Warning: Do Not Ski Beyond This Point
More than two decades ago my wife and I were in Zermatt, Switzerland, home to the Matterhorn. We decided to go skiing. There you ski on the Matterhorn glacier about 12,000 feet/3650 meters in altitude. After a few runs back down to the T-bar ski lift, I noticed a sign off to our right that said, “Warning: Do Not Ski Beyond This Point.” The sign was about 2 by 3 feet, or less than a meter square. It was snowing and foggy at the same time that day in May, so seeing much beyond the sign wasn’t possible. I asked a local ski instructor what was the danger the sign warned about? He said that about 50 meters or so beyond the sign, the glacier has a cliff. Sail over the cliff and you drop about 1000 feet/300 meters, as I recall, onto rocks below. Oh.
That was a bit of culture shock. In the Canadian and US Rockies, there would not have been a little warning sign like this. Instead, there would be fences, multiple orange colored warning signs, maybe even bright flashing lights making it impossible to get past that point. Nowadays, it wouldn’t be surprising to see militarized ski patrol with automatic weapons warning you away.
Yet, in Switzerland, it’s just one little truthful sign. If you ignore it, you do so at your own peril. And your next of kin can’t sue anyone if you go flying off into the wild blue yonder one last time. People are accountable and responsible for their own actions. They have the liberty, the freedom to consider the risk. Sail over the cliff and die. Or heed the sign and live. This is a lot like true Christianity. We have the liberty to choose which path in life to follow. One leads to death, the other to life. [See the Feature article, The Risk Of Loving The Truth].
One principle I learned from experience over the years is that people do what they want to do. You can give them an emotional, rousing speech to get them all fired up. But when they wake up the next morning, they will do what they want to do. Likewise, you can provide people with rational and fact supported information. They may even nod their heads in total agreement with you on each and every point. But when they walk out of the building, people do what they want to do.
After reading a 5 to 10 thousand word article on a particular subject, complete with prophetic warnings, people do what they want to do. Therefore, this Sneakers article is a bit different in its approach. It is very short and to the point. It's my version of posting a little sign. While not as pithy as the one on the Matterhorn, it makes the same point.
“… because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” [2 Ths. 2:10-12].
Why do you [House of Israel] cry in your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased, I [our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ] have done these things to you.” [Jer. 30:15].
“But if the wicked man turns away from all his transgressions, which he has committed, and keeps all my statues, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.” [Eze. 18:21, 22].
Be sure to see the Feature article, And Now A Word From Our Sponsor.
Italics and [ ] are the author’s.
© copyrighted material 2007-2025. www.redshoe.com All rights reserved.
Notice to readers. All redshoe generated articles may be hyperlinked or copied to PDF format for use as long as no editing or alteration of content is made. See Menu banner for other terms of use.
That was a bit of culture shock. In the Canadian and US Rockies, there would not have been a little warning sign like this. Instead, there would be fences, multiple orange colored warning signs, maybe even bright flashing lights making it impossible to get past that point. Nowadays, it wouldn’t be surprising to see militarized ski patrol with automatic weapons warning you away.
Yet, in Switzerland, it’s just one little truthful sign. If you ignore it, you do so at your own peril. And your next of kin can’t sue anyone if you go flying off into the wild blue yonder one last time. People are accountable and responsible for their own actions. They have the liberty, the freedom to consider the risk. Sail over the cliff and die. Or heed the sign and live. This is a lot like true Christianity. We have the liberty to choose which path in life to follow. One leads to death, the other to life. [See the Feature article, The Risk Of Loving The Truth].
One principle I learned from experience over the years is that people do what they want to do. You can give them an emotional, rousing speech to get them all fired up. But when they wake up the next morning, they will do what they want to do. Likewise, you can provide people with rational and fact supported information. They may even nod their heads in total agreement with you on each and every point. But when they walk out of the building, people do what they want to do.
After reading a 5 to 10 thousand word article on a particular subject, complete with prophetic warnings, people do what they want to do. Therefore, this Sneakers article is a bit different in its approach. It is very short and to the point. It's my version of posting a little sign. While not as pithy as the one on the Matterhorn, it makes the same point.
“… because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” [2 Ths. 2:10-12].
Why do you [House of Israel] cry in your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable because of the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have increased, I [our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ] have done these things to you.” [Jer. 30:15].
“But if the wicked man turns away from all his transgressions, which he has committed, and keeps all my statues, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.” [Eze. 18:21, 22].
Be sure to see the Feature article, And Now A Word From Our Sponsor.
Italics and [ ] are the author’s.
© copyrighted material 2007-2025. www.redshoe.com All rights reserved.
Notice to readers. All redshoe generated articles may be hyperlinked or copied to PDF format for use as long as no editing or alteration of content is made. See Menu banner for other terms of use.