into the mountain at 430 mph.
The people on board Germanwings Flight 9525 did not know that they were on their last flight. Only the copilot knew his evil plan. They were looking forward to meeting loved ones and getting on with their busy lives. But as the plane began to descend and the captain was banging on the cockpit door, awareness of their dreadful fate set in. In the last few moments before the crash, investigators could hear the screams of passengers and several cries of “Oh my God!” in several different languages — then silence.
What Would You Have Done?
If you had been on that plane, knowing that your time on this earth was about to end in a few short moments, what would have been your thoughts? Would you have had the peace of mind and joy of knowing that you were going to enter into the presence of the Lord Jesus forever? Would you have been able to say with calm confidence, “Lord Jesus, into Thy hands I commend my spirit”? Only those who have had their sins washed away by the blood of Christ can enter into His holy presence. Only then can we join the redeemed who worship before Him saying, “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:55And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (Revelation 1:5)).
Suicide Wasn’t the Best Option
Andreas Lubitz, the copilot, deceived himself into thinking that suicide was the best course of action for him to take. Once he made this decision, he calculated his moves with cold-blooded precision. He had been battling severe depression and was on strong antidepressants. In the months leading up to the suicide crash, he frantically visited dozens of doctors for his recurring health issues. Though he had notes from specialists stating that he was unfit to fly, he never informed his employers. It was discovered later that he had conducted Internet searches on “ways to commit suicide” and “cockpit doors and their security provisions.” On the earlier, outgoing flight the same day of the suicide-murder, he had practiced setting the autopilot altitude control to 100 feet several times while the captain was out of the cockpit. His deception was so great that even after the crash, his airline’s chief executive confidently stated that Lubitz was “100 percent” fit to fly. Neither those closest to him nor his neighbors had any inkling of how ill he was. This deception ended in disastrous consequences for himself and 149 innocent people.
The Bible warns us of “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation 12:99And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)). Because Satan rebelled against God and hates Him with all of his being, he is determined to deceive as many people as he can as to the true way of salvation. His desire is to see all men perish and end up in a lost eternity. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us” (Ephesians 2:44But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (Ephesians 2:4)), is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:99The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)). God wants us to repent of our sins and to ask Him for His forgiveness. He sent His Son to die and shed His blood on Calvary’s cross for our sins. God has accepted the work done on Calvary’s cross on our behalf and all we have to do is to accept and believe it in faith. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-98For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8‑9)). It is impossible to earn our salvation by good works, by being “religious,” or by “doing the best that we can.” These are all Satan’s deceptions. “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:2121Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)).
Because Mr. Lubitz thought that he was going blind and could possibly be grounded or more likely lose his job altogether, he made the dreadful decision to choose death and destruction. Now God is confronting you with a decision — will you receive eternal life from Him or continue on to eternal torment? “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:1919I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (Deuteronomy 30:19)).
Continue to read about God’s provision for your life, not death, in Something Better Than Suicide.