THE GREATEST DANGER

Think about how shocked we all were when we heard the news of these terrorist attacks. US President George Bush asked everyone to say a prayer for those who were suffering. There were a lot of prayers throughout the world in the 24 hours after these events. However the greatest danger is that this will eventually be just another passing event. Oh yes, a significant one. But one which just passes by without us making real practical steps to change our lives. Think of the 2 world wars, the Cold War, the Cuban crisis, the 6 day war, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf war, the US attacks on Iraq in 1998. These events shocked the world, but as time went on, the world was once again lulled into a false sense of security. It happened before. It could happen again. But this is exactly what the Bible says about the world before the return of Jesus Christ:

“First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation”…. But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s Word the heavens existed and the earth was formed…The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. ” (2 Peter 3v3-5, 9-10)

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Revelation 16v15-16)

“For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety”, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self - controlled… For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation though our Lord Jesus Christ.. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.” (1 Thess 5v2-6,9-10)

Back in 1995, the Georgian leader and former Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze accused the West of “being so intoxicated” by the belief that it had won the Cold War that it failed to see that rampant nationalism posed “threats comparable to nuclear Armageddon.” He asked, “Why was the West caught unprepared for this transformation of the world? The euphoria which followed what the West thought was its victory in the Cold War was intoxicating…” In other words, the free-world didn’t want to believe the dangers, so they deliberately put it out of their mind. As one commentator said 3 days after the recent US terrorist attacks, “Vivid and intrusive reminders of our mortality seem to destabilise the collective psyche. But it is a transient phenomenon. We are resilient. Memories fade like New Year pledges to eat less chocolate.”

One Bible commentator summarised man’s failure to face the realities of life in this way:

“The question is at once simple and profound. Either there is a God or there is not; either our lives can have ultimate meaning or they cannot. In failing to settle this question in their minds, most people occupy a kind of mental no-man’s-land, halting between 2 opinions. As a consequence lives are wasted in pursuing shallow pleasures, with consideration of eternal issues being provoked only momentarily when tragedy strikes near at hand…. Salvation is not a game. If we are to attain to a part in the noble destiny for which man was designed by the Creator, we are going to have to fight. And there is no time to waste.”

What is it that we are going to have to fight? It is our own selves (1 Timothy 6v12). The greatest battle is the one within us. As the saying goes, “we are our own worst enemies”. The greatest danger is our tendency to pursue selfishness and to put out of our minds the important things of life (James 1v13-15). The best way to overcome this is to pursue the things that are of God (Romans 13v14).

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