Jet-wielding Terrorists,

Jet-wielding terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, and it was an ambitious plot, one which seemed to go unnoticed until disaster really hit. Called 9-11, or 9-1-1 it was a day that will now be long remembered.

On that Autumn day in September, four commercial domestic airliners were hijacked. They were taken off their normal course and then used as bombs to murder civilians and subsequently strike terror and fear into the hearts of people living on American soil. The land of the free was injured, wounded; and the brave and compassionate went into action.

All airline flights in the US were canceled for days as America cradled the injured in their arms. The once “friendly skies” of a united country became silent as we mourned the death of our loved ones, and called out to God as we contemplated the harsh reality of evil in the world that we had met face to face as death and destruction took an unexpected toll. America, strong, proud and self sufficient, was wounded.

The first target of the terrorist attack was the “Twin Towers, ” otherwise known as the World Trade Center (WTC) which was located in Manhattan, NYC. The first plane hit the north tower, flying directly into it with ease. Onlookers thought perhaps it was an accident, but then, when the second plane hit the second tower, it was apparent this was not a mistake.but an intentional occurrence.

It was mostly eyewitnesses saw the first plane crash into Tower One, but as camera crews assembled to cover the breaking news story of how a huge passenger plane had crashed into one of the buildings, the second plane made impact with tower number two and it was caught on camera. Shocked, the watching world had it caught on video and was stunned with the reality of disaster, even possible war.

The world was able to watch the suffering and the loss of human life right before our eyes as fireballs erupted, glass, and debris spewed everywhere, and ash and smoke billowed to the sky while tons of concrete and glass came crashing on the world. People stranded hundreds of feet a top the now burning building, jumped from flaming windows in terror, plummeting to their death on the streets of New York. TV viewers cried as New Yorkers gazed upwards at the scene of jumper. They were astounded, and their hearts pounded as they watched the once strong and towering steel buildings crumble. In front of our televisions we mourned in total disbelief and cried some more as we watched reports of workers sifting through the rubble.


That was only two of the planes. Later, it was discovered that there were four planes in the attack.

The third plane, Flight 77, flying to Los Angeles CA, from Washington DC, took off and then crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. It was reported that there were 64 people aboard. Fortunately for the 20,000 people inside the building, just minutes before the attack there was warning of another hijacked plane in route in thier direction and there was an evacuation.

The fourth plane, departing from New Jersey on way to San Francisco, was aimed by hijackers to strike the nation’s Capital, but it never made it. Instead of Washington the plane slammed into a Pennsylvania field. Some people assert that the plane was shot down by American fighter aircraft, others believe that there is evidence that passengers on board attempted to overtake the hijackers, and prevented disaster by changing the plane’s trajectory and causing it to crash into the ground. Whatever the cause, the plane fell of the sky before hitting it’s premeditated target of the U.S. Capital building.

Tower One, Tower two, the Pentagon and the White House were the targets and the violence and the destruction were devastating. As the scenario played itself out, peace-loving people from every culture and religious background, every religious viewpoint were stunned. People prayed and praised God, people with no religious background thanked God for their escape.

As time went by, people everywhere demanded to know what kind of devilish mind was responsible. They wanted to know who’s God was responsible, who’s God really cared, and if there were a “God” of love and peace, "Why would God allow such a horrific thing to happen?"

As the intelligence about the events rolled in, America heard Arabic sounding names linked to the destruction. Words like “Jihad,” words that were thought to pertain to some far-away foreign nation, suddenly became part of the American vocabulary.

Eventually the media reported that responsibility for the terror perpetrated on American soil was not only Jihad, but linked to a terrorist group called "Al-Qaeda," which became another houshold word. Wall Street Journal, (July 2, 2002,) reported that Al-Quds Al-Arabi, an Arabic-language newspaper, published a statement announcing the ‘International Islamic Front for Jihad on the Jews and Crusaders." The report said that the united militant terrorist groups, had a united manifesto and they quoted it: "We -- with God's help -- call on every Muslim ... to comply with God's order to kill Americans."

Jihad, short for “Jihad fi Sabeel Allah” (or "struggle for God's cause") means: to “struggle” or to “strive” in the way prescribed by God. It is something that every practicing Muslim is called to do. In one sense, it infers the struggle and striving of the individual to be a better person and do what is morally right, according to Islamic law. In a lesser sense jihad refers to what is sometimes called “holy war.”

In the struggle for ideologies, particularly those that are perceived to go against Moslem beliefs, people sometimes debate what Jhad is and isn't, but the fact remains, what a Moslem follows in faith and practice comes from the Prophet Mohamed and from the Holy Book of Mohammed's wisdom and revelation to them, the Qu’aran. To the Moslem world, Allah's warriors had struck a good and deadly blow against the US or as what both the Ruholla and Ayatollah Komeini, Moslem leaders of the recent past, had called, the "Great Satan," but for Christians in America it was another reminder of humanity's need for a loving God.

A construction worker named Frank Silecchia, who was pulling dead bodies from the 911 rubble, discovered something he will long remember. It was a 20 ft. tall freestanding steel girder left behind in the debris that "just so happened" to be upright and in the shape representative of the cross used as a symbol to represent Christianity because of the wooden cross that held the crucified Christ. Silecchia thought it a miracle.

Amazed that steel girders would remain in a position like that in all the rubble, he believed that the cross was a sign from God, the Christian God, a sign telling people he was with them in the midst of the chaos and horror. He saw it as a reminder of God’s forgiveness for the sins we have committed, and of His love for humanity expressed by Jesus not only in his life, but in His death on the cross. Silecchia even commented in a news article, "Some people will say it's velocity of physics that put it there to me, it's an act of God."

Different people have different viewpoints, different eyes from which they see. To one man it’s god to another it’s physics and to another it is something else completely. It’s not a wonder that we have warring ideologies in our world, but it's not just ideologies that war, not just political convictions and philosophies of life, but lusts, pride, and greed. (James 4:1) There are things within each of us that war with God above.

It is a wonder when religious people of any particular “brand name”of religion, proclaim to love peace and worship God, and yet are filled with anger and hatred and violence toward other people. How can we in one moment bless God, and in the next curse men who are his own creation, created in His image and likeness, created to be his friend? Does a fig tree bear olive branches? (No) Does a fountain give forth both bitter and sweet water? (No!) James says, "My brethren, these things ought not so be. "(James 3:10)

Christians are Christians, people becoame Christians because something happened on the cross. Jesus was born and died and was raised again from death because like the reminder in the rubble, God physically and spiritual intersected time and space. He intervened on our behalf and by his sacrifice on the cross he to put to an end, once and for all, the wages of our sin and give us peace, true peace…true peace on this perishing earth.

On September 11, 2001, some people, whoever they were, in a coordinated effort left their calling card of death and devastation, a reminder, on America’s front door, saying that they were here and they would be back soon, but God left a calling card too. He left us a cross in the rubble, a reminder that his hand is on every detail in the world and a reminder that his ways are not the destructive ways of men. Men tried to destroy him. They mocked him and beat him and brutally hung him on a real cross, then watched him die without malice towards anyone, anyone at all, even interceeding unto God the Father, to forgive them. Some present had eyes to see what was taking place and considered that perhaps this Jesus they had crucified was in fact the Son of God. (Mark 15:39) Loving his enemies, Christ laid down his own life and he raised it up again. (John 10:17) He did this out of justice, knowing the guilty must be punished for their sins, yet offering them forgiveness out of His abundant love for a world tainted and ruined, held in bondage to death, destruction and sin.

Yes, it's a war, it's a holy war... Jihad, some say, but I have to ask, what creator God, author of life... what lover of peace and beauty takes pleasure in death and destruction? What God of truth will tell a lie to win? It seems only reasonable that the true desire of a loving holy God is that we would be people of truth and love and that we would love him and love one another. (John 13:34; John 15:12; 1 John 3:11: 1 Peter 1:22) His desire is not to take pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that all men, and women everywhere would call on Him in truth, turn from their evil ways, and live. (Ezekiel 33:11).