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Terrorism
A Sign of the End?
The Bible indicates that
terrorism is a sign of the end of the world.
Notice how Paul associates mans need for
peace and safety with the Great
Tribulation. He wrote, While people are
saying, [are mans greatest needs],
destruction [from God] will come on them
suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and
they will not escape. (1 Thessalonians
5:3, insertions mine)
As I write this report,
certain cities in the United States have been put
on high alert for possible attack, and scores of
police officers are standing guard at financial
targets in New York City, Washington, D.C.,
Newark, New Jersey and other locations throughout
the country. Four years ago, who would have
thought that the United States would someday have
a national security problem within its own
borders? Prior to September 11, 2001,
Americans did not worry about peace and safety at
home. When the Twin towers fell to the ground on
Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, our sense of
security also fell. The United States is not
immune to the same type of terrorism that other
nations are facing. Terrorism is growing and the
whole world is becoming less secure. Ethnic
hatred is escalating and unimaginable atrocities
are taking place almost every day. Does God
notice this violence? Of course, He does. Nothing
escapes His all-seeing eyes and every person will
be held accountable for their actions. (2
Corinthians 5:10) Therefore, why does Paul
associate the Great Tribulation (sudden
destruction) with people saying, peace and
safety? The answer is quite simple. When
the time comes that hatred and hostilities are so
great that mankind cannot live in peace and
safety, Gods wrath will break out and
overwhelming destruction on a global scale will suddenly
change the attitudes of mankind.
Currently, the United
States is engaged in warfare in Afghanistan and
Iraq. The U.S. has discovered that terrorism is
very difficult if not impossible to control. Car
bombs, truck bombs, roadside explosion devices,
rocket propelled grenades and assault weapons are
terrible, but they are nothing compared to the
destruction that a chemical, biological or
nuclear attack could produce. We know there are
people willing to martyr themselves
to kill as many Americans as possible. This zeal
is particularly bothersome because the U.S. is a
country without borders. News reports regularly
indicate that millions, yes millions, of people
sneak into the U.S. each month and there
is not anything the country can do to stop it.
History indicates that the Roman Empire fell, in
part, because of the uncontrolled immigration and
it appears that history is being repeated. The
bottom line is that we have no way to determine
how many terror cells are coming into our country
each day and each cell secretly prepares
to destroy a portion of our nation. Government
officials freely admit that is only a matter of
time until another significant terrorist act
occurs in this country. Will terrorism ever go
away? Not a chance. Here is why:
Terrorism is a tool God
uses to destroy a nation when it becomes decadent
and degenerate. Of course, God is generous,
loving, forgiving and patient. However,
Gods patience with violence and degenerate
behavior has a limit. (Remember Noahs
flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Pharaoh, Jericho and
Jerusalem?) The Persian king, Cyrus, was sent to
destroy Babylon. Alexander the Great was sent to
destroy the Medes and Persians, and the Romans
were raised up to destroy the sexually immoral
Grecians. The Romans became decadent and they
were destroyed from within by ten ethnic
nations. There is a clear-cut policy here:
Gods patience with violent and degenerate
behavior is limited. When a world, civilization,
nation or city fills up its cup of iniquity, God
takes it down.
Consider this: God
established Israel as a nation at the Exodus. By
working closely with one nation, and giving us
His point of view through numerous Old Testament
prophets, we can see how God deals with all
nations. God is no respecter of persons!
Israels glory (under David and Solomon) and
Israels destruction (under Zedekiah) are
mirrors revealing how God deals with all nations.
(Ezekiel 14: 12-21) God does not have to publish
a book explaining His actions. We only need to
read the Old Testament to see how and why God
removed nations in the past. This concept should
not be hard to understand For God does not
change.
Moses understood
Gods policies toward nations and he warned
Israel just before his death: [If you rebel
against the Lord your God
] all these curses
will come upon you. They will pursue you,
overtake you until you are destroyed, because you
did not obey the Lord your God, and observe the
commands and decrees he gave you. They will be a sign
and a wonder to you and your descendants
forever. The Lord will bring a nation against you
from far away, from the ends of the earth, like
an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language
you will not understand, a fierce-looking nation
without respect for the old or pity for the
young. They will devour the young of your
livestock and the crops of your land until you
are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new
wine or oil, nor any calves of your herds or
lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. They
will besiege all the cities throughout your land
until the fortified walls in which you trust fall
down. They will besiege all the cities throughout
the land the Lord your God is giving you. You
will live in constant suspense, filled
with dread both night and day, never sure of your
life. In the morning you will say, If only
it were evening! and in the evening,
If only it were morning!
because of the terror that will fill your
hearts and the sights that your eyes will
see. (Selected verses from Deuteronomy 28:
45-67, insertion and bolds mine)
There
is a reason why we have become a target for
terrorists. His name is God. Because we have
become decadent and immoral, our nations
cup of sin has reached the full mark. God is
heartsick with the behavior of Americans (and the
rest of the world, too) the end is near for all
nations. God will soon send overwhelming
destruction because mankind cannot live together
in peace and safety.
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