Without
Warning
Without
warning terrorist struck Tuesday morning, September 11th, 2001, in
New York City and Washington D.C.
But
was it without warning?
The
World Trade Center had been struck before. Usama bin Laden has proclaimed a Jihad or Holy War upon America and American
interests and is on the FBI’s most wanted list for the August 7th,
1998, bombings of The United States Embassies in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and
Nairobi, Kenya. These attacks killed over 200 people. President Clinton ordered attacks against the perpetrators
but did not succeed in getting bin Laden. Colin Powell admitted that this would
be no easy task.
Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said, “I think anyone who thinks it's easy is
wrong. I think that it will require a sustained and broadly based effort. And I
don't think that people ought to judge outcomes until a sufficient time is
passed to address what is clearly a very serious problem for the world. And it's
not restricted to a single entity, state or non-state entity. It is an attack on
a way of life.”
I believe that this last statement by Rumsfeld is the truth. We have all heard many commentaries about Tuesday's events. Some good, some ugly, some not very well thought out, but all with deep passion. Nowhere in any of these comments has anyone really struck home to the exact nature of what happened, not precisely, not with full knowledge and impact. The closest comment made was this; "Is an attack on a way of life."
During this article, I will try to express my understanding of what happened and why, as I believe the Lord has led me to believe. This is not from my personal perspective, my own experiences, or my own desires. It is my wish to convey to you all what the Lord is saying to America and His Bride, the church.
Some six weeks ago the Lord began speaking to me about His displeasure. It began in a bible study from the book of Amos, beginning with chapter 3.
1. Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
2. You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3. Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
America's fate is tied closely with that of Israel's. America is Israel's strongest ally and supporter. In many ways the hatred that began in the tents of Abraham has spilled over into America's image and life. Those who hate Israel, hate America. The leader's of the Palestinian Liberation Organization cannot erase with words the images of Palestinian's rejoicing at the news of Tuesday's bombings. That picture is embedded in the minds of every American, no matter how much we try and believe the leaders of the PLO when they denounce the act and beg us not to blame the young people because they do not understand. Islamic fundamentalist have vowed to destroy Israel. They found Israel to be a very hard and unforgiving enemy. Israel takes an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth, and if you look at the numbers, by body count, it's more like a mouth full of teeth per tooth.
America on the other hand, is a civil country. They impose economic sanctions and plead their cases in the courts. Look what happened with Saddam Hussein in Iran. We only strengthened his resolve and strangle hold on his own people. As of Tuesday, September 11th, 2001, that ended. America is now at war and the gloves are off and wrath is the driving force which spurs American's to seek justice and safety for all peoples of the world.
Safety! that brings me to the second point in Amos 3.
11. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.
Without a doubt Israel is surrounded with enemies. Every border they hold is hostile. Jerusalem is split and it's enemies lie within the gate. One of the most holy sites in all Islam is on the Temple Mount. Israel plans to rebuild God's Holy Temple on the Temple Mount. This is bible prophecy come true for both Jew and Christian alike. For the Jew a commandment from God, for the Christian the marking of the Tribulation period and a clear sign of the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as King of Kings to reign over all the earth for the Millennial Kingdom age. All of Islam is as determined to stop Israel as Israel is determined to make it happen. Once again, America and it's vested interest in being a country under God, holds a desire to see Israel succeed. So much so, that extremist Christians have been caught trying to enter into Jerusalem for the sole purpose of destroying the Dome of the Rock mosque.
Now comes the killer question. If this is prophecy and God's will, why isn't God fighting for us? Why isn't God protecting us from this evil that has been done to us?
Amos 5
1. Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.
2. The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.
3. For thus saith the Lord God; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.
4. For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:
2 Thessalonians 2
1. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2. That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6. And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9. Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Verse 3 speaks of a falling away. This is apostasy. We live in this time. Churches today have demonstrated that they are more concerned with numbers, power, influence, finance and being politically correct than they do with standing on the Word of God. If our churches have fallen away, what does that say about our society as a whole? Remember, majority rules.
Galatians 5
13. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
As a country this is exactly what we have done. We have allowed our liberty, our freedom, to give occasion to sin.
Amos 2
6. Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
7. That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:
8. And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.
We think that these nations hate us because we have and they do not. We delude ourselves in thinking that because we are richer our ways are better. Didn't we learn anything in Iran? We pored money and weapons into Iran and educated their children in our schools. We elevated their way of living to be equal with our own. Where are we with them today? They hate us. We tried to make them like us and they hate us. Why? Because we made them trade righteousness for silver. We asked them to worship gain rather than God.
Now here we are on the brink of war with those who hate our way of life. Can you blame them? If we have given occasion for liberty to let sin enter into and dominate our society, who is wrong? O. J. Simpson proved that justice can be bought in America. We neglected the teachings of righteousness and respect for life in our schools and now our children are killing each other in school. We cannot even defend ourselves from ourselves. How in the world do we expect to to protect ourselves from people so dedicated to hatred that they are willing to strap bombs to their own bodies and walk into a crowded mall and kill hundreds of innocent people? The sad answer to that question is, we can't. we've lost the protective cover of God because as a people we stopped listening to Him and obeying His commandments.
During Rev. Billy Graham's sermon in the National Cathedral Friday I heard the truth spoke for the first time since this all began, with knowledge and commitment. He said, America needs God. I have watched the events unfold this past week and I am happy to report that no one complained about Governor Rick Perry of Texas joining a prayer vigil, sighting separation of church and state. A whole nation watched and prayed together Friday, a nation united under God. Churches throughout all America opened their doors for people, making a place, a sanctuary for the lost, the hurting, the confused, the needy, to come together and love one another.
It has been reported that America received a wake up call this week. It is my solmn hope that what they woke up and heard was God crying out, "America, return to me!"
Amos 4
11. I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
12. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
13. For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, the Lord, The God of hosts, is his name.
Did you wake up America and find God calling out to you to return to Him?
I pray you did.