As we approach the end...
Illustration
As we approach the end of this millennium, many people have become anxious as they seek to interpret Daniel's dreams and John's revelation, relating them to present-day wars, famines, and earth changes. The future of man does indeed appear to be very precarious; yet, remembering that God is ultimately in control of all our destinies, we should be calmed in our fears. An Airborne chaplain, making a routine training jump, discovered his main chute had malfunctioned and released his emergency chute. That chute, however, became entangled with the main one and the chaplain plummeted toward the ground. As he neared the earth, one end of his main chute broke loose and caught just enough air to slightly slow the chaplain's fall, and he burrowed into the plowed training field, alive, but sustaining two broken legs and a cracked vertebrae. From his hospital bed, the chaplain spoke to friends about his ordeal. "The fall lasted only seconds, yet it seemed as if I had minutes to pray. I was frightened at first and then a peace came over me and I simply prayed, 'Father, I know you are in control of all things. Whether I live or die, I only ask for your divine mercy.' " -- Byrd
