Chapter 1: Flight 248
Bill Parker was forty-two years old and felt sincere and dedicated to his Christian beliefs. He and his wife, Allison Reed Parker, were both sure of their faith in Jesus and weren't worried in the slightest. Bill thought that someday Jesus would return in his lifetime and he was looking forward to it.
Bill had to fly a plane to England that night. His wife, Allison, said she would be praying for him. His son, Ben, was in a school play that night. Ben hugged them both tightly and drove to the airport. He knew he would be extremely busy as usual. Being a pilot took a lot of time away from home and meant he was too busy for his family a handful of times. Bill felt bad about that a handful of times, but there wasn't anything he could do about that. Bill wasn't in control of the schedule that he had to work. He knew that his family was wealthy enough from his job as a pilot and weren't short on money. Bill hoped that one day he could make it up to his family.
He read some sections of the Bible that honestly confused him. He turned his Bible to Matthew 16:28. The verse read, "Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." Bill felt confused for a moment, not sure what that meant. The disciples were all obviously dead now and it didn't seem like Jesus already returned. So, what did this verse mean?
Bill shook his head. Perhaps he was worrying too much. There were a lot of contradictions in the Bible. It didn't mean that he should have to worry too much about it.
Bill headed to the airport and got the plane ready. He spoke briefly to the three flight attendants, Marlene Kingston, Sally Graves, and Karen Thames. Bill then got in the cockpit and watches through the mirror as the passengers got onto the plane. He could only wonder what would be in store as they headed to England.
Bill sat in the cockpit, still worrying in the back of his mind about that Bible verse. Bill hadn't really examined his Bible that much. But that one verse definitely seemed to confuse him.
He tried not to think about it. Maybe it wasn't important. Maybe it was an error or something. All writers made mistakes. No one was perfect. The Bible was no exception.
Bill remembered the handful of sermons that he had attended at New Hope Village Church. Yet, he could never recall any discussions about this one particular verse. It was honestly so confusing. He wasn't sure what to think.
Bill shook his head and fully concentrated on flying the plane. Now was not the time to worry about that.