That was what a friend said about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US when I mentioned them in my story. She is from the New York area and I’m sure it hit her family very hard. I know what she meant because I had recently joined the US State Department and was in training near Washington DC when it happened. Some of my classmates and teachers had family members in New York and they were worried as they watched the news reports in horror.
When it became clear it was an attack, we wondered what would come next. Then the Pentagon was hit, and the plane crashed in Pennsylvania and speculation ran wild. Terrorism was something that happened “overseas” and to other people. We were powerful with our nuclear arsenal, global military presence, and the oceans were our protection. While we were focus elsewhere, terrorists took advantage of our lax entry requirements and flight training. Once the new threat was discovered “everything changed” again.
Air travel within the US used to be simple. With a credit card and a valid ID, to prove the credit card was yours, you could board a plane with a carryon bag and go anywhere. Now you need all kinds of identification, carry-ons are restricted, belts and shoes must be removed, pockets emptied, jackets off, you and your luggage will be scanned and searched. If you get on the “No-Fly List” you can’t fly at all. It feels more like Russia or China instead of the Land of the Free.
I know many things have changed, but not everything. The Bible says, “I am the Lord, I change not” (Mal 3:6 KJV). GOD is the same today as He was before the terrorist attack. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16-17 KJV). He gave us JESUS CHRIST who is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb 13:8) to wash away our sins and His precious blood has never changed or lost it power to wash away our sins.
Everyone who died in those attacks, including the terrorists, had the opportunity to be saved before they died. I’ll agree when it comes to those who died, “everything changed.” If they weren’t saved, they passed through the broad gate “that leadeth to destruction” (Mat 7:13 KJV). For those who accepted JESUS CHRIST as their Savior, they passed through the narrow gate “which leadeth unto life” (Mat 7:14 KJV)!
Wayne Lance – That’s Good News to Share!