It is perhaps fitting to reflect on this tenth anniversary memorial of the attack on America by Middle-Eastern extremists who commandeered three Boeing commercial aircraft and crashed them into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a fourth plane was believed headed for Capitol Hill when passengers overcame their hijackers and it crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, resulting in the deaths of everyone on board. Is there any indication or where can it be found in the Bible as to why God allows such horrific acts to take place and what lesson can be learned from such events?
Genesis 12: 2-3a
I will make you a great nation [Israel]; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those that bless you and I will curse him who curses you.
Matthew 21: 43
Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation [America??] bearing the fruits of it.
NOTE: One of the primary reasons that America has been such a prosperous country is her unfailing support for Israel and worshipping the same God as the Jewish people. The thing is, the blessings of God are CONDITIONAL, and just like with the descendants of Abraham, if one is disobedient then divine Justice is meted out instead, as in the following.
Leviticus 26: 14, 16a, 19a
But “IF” you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and “IF” you despise My statutes, or “IF” your soul abhors [hates] My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant [contract], I will also do this to you: I will appoint even terror over you, I will break the pride of your power.
Jeremiah 18: 7-10
The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it (Cp. Jonah 1: 1-2; 3: 1-10). And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not [continue to] obey My voice, then I will relent [change My mind] concerning the good with which I said I would benefit [bless] it.
Isaiah 33: 18-19
Your heart will meditate on [be preoccupied with the War on] Terror: Where is the scribe [politician or military expert]? Where is he who weighs [banker or financial institution]? Where is he who counts [Wall Street equity or bond fund managers] the Towers? You will not see a fierce people [Islamic insurgents or jihadists], a people of obscure speech [Arabic], beyond perception [foreign to you], of an unintelligible tongue [language that you cannot understand or speak].
NOTE: This is a rather loose interpretation which I adapted to fit the circumstances of a post-911 reality in America, but I think the principle is applicable.
Luke 13: 1-5
There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus [Yeshua] answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? “I tell you, no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. “Or those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwell in Jerusalem? “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
COMMENTARY: Jesus [Yeshua] really gets to the heat of the matter and doesn’t even seem all that concerned about mourning the dead or showing what some might consider empathy or compassion. Yes, it is a terrible tragedy what happened to the victims of this unprovoked attack which left a national scar upon our hearts at the deaths of nearly three-thousand American citizens who did nothing to deserve this murderous and suicidal act of violence. Unfortunate and horrible things happen in life but this should not paralyze us with fear and uncertainty where we cannot go about living our ‘old’ normal lives as best as we can. The question that the LORD posed nearly two-thousand years ago is just as valid today as when He spoke it then, as it pertains to now is namely, “Were those who died on September 11, 2001 [including firefighters, police and first responders] worse persons than any other Americans that they deserved such a fate?”
This is not to personally accuse or judge anyone of not being a Christian or dishonor their ultimate sacrifice but rather to use Jesus’ words within the context of the narrative in Luke’s gospel and relate it to this tragic event. The remembrance or national memorial should cause every person to examine themselves inwardly to determine their soul’s relationship to the Creator and view externally the values that have shaped this country over the past several decades and honestly judge whether or not America is ‘still’ a “Christian Nation” or is she drifting further away from her spiritual heritage and responsibility? God instructed the Israelites through the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 28: 13b, 14- “If you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them, “So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
September 11, 2011
robertrandle51@yahoo.com
