It was sad and eerie to actually be at the Pentagon and see the damage from the plane crash a few days earlier. (See pg. 3 for details of my D.C. trip) My first fear after the attack on 9/11 was that many would turn away from God and shake a fist at Him asking, "Where were you when we needed you?" I feared the attitude of many would be like Ted Turner’s to his sister Mary Jean’s death at age 15 after 5 painful years of battling lupus. Reader’s Digest reported his response, "If that’s the type of God He is, I want nothing to do with Him."
On the Larry King show discussing ‘Tragedy and God,' John MacArthur stated that EVERY day some 7,000 die in America. He noted that as a country, we seem more upset when people die in one place rather than in lots of different places. Over twice the number of people in Honduras died as a result of Hurricane Mitch than on Sept. 11. Some 24,000 died on 9/11 from starvation around the world. Kids are shot and killed at schools in places like Littleton, CO and Santee, CA. Perhaps this event is not so different from much of the violence that happens daily in this world.
I’ve found many teenagers are more concerned about what affects their personal life than the tragedies impacting America. I spoke with a student on a high school campus last week in Arizona who said he hates his stepfather much more than Osama Bin Laden. If God really exists and loves me, why didn’t He answer my prayers.? He wanted to know why ‘good’ people have bad things happen to them?
So why does God allow evil? In the very beginning, God could have forced us all to do good and follow Him and love Him. However, God did not want ‘robots’ or puppets on a string loving Him because they were programmed that way. No God wanted people to choose to love Him, but in that choice is also the freedom to choose NOT to love or obey Him . . . the freedom to do evil . . . the freedom to crash a plane into a building.
Of course, the ultimate example of cruel things happening to good people is the way Jesus was treated on earth . . . and the way we still treat Him at times. God could have destroyed those crucifying and torturing His only Son, yet as the Master Chess Player, He knew a Much greater good would come about if He did not interfere (Rom. 8:28).
(The last 2 paragraphs were adapted from the most requested article I’ve written, entitled "Why?" If you want to read the entire article, go to the Perihelion archives on my website or let me know and I’ll mail you a copy for free!)
I have been surprised that rather than shaking a fist at God and asking "Why?", our country has turned back to God and acknowledged our need for Him. Maybe we have been too self-sufficient and this has reminded us that there are things, such as death, over which we have no control, so it is wise to be ready! Rather than asking why God was NOT involved, I have heard more people ask if God WAS involved by bringing judgment or wrath on America.
Over the last few days I have literally spent hours going through an exhaustive concordance looking at almost every reference to ‘wrath,’‘punishment’ and ‘judgment’ in the Bible. I want to attempt to paint the picture I saw without being so presumptuous as to say I know everything about God (His ways are much higher than ours - Isaiah 55:9). When I heard Bin Laden’s first public comment on the attack saying "Praise Allah" and that God was pleased, I thought to myself, "How can anyone thank God and give Him credit for an event that took many lives of people that love and follow God?" Having known God personally for over 30 years and devoting my life to following Him, my sense is that the heart of God was grieving & very sad over the loss of so many of His beloved creation. I concluded that Bin Laden knows a different ‘god’ than the One I know. "It is no great surprise if Satan himself is disguised as an angel of light . . ." II Cor. 11:14.
The devil kills and destroys (John 10:10). But God commands us not to murder. He detests and abhors "hands that shed innocent blood" (Prov. 6:17). God is not the author of evil so whose M.O. does this sound like?
Abraham says to God concerning Sodom, "Far be it for you to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike" (Genesis 18:25). God would have spared Sodom if even 10 righteous were there. Were fewer than 10 Christians in the Pentagon or WTC?
Is the ‘wrath’ of God being poured out when an earthquake or hurricane or terrorist attack takes place? There are 2 Greek words used for wrath in the New Testament. One is often a prohibition against man’s anger, wrath, malice, etc. The other word is primarily used of God’s ‘wrath’ and is ‘orge’ in the Greek (for all you teens getting excited, let me point out that this is
different than the word ‘orgy’). It is most often used referring to the final ‘wrath of God’ on the final ‘day of judgment’ for those who have rejected Him. It is NEVER used for God sending some judgment such as a hurricane or terrorists. The Bible is very clear that Christians definitely will not experience this wrath (Rom. 5:9, I Thes. 1:10; 5:9, etc.) So in times of tragedy, the first question to ask is if Christians were killed. If so, then it is NOT the wrath of God.The other way ‘orge’ is used is found in Romans 1:18 and explained in verses 24, 26, and 28 which emphasizes three times that God "gave them up to their sin, lusts, depraved mind, etc.," which is to say sin is the punishment for sin. God does not overtly inflict some chastisement or punishment on a drunk for his disobedience. The drunk suffers the natural consequences of his choices. Our being greedy or selfish or covetous carries with it a built in judgment.
So is God punishing or judging America or individuals because they are especially wicked? Jesus addresses this in Luke 13:1-5: "Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no!" Similarly in Matthew 5:44-45 "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . .He causes his sun to rise on the evil & the good, and sends rain on the righteous & the unrighteous."
Jesus did not answer the question "Why?" The more important question we are faced with is "What?" What difference has all this made in our relationship with our Creator, our family and friends? We will all face death no matter how good or bad we are and if we don’t know the Lord we will perish eternally (John 3:16).
We could point to thousands of tragic catastrophes in countries around the world and millions of tragic deaths to individuals. Were any of these people or countries worse or more deserving of judgment (as in lightning bolts from the sky) than the others? I believe God ‘weeps’ and His heart ‘breaks’ when He sees even one of His creation die, let alone thousands. That also includes those we may call the ‘enemy.’
While searching for ‘judgment’ I could find no definite reference to God sending some
meteorite-like judgment on individuals or nations in the NT age of grace. Many wanted Jesus to carry out judgment and vengeance on the ungodly, decadent Romans and bring in the Kingdom by force. But Jesus does not bring a physical Kingdom but rather offers a Kingdom of peace within (Luke 17:21 & John 16:33).In the Old Testament, God dealt with nations, particularly Israel, hoping all would come to Him through Israel. God said to Israel through Amos (3:2), "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth, therefore I will punish you for all your sins." Since America does not have a covenant relationship with God, it would not face this same kind of ‘judgment.’
One theme in the book of Hebrews is to show us a ‘better way’ revealed by Jesus. We no longer need the OT sacrificial system. God spoke to us through prophets in the OT, but now through the exact representation of Himself, namely Jesus (Heb. 1:1-3). Many offenses, such as a rebellious teenager cursing their parents or adultery, had the death penalty as a consequence in the OT, yet Jesus seems to change that in John 8:1-11. His nature did not change nor the moral laws of right and wrong, but the means of salvation did as well as the means of punishment for offenders. Now there is a better way of grace in the NT (there is a reason it’s called NEW and not OLD) where all can access God directly through His Son. There is no longer Jew nor Greek, etc. (Galatians 3:25-28).
All are equally guilty of offending God but the wrath we deserve was absorbed by Jesus on the cross. Christ did not come to judge or condemn the world, but to bring the free gift of forgiveness for anyone who admits their need and wants to receive it (John 1:12; 3:17).
Psalm 10 reminds us that God is aware of those who ambush and murder the innocent and bring terror (v. 8, 18). He is close to the brokenhearted and will save the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34: 18). When we are afraid, we must remember that "God is our refuge and strength, always present to help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear even though the earth give way . . ." (Psalm 46:1,2) Psalm 20:7 says that some trust in armies and weapons of war, but we should trust in the Lord.
It is a very sad day if we only call on God in times of trouble and fear of attack. I hope this inspires us all to not take for granted family, friends or even our own lives. As the chorus to that popular song
"Soap for Lunch" (recorded by the publisher of the Perihelion) says, "One life to live, will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last." So where is God during our personal 9-1-1 moments? Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He is right there with us (Psalm 23).[Special thanks to my brother Dave for his insight. Dave is an associate pastor in Jackson, TN]