No Time For Rejoicing

                     Christian Encouragement November 17, 2001                                         \\\\*\\\*Hi Everyone!\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*Proverbs 24:17,18 NIV\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*---"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart         rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him."\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*Proverbs 24:17,18 KJV\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*---"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he         stumbleth: Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from         him."\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*Remember when we saw the people from Afghanistan and other Arab countries dancing and         cheering in the streets when the Pentagon and World Trade Center buildings were hit? I         don't know about any of you, but I was angry! I kept ranting, "Look at those people! Can         you believe this? We haven't done anything to them. How could they act like that? How         barbaric!! Look at that woman laughing! FINE....we'll just cream them off the planet!!"\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*Normal reaction for me, under the circumstances....and for them. They hate America for         what she stands for. For a while there, I hated them for hating us, but even more for         dancing and cheering in the streets at our pain.\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*Then, our ships started heading over to the Middle East. President Bush gave them firm         warning. He even gave those laughing barbarians time to get out of the way. Before the         bombs dropped, we started dropping food and medicine. I kept thinking, "Why are we even         feeding these people? Why does America always take care of the whole world? War is         supposed to be HELL." Why? Because we are STILL a civilized people, even in time of war.\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*Since the 9/11 attack on America, I have received so much hate mail. Not aimed against         me this time, but aimed at Bin Laden and the Taliban. I'm not upset with any of you, nor         am I chewing anyone out for it! I've passed along a couple of them myself. However,         shortly after the attacks, the Lord reminded me of something very important. The scripture         I quoted above. Yes, the Taliban is breaking up somewhat, and yes, one of Bin Laden's top         men has died. Yes, our military and government are tough. Our soldiers look downright         intimidating as they walk through crowds of Afghanis. I'm proud to be an American,         totally! I'm also behind the President in his decision, but my attitude toward the enemy         has changed.\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*Stop and think about this. If Osama Bin Laden knew Christ as his Savior, would he have         masterminded such destruction? If Afghanistan's religion was Christianity, would they have         laughed and danced in the streets? So tell me this, if America receives the head of Bin         Laden on a silver platter, will we Christians rejoice? Don't get me wrong! I believe our         government is doing just what it should be doing, but it's not a time of celebration.\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*Every time a lost person dies, he faces Hell for all of eternity. There were lost         people who died in the WTC and the Pentagon. There are also lost people dying in         Afghanistan. Lost is lost....and no matter who it is, hellfire awaits. As God's children,         we have absolutely no reason to gloat or cheer here. When Bin Laden goes down, I will not         go outside and dance in the street. I will not send presents to my family and friends. I         will not even smile. He will have received justice, I think even in the Lord's eyes, but I         will not be rejoicing. The sights and sounds of our enemies partying in front of TV         cameras reminds me too much of the scene in Revelation 11:9,10 KJV\\\\\--\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*"And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead         bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and         shall send gifts one to another\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth."\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*For those who don't know, these are the two witnesses that the Lord will send, during         the Tribulation, to witness for Him. Can't you just picture it?\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*I realize this encouragement may not go down well for some who read it today. I         completely understand. I fully agree our enemy must be brought low and for the safety of         America, he and his cohorts must die. I thank God, in spite of past opposition in former         presidencies, that He has blessed America with a strong and mighty military. One that is         feared, respected, and in some cases, hated by other nations. But, my first allegiance is         to the Lord God my Savior. I trust Him for my safety.\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*War is certainly war. There is a time for everything according to the Book of         Ecclesiastes. As long as people are alive, each day is a time for prayer. Friend or foe.\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*Pray for the spreading of God's Word in Afghanistan and pray for the lost, here and         abroad. The Lord commands it.\\\\*\\\*\\\*\\\*Love in Christ,\\\\*\\\*                                          Debbie Reed-Parman