On the day that will never be forgotten, two planes were hijacked and then crashed into the World Trade Center in New York.  A third plane was hijacked and was crashed into the Pentagon outside of Washington.  A fourth plane was also hijacked and crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, which is southeast of Pittsburgh.  Later in the evening, CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King reported the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania could have been headed for Camp David, the White House, or the U.S. Capitol building.  Almost immediately, Saudi militant Osama bin Laden was targeted as the prime suspect behind the terrorist attacks.  The same day there were explosions taking place in Kabul, Afghanistan where bin Laden is presumed to be sheltered.   U.S. officials state that the United States had no involvement whatsoever in the explosions.  The attacks are attributed to the Northern Alliance, a group that is fighting against the Taliban in an ongoing civil war.

Afghanistan Taliban rulers have responded quite dogmatically that bin Laden was not responsible for Tuesday’s attacks on America.  The leader of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, condemned the terrorist attacks and stated that the Taliban have isolated bin Laden from fax machines, satellite and cell phones, computers, and internet access so that it is impossible for him to accomplish such acts.  Reports from Abdel-Bari Atwan, an Arab journalist, have documented that three weeks prior to Tuesday’s attack bin Laden stated that he and his followers would carry out an unparalleled attack on America for its support of Israel.  In late March 1997, Peter Arnett interviewed bin Laden in eastern Afghanistan.  At the time of that interview, the Saudi millionaire stated, “We declared jihad [holy war] against the U.S. government, because the U.S. government is unjust, criminal and tyrannical.  It has committed acts that are extremely unjust, hideous and criminal whether directly or through its support of the Israeli occupation of the Prophet’s Night Travel Land (Palestine).”

The following Wednesday of the attacks, the United States was granted bipartisan support from both houses of Congress.  For the first time in its history, NATO appeals to Article V of its charter that states any armed attack against one of its members is an attack against all of the members.  Therefore, NATO military and logistic support is at the disposal of any U.S. retribution.  Secretary of State Colin Powell states that such a response will allow for possible actions by the U.S. once the responsible parties are identified.  Whereas leaders from all over the world have condemned the attacks, the Associated Press has reported that both Palestinians and Iraqis were celebrating the terrorist attacks.  Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat officially condemned the celebrations shortly thereafter.

Is there any connection in these acts of terrorism between past and future events?  Fox News noted that there might be a reason for the date of the attack.  It was 11 September 1922 that a British mandate was issued in Palestine despite the Arab protests.  The mandate lasted until 1948 after the United Nations authorized a partition of the territory and the state of Israel was established.  The Word of God declares the unconditional promises of God that have to do with Israel.  These promises are given to Israel as a nation (2 Chron. 6:6; 7:16; Ps. 137:5, etc.), but the promises will never reach fulfillment until Israel repents and declares, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (cf. Mt. 23:37-25:46; Rom. 11).  Clearly, the unconditional decrees that God has made in the past are impacting the future. 

One of the stipulations of the Abrahamic Covenant is that God “will bless them that bless thee [Israel], and curse him that curseth thee” (Gen. 12:3).  Even though America has turned her back on God it appears that the only thing that has kept America around has not been her military strength or economy, but her support of Israel.  Responding to Tuesday’s attack on America, President Bush declares “Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts.”  Israel faces terrorism on a daily basis, yet America has called Israel’s response to terrorist attacks as “extreme.”  America does give some support to Israel, but she also wants Israel to negotiate land for peace with known terrorists.  This would be like America negotiating with bin Laden for peace.  The Oslo peace process is not working as countless Israelis are being slaughtered since its inception nearly 8 years ago.  Perhaps there is a reason why America is not mentioned in Bible prophecy for the moment she turns her back on Israel, as she already has on God, then she will be done away with.  According to Daniel 2 and 7, God causes nations to rise and fall in harmony with His sovereign decrees.

There must be peace in the Middle East!  The events of Tuesday do not fulfill Bible prophecy; rather they are “signs of the times” that are drawing the world closer to the period of time called the Tribulation, or Daniel’s Seventieth Week.  The start of that period begins with the Antichrist making a peace treaty with the nation of Israel.  Truly, Jerusalem is “a cup of trembling unto all the people round about” (Zech. 12:2).  The terrorist attacks taking place in Israel, and now America, are unexplainable apart from the fact that this is a religious war stemming back all the way until the Genesis record.

Islam is the driving force of these terrorist attacks.  The goal of Islam is to bring all of mankind into submission and to kill all infidels, or those who do not worship Allah (Surah 2:190-192; 4:76; 5:33; 9:41; 47:4).  Furthermore, suicide bombers are promised a paradise of “70 virgins” for fighting infidels.  Allah declares, “Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends…slay the idolaters wherever you find them….  Fight against such of those to whom…neither believe in Allah nor the Last Day” (Surah 5:51; 9:5, 29).  All Muslims may not believe in this manner, but the above quotes are the clear teaching of Islam.  Muslims should not be regarded as more wicked than any other human being; they are sincerely deceived and believe that they are being faithful to their religion.  The recent attack on America should cause Christians to become all the more motivated to share the fact of man’s total depravity and his need for God’s grace that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Muslim faith is a belief in a false god, Allah.  During the State prayer meeting at the National Cathedral in Washington, Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon prayed, “There of us who are gathered here—Muslim, Jew, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu—all people of faith.”  The Methodist minister offered prayer to the “god of Abraham and Mohammed, and the Father of Jesus Christ.”  All faiths came together in the name of patriotism.  The idea is that God has revealed Himself in Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, Mohammed, and many others.  Humanity is encouraged to embrace the lie that mankind is taking different paths, but that they are all leading to the same destination.  Quite contrary, the Bible declares “Neither is there salvation in any other [except Jesus Christ]:  for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

It is interesting to note that prior to the terrorist attacks, someone would have protested all the talk concerning God lately.  However, America’s leaders stood on the Congressional steps in order to sing, “God bless America” in unison.  This is nothing short of hypocrisy when prayer is taken out of school.  It is when times get tough that the American people cry out to God for help.  Truly, Jesus’ words are appropriate that “this people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Mk. 7:6).  America has been blessed greatly, but “unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Lk. 12:48).  This country may need to endure such evil acts in order to lead America to repentance whereby individuals cry out to God with genuine faith in the only Savior of mankind, Jesus Christ. 

The greatest tragedy is not the bad things that take place in this earthly life, but that there are many who die in their sins when they could have known Christ as their Savior.  It was said of those in Noah’s day, “before the Flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark and knew not” (Mt. 24:38, 39a).  In those days, “God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth” (Gen. 6:5).  The same can be said today.  Rather than admit his accountability to the Creator, mankind continues to pursue hedonistic, materialistic, and humanistic endeavors.  The recent attacks were no doubt a call to the American people that “now is the day of salvation…as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (2 Cor. 6:2; Heb. 9:27).  The good news is not that God has delivered mankind from devastating times, but “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3).  To all who trust in Christ alone as Savior, and not according to one’s presumed good deeds, will there be salvation (Tit. 3:4-7).