The Biblical Significance
of the September 11, 2001
Attack on America.

 

Many Bible believers have asked me whether or not the September 11 attack on America was of any Biblical significance.

I believe there is.

In chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation we read of John's vision of two wild beasts. The First Beast is Romanism and the Second Beast is Americanism. [For more, click here.] The vision of John shows the rise of the Second Beast and its power. But pride and decadence gradually took hold of the beast and for the last 50 years it has been prophesying lies. It has become a False Prophet (Rev.16:13). [For more, click here.]

The September 11 attack marked the beginning of the end for America. When America declared war against terrorism it marked the inevitable doom for the Second Beast. No nation can win the war against terrorism. Terrorism may be contained but it cannot be conquered.

It is obvious that we are at the end of the age allotted for mankind. It has been about 6000 years since Adam and Eve were first put on this earth. It has been about 2000 years since the First Advent of Christ. And, according to the vision of St. John on the Isle of Patmos, the Church right now is at the tail end of the Grace Age — the Seventh and the last Church Age. This is the time of the harvest; the time for God to reap what He had sown and the time for mankind to reap what they had sown (cf. Matt. 13:37-39).

America, the land of the free, started off as a "promised land" for the Christian pilgrims who had fled from the tyranny of those who held power in Europe and England. Those pilgrims possessed both great Bible values and Christian virtues. God blessed the pilgrims and the nation of the United States of America was established on the 4th July, 1776. Since then it has grown into a great nation and a great power. And from there the Gospel of Christ was spread abroad to every continent on earth.

But what has become of America today?

Alas, America has fallen. It has become a nation of people who is self-indulgent, self-centered, egoistic, prideful and boastful. Although it is wealthy, the nation is in a state of decadence. Crimes of violence and rape are so rampant that in some cities the people are literally living behind bars of their own homes. Divorce rate keeps rising. Immorality and sexual perversion have also been on the rise. The nation is spreading and selling their filth around the world. But worst of all, the Christian people have forsaken the Bible Faith of their forefathers.

Like Israel, America is a nation who is called by the Name of the Lord. And like Israel, America is judged when she forsook the Word of God. About 40 years ago, William Branham, the prophet-messenger to the Laodicean Age, indicted this generation for crucifying the Word of Christ afresh and said that America was being judged. He said that he would no longer pray for America.

America is a great super power today, but it will not be long before she would be destroyed. And God has raised up Osama bin Laden, an Arab Muslim and a militant, for a purpose, that is, to cause America to realize that her time is up.

Who is this Osama bin Laden? And why Osama bin Laden?

ABRAHAM

In the Book of Genesis (chapter 12), we have a record of the calling of Abram (whose name was later changed to Abraham). Abram's wife was Sarai (later renamed Sarah). At the age of 75 Abram left his homeland for the land that God had promised him. At that time, Abram and Sarai had no children. Later, God promised Abram a son who would inherit the land that Abram was to possess (Gen.15:18).

As days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, Sarai showed no sign of a conception. She was fast losing her patience, maybe a little agitated, as she approached her menopausal age. Having waited for 10 years, Sarai, who was then 75 years old, suggested that Abram take Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid, to be his concubine to build a family. (Read Genesis 16.) When Hagar had conceived, she began to despise Sarai. With Abram's permission, Sarai sent Hagar out of the camp. And Hagar wandered into the desert where the angel of the Lord met her.

GEN 16:10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

When Abram was 99 years old, God paid him a visit. Then God changed Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's to Sarah. And God made a firm covenant with Abraham. As a sign of the covenant, Abraham was circumcised. And soon after that Sarah conceived. This was the words of Yahweh concerning Isaac:

GEN 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

THREE SEEDS

It is clear that Abraham had two natural seeds — one by Hagar, a bondwoman; the other by Sarah, his wife. It is also clear that the promise was made to the seed by Sarah and not that of Hagar. Isaac was the seed of promise; Ishmael was not. But there is yet "another seed" promised to Abraham, a "spiritual seed" according to the Word of the Lord.

GEN 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

GEN 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

This spiritual "seed" would make Abraham a father of many nations. It would also bring about a blessing upon all the nations of the earth. This spiritual "seed" is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Read Acts 3:25-26.

Therefore, there are altogether 3 seeds which came through Abraham:

1) seed of the bondwoman (Hagar) -- Ishmael,
2) seed of the promise (natural) -- Isaac,
3) seed of the promise (spiritual) -- Jesus Christ.

Yahweh revealed Himself to Abraham to bring forth a FAITH to the nations of the earth. Abraham passed this Faith to Ishmael and to Isaac. Later, when Ishmael (along with his mother, Hagar) was cast out of the family, God promised Abraham that He would bless Ishmael and make him a great nation of 12 princes (cf. Gen. 25:13-16).

Ishmael knew only the God of his father, Abraham. He worshipped Yahweh. So did his descendents. But Ishmael was "a wild man" who lived by his bow, ever moving about in the wilderness (Gen. 21:20-21). Likewise, his descendants. Further, the prophecy that "his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him" suggests that the Ishmaelites would often be at war. And lastly, that "he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren" points to the fact that the "militant" Ishmaelites would be able to live and survive among all those who were related to them by the blood of Abraham. They live mainly in the Middle East, especially in the desert region known as Arabia, a name which is synonymous with the nomadic tribes of the region. The Ishmaelites then became known as Arabs. [Note: Not all Arabs are true Ishmaelites.]

ISLAM and OSAMA BIN LADEN

Some 2500 years later, in the 7th Century AD, a child named Mohammed, was born and raised in Mecca. Mohammed claimed that he was a descendant of Ishmael. Today, all Arabs also claim that they are of Ishmaelite descent. The life history of Mohammed and all his claims that led him to be "a prophet" have been controversial issues for centuries. To his followers, he was a great prophet and a gentle person. To others, he was a wild man with wild ideas.

The teachings of Mohammed are against the Faith of Abraham and Isaac (Judaism), and that of Christ (Christianity). Mohammed claimed that Ishmael, instead of Isaac, was the chosen and promised seed of Abraham. He claimed that he himself was a prophet of Allah, not a prophet of Yahweh. By substituting the Name of the God of Abraham, he evidently did not accept the Faith of Abraham. As such, he did not identify with the God of Israel. He had totally created a new religious faith — Islam.

Islam , which means "submission", has its own factions and fanaticism — different sects and radical men. Every major religion has its shares. Christianity is no different. We see Jonestown and Jim Jones, and Waco and David Koresh. When an egoistic man propagates his wild ideas with radicalism, he is a dangerous man. He is even more dangerous if he mixes politics with his religious ideology. Religions and politics do not mix.

Concerning Mohammed's teachings, did he issue "jihad" and call for "death to the infidels" as acts which faithful followers of Islam should carry out? Good Muslims say, "No. That was only for that particular period of time when prophet Mohammed was dealing with his enemies." Radical Muslims say, "Yes. And it's still applicable today. It is every Muslim's duty to obey the words of Allah and his prophet, Mohammed." Is Islam a militant religion? Or, has it become a militant religion?

Osama bin Laden is an Arab. A wild man as he is, Osama has become more militant with his interpretation of the Islamic faith. In many countries around the world, there are many men just like him, even though they are not "wild" Arabs. But because they embrace the Islamic faith, they tend to become wild and rebellious. They will not hesitate to destroy the lives of those who happen to stand in their path of ideological propagation and achievement — religious or/and political.

It appears that the tribal culture of the 7th Century is inherent in the Islamic faith. That era was a golden age for Islam when its followers took up arms and conquered Saudi Arabia, the entire Middle East, Central Asia, and large parts of India. The Islamic armies raged through Egypt and across North Africa, destroying corrupt Byzantine Christianity in their path. Modernity is not something Osama and other so-called pious men like him seek for. They not only relish the past golden age of the 7th Century, but also seek to revive it in the present era.

The world's three great religious faiths are in conflict basically because of the Land of Israel. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are traced to Abraham. The first faith is Judaism through Isaac and his son. The second faith is the Christian faith through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The third faith is Islam through Ishmael. Islam opposes the sacred writings (basically the Old Testament) which belongs to the Jews and the Gospel (the New Testament, together with the Old Testament) which belongs to the Christians. And the conflict in the Middle East over the Land of Israel (or Palestine as the Palestinians called it) has an effect on many Muslims around the world. Besides the Arabs, many Muslims around the world believe that Palestine belongs to the Palestinians who are mainly Muslims.

America has not only fallen from the faith of her forefathers, she has also not been dutiful and sincere in her dealings with Israel's interests when Israel was terrorized by those who sought her destruction. Hence, Osama bin Laden. In issuing a fatwa (judgment) and a jihad (holy war) against America, Osama gave America a wake-up call. Yes, it's a late wake-up call. But Bible prophecy has to be fulfilled, even the prophetic vision in which George Washington saw a series of three world wars of which the third war showed the destruction of America. Similarly, William Branham also saw the devastation of the land of America in a vision in 1933.

The visions of the prophet Daniel and the apostle John also clearly showed the destruction of America. The apostle John did not see any further vision of the Second Beast after Revelation chapter 13 except that it had become a False Prophet (Rev.16:13; 19:20; 20:10). In his vision, Daniel (in chapter 11) was told that there would rise a mighty king to overthrow the Persian Empire. That king was Alexander the Great. He died at the height of his conquest and his kingdom was divided into four divisions. In the north was the Seleucid kingdom of Syria and in the south was the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt. These two kingdoms were often at war with each other as recorded in verses 5-19. Verses 20 and 21 then show the rise of "a vile person", a term which apparently points to the Antichrist. Historically, Antiochus IV Epiphanes fulfilled the events described in verses 20-34 when he desecrated the altar of the temple in Jerusalem by offering a sow on it. It was an "abomination that maketh desolate" the sacred place of the temple. Antiochus was a type of the Antichrist. However verse 35 put the events "to the time of the end" showing that the prophecy is still in the future when it would be fulfilled by the true Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:3-12).

At "the time of the end" when this "vile person", the Antichrist, appears, America would be powerless to fight the war with him. Hence, the king of the west is not mentioned in Daniel 11:36-45 when the world powers come against the Antichrist. The power of America would be defeated in a war with Russia as prophesied by Ezekiel in chapters 38 and 39. [For more, click here.]

A WORD TO THE WISE IN AMERICA

America, be prepared for the end. The Gospel left Israel for the Gentiles when Israel rejected the Word. It traveled westward with the SUN to Europe. Europe was blessed then and had her revival under the Reformers. When religious Europe got spiritually cold, the Gospel took leave of the European continent and went westward across the Atlantic Ocean to America. And God blessed America. But in less than 200 years the Second Beast had lost her faith and she began to speak like a dragon. Lies poured out of her mouth by the power of its two horns (political and religious). Her spirit became deceptive and America became a false prophet. Today, America claims to have the Word of God, but she does not have the Faith. She does not have the Truth for God has already taken the Gospel and moved westward across the Pacific Ocean to Asia. This is the third and final leg of the Gospel to the Gentiles before it sets with the SUN to rise again for Israel.

America, you have had your days. The Word of the Lord had gone forth for you to humble yourself and to return to the Word. But you would not. Even among the followers of the Message of William Branham are many proud men who claim to be preachers of the Word. Many of these men are so radical in their faith that they would proclaim that "you are an unbeliever if you do not believe verbatim what William Branham said". And these men are so blind to their own arrogance that they think they are humble. Just because they are Americans they believe that they have a better understanding of the Word of God than the ministers of other races. Some are racists. Then, there are those who would override the Word of God, just because they are apostles, that they would condemn those who do not see eye to eye with them. (My fellow ministers, if you are an apostle, your apostolic authority is not what you say; your word is not the authority. Your authority is the anointing of God which gives you the ability to handle the SWORD and to divide the WORD with a finesse of establishing God's revelation for the saints.)

America, lift up your eyes and follow the SUN! Yes, the SON of God will soon arise with healing in His wings for the children of Israel.