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Calling 911
by
Brian Hennessy
If there‘s one phrase that has been repeated over and
over and over since the Islamic terrorist attack on September 11th,
it’s that the “world will never be the same again.” And I couldn’t
agree more.
Even
though we here in America have crept back to a certain routine of
normalcy (as of 10/1/02), a fundamental shift in the way things are
has definitely occurred. The big question now is, what does that
fundamental shift mean to you and I?
In asking that question, I’m not looking for a military,
sociological or political response, but a spiritual response. As a
child of God I want to know specifically what 9/11 means in terms of
God speaking to the human race in general, and to His people in
particular.
This inquiry of course is based on the belief that God is
indeed speaking to His creation today, not only through His written
word and sent servants, but also in a variety of other ways. Including
all the daily events of life, both big and small. You dear reader will
have to make up your own mind about this, but it is my belief that
God’s desire to communicate with us is so great that there is
literally nothing He won’t and doesn’t use to speak to us about His
existence, His love (including His warnings), and His divine plans and
intentions. There is never a second when He is not speaking. For as
Scripture says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and their
expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth
speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (Ps. 19:1,2).
Sometimes the communication from God is not veiled.
Recently, for example, the newspaper reported that a lioness in Kenya
was seen walking around in the jungle with an oryx calf she seems to
have adopted. Besides the natural attempt at an explanation that the
lion must have a psychological disorder, the paper noted that many
believed this was a Biblical fulfillment of Isaiah 11: 6 - “that the
calf and the young lion will graze together.” To put it more
correctly, I’m sure it was a sign (not a fulfillment) from God
that the Messianic age is at the door - which is when this
supernatural harmony among all the species will become permanent and
worldwide.
But more often this form of communication comes to us like
a parable. Although simple and straightforward in its context, the
message is camouflaged by the “naturalness” of the event and requires
some spiritual discernment to decode it. For me it usually starts as a
divine tap on the shoulder to pay attention to some unusual
development and realize that God is on the “phone” and saying
something. I then simply look for clues in the event that might
emphasize either some Biblical truth I already know about, or one that
He will show me in the course of my desire to understand. (See
“Crowned with Gold”.) As a rule of thumb I would say that the greater
and more serious the event, the greater and more urgent it is that we
hear and understand the message. Obviously then, 9/11 embodies a very
important message for us all indeed.
Having said all that, let me now launch into what I
believe God was saying - primarily to the world - but also to the
United States and to His people through the tragedy of 9/11. I am not
writing this as a “thus sayeth the Lord,” but as my best Biblically
based discernment of the entire event. It is a discernment that has
only grown stronger in the months following the attack. And which now
compels me to share it with all who care to hear it.
I gladly submit my reading of these events to those
called in the church to judge all prophetic insight as to whether it
accurately reflects the heart of God or not. (I am serious. If any
anointed saint believes that I have missed it and can tell me how and
where, I am all ears. My e-mail is: hennesybrian@hotmail.com.)
The Beginning of Knowledge
Scripture tells us that the beginning of knowledge and
wisdom is “fear of the Lord” (Prov. 1:7). By “fear of the Lord,” it
does not mean the paralyzing, tormenting kind of “fear” that
characterizes so many pagan religions and causes them to resort to all
sorts of barbaric practices to appease whatever wrath-filled,
unmerciful god they serve. But rather it is the healthy, respectful
kind of fear that denotes reverence for authority. It is the fear that
a wise child has for a loving father, who knows that if he breaks the
rules of his father’s house, he’s going to get punished. And
rightfully so. So to avoid punishment he remains obedient, and in the
long run benefits from the wisdom and discipline of his father’s
instructions.
For a number of years, the nations of the world have shown
by their legislative actions that they have turned away from God’s
prescribed ways, and preferred rather to walk in the light of their
own reason instead. By so doing they ignore the clear warning of
Scripture that says, “There is a way that seems right to man, but its
end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12. God’s principles, when
practiced, always produce health, prosperity and success in all areas
of human living. When ignored they always bring forth disease, poverty
and failure. ”Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a
man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7).
Now in saying the “nations,” I am speaking primarily of those nations
in the West influenced by Judeo/Christian beliefs. Other nations,
which do not have a true knowledge of God and His ways because their
core religion is based on something other than the Bible, are simply
continuing in their ignorance. And they are actually less responsible
for their actions (although they will still be held accountable) then
those nations who profess to acknowledge the one, true living God but
are not living accordingly. And it is these Biblically influenced
nations, especially America, who have been steadily backing away from
acting according to His precepts and commandments. Indeed, America has
drifted so far, that I would no longer describe us as a Biblically
centered nation, but as one that is just living in the afterglow of
our godly heritage.
As a result, it has been the failure of the so-called “Christian”
nations to continue to acknowledge God and His ways that I believe has
set the stage for judgment to come upon the whole world. For as long
as there was an official standard raised as a witness of His ways in
the nations of the earth - it staved off His judgment of the whole
earth. Just as salt staves off the corruption of meat. But the
prophetic voice of the church has been virtually silenced by the
Western governments - a victim of the unbalanced perception of what
the separation of Church and State is all about. The absence of this
godly influence as a counterbalance to the rising tide of atheistic
humanism– a belief which exalts man as the highest form of creative
intelligence in the universe – I believe has brought us to this hour.
But to be realistic, this hour of judgment was inevitable. It is
spoken of so many times in Scripture that there simply was no avoiding
it. The only reason it has not come sooner is because “the iniquity of
the Amorite is not yet complete” (Gen. 15:16). The evil leaven of the
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that infected Adam had not yet
completed its work of corruption. When the carnal thinking of mankind
is fully leavened, then will the cleansing, purging fires of judgment
come. I’d say we’re there.
A War on Many Fronts
This war that has enveloped us so suddenly can be looked at in
several ways.
On the lowest level, it is being described politically by the Bush
administration as a war against terrorism. This is a deliberate
attempt to avoid saying it is a war against Islam for fear of
offending all the Muslim nations and Muslim Americans. But it really
is a religious war. To use Islam’s own word, it is a “jihad” or “holy
war.” Islam’s goal is to defeat the West’s military might which
supports the two religious faiths it considers direct threats, namely
Judaism and Christianity. (Their signs chant, “First the Saturday
people, then the Sunday people.”) If the Jewish and Christian nations
can be defeated, Islam will be shown to be supreme and able then to
subjugate the rest of the world (they believe) to its religious
beliefs.
On this level, I see that God used 9/11 to bring America into the war
to provide extra military muscle to help protect Israel, which is on
the front lines of this global battle. A battle that is escalating
rapidly as the Islamic states gain access to weapons of mass
destruction. Hopefully, God will use the US to deal a crushing blow to
Islam itself, which has kept almost a billion people locked in the 7th
century. (Anti-Semites have tried to convince us that the Moslem
attack on America was due solely to our support for Israel. Their goal
of course is to get us to abandon the Jewish State. Ironically they
are right that Israel is the key reason for our involvement, but God’s
goal is to strengthen those ties – not abandon them. It will be
curtains for America if we ever turn against Israel. “Those who bless
Abraham will be blessed. Those who curse him (and his descendants)
will be cursed.”
But one can also go further and describe this war, not just as a
religious war, but as a spiritual war. For this battle is also being
waged in the spirit world between the demonic powers that inspire the
adherents of Islam, and the God of the people of the Bible. On this
level, God wants to defeat Islam not just because it is a threat to
world peace, but to set its adherents free so they can receive the
truth and come into the Kingdom of God before the door is finally
shut. At the same time, the Lord is using the extreme pressure of
Islamic terrorism to get all His covenant people, both Jews and
Christians, to look upward and cry out to God for safety and
deliverance. When we do, we will experience greater intimacy with Him
and separate more from the things of this world.
As for America, it is a major wake up call for this nation also. Much
of what the Moslems say about us as the “Great Satan” is true. We have
been polluting the world with sexual filth and materialism. We have
promoted a hedonistic, godless lifestyle through our movies and TV
shows around the world. Although this doesn’t give them the right to
bomb us, God has used their attack to get us to repent of our worldly
corruption - NOW! “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father
is not in him. For everything in the world, the lust of the eyes, and
the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, comes not from the Father
but from the world. And the world and its desires are passing away,
but the man who does the will of God shall live forever” (1 John
2:15-17).
Unfortunately, I don’t honestly think America as a nation will be able
to turn it around in time so as to be healed. I really think we have
run out of chances. But each individual American does have the
opportunity to take this message to heart and get right with God.
But there is still one other way to look at this war. And it is the
one that best captures what I see as the true nature of the conflict
and the identity of the combatants.
God vs. Man
I believe this war, which began officially on September 11th,
and which will soon escalate into a worldwide confrontation, is the
final showdown between God and the entire corrupt, godless
civilization built by carnal man, the descendants of Adam.
To gain a proper perspective of this understanding it is necessary to
see America, not as “the home of the free and the brave,” but as the
number one superpower in the world and recognized leader of all the
Gentile nations. Which automatically make it the head of a world
system that Scripture says operates “under the control and power of
the evil one” (I John 5:19)
That certainly doesn’t make America the most sinful nation on earth
and most deserving of God’s wrath. Not at all. In fact, we are
probably the most moral and most giving nation on the face of the
earth, and have done more for freedom and progress than any nation in
history. But lest we be too quick to cloak ourselves with all that
“goodness,” we should quickly realize that even though we may shine
when compared to other nations, when compared to God’s standard of
righteousness, our crown tarnishes considerably.
In fact, America represents the apex of all human civilization up to
this point in time. Our technological, scientific, medical, political,
military, cultural and economic achievements have surpassed the
greatest achievements of all the world empires that came before us.
Greater than Egypt in the time of Moses, Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar,
Greece under Alexander and Rome under the Caesars. And because America
now stands in that exalted place, we have become symbolic of man’s
arrogant self-sufficiency before God. I am sure you will agree, that
in spite of all our good works and self-proclaimed piety, our pride
and arrogance has grown proportionally with our rise in power and
influence.
Therefore any judgment of God that befalls us should be seen as a
judgment upon that pride and arrogance, which is so symptomatic of
man’s fallen human condition.
In viewing 9/11 in this way, I clearly see that the two lofty twin
towers of the World Trade Center represent that haughty pride and
arrogance. Their destruction was designed to make that point and drive
us all to our knees – literally – so that we can receive mercy. “For
when judgments come upon the earth, the people learn righteousness.
Though grace is shown to the wicked they do not learn righteousness,
even in a land of righteousness they go on doing evil and regard not
the majesty of the Lord.” (Isa. 26:9,10)
God is not like today’s permissive parents or law courts. He holds His
human creation accountable for its actions. He will warn us through
His prophets. He will exercise great patience; “not wishing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).
But there will come a time when He is through talking and His
chastening hand is felt. “For he who spares the rod hates his son. But
he who loves him, disciplines him diligently” (Prov. 13:24).
The Day of the Lord
This
ultimate confrontation between God and man is described in the Bible
as the “Day of the Lord.” Without getting into a lengthy discussion,
let me just introduce a few points.
First, this expression is found all over the Old Testament.
Particularly in the Books of Joel, Isaiah, Ezekiel and Zephaniah.
“Wail, for the Day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction
from the Almighty...Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the
wicked for their iniquity...I shall make the heaven’s tremble and the
earth will be shaken from its place by the fury of the Lord of hosts
in the Day of His furious anger” (Isa. 13:6-13).
“Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let
all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the Day of the Lord is
coming; surely it is near (Joel 2:1).
"For the Day of the Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have
done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own
head” (Obadiah v. 15).
The Day is also referred to in the New Testament, which means it had
not been annulled or re-interpreted in light of the ministry of Jesus.
It is still on the books and lies ahead in the future. (Those who
teach that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was the fulfillment
of the Day of the Lord ignore that the judgment will be catastrophic
and worldwide.) “The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon
into blood, before the great and glorious Day of the Lord shall come”
(Acts 2:20).
John on the Isle of Patmos says he was caught up in the Spirit on the
Lord’s day – or Day of the Lord – when he received the whole Book of
Revelation with all its plagues of judgment upon the earth. (John did
not mean he was in the Spirit on a Sunday morning, as tradition has
taught. But that he had been caught up into the future so that he was
literally seeing the events that will take place on the Day of the
Lord.)
Although the Day will surely bring much wailing and destruction on the
earth, it is not something a believer has to fear. “For God has not
destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9).
God has a great and marvelous salvation planned for His people “In
that day it will be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do
not let your hands fall limp. The Lord God is in your midst, a
victorious warrior. He will exalt over you with joy, He will be quiet
in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy” (Zeph
3:16,17). And Jeremiah says: “Thou art my refuge in the day of
disaster” (Jer. 17:17).
So wonderful is this coming salvation that in spite of its
accompanying destruction on the earth we should look forward to it
with great joy and even try to hasten its coming. “Since all these
things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you
to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the
coming of the Day of the Lord” (2 Pet 3: 11, 12).
So for us it will be a day of light and glory and rich reward that
will result in the birthing of a new heaven and a new earth. But for
the hard-of-heart it will be a nightmare. It has two very different
sides to it. “For His reward is with Him; His recompense before Him” (Isa.
62:11). That’s why for those still ignorant of God’s coming judgment,
9/11 is actually a blessing in disguise because it alerts them and
gives then a chance to get under the blood of Messiah to escape the
final blow that is surely coming.
The Tower of Babel
The whole situation in the earth right now is very reminiscent of
the time when the human race banded together to build the Tower of
Babel. “Come let us build for ourselves a city and a tower whose top
will reach up to heaven, and let us make a name for ourselves” (Gen.
11:4).
That religious ziggurat which was thrust heavenward into God’s face,
symbolized man’s technological accomplishment and religious
independence. In effect, a united mankind was saying, “See God?
There’s nothing we can’t do by our own strength and ingenuity! We
don’t need you! We are totally self-sufficient! We can reach even to
the heavens!”
But God put a stop to their idolatrous claim by confusing their
languages and scattering the people.
Now, some 5000 years later, man is overcoming national differences to
work together again, and thanks to the marvel of the computer has even
restored his ability to communicate instantly with every tongue, in
effect creating one language. Man is determined to finish what he
started long ago, which God so rudely interrupted. And if it was true
what God observed about mankind back then, “that nothing which they
purpose to do will be impossible to them” (Gen. 11:6), how much truer
is it today?
Just recently, there was a photograph in the paper of the launching of
the space shuttle Columbia. The picture, which demonstrates once again
our awesome scientific accomplishments, showed a trail of smoke
literally “towering” into the heavenlies. We just don’t quit. Although
you can’t help admire such a great accomplishment, you also can’t help
thinking that fallen humanity is suddenly on the verge of exporting
its corrupt ways to the furthest reaches of the universe. Especially
since our scientists have now broken into the genetic hard drive
allowing us to manipulate and even duplicate all living species. One
can only imagine the horrors man will unleash in the near future
unless God mercifully interrupts our plans once again.
That’s why, I believe, He symbolically crashed our party on 9/11.
Isaiah 2
These prophetic words from Isaiah are especially haunting: “For the
Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is
proud and lofty, and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be
abased. And it will be against...all the lofty mountains, against all
the hills that are lifted up, AGAINST EVERY HIGH TOWER, AGAINST EVERY
FORTIFIED WALL, against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the
beautiful craft, and the pride of man will be humbled, and the
arrogance of men will be abased, and the Lord alone will be exalted in
that day” (Isa. 2: 12-17).
Not only does that perfectly describe the attack on the Twin Towers
and on the Pentagon, but Isaiah went on to describe exactly how the Al
Qaeda would react when our forces arrived in Afghanistan. “Men will
flee to the caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from dread
of the Lord (as represented by the U.S. armed forces in this case) and
the splendor of His majesty when He arises to shake the earth” (Isa.
2:19). There have even been two major earthquakes in that region since
our troops arrived. Obviously this still has an even greater
fulfillment, but the message is clear. This is that!
Actually, this attack on the WTC “high towers” and against the
Pentagon’s “fortified wall” was not the very beginning of God’s
judgment. I believe we have been experiencing a wakeup call for some
time now through our crazy weather patterns. I think most Christians
also realized that the weather was not just a problem of global
warming, but was signaling the coming of Christ. However, the rest of
the nation - and the unbelieving world in general - has not had ears
to hear. Many more no doubt started to hear as a result of 9/11.
The bottom line is that all that is high and lifted up, which
represents man’s pride and arrogance, is now coming down. Persons.
Symbols. Everything. Everywhere. From Enron and Arthur Anderson to
Wall Street and the Vatican to Jesse Jackson and Martha Stewart. And
all those who are lowly and humble and trusting in God’s mercy and
justice by faith will be raised up to the glory of God. “For the Lord
alone will be exalted in that day.”
What first tipped me off for sure that we were entering the Day of the
Lord, which is the day of God’s restored justice on the earth, was the
Oscar-winning movie “Titanic” which came out a few years ago. That
“beautiful craft” had been declared to be so strong by its owners that
“not even God could sink it.” Well, they found out otherwise. The
scene in the movie that sent shivers up my spine was where the corpses
of hundreds of men and women dressed in their best finery lay bobbing
quietly in the cold night waters. Only hours before they had been
laughing and drinking without a care in the world. And I knew in that
moment that the same sudden destruction was going to be visited upon
millions worldwide.
“For you yourselves know full well that the Day of the Lord will come
just like the thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘Peace and
safety!’ then the destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth
pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thess.
5:3,4).
God or Satan?
Years ago, when I first began to share some of my insights
on the Lord communicating with His whole creation through everyday
events, I realized suddenly I had ventured into a theological
minefield. Because along with all this awareness of His daily public
communication comes the realization that if God is speaking to us in
this way, it means He must be very much in control of every event in
heaven and on earth.
That is to say, that our all-powerful, all-present,
all-knowing Heavenly Father is indeed creatively bending every event
in time and history to both communicate and accomplish His desired
plan and purpose. Which means there are no accidents, surprises or
uncaused causes in God’s Kingdom. It matters little whether we define
His control over these events as His direct will or His permissive
will (that is, “God allowed it”) - it is still His will. For Scripture
is quite clear that “He works all things after the counsel of His
will” (Eph. 1:11). “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the
Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Prov. 19:21). “The Lord works
everything out for His own ends – even the wicked for the day of
disaster” (Prov. 16:7).
But what about Satan? Surely it was Satan who brought
about such a foul deed on 9/11 that took so many innocent” lives.
Well, of course it was Satan. But who is in control of Satan? Is not
Satan just one of God’s creatures, which He uses to accomplish His
divine plan? Is he not just the ultimate “vessel of wrath prepared for
destruction,” which God had designed for the purpose of showing forth
“the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy?” (Rom 9:22,23.
Do we think Satan just showed up in the Garden of Eden one
day as a surprise to God and proceeded to ruin God’s perfect plan? Of
course not. God created him and placed him there deliberately, knowing
full well what he would do and that He would have to send His Son to
die on the cross to recover the whole messed up mankind. That was the
plan from the beginning! Why would he do that, you ask? My best
understanding is given in Romans 11: 32. “For God has bound all men
over to disobedience so that he might show mercy to all.” How could we
ever know the mercy of God, if we didn’t find ourselves in need of
it? Hey, it’s not the way I would have done it – but then that’s why
God is running the universe and I’m trying to keep my sock drawer
organized.
I discovered this truth of God’s sovereignty in my own life after I
agreed to make Jesus Lord of my life nearly 30 years ago. I was not
doing such a hot job of running my life before then and He made it
clear that things would go better with Him at the helm. And they have.
A whole lot better. The only time I really encounter difficulty (as
distinguished from troubles) is whenever I grab back the controls
again in a panic because I think I can do it better.
I discovered He is Lord! And not just because I let Him –
but because He is!
Believe it or not, this understanding runs counter to the
traditional mindset in the church, which constantly teaches that
Christians are in control. Sounds nuts, I know, but that’s what we are
taught over and over, whether we realize it or not. The thought is
imbedded in us from the moment we get saved when we are told, “we
chose Christ.” And then we are told that the rest of the world is lost
because they chose not to receive Christ. Like any of us had a choice
in the matter! Nonsense! Scripture is very clear that it was “by grace
you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, IT IS
THE GIFT OF GOD; not as a result of works, that no one should boast”
(Eph. 2:8). I know God chose me, as he did you, from before the world
was made. I merely responded (by grace) to His choosing when the time
came for me to get with the program. ”For He predestined us to
adoption as sons through Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:5).
God Is a Micro-Manager
A former godly pastor I knew once shared a story I never
forgot. He told of driving in a car with a Christian man when suddenly
a tire blew out, putting them in a very difficult situation. His
passenger immediately saw it as an attack from Satan that needed to be
rebuked. The pastor, on the other hand, said, “I wonder what God is up
to?” It was two completely different ways at looking at the same
situation. That’s not to say that there aren’t times when Satan does
need to be dealt with. Very definitely there are. But most often, I
have found that praising God for the negative situation you’re in is
the quickest way out of it. Witness Paul’s reaction to being beaten
with rods and thrown into a Philippian jail. He started singing and
praising God and an earthquake suddenly sprung the doors wide open.
(See Acts 16:25,26.)
This principle that God is not only in charge, but
micro-managing every detail of life, is seen most graphically in the
confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh.
Even people who don’t know much about the Bible know that
God hardened Pharaoh’s heart “so that he will NOT let My people go”
(Ex 3:21). Think about that for a second. Wasn’t it God’s will that
Pharaoh let the people go? Wasn’t that why He had sent Moses back to
Egypt in the first place? Yet while Moses is telling old Pharaoh to
let go, God is making him hold on. Which means Pharaoh would have
probably let the people go on his own if he hadn’t been supernaturally
restrained. So we see that God can work both sides of the street,
accomplishing his will in even opposing ways... because “He is working
all things together for good for those who love the Lord and are
called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). In fact Paul makes that
very point concerning Pharaoh in his letter to the Romans, showing
that “it does not depend on the MAN who wills or the MAN who runs, but
on God who has mercy” (Rom. 9:I5-17.)
The story of Job is another great example. Here the
curtain is lifted to reveal a behind-the-scenes peek of how God
operates. It is revealed that God has set up Job for a test by
pointing him out to Satan as one of His best followers. The great
seducer is then seduced into taking the challenge and proceeds to make
Job’s life a living hell. But the outcome is a forgone conclusion
because it was God’s plan to use Job as a living parable to teach all
generations some valuable truths. Most importantly, that we should “be
imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the
promises.” (Heb. 6:12) That we can trust God for mercy and blessings
and justice, even when it looks for awhile like we’re getting the
short end of the stick.
And if we didn’t get that lesson from reading Job, James
spells it out for us: “You have heard of the endurance of Job and have
seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings (not Satan’s), that the Lord
is full of compassion and is merciful” (James 5:11). So Satan was sent
out on another mission of failure - what a loser - and Job, who God
knew would pass the test with flying colors (because I’m sure God was
helping him), is doubly blessed in the end to the glory of God.
But Job is an Old Testament saint. What about the
authority of the New Covenant believer in Jesus Christ? Haven’t we
been given power over Satan, a defeated foe? Yes we have. We certainly
can do a lot more to Satan than Job could. Which is exactly why I
think God sends him around to bother us - so we believers can practice
on Him and discover that we really do have authority over him. If
Satan had a choice, I’m sure he’d stick to tormenting unbelievers who
have no weapons of warfare with which to kick his butt. Why go and
mess with the saints who are really the only ones who can cause him
trouble? Besides, why stir up the believers? Most believers are either
too fearful or too lazy to go looking for him. Why get them all
stirred up with sickness or persecution or difficulties in their
lives, which might cause them to dig into the Scriptures and learn how
to get healed or delivered? And then go out and do the same for the
rest of the world.
No - Satan may be evil, but he is no dummy. That’s why
God makes him do it. Either to try us, or to discipline us so we
confront certain sins and weaknesses in our life to get set free. To
quote Job, he’s the fire that God uses so that we will “come forth as
gold” (Job 23:10). And on occasion, for those so chosen, he’s the one
who sheds the blood of the martyrs.
A perfect example in the New Testament where God clearly
uses Satan for the betterment of the Church is a passage concerning
“Paul’s thorn.” As many faith teachers correctly point out, “thorns”
throughout the Bible are the persecutors of God’s people. So the thorn
which Paul described as “a messenger sent from Satan to buffet me,”
was no doubt the demonically inspired persecution he faced wherever he
went. It was not an eye disease or some other physical ailment, as
some thought. But what is overlooked in the discussion is that this
satanic attack was clearly sent from God! For when Paul tried to get
God to remove it, He was informed that it had been sent to keep him
humble in light of the many great revelations that had been given to
him. And furthermore, God informs him that - “My grace is sufficient
for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor. 12: 9). Paul
understood that what Satan meant for evil, God was working for good.
The weaker Paul was in his own natural strength, the more God could
operate through him supernaturally.
Conclusion
This understanding that God is in total control actually offers much
peace in knowing that life isn’t just happening willy-nilly outside
His jurisdiction or knowledge. Or that Satan is running around loose
inflicting his evil will on hapless believers and unbelievers. But
there is a difficult side to it all. Which is the uncomfortable
realization that in an event such as 9/11, where many good and
innocent people died (even believers), that God is ultimately
responsible. To this I can only say that we have to start with the
working premise that God is a good God who loves us and that we can
always trust Him to do the right and perfect thing.
Like Job, we rarely can see the end from the beginning, so we must
trust that when we gain the perspective of time it will all make
perfect sense.
That’s the truth Jacob’s beloved son Joseph discovered
years after his jealous brothers had sold him into slavery in Egypt.
Even though he had every reason to resent his brothers for what they
had done to him, when he meets them again he embraces them and kisses
them on the neck. Why? Because he had seen the hand of God in all that
had befallen him. He understood that he had been sent to Egypt in
advance to prepare a place for His family when the drought hit. So he
tells them: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it
for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many
people alive” (Gen. 50:20).
I would like to conclude with a word of sympathy to any
dear reader who may have had a family member or friend or known
someone who perished on 9/11. By sharing this insight I do not mean to
trivialize their deaths by suggesting they lost their lives simply so
God could deliver a message. Or that they were merely collateral
damage. Like the Holocaust, there are events for which there are no
satisfactory explanations. Even in the story of Job, which we know was
just a God-designed test, all of Jobs children died. How do you
explain that? We can’t. Each of us has a role to play in God’s plan.
And each of us only has a predetermined amount of time on the earth to
it live out, whether conscious of God’s plan for our life or not. We
can only assume that all those who perished that day had completed
their God-given task. We know some died actively as heroes. Others as
passive victims. But all finished their course and have gone home to
receive the reward God had planned for them.
We know that our God is a God of redemption. The fact that
He deliberately allowed His creation to be lost so He could find it
again doesn’t change that fact. His stated desire is to see all men
saved and made whole. “That none should perish, but that all should
come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). And if that’s what God wants, I can
only assume that He will bring it to pass.
He loves us all. More than we will ever know. And He will
keep us through the days ahead.
2002
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