The events of 11 September 2001 will be forever engraved in the memories of all those old enough to have viewed and ‘taken in’ what was unfolding before their eyes through [in particular] the medium of television. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre twin towers and the Pentagon were acts of barbarism spawned from the hearts of evil men who are or were ignorant of the only true God. Our Lord Jesus Christ identified the ‘command centre’ for such foul deeds when he said in Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders etc” and He identified what it means to be in a relationship with the one, true God when He said in John 17:3 “And this is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent”.
The planners and perpetrators of this slaughter have according to the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:2 “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”. Matthew Henry is his commentary on these words wrote ‘A state of sin is a state of conformity to this world. Wicked men are slaves to Satan. Satan is the author of that proud, carnal disposition which there is in ungodly men; he rules in the hearts of men. From Scripture it is clear, that whether men have been most prone to sensual or to spiritual wickedness, all men, being naturally children of disobedience, are also by nature children of wrath’.
It is in the light of these unshakable truths that are found in God’s Word that I believe it is time for the professing Christians in today’s world to face up to a challenge that was posed many centuries ago to God’s Old Testament people by one who had, under God, led them to many great military victories. As death approached for Joshua, he gathered God’s people together at Shechem and, having related many of the wonderful dealings of God with and for His people since the call of Abraham, Joshua then laid this straightforward challenge before the people – he simply said to them
“choose you this day whom ye will serve” [Joshua 24:15]. With great enthusiasm the people cried out “God forbid that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods” [v 16]. To this response Joshua gave a warning “If ye forsake the Lord and serve strange gods then he will turn and do you hurt and consume you” [v 20].
In the light of this passage of scripture it is clear that God has a requirement for His people. He requires them to SEPARATE THEMSELVES from false religion. They must not recognise it as being ‘valid’ in the sight of God and they must not entangle themselves with it otherwise they will be viewed as having ‘forsaken the Lord to serve strange gods’. Where other [false] gods are concerned they are to “put [them] away” [Joshua 24:14]. Writing in ‘The Bible Knowledge Commentary’ Donald K Campbell observed in relation to Joshua’s challenge to the people ‘There could be no mixing of allegiance to God with idol-worship. A firm choice had to be made then as in every generation. People must choose between expediency and principle, between this world and eternity, between God and idols’. The choice confronting God’s people today is either ‘politically-correct’ religious tolerance and compromise or ‘biblically-correct’ separation and faithfulness.
Where do we find today’s “strange gods” that we are to “put away”? We find them in every religion or philosophy that does not accept the biblical revelation of Who Jesus Christ is and the biblical revelation of what He accomplished by His life, death and resurrection. Those who fail to accept, believe and defend the biblical revelation of the Person and Work of Christ are ‘not on the lord’s side’ and God’s people should SEPARATE FROM THEM where ‘spirituality’ is concerned. Those professing Christians who engage in INTER-FAITH worship and FALSE ECUMENISM are guilty of ‘serving strange gods’.
The so-called ‘great religions and faiths of the world’ [apart from {biblical} Christianity] are certainly not ‘great’ in the sight of the one, true God of heaven and earth. Let this truth be once more trumpeted forth by God’s people – The biblically revealed Jesus Christ, ALONE, is the way, the truth and the life. NO MAN comes to the Father EXCEPT BY HIM. Neither is there salvation in any other!
BUDDHISM, HINDUISM, JUDAISM, ISLAM, SIKHISM, BAHAISM, ROMAN CATHOLICISM, UNFAITHFUL PROTESTANTISM, NEW AGE, MORMONISM, JW WATCHTOWER TEACHING, MOONISM, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE, CHRISTADELPHIANISM, WORD-FAITH TEACHING, EVOLUTIONARY HUMANISM, and much, much more all swell the ranks of a vast army that seeks to snuff out “the light of the glorious gospel of Christ” [2 Corinthians 4:4].
The gross spiritual darkness of the so-called leaders of professing Christianity has been plain for all to see in their responses to the tragic events of 11 September in America. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, at a memorial service held in St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Friday 14 September in memory of those killed said
‘But my first word today — echoed I know by every faith leader present and by us all — is a simple message to the people of America through the American ambassador: a message of love and solidarity; a message also of hope’. He rounded off his message of ‘hope’ with these words ‘The ideal of liberty at the core of America´s greatness — the liberty symbolised by that statue [the Statue of Liberty] emerging unscathed from the pall of devastation — was founded on a noble community of values in which we are proud to share. Values like tolerance and compassion, justice and mercy. Values at the heart of the Christian faith and also of other faiths. Let us keep them [values] before us now — like a torch, like a beacon — even as we mourn and grieve. For if we are steadfast we know that, by the grace of God, no darkness, no evil can ever extinguish that beacon of hope [values]’.
Mr Carey did fleetingly in an earlier passage mix in some words of Paul from Romans 8:38-39 but these precious words of ‘hope’ have application to CHRISTIANS ALONE. His main message of universal ‘hope’ was to direct people to a ‘torch, like a beacon’ of ‘VALUES’ found as he put it ‘at the heart of the Christian faith and also of other faiths’. George Carey should re-write the popular hymn as follows ‘My hope is built on nothing less than universally shared multi-faith VALUES’.
Then, what of that other ‘champion’ of the Christian faith – the Pope – to where, what or to whom did he direct people, numbed by tragedy, for ‘hope’? Let me reproduce some extracts of the report put out by the Roman Catholic Zenit news agency on the day following the tragic events of 11 September.
‘VATICAN CITY, SEPTEMBER 12 2001 (Zenit.org)’.-
‘The terrorist attacks that stunned the United States and the world cast a sombre air over John Paul II´s general audience, in which he asked for prayers for the victims and insisted that “evil and death do not have the final word.” The Holy Father asked the pilgrims and guests gathered in St. Peter’s Square to refrain from the usual applause that punctuates the audiences… The general audience was to celebrate the 750th anniversary of St. Simon Stock’s reception of the Virgin Mary’s scapular…The echo of the Virgin Mary’s message, when revealing the promises connected to the scapular, resounded in the Holy Father’s words at the beginning of the audience. “Although the force of darkness might seem to prevail, the believer knows that evil and death do not have the final word,” the Pope told the Carmelite pilgrims, who hailed from 50 countries. “Here is where Christian hope finds its foundation; here is where our confident prayer is nourished, at this moment”…For John Paul II, the occasion was filled with emotional implications. In a letter last March on the anniversary of the scapular, he revealed: “I have also worn my scapular for a long time, the scapular of Carmel.” The scapular was the gift received by Simon Stock, the head of the Carmelite order, in 1251, during an apparition of the Virgin, who assured the eternal salvation of all those who wear it with devotion.
Common scapulars consist of two small squares of woollen cloth joined by strings. They are worn around the neck as a sign of association with religious orders and for devotional purposes. In that same letter, the Bishop of Rome said this morning, “I have written that the scapular is essentially a ´habit´ that evokes, on one hand the continual protection of the Virgin Mary in this life and in the passage to the fullness of eternal glory”…Moreover, the Pope added, the scapular is a call to devotion to Mary, “a way of Christian life, interwoven by prayer and interior life.” The Pope bid farewell to the pilgrims visibly wearing the scapular on their front and back’.
In his book ‘The Gospel According To Rome’, former Roman Catholic, Jim McCarthy wrote on page 185 ‘Religious practices have also developed as a result of these appearances [Marian apparitions]…In an earlier appearance to Pope John 22nd [1316-1334] Mary is said to have instructed Catholics to wear the scapular – two squares of cloth, often bearing images, connected by string and hung around the neck. Mary promised Pope John that Catholics who died wearing the scapular would be delivered from purgatory on the first Saturday after their death’ [as quoted in ‘The Glories of Mary’ by St Alphonsus Liguori – Catholic Book Publishing Co.’ 1981 – pages 146-147 – with Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur]
So, on the day following the terrible atrocities carried out in Washington and New York, the Pope of Rome was directing his listeners, anxious to receive ‘hope’ in the midst of what appeared to be a very hopeless situation, to his Mary and to an object of ‘pious devotion’ supposedly recommended by her in apparitions that are claimed to have appeared more than 700 years ago. Re-writing once more the popular hymn we could sum up the Pope’s convictions in these words ‘My hope is built on nothing less than two small squares of woollen cloth joined by strings’.
It is time that he and so-called Christian religious leaders such as George Carey [who had representatives from many non-Christian faiths, including Islam, at his installation as Archbishop of Canterbury] and the Pope realised that in ‘cosying up’ to Islam they are ‘forsaking the Lord to serve other gods’. Rome in her official Vatican 2 documents affords Moslems and their religion a place in God’s plan of salvation ‘But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Moslems’ [Volume 1: page 367]. Just try squaring that with the words of Peter [supposedly the first Pope] as recorded in Acts 4:12. Apart from that, Islam does not acknowledge the Creator of all things namely our Lord Jesus Christ [see John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:16].
So much for these pathetic ‘spiritual’ responses to the tragedy – but what of the political responses? I want to focus on one aspect touched on by British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair. Mr Blair, an Anglican, has when appropriate, sought to identify himself as holding to a Christian viewpoint and he is of course married to a practicing Roman Catholic and often accompanies his wife Cherie when she attends mass [as seen on TV on Sunday 16 September going to London’s Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral]. In one of his early responses to news of the terrorist outrages in America, Mr Blair made the point that what had happened had nothing to do with the Islamic faith or with the vast majority of Muslims. I have to confess that when I heard this I was more than a little annoyed. In coming out with such an opinion Mr Blair demonstrated gross ignorance of both the Islamic faith and history within both the Muslim world and further afield. Likewise President Bush was shown on television on 18 September condemning revenge attacks in America on Moslems and their property. Flanked by Moslems during his visit to a Mosque he quite rightly rebuked those who had taken such action but then quite wrongly he stated ‘Islam means peace’. The remainder of this article will show that to be an erroneous and misguided statement.
But what of Mr Blair’s attempts to divorce Islam from the events of 11 September. The evidence uncovered in the wake of the attacks indicates that they were planned and carried out by Moslems. Islam is not just a religious philosophy it is also a whole way of life and its aim is to bring the entire world into ‘submission’ [the meaning of ‘Islam’] to the one true [Moslem] god known as ‘Allah’. Allah and his followers reject the biblically revealed person and work of Christ, not only in creation but also in redemption. They hope by all means, including acts of aggression [such as their own violent suicide that results also in the death of non Muslims and supposedly guarantees their own immediate entrance into Paradise] against those viewed as enemies of Allah and Islam, to eventually bring everyone in the world to their knees in prostration before Allah. This ‘aggression’ is considered by many Muslim clerics to be sanctioned by the religion of Islam and to imply otherwise as Mr Blair did is simply to bury one’s head in the Arabian sands.
In a lengthy article entitled ‘Understanding Islamic Terrorism’ the author starts his concluding comments with these remarks ‘Based upon Muhammad’s actions and teachings, Islam justifies terrorism. Today, Muslims use that justification to attack and murder those who differ from them. Muslim terrorists follow in Muhammad’s footsteps’. The full text of this article is available by contacting the following web site address –
http://www.answering-islam.org.uk/Silas/terrorism.htm
The Roman Catholic Zenit news agency carried a report on this question of whether or not terrorism is justified by the Koran and part of the report read as follows
ROME, SEPTEMBER. 13 2001 (Zenit.org)
Within Islam, Splits Linger Over Legitimacy of Suicide Terrorists
‘Muslim religious leaders worldwide condemned the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and stressed that these brutal acts are not justified by the Koran. But within Islam there linger disagreements about the legitimacy of suicide assailants…Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, the grand imam of al-Alzhar University of Cairo, the most prestigious of the Muslim world, told the Italian newspaper Avvenire that the “killing of men, women and children is a horrible and brutal action, which cannot be approved by the monotheist religions nor by sane men”…Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Paris Mosque and spiritual head of the French Muslim community, raised his voice in Europe…”Terrorism is not a teaching of Islam, and the kamikazes’ actions are not part of our culture”…His position, however, isn’t shared by all Muslim mullahs. In recent years, doctors of Islamic law have split over the legitimacy of a suicide attacker’s actions. In Egypt, a veritable war pitted the previous grand imam of al-Azhar against the mufti. In addition to questions like the justness of banking interests … and certain abortion cases, the two leaders were divided on the issue of considering Palestinian suicide attackers as “martyrs.” Such attackers justify their acts by quoting from the Koran. The issue divides religious and political leaders. In televised statements last April, a Palestinian minister said that “suicide attacks are a legitimate means used by Palestinians to combat the enemy. … The objective is to serve God, to fight for the faith and the fatherland.”’
The Daily Mail of Saturday 15 September, in an article by Michael Clarke reported as follows
‘A British-born Moslem told yesterday how he longed to become a suicide bomber for Osama Bin Laden. Shah Jalal, a 19 year-old student led a crowd of more than 200 outside a North London mosque in celebrating the terror attacks on the U.S…Jalal, the son of Bangladeshi immigrants declared “I pray I might be a suicide bomber. I would go to paradise for that”…A second agitator, Shamsul Islam shouted “Islam will always dominate”.
In his book ‘Islam unveiled’ Abdullah al Araby wrote [page 5] ‘Islam is being presented to the world today packaged in a fancy wrapper…There is however another side to Islam usually hidden from new converts. Major issues of life which are part of Islam are carefully avoided, obscured or omitted from the call to faith. Some passages of the Quran are inaccurately translated from the original Arabic to help lure converts’. On page 13 where he is dealing with JIHAD [Holy War] Mr Araby writes ‘In resorting to violence, Muslims will not have a problem finding passages in the Quran and Hadith [Muslim tradition] that will not only condone violence but will also demand it’. Mr Araby goes on then to cite a number of passages from both the Koran and the Hadith by way of example to back up his assertions. Later [page 14] he notes ‘It is worth noting here that the words “fight” and “kill” have appeared in the Quran more frequently than the word “pray”’.
In a DEDICATION recorded on page 4 Mr Araby wrote ‘To those who sincerely seek the truth…And to those who courageously accept the truth, proclaim it and sacrifice their lives for it…To the memory of Hussein Sudmond in Iran, Nehmat Ahmer in Pakistan, Abdel Hamid Bashary in Egypt, Sadek Abdel Karim in Saudia and Zia Nodrat in Afghanistan and many others who chose to face imprisonment, torture and death in their countries rather than deny their faith in Jesus Christ. I dedicate this book.’
Whilst so-called Christian prelates and politicians are excusing the excesses of Islam and seeking to forge a spiritual coalition with it, Islam is using the weakness and infidelity of these so-called Christians to defend its borders and to further its aims of world conquest. In their book, ‘Facts on False teachings’ Ron Carlson and Ed Decker relate the following on page 103
‘The Associated Press reported this on February 8, 1993 –
“Western human rights groups say that a quick mobilisation by their international networks may have saved the lives of two Christian Philippine leaders imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. Reliable sources within the human rights community reported that two lay pastors scheduled to be executed on Christmas day by the government of Saudi Arabia were arrested in October and charged with violating kingdom law by preaching Christianity. The two had apparently been in hiding since January when a Christian service they led in a private home was raided by Saudi religious police. Reports of the scheduled execution prompted a flurry of international inquiries and protests, including a harshly worded appeal to King Faud from Philippine president Fidel Ramos.”
These efforts were futile. The two pastors were beheaded in Saudi Arabia because they dared to hold a Christian Bible study!…There is no freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia. In fact one of the biggest tragedies of the Gulf War was that when we sent our men over there to save that country of Saudi Arabia, our Christian chaplains weren’t even allowed to wear their little crosses on their lapels…Service personnel were advised to leave their Bibles at home. This was because Islamic law forbids any presence or mention of Christianity’.
As I write this report I have in recent days been reading reports of the conflict that is growing in Nigeria where the Muslim authorities in some provinces are seeking to impose Islamic ‘Sharia’ law over the legitimate laws and constitution of the country and many professing Christians who object or resist are being killed by Muslim militants.
CONCLUSION
The compromise by so-called Christian leaders and politicians in accepting Islam as a valid religion in the sight of God is now reaping its rewards. Those in authority appear oblivious to this reality. ‘Songs of Praise’ broadcast on BBC 1 television on Sunday 16 September from Westminster Abbey, where Queen Elizabeth was crowned and where she promised ‘to maintain to the utmost of my power the Laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel and the Protestant Reformed religion established by law’ took the form of a service of remembrance for those killed earlier in the week in America. A Jewish Rabbi, a Muslim cleric and an officer from the Salvation Army shared the closing prayers. The benediction contained references to ‘God’ but no mention was made of our Lord Jesus Christ – one can only assume that reference to Him was omitted to avoid giving offence to those present who deny His Messiahship and His Saviourship. Such a service no doubt appeared helpful and appropriate to many looking on but God’s Word takes a different view – “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” [Exodus 20:3] and “I am the Lord, that is my name and my glory will I not give to another” [Isaiah 42:8].
There has been much talk of retaliation in the wake of what happened on 11 September. Can I stress that the contents of this article should in no way be construed as sanctioning acts of aggression against either Moslems or their property. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is neither to be defended nor advanced through use of ‘carnal means or weapons’ [2 Corinthians 10:4]. The only ‘weapon’ the Christian wields is ‘the Word of God’ [Ephesians 6:17] and as soldiers of Christ we go forth like farmers to scatter and sow precious seed which is ‘the Word of God’ [Luke 8:11].
In closing I believe God would direct the thoughts of all ‘who have ears to hear’ to the response He requires – a course of action heralded by people like John the Baptist in Matthew 3:2; by Peter in Acts 3:19, by Paul in Acts 26:20 and by the Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 1:15. God’s word to an unbelieving world and to an unfaithful professing Christendom is “REPENT ye, and believe the gospel” and that will include SEPARATION from the “strange gods” of every Christ denying or compromising religion and philosophy. It will prove profitable I believe for professing Christians in particular to read the Lord’s letters to the 7 churches [as found in Revelation 2&3] and to see how many times His word to those churches is REPENT. That is the great need of this present hour. The response to this divine command will determine who is on the lord’s side.
Cecil Andrews – “Take Heed” Ministries – 18th September 2001