25 Years Later: What Should We Remember?

The special edition of my hometown newspaper 25 years ago

Twenty-five years ago today, America experienced a series of events that none of us who lived through it will ever forget.

September 11, 2001, is now history. A generation has passed, and another generation has been born. Those born in the past quarter century have grown up knowing the events of “9/11” primarily through photographs, videos, documentaries, and history books. But for those of us who remember it, September 11 is more than just another date in a history book. We remember where we were. We remember what we were doing when we first heard the news. We remember the whirlwind of emotions, and the uncertainty and fear that seemed to linger in the air in the weeks and months that followed.

For the next few moments, I invite you to go back with me to that cloudless Tuesday morning in September of 2001.

My Remembrances

My family and I had just finished our daily “Bible time” that Tuesday morning. I had enjoyed a bowl of Honey-Comb cereal for breakfast and was about to start school for the day when the phone rang.

“Mom, it’s Aunt Eileen. She says to turn on the news—something’s happened.” After hanging up, my sister, Sarah, went to the den to watch what my aunt had phoned about. As I walked into the room, I looked up at the television to see a pair of towers I had never heard of and asked, “How’d that building catch on fire?” Getting no response, I kept watching as news commentators tried to make sense of what was happening.

Sitting on the floor in front of the television, I was glad that something was happening on the news that kept me from having to go to school right away. As I kept watching, I suddenly saw what at first looked like a bird flying in front of the camera. Seeing a fireball erupt from the other tower and hearing involuntary gasps from my mom and sister, I concluded something serious was happening. Looking up, I was puzzled to see my mom softly crying. I knew people had died, but I couldn’t understand why she was crying. Wasn’t this just another accident on the news?

As we continued to watch the coverage, I saw close-up video of dozens of trapped people in the towers, leaning out of the windows, desperately waving their shirts in hope of being rescued. And then I witnessed what no child should ever have to see: person after person jumping to their death rather than face the inferno raging within the buildings. For years after that fateful day, whenever I would see the date 9/11 or the time 9:11, my mind would immediately recall the images seared into my young mind of those who would later be known as “jumpers”.

Hearing the news commentator’s report of other hijackings and crashes, I realized that what I was witnessing that morning would one day end up in my history books. Yet, despite the seriousness of the events that morning, my 8-year-old mind went back to wondering if I could get by with asking for another bowl of Honey-Comb cereal.

I Didn’t Understand

At only 8 years old, there was much about that day I simply couldn’t understand. I didn’t fully understand all that I was watching on television, and I certainly couldn’t comprehend how profoundly that day would affect our country and the world.

I didn’t understand what terrorism was. I didn’t understand what these attacks would lead to. I didn’t understand how this tragedy would bring our country together, even if only for a little while. I knew something terrible had happened, but I couldn’t grasp the magnitude of it.

But 25 years later, I understand more. Looking back on that day now at 33 years old with a wife and a family of my own, I believe that there are some truths we should continue to remember, not simply because of what happened, but because of what that day can teach us.

1. The Fragility of Life

On the morning of 9/11, 2,977 individuals began their day as they had always done. Most were going to work. Some were hours away from getting off work after working the night shift. Eight of them were children, ages 2 to 15, who were preparing to board a plane with their family for an early-morning flight. 441 were first responders made up of FDNY firefighters, NYPD police officers, port authority officers, and other emergency personnel.

These were normal, everyday citizens who expected nothing more than a routine Tuesday. Yet, within the span of 102 minutes, four airliners had been hijacked and crashed, the Twin Towers had collapsed, the Pentagon had been severely damaged, and thousands of lives had been lost.

None of them woke up that morning expecting it to be their last. They had plans for that afternoon. They had plans for that evening. They had people waiting for them at home. But in a matter of minutes, everything changed.

That is the fragility of life. We make our plans, establish our routines, and assume there will be a tomorrow. And most days, there is. But none of us is promised another day. We don’t know when an ordinary Tuesday will become our last Tuesday.

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” James 4:14-15

2. The Reality of Evil

On the evening of September 11, President George W. Bush addressed the nation from the Oval Office. In the course of his remarks, he made a simple but profound statement: “Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature.”

He was right. What happened that day was not simply a tragedy or an unfortunate accident. It was evil. It wasn’t simply that “some people did something,” as Ilhan Omar said in reference to the 9/11 attacks. It was evil. Nineteen Islamic terrorists deliberately hijacked four airplanes and used them as weapons against innocent people. Nearly 3,000 people were murdered. Thousands of families were changed forever.

Yet, one of the great mistakes we can make is to pretend that evil does not exist. We may try to explain away evil by examining a person’s circumstances, upbringing, environment, or psychology. Those things may help us understand why someone does what he does, but they do not change the fact that some people are simply evil. Whether it be terrorists murdering nearly 3,000 innocent people, or a mother strangling her three innocent children, evil exists in this world.

To deny the reality of evil is dangerous. If we convince ourselves that evil isn’t real, we will fail to recognize it, fail to prepare for it, and fail to hold accountable those who commit such evil.

3. The Permanence of Eternity

Twenty-five years have passed since September 11, 2001. Twenty-five years of birthdays, Christmases, anniversaries, graduations, births, deaths, and ordinary Tuesdays. But for the 2,977 people who died that day, not a single second of those 25 years has been spent on earth. Their earthly lives ended that morning, but their existence did not.

For those who had trusted Christ as their Savior, the moment their earthly lives ended, they entered the presence of their Lord. For 25 years, they have known the glory and blessing of Heaven. The Bible tells us that in Heaven, there will be no more death, sorrow, tears, or pain. What began as a tragic morning on earth became the beginning of an eternity in the presence of God!

But there is another reality. The Bible also teaches that those who die without Christ face judgment and eternal separation from God in Hell. Jesus spoke of Hell as a literal place of conscious torment where there is no escape and no second chance. The Bible gives the true story in Luke 16 of the rich man who died, lifted up his eyes in Hell, and found himself in eternal torment. This man could remember; he could feel; he could desire relief. But he could not change the fact that he was eternally condemned to Hell.

Twenty-five years ago, thousands of people suddenly found themselves in eternity. Today, their eternal destinations are fixed. They cannot change them. They cannot go back. They cannot make another decision. They cannot receive Christ tomorrow.

But if you’re reading this right now, you can! You are still here! You may have woken up this morning expecting nothing more than another ordinary day. You may have plans for this afternoon and this evening. You may have plans for next week and next year. But the reality is that you don’t know how much time you have left. The question is not whether you will spend eternity somewhere. You will. The question is where.

If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, don’t put it off. You cannot guarantee that you will have another day, another week, or another 25 years. But if you are alive today, you still have an opportunity to turn to Christ.

The Bible says in Romans 6:23,

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Your sin has earned you death and judgment, but God offers you eternal life through Jesus Christ. Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. Salvation is not something you can earn through good works or religion. It is God’s gift, received by faith in Jesus Christ.

If you are reading this right now and don’t know for a Bible reason that you will go to Heaven the moment you die, I urge you to not put it off. If you will contact me, I would be privileged to show you from the Bible how you can know without a doubt that Heaven will be your eternal home.

Twenty-five years ago, 2,977 people went to eternity without knowing that morning would be their last. Don’t assume you have tomorrow. Make sure you are ready for eternity today.

“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:5

True and Faithful is a periodic blog by Andrew Beadles. Subscribe to receive new posts.