OUR VIEWPOINT
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On September 11, 2001 the most horrific act of terrorism occurred on U. S. soil. The bombing of the World Trade Center Towers, the bombing of the Pentagon, and the destruction of several U.S. airplanes in relation to this incident replaced the bombing of Pearl Harbor as the most destructive act of terrorism on U.S. soil. "Armageddon", "the end is here" are just a few phrases that come to mind when you think of this horror. Is this really the beginning of the end? As the United States begin to prepare for war, one may ask is this Armageddon that the Bible speaks of? Did God do this to punish America? Why does God allow evil to occur? How are Christians to respond to this horrific event as it relates to Bible Prophecy? If used properly, this event could be a good opportunity to lead many to Christ; however, we could lead others to reject him.
How are we to respond? First of all, this is not a time for us to become "catastrophic opportunists" using catastrophes to validate our view of Bible Prophecy (although your view could be a good one). We make statements such as, "God is angry at America, so it must be punished" or "I knew this was coming because the Bible must be fulfilled". I will not dare challenge these statements to be true or not because I’m not God; however, I question the motive and timing of the statements. Is it possible that our motive behind the statements is to glorify or validate our selves as a true prophet or prognosticator? Is it possible that secretly you have an "I told you so" mentality? Is it possible that we make these statements at the expense of those hurting as a direct result of this terror? Would we make those same statements if one of our loved ones were part of this atrocious act? Apostle Paul stated , "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.", alluding that things in this life maybe good but may not edify if not done at the right time. I realize that I’m being an opportunists at this time displaying my viewpoint on this matter. However I would hope that we become opportunists to use this time to show the love of Christ first and as opportunity arises share our Christian viewpoint. During the next few days and even months after this tragedy, I believe Christians everywhere should focus primarily on praying and consoling the families and the loved ones of those who lost their lives as a result of this heinous act of terrorism. We should also pray for our nation that we will return to some sense of normalcy and to show the world we will not allow this atrocious act to destroy our inner resolve and pursuit for freedom.
What is Armageddon? Many are using that term very loosely without truly understanding what the Battle of Armageddon is about in the Book of Revelation. We must understand that the book of Revelation should be studied very carefully and one cannot truly understand the book of Revelation without understanding old testament books mainly the book of Daniel. Revelation 16:16 states that Armageddon is the Hebrew word for "the hill or city of Megiddo". The Strong’s Hebrew/Greek Concordance states the following on Armageddon:
The scene of a the struggle of good and evil is suggested by that battle plain of Esdraelon, which was famous for two great victories, of Barak over the Canaanites, and of Gideon over the Midianites; and for two great disasters, the deaths of Saul and Josiah. Hence in Revelation a place of great slaughter, the scene of a terrible retribution upon the wicked.
Without going into in-depth views of eschatology(the study of end times), the battle of Armageddon will take place after the Church Age(From a biblical standpoint of time, this is the time we are living in). It is a battle between the nations of the earth that have alliance themselves with the Anti-Christ warring against the returning Christ whose setting up his earthly kingdom. The Church or those believers who accepted Christ as their personal savior, will not be on the earth at that time because they will be taken away as described in Luke 17:34-37, 1 Thessalonians 4:14 – 18 & 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3. In other words the Christian do NOT have to worry about that event, we will be raptured or taken away from earth to forever be with the Lord. This atrocious event was NOT Armageddon. If the U.S. goes to war with the perpetrators, which is imminent, it still will NOT be Armageddon. The Bible gives us a clear epoch of time when this will occur. It will occur after the Church is raptured or taken away from earth to forever be with the Lord. In other words Armageddon will NOT occur until the end of The Church Age.
Did God do this to punish America? I don’t believe so! It is important to note that the Bible was not written in relation to America, it was written in relation to 3 types of people: The Jew, The Gentile(anyone that is not a Jew), and The Church(consists of Jews and Gentiles). We must not interpret the Bible to fit our worldview of things. The Old Testament was written in relation to the Jews(Israel) and the New Testament is written in relation to the Church. In the Old Testament God used the punishing method based on 3 basic premises: 1.) Absolute disregard to God and his holines 2.)Israel’s obedience or disobedience to him or 3.)how other nations treated Israel. In the New Testament God is not using the punishing method as a primary method for correction, but he is allowing the positive and negative affects of basic Spiritual Laws to coerse people to turn to him. Spiritual Laws are just as constant as Natural Laws and will impede upon Natural Laws. The Law of Gravity and the Law Of Aerodynamics are just a few Natural Laws that cannot by denied as laws of the universe. The Law Of Sin And Death and The Law Of Reaping and Sowing are just a few Spiritual Laws that cannot be ignored in our universe. What does this mean concerning America? God is not using the punishing method in this Church Age like he used when he was dealing with his chosen people Israel(Jews). However, his Spiritual Laws are in affect having both positive and negative effects that cannot be overturned and will impede upon Natural Laws. One of the Spiritual Laws, The Law Of Sin and Death implies that people and this world system are subject to the evil decadence of sin and its unwelcomed circumstances that it brings. Death is the final evidence of sin. Another Spiritual Law, The Law Of Reaping and Sowing implies that your output is in direct proportion of your input(i.e if you sow a bald tire, you reap a flat tire). These are just two Spiritual Laws that could have impeded upon Natural Law and had(an I stress could have)a profound impact on this tragic event. These laws cannot be avoided. It is until God sets up his kingdom that these laws will not have an affect on us. We must understand from a Biblical standpoint, God will not resume the punishing method until after The Church Age.
Why does God allow evil? I will NOT dare answer that question absolutely because we do not know all things. The Bible says "we see through a glass darkly" meaning we will never have the full answers in this lifetime; however I will try to bring clarity to the subject. The Bible says that God cannot be tempted with evil neither does he tempt man with evil(James 1:13). According to the Bible, sin has corrupted this world through the disobedience of Adam allowing evil when once upon a time we were impervious to it. God in his sovereignty, will reverse the affects of evil and turn it around for good. One day he will totally eradicate evil in his kingdom to come. This is why we are to repeat the portion of the Lord’s prayer "thy kingdom come …", because this is not his kingdom at this time, we are looking forward to a greater kingdom age where God rules without sin and evil in the midst. The Apostle Paul says it best, "we seek for a better country".
How are we to view this tragic event? Is this the end? If you’re a student of Bible prophecy, we have been in the "last days" or "the end" for the past 2000 years. According to "Matthew 24:6-8, Jesus stated "…see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet…" and I believe this event should be categorized as "the beginning of sorrows". In other words, we should use this event as one of the sensors to sense how close we are to the Second Coming Of Christ. This is not a time to get on a "This is the end" bandwagon. Let us not use this event to seek for a sign, but use it to seek for Christ and his kingdom and to help others to enter in his kingdom. It is he who will deliver us from the catastrophic end that is promised only to Satan and all of his followers.
This tragic event could be a prime opportunity to lead people to Christ or drive them away. Let us ask God for divine direction on our timing to present the Glorious Gospel to the Lost that they too can come to a point where they are no longer looking to tragic events to discourage them but looking to Christ and the glorious future he has for those that will accept him as Lord and Savior. I am convinced that God will give you the right opportunity if we pray and wait while we’re ministering to the physical and emotional needs of those that are in mourning.
Thank you for allowing us to share our viewpoint on this terrible tragedy. .Let us pray for America.
Pastor Johnny Outing Jr.
First Christian Fellowship Assembly Inc.
I invite anyone who does not know Christ as their personal savior click here ---à Romans 10:9.
Bible Prophecy Websites:
http://www.millennianet.com/atpro4se/
http://millennianet.com/atpro4se/pretri2.html
Scriptures For Comfort Websites: