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by: J.F.Martinez
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Amidst much sorrow, anger, and fear, the tragic event that hit america raises many questions that demand answers: "where was god when it happened?",
"why did he not do anything to stop it?",
"did god allow it to happen in order to humble american pride and arrogance?"
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These questions demand answers. And the Bible, God's word, provides us with definite answers.
Here are Four vital biblical principles that would put the horrific event in proper perspective.
1. God's absolute sovereignty.
Whenever calamity strikes, many would immediately deny God's involvement in it. Since God is infinitely good, then, they say, He could not have anything to do with tragedies and calamities. Therefore, in their view, the twin tower tragedy must have been the product of
sick and perverse minds, a matter of bad luck or bad karma, or just the workings of the devil himself and his cohorts.
This, however, is a clear denial of biblical teaching of God's absolute sovereignty over everything that comes to pass.
In Isaiah 45:5-7, God described Himself as "the One forming light & creating darkness;
causing well-being and creating calamity - I am the Lord who does all these."
There are not Two gods - one causing well-being and another calamity. There is ony One True
and Living God who causes both. Thus even famines, pestilence, wars, accidents,
and tragedies are all under the control and government of God. The thought is even more clear in Amos 3:6 that reads,
If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble?
If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it?
In fact, even the most horrible crime ever committed - the crucifixion of Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory - was predestined by
God Himself to occur. We see this in the prayer of God's people in Acts 4:27-28,
For truly in this city they were gathered together
against Your holy servant Jesus,
whom You annointed both Herod & Pontius Pilate,
along the Gentiles and peoples of Israel,
to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
Although the Jewish leaders demanded that Jesus be crusified because of their envy,
Pilate handed over Jesus to be crusified out of political expediency, and the Roman
soldiers carried out the work maybe just out of a sense of duty to their officers, and
yet what they did were all according to what God has willed to come to pass.
But to some, this thought is quiet hard to swallow. For if God had a hand in the twin tower tragedy, will not this make God as, if not, more guilty as the perpetrators themselves? So in order to "defend" God from such an accusation, they would deny any direct involvement of God
in such an event. They would say that although
God knew about it, He allowed it to happen, for God does not want to interfere with human freedom.
This "solution", however, does not really solve anything. For if God knew about the crime but did not do anything to stop it, will not this make Him still an accessory?
And if He allowed the perpetrators to live, gave them food to eat, even allowed them to have money they needed to promote their dastardly schemes, would He not be equally as guilty?
Some feel the force of this logic that they would go as far as deny God's knowledge of the crime before it actually happened!
So what then is the real solution to this problem? The solution to this problem is to affirm the biblical teaching that without Him being the author of evil - for God is infinitely pure and holy (James1:13), God still predistines even wicked deeds to occur. And this God does always for a purpose/s that is/are always just, wise and good. Consider what
Joseph said to his brothers, who, out of envy and hatred, sold him as a slave to Egypt -
"As for you, you meant evil against me,
but God meant it for good in order
to bring this present result, to preserve
my people alive."
Gen 50:20
This is true also of the crusifixion of Christ. God predestined that even to occur in order to
redeem sinners from the guilt and bondage of sin and to bring them to glory.
Thus, the most wicked crime ever committed by humanity becomes the greatest source of blessing to all the families of the earth!
I dont want to speculate about what specifically was/were the purpose/s of God behind the twin tower tragedy - only the unfolding of history will slowly make those things clear. However, this much is clear - God's purpose/s behind it is just, wise and good.
2. Human responsibility & accountability.
The moment we embrace the principle of God's absolute sovereignty, there's a tendency
to water down if not deny human responsibility & accountability. But this should not be!
God's word teaches and emphasizes both. Although God is absolutely in control even of the wicked deeds of men and yet, all of us are fully responsible and accountable for our actions. For God does not force us to do the things we do against our will. We do what we do beause we want or will to do them. Our actions are our own. They are free and spontaneous. In fact, the Bible even assserts that "God cannot be tempted, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." (James 1;13b)
Consider the biblical incidents already referred to. Joseph's brothers were fully responsible and accountable for selling their brother as a slave to Egypt because they did what they did out of envy and hatred towards Joseph.
Pilate was fully responsible and accountable for unjustly handling Jesus over to be crusified because he did what he did out of political expediency.
We see these two biblical principles of God's absolute sovereignty and full human responsibility and accountability asserted in Isaiah 10:5-19. God raised Assyria as an instrument to punish the rebellion of God's people. Assyria is likened to an axe in the hand of God to punish His rebellious people. And yet God in turn says that after He has done with punishing His rebellious people, He will also punish Assyria for the wicked deed they have done to God's people! And why? Because Assyria did what it did out of greed, arrogance, and callousness of heart!
Similarly, although God had sovereign control over the Twin Tower Tragedy, we must not water down or deny full responsibility and accountability of those who perpetrated the crime. They must be brought to the bar of justice.
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Saudi exile Osama bin Laden is considered a prime suspect in the September 11 attacks.
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They must pay for the crime they have commited against God and against humanity.
Osama bin Laden is the one accused behind the twin tower attack - I do not know for sure, for I have not seen the evidence against him. Suffice to say that even before the tragedy, he was quoted as one who said that he will sow terror in America in order to humble Americans and teach them that they are not God or Allah. This may sound noble to some, but that does not give anyone the right to murder thousands. For a human being to murder civilians for a cause - no matter how true or noble- can never be justified. Therefore, if Osama is indeed the one who perpetrated the crime, as many alleged, then he must be brought to the bar of justice. He is fully responsible and accountable for his actions. As God punished Assyria, so the perpetrators of the twin tower attack must also be punished.
3. Human vulnerability & utter dependence upon God.
One of the things the twin tower attack has done was to make Americans feel their sense of
vulnerability. Suddenly, everyone now realizes his or her vulnerability. For even the highly
sophisticated intelligence program of America failed to detect and deter a highly complicated
and grandiose plan of those who perpetrated the crime.
This, however, only confirms and illustrates the biblical teaching of human vulnerability and utter dependence upon God. In the language of Psalm 127:1, "Unless the Lord builds the house,
they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain." Unless the Lord keeps and protects us, no one is really safe. We can spend billions of both human intelligence and high-tech gadgets and still not be able to ward off dangers that could come from all and every conceivable side. We need the Lord to keep us and protect us, not just from terrorists, but also from fatal viruses and diseases, earthquakes, freak accidents, mentally deranged drug addicts, falling meteors, et cetera. Unless the Lord protects us, we cannot really be truly safe.
Note also the words of Proverbs 18:11, - " A rich man's wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his own imagination." Because of what money can do, a rich man might feel rather secure. But that is only purely in his own imagination. It is but an illusion. Unless the Lord protects, nobody is really safe.
Therefore, what we really need is God. He alone is truly our "hiding place and our shield" (Psalms 119:114). As the Psalmist puts it,
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield and horn (strenght) of my salvation, my stronghold"
[Psalms 18:2]
In times of particular danger, we need to pray as the psalmist prayed,
"hide me in the shadow of Your wings"
(Ps. 17:8)
4. Utter moral bankruptcy of humanity.
It is only right that many Americans, and others in the world,are enraged of the murder of more than 6,000 in the twin tower attack. For that could never be justified. It is wicked and dastardly. This reaction, however, also exposes the hypocrisy of multitudes. For how many unborn and helpless babies are aborted or murdered each year? An
estimated 50 million all around the world. This dwarfs the fatalities in the World Trade Center. But does this continous crime of murdering the helpless babies enrage America or the world? This crime is justified by many on the supposed basis of rights of the individuals! But this is nothing but selective morallity, which is, in reality, hypocrisy!
Moreover, think of bin Laden. As mentioned earlier, he has been quoted as one who said will sow terror in America in order to teach Americans that they are not God or Allah. But by these words, he also condemns himself. For if he thinks that Americans are proud, what makes him think he has the right to kill people just to teach them humility? He is not God, is he? Only, God, who gives life, has the right to takeaway life. Therefore, bin Laden is as proud, if not more, than those whom he has condemned!
This illustrates humanity's utter moral bankruptcy. How applicable are the words of the Apostle Paul even to our generation -
Therefore you are without excuse,
everyone of you who passes judgment,
for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself;
for you who passes judgment practices the same things
And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls
upon those who practice such things.
And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment
upon those who practice such things and do the same,
that you will escape the judgment of God? - Rom 2:1-3
Therefore, all of us are somehow guilty. And that we all need is God's righteousness.
The righteous God has provided sinners in the perfect life and atoning death of Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross. This righteousness is what we all need if we are to escape the judgment of God and find acceptance with Him. Oh if you know not this righteousness, then I would urge you to read the Bible. Get to know the savior whom God has sent - the Lord Jesus Christ. For as the Apostle Peter has put it,
"
And there is no salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.' (Acts 4:12).
http://sgbc.faithweb.com
Jose Francis Martinez
16 September, 2001. |
Scripture quotations taken from
the NASB
Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
Used with permission. http://www.Lockman.org
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