The attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbour was once the greatest attack on the USA. However, on the 9th September 2001, there was an attack on the nation by a Middle East terrorist group of extremist Moslem murderers which would kill more people and shock the world. Four planes were hijacked and used as missiles of mass destruction. Three hit their targets.

We are obsessed as to why these things happen. Why do people do these sort of things? Why God did allow it? These terrorists were from the Middle East – the land of the Bible. There are five compelling reasons why these men did these terrible acts.

1 – Natural Reason

Man is NOT basically good. He is born basically evil, wicked and depraved in nature. This is the message of the Bible and is backed up by a long history of blood shed and war in all nations. See Romans 3:2-19. Man is by nature a killer. We see it today in every city of the world. Cain killed Abel and it has continued ever since. See James 4:1-3. We have quarrels, conflicts, murders and war. Why? It is in our nature and cannot be bred out. We are hostage to our pleasures. We yearn to fulfil what we want. It is self-love that takes what fulfils you. You want (lust) and you remove what gets in the way. It is this personal gratification that leads to murder. Without laws and law enforcement we would be killing each other more often. Those that stand in the way will be killed if necessary. This killing can be small or large-scale!

2 – Historical Reason

The history of the Middle East is the most important history to mankind. It also plays a major part in understanding Islam.

• Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden which was in the Middle East.
• It was also the Middle East where the Tower of Babel was built and the great city of Babylon.
• See Genesis 10. The generations came from the descendants of Noah. It was eight people who repopulated the earth after the flood.
• Abraham – It was in an area that was given to Abraham by God. Abraham was from a religion of moon worshippers in Ur. He fathered the Jewish people. See Genesis 12. In Genesis 15:18 the land was promised to Abraham’s descendants. The land was very fertile The problem was that the land belonged to other people and was the most densely populated part of the world.
• Isaac and Ishmael – Abraham had a son to his wife’s maid who was called Ishmael (Genesis 17). This was due to the impatience and lack of faith of Abraham and Sarah. Then they had Isaac in their old age. Ishmael’s descendants would be a great nation but Isaac was the son of promise. Ishmael’s descendants would be future enemies of Israel (Isaac’s descendants).
• Jacob and Esau – It is Jacob who usurps his brother as Esau despises birthright. The descendants of Esau would be more enemies of Israel.
• The empires of Egypt and Syria came and went. They were rejecters of God.
• Israel becomes a nation – They come out of slavery in Egypt by the mighty hand of God and the leadership of Moses. Israel would take possession of the land if they obeyed God. Israel was the weapon of God to wipe idolatry from the Earth. The nation under God defeated Egypt through the plagues and took possession of the land. It was not complete possession due to their own idolatry.
• The unbelief of Israel – The nation has a series of judges and kings leading the country. Ultimately they are removed from the land and are dispersed throughout the world. A remnant return to rebuild Jerusalem but the nation is gone as a series of super powers take over.
• Jesus – The start of Christianity as the Jewish people as a nation reject their Messiah.
• Mohammed was born over 500 years after Christ and is a descendant of Ishmael. The Middle East is the source for the Koran. Islam spread during his life and after his death by the use of the sword. Allah or the sword. Convert or die!
• Till the present day – Those that attack Jewish people are themselves attacked by God. The Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, Nazi Third Reich, etc are no longer around. Many have tried to wipe it from the face of the Earth but it is impossible. God will not allow it. See Psalm 121, 125, 129 and Isaiah 43.
• The land of Arab states is important to future history. The Bible talks about a great battle that will take place in this land known as the battle of Armageddon. In Revelation 12, we read that Satan seeks to destroy Israel. They are far from God but still His covenant people. The promise is that the Messiah will give the land of the Middle East to them in the future. The Devil and the world are against Israel.

When people get together they get together for evil. God creates divisions and nations to prevent evil getting in unison. The people of the Middle East have a common enemy in Israel. When this is no longer the focus they fight among themselves. There are factions among Islam (e.g. Sunni and Shia). Iraq (mostly Shia) and Iran (mostly Sunni) have had bloody wars and Pakistan is in turmoil due to the large Shia population within.

3 – Religious reason

The word “Islam” means surrender. Islam teaches that the will of God (Allah) is revealed from Mohammed in six basic articles of faith.

• Allah is the one true God
• The Koran is the most holy book
• Mohammed is the greatest prophet from God
• There are many angels, demons and Satan
• Allah has predetermined everything
• The final Day of Judgement is when all will find out if they are going to Heaven or Hell. Good works can help. No Moslem knows where is he is going. There are no guarantees.

There are five duties which are often called “The Five Pillars of Islam”.

• Recite creed many times a day. It is a profession of faith – “Accepting, believing, and professing that there is one God, and one God ALONE, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) is His last prophet”.
• Prayer five times a day and defined times using formalised prayers.
• Charity. Give to the poor. It is 2.5 % of their extra money.
• Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan to celebrate first revelation of Mohammed. They eat at night and not during daylight.
• Hajj (Pilgrimage) – If physically and financially able, every Muslim must make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime.

Christians believe in one God who is three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in one essence. Islam believes that God is one not three persons. Christians are considered to be infidels for believing in the trinity. Allah is unknowable. Jesus was a man and not God. An infidel believes that Jesus is God. They believe that Jesus did not die on the cross, rise from the dead or coming back. Islam believes that only Moslems can go to heaven. They have no saviour, no atonement for sin and no basis for forgiveness. There is one way that a Moslem can be assured of going to heaven. You die in a jihad – holy war

What do we know about Mohammed the prophet followed by Islam? He was growing up on Mecca which was full of idols. Islam believes that Mohammed was sinless by visitation of Gabriel The main idol was Allah. He was the moon-god and represented by a crescent symbol. The irony is that this is the same God that Abraham worshipped at Ur before he was called by the Lord God. Mohammed created his own religion with Allah being the only god. Mohammed had visions that were written down and became the Koran. Mohammed and his followers spread Islam by killing those whom did not submit. The same is true today in Islamic countries. The main persecutors of the Christians in the world today is Islam. There is peace under Allah or there is war. There is only Islam or infidels. The Islamic system holds 1.3 billion people in bondage today, and effects the lives of many non-Muslims the world over.

The nation of Israel and the Jewish people are despised. For Israel to defeat the Arabs was considered a defeat of Allah. It was considered to be due to the backsliding of Moslems. Jesus and his disciples are considered to be Moslems. The world needs to be converted to Islam and people are being killed to convert the nations to Islam. Islam has power in the world thanks to oil. The energy consumers are held hostage by the energy producers. The Islamic countries of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) hold 58% of world oil reserves.

4 – Sensual Reason

Muhammad had sixteen wives, including eleven at one time. He relegated them to either consecutive days or (according to some accounts) all in one night. He married a 9-year-old girl and even his adopted son’s wife. On top of that, Muhammad had a multitude of slave girls and concubines with whom he had sex – sometimes on the very days in which they had watched their husbands and fathers die at the hands of his army.

The martyrs for Islam are promised eternal sex a minimum of 72 virgins and guarantee the salvation of 70 of their family. The Moslem dies for the promise of eternal sex. Young men are lured by lust and the recruitment starts in schools.

The Moslems will not win in their jihad. Israel is crushed from all sides but God has set Himself against Israel’s enemies. See Ezekiel 36:1ff. The land has been promised to Israel by the Lord God. Allah is not the Lord God. Those who kill innocents need to be stopped and punished. Negotiating with Islam does not work. Islamic nations with weapons of mass destruction can use them to kill millions. A maniac with their finger on the button might just push the button for the promise of eternal sex with many virgin women.

5 – Theological Reason

The wages of sin are death. We are all going to die at some time. Millions of people die each year. It is a reality that all who live will die. We are more comfortable if they die one by one! Multiple deaths caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, terror attacks, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc are seen as unfair. Everybody dies. It is not that unexpected. The truth is – we should all be dead! Why does God allow us to live? We live under constant mercy and grace so that we don’t understand justice. We need to be shocked to realise that we are going to die. We do not have control over it. We don’t have a right to live. It is God’s grace that gives us life.

See Luke 3:1-3. The massacre of the Galileans raised questions about God’s justice. They were not any worse than any other people. You need to repent or you will perish. See Luke 13:4-5. The tower in Siloam fell over and eighteen people are killed. Were they worst than others? No! Repent or perish. You have a chance to do so! See Luke 13:6-8. The fig tree was there for years and had produced no fruit. It was on borrowed time. In grace it was given a little more time. This is the heart of God. We all going to die and need to take life and death seriously. Enough of the parties. Make sure you get rescued from an early chop! Share the Gospel with all who need Christ. Muslim people need a Saviour, forgiveness and eternal life.

Categories: Apologetics