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Hope from the Ashes |
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In the hours immediately following the toppling of the World Trade Center towers, New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani was quoted as saying, "Today we have met the worst of humanity with the best of humanity."
The best versus the worst. For Americans living in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, these contrasts were clearer than they had ever been before. News anchors, political leaders and others tossed these words around like confetti at a ticker-tape parade. One pastor counted the number of times the word "evil" was used on CNN Television the day of the attacks. In four hours it had been used forty-one times. Suddenly everyone, even non-religious persons, were comfortable using religious words and phrases and comparisons. All of this seemed so appropriate on September 11. But one wonders: How many references to prayer, God, evil, good, and justice were contained in CNN's programming for September 10, 2001? Certainly it was very very few. The message is clear: God, stay out of our business. That is, unless something really terrible happens and suddenly we need You! The next day, September 12, while the words of political leaders and news analysts were still sounding across the airwaves, Genelle Guzman was struggling for her life beneath the ruble of Ground Zero. Nearly twenty seven hours had passed since the first airplane had struck the north tower of the World Trade Center complex. With her head pinched tightly between slabs of concrete and her body pinned under the weight of thousands of pounds of singed debris, Genelle cried out for help. She had passed through the night mostly sleeping. The inescapable mental and physical fatigue had taken its toll. When she awoke the morning of September 12, she heard voices and the sound of digging. Her hopes revived, she mustered all of her remaining strength and began clawing feebly at the debris and half-shouting, half-crying for help. The voices seemed tobe coming nearer. In a final, valiant effort she pushed her bruised and bloodied hand throught the ruble into open air. One of the rescue workers saw it, and within an hour Genelle was freed from what she was sure would be her tomb. Genelle Guzman was the very last person to be rescued from the wasteland called Ground Zero. When Genelle was later asked what she did when she was awake during those twenty-seven hours, she answered simply, "I prayed." Like so many others who narrowly avoided death, Genelle attributed her courage, stamina and eventual rescue to God. Indeed, nearly everyone who was rescued from the wreckage of Ground Zero attributed their deliverance to God. Sadly, of course, not everyone made it out. About 3000 people lost their lives on that terrible day. This raises the question: Why didn't God save them too? In fact, many have asked, Why did He allow this to happen? Is He somehow at fault? Is there hope for our homeland? All of these questions can be distilled down to a single question: If God is so good, then why is the world so bad? These are all good questions and they deserve good answers. Fortunately, the Bible provides the answers, if we are willing to listen. According to the Bible, there is a great cosmic conflict that is being waged "behind the scenes" between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Tonight we will discover from the Bible who the real terrorist is behind all terrorists! You may ask, "If God does not bring all of this trouble and grief into the world, who is really responsible for all the tragedies we daily witness?" The Bible puts the finger on the guilty party! Jesus told a story about a farmer who planted good seed in his field, but when the plants came up, there were noxious weeds in the field. The disciples asked the question that we have wondered about: "Lord, if the farmer planted good see, where did the weeds come from?" "He answered and said to them: You see, while God is trying to be loving and kind to every-one, there is another power at work in this world bringing disaster, tragedy, death, and sickness into the lives of God's children. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, tells us how it all began so that we might have the real truth about what happened in heaven that has caused so much trouble on Planet Earth. We will discover the origin of evil. It may surprise you, but there was once war in heaven! "And war broke out in heaven: Now, notice how this dragon, or the devil is introduced in Revelation 12:3,4: "And another sign appeared in
heaven: Behold, a great Evidently one-third of the angels of heaven followed this deceiver in his rebellion against God. But let's find out more about this fallen angel called Lucifer. In the Old Testament he is described as the King of Tyre, and it says this about him: "Thus says the Lord God: You were
the seal of perfection, Lucifer was a beautiful angel, created in all his ways. He was the angel who stood next to God as a covering cherub. Lucifer held an exalted position in heaven. On either side of the mercy seat or throne of God were two angel-one on the right and one on the left. One of these was Lucifer, who later made a devil out of himself. We don't know why he did this. Satan was not content being next to God. He wanted to be God! Something happened to Lucifer and to his close relationship with God. God said of him, "You were perfect in your ways
from the day you were This beautiful, exalted angel became lost on an ego trip. He coveted the glory and homage due God alone. He was power hungry. In fact, this created angel had the boldness to challenge his Creator for the rulership of the universe! Listen carefully: "How you are fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, son of the morning! As these arrogant words spilled forth from Lucifer's lips, the perfect love and harmony of heaven was shattered into a million selfish pieces. It wasn't long before Lucifer began to spread the spirit of discontent among the other angels. Slowly but surely, he undermined God's love and justice. Like a rotten apple in a box, his rebellion spread to other angels in heaven. Perhaps you are wondering why God didn't destroy Satan at that time. Well, God could have eliminated Lucifer and the angels who joined his revolution in one blinding flash, but had He done so, all His creatures would have served Him out of fear. They would obey and follow Him for the same reason the Germans followed Hitler during World War II. God is a God of love. He can only be happy in a love relationship with His creatures where they worship Him because they love and trust Him. Satan had challenged God's laws and justice, but God did not place these laws in force to show who was the boss! He made them to protect His creatures, to ensure their peace and happiness. His laws are like stoplights and speed limit signs-all planned for our safety and well-being. But this most honored of all the angels thought that he could run the universe better than God his Creator! Satan, "the adversary of God," made a devil out of himself! God gives everyone the power of choice to obey or not obey. Out of fairness and love, God has allowed Satan to demonstrate to the universe the way he would run the world. Satan has been allowed to demonstrate the true character of sin. We cannot fully understand how this all happened, when God was so good and loving to all of His angels and those whom He had created. It is a mystery that only God in eternity will fully explain. The battle begun in heaven isn’t over, it has just changed places! Earth became the stage upon which the great controversy between good and evil would be dramatized, where Satan would demonstrate his kind of government and how he would run the world. Bu t why Earth? Why did our planet have to become"a spectacle to the world, both to
angels and to men"? The earth had just come from the hand of the Creator, in all its splendor and perfection, beautiful beyond description. Evidently Satan thought so, too, for he saw this world as a prize worth capturing. No doubt Satan didn’t attempt to invade and control an established planet with millions of loyal, God-loving inhabitants. Rather, he would attempt to seize a planet of fragile beauty-a newborn world. Although Adam and Eve-the father and mother of the human race-were created perfect, they were not placed beyond the possibility of wrongdoing. They were free to choose to love and follow God or to ignore His instructions. But their loyalty would be tested, and that test would focus on a single tree. God warned, "... Of every tree of the garden
you may freely eat; but of the That must have seemed a reasonable request. They must have felt quite secure. But man is most vulnerable when he is caught completely off guard because he feels secure. That is what happened to Eve. Satan used his supernatural, psychic power to deceive her. Satan rarely works openly. He is very deceitful. He uses governments, organizations, people, or even a serpent! That is why Paul said: "Put on the whole armor of God, Eve was deceived. She never suspected that the words from the talking snake came from Satan. The devil, speaking through the serpent, asked her, "...Has God indeed said, ‘You
shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?" Eve replied, "...We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruitof the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.’" Genesis 3:2-4. As Eve listened to the serpent, it must have crossed her mind that he was saying something different than what God had told them. Perhaps sensing that she felt confused, the serpent hurriedly added, "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Verse 5. The devil suggested that God was unfair—that He was holding back something good. To be like God had been Satan’s consuming desire and his downfall. Now it sounded good to Eve, too, and in an impetuous moment, she sold out. "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate..." Genesis 3:6. And Eve gave Adam the fruit, and he ate of it. Adam and Eve failed God’s test of love and loyalty, and it was not long before they knew that something had gone wrong. Satan had hijacked the newborn world! From that moment, he laid claim to the title, "Prince of this World." The ruler of a planet in rebellion! As this most tragic day drew to a close, God came in the cool of the evening as usual, calling for Adam and Eve.Until now, this had been the happiest time of the day—a chance to walk and talk directly with the God who had created them. But not so this day! They ran and hid in the bushes! Finally Adam slipped slowly from behind some shrubs in the garden and confessed, "...I heard Your voice in the
garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; Adam had never been afraid before, but that is what sin does. It even makes a person afraid of God. God replied, "...Have you eaten from the tree
of which I commanded you that Adam’s reply: "...The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." Verse 12. A few hours before, Adam had been willing to die for Eve. Now he blamed her for his problems-and also blamed God for creating her. How sin shatters perfect love! But Eve was no less accusing. When God asked her what she had done, she replied, "...The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Verse 13. Eve put the blame on God too! In other words, she was saying, "It’s the serpent You made that got me into trouble." That very day Adam and Eve were doomed to die! To keep Adam and Eve from eating of the tree of life, God evicted them from their garden home. The devil said they wouldn’t die, but the Bible says, "So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died." Genesis 5:5. Too late, they discovered that the devil was, "...a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44. It is easy to blame God for the world’s heartbreak and devastation, but Satan is really responsible for the havoc. He is the one who brought trouble to this planet and who has been causing sin and suffering ever since. Jesus unmasked the devil and the way he afflicts people.As He was teaching in the synagogue one Sabbath, He noticed a woman bent over with a crippling deformity. Touched by her pathetic circumstances, Jesus healed her. The rulers instantly criticized Him because the healing took place on Sabbath-God’s holy day of worship. But notice how He defended His actions: "So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"Luke 13:16. Jesus said that Satan had bound this woman for eighteen years. Satan was the guilty one! In fact, Satan is the sinister force behind all disease and suffering, heartache, and death! Perhaps nowhere in the Bible do we see Satan’s strategy more clearly exposed than in the first chapter of Job, in a conversation between the devil and God. It was some time after the fall of Satan that the sons of God presented themselves before Him. Satan came too. Think of that! A meeting of the "sons of God," and Satan came uninvited! The Lord said to Satan: "From where do you come?" Job 1:7 In other words, who invited you? What right do you have to be here? Satan answered the Lord, "...From going to and fro on the
earth, and from walking back and forth on it." Satan claimed dominion over Planet Earth. He had taken over Adam’s position! Adam is called a "son of God" (see Luke 3:38), just like the others who came that day for a meeting with God. Could it be that they were the heads of other worlds, just as Adam was originally the head of our world? At any rate, Satan’s claim to represent Earth did not go unchallenged. The Lord said to Satan: "... ‘Have you considered My
servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, What a challenge! Satan claimed that the only reason Job was loyal to God was because of what God did for him-not because he loved and trusted God. So the Lord said to Satan: "Behold, all that he has is in
your power; only do not lay a hand on his person. Satan left, eager to get his hands on Job’s possessions. The blows soon began to fall: First: the Sabeans stole Job’s cattle and murdered his workers. Second: Lightning struck, killing his sheep and shepherds. Third: the Chaldeans came and plundered Job’s camels. Fourth (the most heartbreaking news): a tornado demolished the home of Job’s oldest son. A party was on, and all ten of Job’s children were killed!Poor Job! He thought that the Lord had taken away his possessions and caused all the heartache. He didn’t understand that the devil had done it! Although overcome with grief, Job’s loyalty to God was unchanged. He said, "...The Lord gave, and the Lord
has taken away; Although he could not understand the tragedies that devastated his possessions and children, Job trusted God’s goodness just the same. But Satan wasn’t through. He challenged God again, saying, "...Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face. And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life." Job 2:4-6 The test was on! Would Job remain loyal to God when the going got rougher-or would he turn his back on God? "So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head." Job 2:7 If you’ve ever had a boil, you know how painful just one boil can be. Imagine being covered with them from head to toe! Even though Satan had deprived Job of his possessions, his children, and his health, Job remained loyal to God. What a man! The Bible says,"In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong." Job 1:22 Who was it that plagued Job? SATAN! Who stole his livestock and killed his servants? SATAN! Who brought the tornado that destroyed his sons and daughter? SATAN!The Lord may allow difficulties to come to test our loyalty and love, but Satan is the guilty one responsible for all the evil on Planet Earth! You and I are caught in the center of a bewildering cosmic drama, a conflict between authority and lawlessness, between the Creator and Satan, the original rebel. We are not spectators. We are involved, whether we want to be or not. The idea that Satan is only a myth or an influence leaves us totally unprepared to confront the intelligent being he actually is. The Book of Revelation says:"...Woe to
the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down Peter wrote this warning: "Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about But even though Satan does his worst, the God of creation has a plan of re-creation that includes His Son Jesus-His precious Son who was willing to die to pay our debt so that we might have eternal life. The Bible says it was Satan the roaring lion who:• Worked through King Herod to
destroy the Christ child (He was defeated). Although there was a Calvary, there was a resurrection! Praise God! So it was that God -- with a loneliness that could never be healed except by the restoration of man -- gave His Son; and the Son gave Himself, to reverse your fate and mine. It was an hour of victory, a day to spell freedom for all the prisoners of the devil on Planet Earth. That day Satan became a defeated foe! Christ by His death earned the right to destroy all evil and suffering. Paul wrote in Hebrews 2:14: "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil." Satan demonstrated before all the intelligences of the universe what kind of being he is. And he is still demonstrating the way he would run the world. Tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, crime, disease, heartache, and pain! These we see. But standing unseen behind them all is the supernatural working of Satan. These tragedies are not "acts of God" -- they are "acts of the devil." Do you see how cleverly Satan and his angels can use the supernatural to deceive and destroy?"And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of
light." It may never have occurred to you that devils-demons-can work miracles. But they can! "For they are the spirits of demons, performing signs..." Revelation 16:14 Satan can work signs and miracles, and his angels can work miracles. The devil can also give men the power to work miracles whenever he chooses. Jesus said: "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and
wonders Do you see the real issue? The time has come when we cannot trust our senses-a time when the counterfeit resembles the genuine so closely that it is difficult to distinguish between them except by God’s Word. The good news is that this celestial planet, hijacked by Satan, is soon to be rescued. This knowledge should quiet the fears of nervous, anxious passengers on a planet gone wrong! God has a plan to destroy Satan-the deceitful devil-and we will study exactly what that plan is in future meetings. Let’s see what the Bible says about Satan:"...I destroyed you, O covering cherub... Therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth..." Ezekiel 28:16, 18Gone forever will be sin and suffering. Yes, friend, Jesus is coming soon! Not as a lowly Galilean, not as one ridiculed, spat upon, and denied. Not as one hanging on a cross, but as King of kings and Lord of lords with the right to reign! We must be ready to meet Him, for if we miss that, we miss everything! The issue today is, Who will we believe? Who will we follow? A loving God-or a fallen angel? The lines are being drawn; the whole world is being divided into two sides. Where is your loyalty? To every restless, lonely heart, to every aching, guilty soul, to all His children on a planet in rebellion, Jesus gives the loving invitation: "Come to Me... the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." atthew 11:28; John 6:37Isn’t that wonderful news? Jesus longs to restore you to the family of God, to give you eternal life on a planet made new. But the decision must be made: Who will be your Lord and Master? Friend, your decision is a life and death matter! Won’t you choose right now to let Christ be your King? He’s waiting! His arms are wide open. He says, "Come! Come! Come!" Won’t you just bow your head and say, "Yes, Jesus, I am coming," as we pray?
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