From: A/R Boskey Rachel and Avner's email: psalm67@netvision.net.il Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 3:21 AM A perspective from Israel

Shalom.

Peace to you in the name of the Prince of Peace.

As America and the world reel from the horror and the shock of the world's largest terror attack to date, we are all looking to make sense of the carnage, to grasp some rope which is unshakable and secure. It is ironic, in one sense, that we are writing from Israel and offering perspective, since the nation of Israel is usually on the receiving end of counsel and perspectives at such times.

So much has happened so quickly that information seems to flood and overwhelm. It is important to pause, take a deep breath and take spiritual stock. Here are some thoughts which may help us all to unpack and grasp some of the implications of this massive day of terror.

STAR WARS VERSUS KNIVES

Much has been written about the importance of the Star Wars missile defense system. Billions have been spent by the most scientifically advanced country in the world developing national shields against intercontinental ballistic missiles. Yet it seems that two handfuls of terrorists with a few knives have inflicted billions of dollars of damage, forced the US economy to a halt be it ever so briefly, and taken down what seems to be over 10,000 lives - all in less than 90 minutes. This wonderful American nation is being confronted with the unpleasant fact that technology will not be our salvation. Only the Maker of the Stars can adequately defend the USA, indeed, any country. The best laid plans of mighty men cannot ensure adequate defense when there are breaches in the wall.

"FORTRESS AMERICA HAS BEEN BREACHED"

This above comment on the BBC caught our attention. This statement is true in the natural: the military nerve center of America was penetrated and partially destroyed. But here again, perhaps the natural speaks of the spiritual, and the visible of the invisible. Moses said, "Would that they ..would discern their future! How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock has sold them, and the Lord had given them up?" (Deut.32:29-30). Asaph asks, "Why have You broken down its hedges, so that all who pass that way pick its fruit? ...O Lord God of armies, how long will You be angry with the prayer of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and You have made them to drink tears in great measure. You have made us an object of contention to our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves. O God of armies, restore us and cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved" (Psa.80:12, 4-7).

These scriptures primarily refer to God's dealings with His Jewish people. But how they also speak to any nation which has suffered a tragic blow! There seems to be a breach in the hedge of protection that surrounds America. The sins of betrayal and murder (demonstrated in adultery and abortion), idolatry (the worship of materialism and sensuality) - all of these continue to break down the wall of protection that God has placed around the United States. Very recently a song glorifying prostitution and lust (Moulin Rouge) received a top MTV award. Where is the hedge of protection? Where is the mark of distinction?

THE TWIN TOWERS

Perhaps the World Trade Center's double towers has a prophetic significance. Perhaps this is a prophetic sign and a warning that the era of the twin American values of 'liberty and justice' is coming to an end for this great country. But in any case, it is no accident that Islamic terrorists have struck at two potent symbols of America - its financial and military strength and predominance. These two towers have brought relative stability and comfort to the world.

THEY ENVISION A WORLD WITHOUT CHRISTIANITY AND JUDAISM

Those who have struck at them are visionaries - they envision a world without America, a world where Christianity and Judaism are slave religions, a world where fundamentalist Islam calls the shots. This attack is a clear statement to America: you are facing enemies who will not rest until they see your destruction - or their own.

It is also highly significant that the World Trade Center was the target of Islamic terrorism in 1993. It now turns out that this 1993 attack was a prophetic type of the attack in 2001, a 'dry run' for what has turned out to be the "real McCoy."

When the practical center of the world's economy has been devastated, does this mean that we are about to see the rise of a 'new world economy' waiting in the wings? Though these thoughts are troubling, we should not flinch and turn our eyes away, lest we miss the slow train that is coming around the bend.

"WAR IS DECLARED!" --The same quandary Israel has faced for 53 years

This declaration has been echoed in the past 18 hours by many voices on television and in the newspapers. The difficulty here is finding the country which has declared war against the United States. Israel has faced this same quandary for 53 years, as shadowy terrorist groups have suddenly appeared to murder innocent civilians, and then suddenly have vanished into thin air, melting away to other surrounding host countries who vociferously deny any connection to the murderers. The US security agencies will be burning the midnight oil until they find the smoking gun which will lead them to the terrorists and their host countries.

THE "DEMONIC DECEPTION CALLED ISLAM"

But make no mistake - even if Osama Bin Laden (or whoever is directly responsible) is killed or captured, that is not the end of the battle. As believers in Yeshua we need to ask the question, "Against whom are we fighting? Against whom are we declaring war?" The answer is, that this is primarily a spiritual war. The demonic powers which have successfully blinded and deceived the eyes and minds of our Arab brothers through the demonic deception called Islam - those powers are the target, those principalities are the real enemy. After the rogue masterminds of these terror attacks are found and eliminated, others may and will pick up their comrades' fallen guns and bombs and nuclear backpacks. What is required is a great intercessory cry to God asking Him to humble and destroy the demonic veil of Islam, and to free the many mighty peoples deceived, blinded and enslaved by its great wickedness.

THREE IF BY LAND, FOUR IF BY AIR

There is something significant in the fact that, although three teams attacked by land (the State Department, the Mall, and the narrowly averted attack on the George Washington Bridge), it was the four suicide teams who hijacked aircraft who were mostly successful. The Pentagon could never have been reached by land. It could only have been hit by air. Though this required great daring and intricate planning, the terrorists' demonically energized fearlessness and sacrifice were horrendously successful. Perhaps there is a lesson here that great daring and much intercession are spiritual keys as well. Perhaps this can be a wake-up call to many believers to move beyond 'business as usual' and start crying out for the safety of their nations and the peace of Jerusalem, David's City, and for the outpouring of God's Spirit upon the Jewish people which will lead to life from the dead for the world (Rom.11:12, 15).

A FEW WILL ROUT THOUSANDS

These chilling words from Deuteronomy can be quietly and sadly applied to the kamikaze bombing in NYC and Washington DC. When a few Islamic terrorist can take control of four planes, armed only with a few knives; when they can commandeer a planeload of 45 to 95 people and so turn that aircraft into a living terrorist bomb capable of annihilating more than 10,000 innocent civilians, we see a new dynamic at work. Two major US cities, 450 airports and the US government were all shut down temporarily. Possibly 800 Pentagon civil servants and 300 fireman and emergency rescue crew were murdered. Major disruptions have occurred to the US economy and military command.

D.L. Moody once said something to the effect that the world has not yet seen what God can do through one person who does not care if he gets the credit. Satan has shown us a demonic counterfeit of this principle. We have just seen something of what the enemy can do through a few handfuls of people who want Allah to get the credit. It is imperative to remember that we believers in the One True God (Who is not Allah) and in His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, can present our lives and futures to the God of Israel and offer ourselves for His benign purposes on this earth. We can have the privilege of sacrificing ourselves for life and not for death, for salvation of billions and not for their destruction, for light and not for darkness, for the gospel of the Crucified One and not for the message of jihad, Then we will see billions come to faith; then we will see the sick healed, AIDS victims cured, the dead rise and demons expelled. And that day is at hand.

NOT CHAOS AND RETREAT, BUT MANY IN PANIC AND FEAR

America has been shaken. It is not in chaos or retreat, as President Bush so clearly and forcefully stated. But many are panicked and fearful. Why else would some American supermarkets be emptied of food, gas lines form in Mississippi, and oil prices rise so quickly? Americans have not had much to do with terrorism, thank God. They have not been threatened in their homeland so forcefully and viscerally in many years, if ever. Israelis know panic and fear; indeed, many of us live with it on a daily basis, albeit on a low flame.

It is not a sin to be realistic. It is not a failure to feel fear. Someone has said that a hero is a coward who stands his ground. May this be the experience of many this day! Terrorism attempts to achieve its primary goals through fear, not by physical casualties. Only through fear can one put a thousand to flight. And that principle works both ways! America, stand your ground!

GOD SPEAKS THROUGH THE ARTS

John the Baptist once declared that, if many Jews in his day would remain silent and not welcome Yeshua as Messiah, then God Himself would raise up stones and turn them into Jewish people who would give Him praise (Luke 3:7-9). In the same way, when prophetic voices are silent or distracted, God has no problem speaking through news media people, authors, film makers etc. We would suggest that you rent a movie which we have always felt has prophetic overtones, "The Siege starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis." Though there is some rough language in this movie, it is an important movie to watch. It describes and explains the spiritual motivations, the heartbeat, of Islamic terrorists - what they are prepared to do to achieve their vision. Their perspective is unsettling to many believers. The movie is set in NYC where Islamic terrorists are blowing up major buildings and wantonly destroying innocent American civilians in pursuit of their aims. The CIA agent in the film is the only one who clearly understands what America is up against, having trained the bombers in Afghanistan (Osama Bin Laden was trained by the CIA in Afghanistan!). Hard watching, but do it if you would like to better understand what just happened in New York City.

SHOUTS OF REJOICING IN THE TENTS OF THE PALESTINIANS

The world's television screens have shown repeatedly the images of young children, teenagers, 25 year olds, retirees and middle aged women - all flashing the 'V for Victory' sign, holding up Palestinian flags and dancing for joy, ululating cries of victory - all in celebration of the blow that Islam has inflicted on the United States. The Palestinian representative at the United Nations, interviewed on TV, said that these celebrators in the news clips showed only children and not representatives of the Palestinian people, while the film continued to roll on the screen, showing children, middle aged and elderly men and women - all joyfully participating.

It is worth remembering that during the Gulf War, the same Palestinians were rejoicing when American forces were scudded in Saudi Arabia; and on the day when President Clinton departed from Bethlehem, many Palestinians burned the American flags which just a few minutes before had flapped on telephone poles welcoming the President's motorcade. The hatred that many Muslims feel for the 'Great Satan' (as Iran calls the USA) is very much alive in the Middle East.

"WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!" THE CLAIM OVER AND OVER

When Arab representatives of the PLO, the PA, the DFLP and Hamas have been interviewed in the past few hours, their sound bite is always the same: "We condemn this. We have nothing to do with this. But America, wake up. This is happening because you have gotten us Arabs angry by your support of Israel! Rethink your position vis a vis Israel!" The message is very similar to that of the Islamic terrorist movements for the past 40 years: "All this bloodshed can be avoided if you just give in to what we want, and abandon Israel into our hands!" It is worth remembering that these terrorist groups still have no problem using terrorism against Israeli civilians targets, and that Arafat himself ordered the murder of a US diplomat taken hostage by the PLO in Sudan several years ago.

At this point, the grief and anger is so great in America that the desire for justice through deadly force must come to pass. Initially, a great wave of sympathy and empathy for what Israel has suffered through decades of terrorist attacks will probably be the order of the day. But there are even now voices (and they will increase) urging America to remove itself from the Middle Eastern theater so as to lessen potential American casualties. Do not be so swept up in the emotions of the moment, to miss how the tide is going to eventually turn against the Jewish State and against the Jewish people worldwide. Zechariah prophesied that all the nations of the world will one day come up against Jerusalem (14:2) for battle.

Now is the time to get back on the wall of intercession and find your spot. It is now more important than ever to pray, not to keep silent, and to take no rest for yourselves, neither give Him any rest, until the God of Israel establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the whole earth! (Isa.62:6-7).

With love from Israel,

Avner and Rachel Boskey psalm67@netvision.net.il