Deliberations 2016(11): Halfway to Hell?

The Golden Gate Bridge is a familiar landmark – even to persons who have never visited it. Stretching 2400 feet from end to end, it spans the narrow, turbulent passage where San Francisco meets the Pacific Ocean. The weather conditions in the area are challenging – strong winds, chilly temperatures, dense fog, tumultuous tides, and earthquake risks. It took a clever engineer (Charles Ellis) and a relentless promoter (Joseph Strauss) to build the bridge—along with many unskilled men from all walks of life.

During construction (1933-1937), Strauss insisted on the use of rigorous safety precautions, including newly developed industrial hard hats, glare-free goggles, and special diets to help fight dizziness. The most conspicuous precaution was the safety net, suspended under the floor of the bridge from end to end.

This net saved the lives of 19 men who became known as the “Halfway-to-Hell Club”, because it was said that they had only fallen halfway to hell!  Unfortunately, 11 others lost their lives when a section of scaffold fell through the net. The industry norm at the time was that 1 man would die for every million dollars spent. At a cost of $27 million dollars then, ($1.5 billion now), the safety net was indeed instrumental in saving lives. 

As co-laborers with Christ, we get to build the bridge that will connect us to heaven. Jesus is our safety net – “He is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 24). But what if we do fall? What if we make a mistake? If we fall, if we sin, we have an advocate (Jesus Christ Himself), who will plead for us before His Father – 1 John 2:1.

Let us not be fearful…. Let us work with Jesus in redirecting persons from being halfway to hell to being on the pathway to heaven…….

                                    (Adapted and shared from a Doug Batchelor Amazing Facts sermon)