Terrorism – A
Sign of the End?
The Bible indicates
that terrorism is a sign of the end
of the world. Notice how Paul
associates man’s need for
“peace and safety” with the
Great Tribulation. He wrote, “While
people are saying, [are
man’s 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, God’s 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,
God’s patience with violence and
degenerate behavior has a limit.
(Remember Noah’s 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: God’s 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! Israel’s glory
(under David and Solomon) and
Israel’s 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
God’s 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 nation’s 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.
