September 11, 2001 God's Perspective

by Sergio Valori

olumes have been said and written concerning the events which shook America on September 11, 2001. We have heard much from our government, military and political experts, news analysts and religious leaders. But, have we really seen God's perspective? How does He view things? Might the attacks on America constitute an urgent message we all need to hear?

We base our comments on the Bible, the infallible word of God. It is only there we find the perfect revelation of the true God, His message to mankind and a knowledge of His ways. In this writing, we attempt to glean from that Book an understanding of how God deals with nations, remembering that His ways and thoughts are much higher than ours. In Deuteronomy, Chapter 28, we are given a clear picture of how God intended to relate to His originally chosen people, the Israelites. In essence, He said, 'If you keep my commandments and walk in my ways, I will bless and prosper every aspect of your life.'

(See Deuteronomy 28:9,10) Then in the remainder of this chapter, God tells His people what would happen if they disobeyed or departed from His ways. In summary, He said, 'If you disobey my commandments and walk in your own ways, I will remove my blessings and you will become vulnerable to all types of trouble and adversity.' (We recommend you read Deuteronomy 28 in its entirety.)

When this latter scenario would develop among His people, God required repentance and a return to His commandments to bring about a restoration of His blessings.

The Bible teaches that God deals in the above manner not only with the Jews, but with all nations. We find this stated in the book of Jeremiah, Chapter 18, verses 7-10. There we read: "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil (sins), then I will relent and not inflict upon it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted and if it does evil (sins) in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it." (From New International version of the Bible.)

In this portion of scripture, we see that God is ruler over all the nations and that he is constantly 'weighing them in His balances.' At any given time, a nation is either blessed or given over to judgment, depending on the decree of God who judges nations.

The Bible records examples of this down through world history. The following is a partial list:

1. God judged the whole civilized world in the days of Noah. [Genesis, chapters 6-8]
2. God judged Egypt in the days of the Pharaoh who persecuted the Israelites. [Exodus, chapters 7-14]
3. God judged both Israel and Judah when they departed from Him. [2 Kings 17; 2 Chronicles 36]
4. God judged the Babylonians for their oppression and idolatry. [Daniel 5]

Also, long-standing evidence indicates that God has blessed (in varying degrees) the Christian nations of the world and withheld His blessings from the non-Christian nations. The blessings of material prosperity and divine protection that have characterized America can be traced to our Christian foundations and our practice of the Christian faith. Our adherence to God's principles for the well-being of nations has accounted for the blessings and care we have experienced through our brief history.

But the shocking truth is that in recent years, America has gradually and increasingly deviated from the true Christian faith and adopted philosophies, religions, lifestyles, and practices contrary to God's word. Her status as a 'Christian nation' is now very questionable. From God's perspective, the attack on America on September 11, 2001 was a stroke of His judgment because of our many sins. It was a warning to repent and return to His ways, lest He expose us to greater judgment and further lift His blessings.

This is how God deals with every nation on earth and America will be no exception.

What are America's sins?

At the top of the list is pride. We are proud of our accomplishments, our prosperity and our super-power status. We have not continued in our fore-fathers' humble worship and acknowledgment of God but have taken the glory to ourselves. The name of God has been removed out of our schools, public places and even our history books. Some segments of the media openly belittle and mock the practice of the Christian religion. We have lost our dependency on the living God and replaced it by an arrogant trust in our own strength.

In our pursuit of the exalted 'American dream', our greed and covetousness have led us into the idolatry of materialism. Our idols may not be made of wood and stone, but the love of money, material goods, pleasure and entertainment have replaced our love of God and fellow man.

While we cry out against terrorists, who have no regard for human life, we, ourselves, have degraded the sanctity of human life by practicing the sin of abortion at the rate of two every minute of the day.

As a nation, we are close to moral bankruptcy. God's moral guidelines are ignored and considered by many to be old-fashioned and obsolete. The average American goes about defining and establishing his own morality. Our children are taught about alternative lifestyles as we openly engage in adulterous and homosexual relationships. Promiscuity is encouraged by the passing out of condoms to our high school children. Abstinence, the scriptural way, is considered by many to be too puritanical to be taught.

Obviously, not all Americans are guilty. Yet, though there may be a righteous remnant, we firmly believe that THE ABOVE SINS AND GODLESS LIFESTYLE OF MANY AMERICANS ARE MAKING THIS COUNTRY RIPE FOR JUDGMENT.

As He did in His evaluation of Sodom and Gomorrah centuries ago, God is now weighing the sinful state of America. Though the attacks on America came from evil men, behind them was GOD'S WAKEUP CALL TO REPENT AND RETURN TO HIS WAYS. Evil cannot overtake any nation or individual unless God allows it.

We will now be given a period of time in which to make a response. The flutter of patriotism and light stir of religious fervor seen after the attacks will not be enough to restore God's protective shield to this land. It will require a deep heart-searching, repentance and forsaking of our sins. Religious services must go beyond 'prayer and remembrance' to 'prayer and repentance'.

God's blessings and protection will not return simply by singing "God Bless America". Only genuine repentance will qualify us for a restoration of God's favor and enable this country to fulfill its divine destiny.