There are events in history that are defining moments by which we can judge the true nature of many people, organizations, and governments. The terrorists attacks last Tuesday were one of those events in which the true nature of many will be revealed.

It has been very encouraging to see the way our nation immediately pulled together and stood almost in one accord in response to this attack. Almost everyone became a New Yorker, and New Yorkers were seen as great Americans. Also, around the world we were quickly able to discern who are our true friends, and who are our real enemies in the world.

Another great encouragement was the way Americans filled churches this past weekend. This was only because they felt that the churches had answers to some of the ultimate questions that are now arising about what has happened, and what is going to happen. As I shared in the last bulletin, a scripture that seems to speak of this is Isaiah 30:25-26:

And on every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with
water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

And the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will
be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the LORD binds up
the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.

On the "day of the great slaughter when the towers fall" water is flowing on every lofty mountain and high hill. Water speaks of the Word of God, truth, and it is now flowing around the world in a way that I do not think I have seen in my lifetime. News anchormen and women are declaring profound truths from God's Word. There is a heightened level of discernment to recognize truth on the part of those who just a week ago were scorning it. The light now shining on the earth does seem to be much brighter than any time in my memory. Will it last? It can.

Some Christian leaders have inferred that the attacks on the WTC and Pentagon were judgment from God. I do not believe this is true because these attacks have all of the hallmarks of Satan, and none that reflect the nature of God. The Lord can be severe, and He does bring judgment, but even if the Lord sends armies, or natural disasters as judgment upon a nation, they will always have a certain dignity and class with which the Lord does everything. I do not believe there can be any question that the attack on the WTC was diabolical in its nature and source. We need to get this straight if we are going to know how to respond in these times because this represents the coming of some of our greatest challenges in history, as well as our greatest opportunities.

Also, we know from I Peter 4:17 that judgment begins with the household of God. Tragically, the church in America has been filled with all the sins that are found in the world. If this were the beginning of God's judgment on America, those planes would have hit churches. We should not be in confusion that this was an act of the devil. It was not God÷but the Lord obviously allowed it. Why?

In Revelation 3:20 we see the Lord standing at the door and knocking, asking to come into His own church. In this present age, we must seek the Lord in order to find Him. If we do not want Him, even in the church, He will leave. When America said it did not want prayer in the schools, He left. The schools have suffered tragedy ever since. When we said we did not want prayer in public places, or any displays of faith in Jesus, He left. When He leaves, the devil will come in, and right now there is a wide open door for the enemy to come and do his diabolical deeds.

Right now while congress is acting quickly to take the restraints off of the FBI and CIA, they had better act to take the restraints off of religion in America too. This country was founded on a commitment to protect religious freedom. The separation of church and state was meant to keep the state from imposing any religion, but not to remove religion, or religious practices from our lives. The Lord is now standing outside of the door to America, and He is knocking to see if we want Him back. We must pray that we open the door to Him or the enemy will continue the destruction he began when God was asked to leave.