Lessons from 9/11 attacks and disasters

Published 3:57 pm Tuesday, September 8, 2020

To the Editor:

Nineteen years ago on September 11, 2001, America was attacked without warning with almost 3,000 persons killed, which was about the number killed by abortion everyday in America.

Three years ago Category 4 Hurricane Harvey set a record for rain with 4 to 5 feet of rain. Last month Category 4 Hurricane Laura hit and was one of the strongest storms to hit the U.S. Our prayers go out to those affected.

Weather experts say they expect this year to be one of the worst in history for hurricanes. Hurricanes are fulfilling the end-times signs of Luke 21:25, “the sea and waves roaring.”

Last month California had record wildfires. California also had record power outages because of the 625 wildfires and record hot temperatures.

Locally, Carter County has had 24 COVID-19 deaths and our prayers go out to our neighbors. The lessons of the 9/11 attack and from hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters is that people are more important than things.

Things can change quickly and everyone needs to be prepared spiritually for death. Many people have a normalcy bias and wrongly believe nothing will change or everything changes slowly. Some believe the evolution lie that things always change slowly and for the good.

Things changed quickly when the 1998 flood killed seven in Carter County. Things changed quickly November 2016 when a fire burned parts of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, killing 14. After the fire a Joel 2 passage from the Bible was found proclaiming the day of the Lord (tribulation) was at hand. The tribulation will bring millions of times more disasters than the Earth as ever seen. God changes things in the twinkling of an eye. As God will soon do when Christians are raptured to Heaven just before the start of, or in the middle of the seven-year tribulation. Perry Stone believes dedicated Christians will be raptured at the beginning and non-dedicated in the middle. Many believe the tribulation could start this year. Some wrongly believe the tribulation has already started. Perry Stone says it hasn’t started because we don’t yet have a food shortage with a little bread costing a day’s wages ($58 dollars). Disasters allow Christians to step forward with love and show the mercy of Jesus by helping those in need in Jesus’ name.

The organization doing this the best nation-wide is www.samaritanspurse.org. Churches also help but sadly polls show that 20 percent of all churches in America will shut down forever because of COVID-19. God allows tragedies as signs of the end times, as judgment, to awaken people, and to teach good things such as humility and mercy. All are sinners (apart from Jesus and His blood covering our sins) and deserve nothing but eternal torment. Disasters are meant as a call to repentance (turn from unbelief to belief in Jesus) and revival. Pastor Max Lucado said, “Listen to the lessons of Hurricane Harvey. Let the storm remind you of the value of relationships, people, and, most of all, the promise of heaven. It’s not to me to declare the day the Lord (Jesus) will return. But we know this much: it’s the beginning of the end and the beginning of new beginnings. Calamities and catastrophes must occur before the birth of the new world. In the meantime, practice what they teach in Lamaze classes. Take some deep breaths and hold the hand of the one who loves you.” Don’t hold tightly to temporal things but hold tightly to Jesus who holds you now and forever!

In the rubble of the 9/11 destruction a steel cross was found. It was a reminder provided by God that Jesus is present even in tragedy. God provided a reminder with the 17-foot cross that nothing can separate Christians from Jesus and His love. Romans lists 17 things that can’t separate Christians from the love of Jesus. Only Jesus can give you a future in heaven. Only Jesus can bless you and keep you, can make His face shine on you and be gracious to you and lift up his countenance on you and give you real peace. Terrorists gave us death and destruction on 9/11 but Jesus gives us eternal life and peace 24/7!

D.D. Nave

Elizabethton