THE TOWERS HAVE FALLEN -- BUT
WE HAVE MISSED THE MESSAGE...
David Wilkerson
Sep 21, 2001
Times Square Church, 1657
Broadway, NYC, New York 10019
http:// www.timessquarechurch.org
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the twin towers of the World Trade
Center in New York City were destroyed. Five days later, as I was
preparing this message, I looked out the window of my study in our
30th-floor apartment. Huge clouds of smoke were still smoldering from
the ruins. They rose from the rubble and drifted out over the Hudson
River, passing above the Statue of Liberty.
The following Sunday, just before I preached this message at Times
Square Church, I wept at the sight of the utter devastation. I pleaded
with God for mercy: mercy for the grieving families who lost loved
ones. Mercy for the workers still digging through the rubble, hoping to
locate survivors, but
finding only corpses and severed body parts. Mercy for all the police
officers, fire fighters and volunteers, who wept openly over the
indescribable horrors they saw.
Our church was allowed to set up a relief tent at ground zero of the
disaster. Ministry leaders and volunteers from our congregation worked
tirelessly around the clock, helping to feed and encourage the weary
workers.
Six weeks prior to the disaster, the Holy Spirit forewarned our
pastoral staff that a calamity was coming. We had scheduled several
major events for the weeks ahead, including our Missions Conference and
Youth Convention. But God’s Spirit prompted us to cancel them all.
Instead, we felt stirred to call our congregation to prayer.
We decided to hold prayer meetings four nights a week. From the very
beginning, each meeting was marked by an awesome stillness that settled
over the congregation. We sat quietly in the Lord’s presence, often
without a sound, for up to an hour, followed by soft weeping and
heartrending repentance. In one meeting, I had to steady my knees with
my hands, to keep them from trembling in God’s awesome presence.
During this visitation from the Lord, the Holy Ghost revealed there was
a reason for the weeping in our hearts. We were being so moved because
a tragedy was coming. A severe calamity was coming to the nation. And
even though we didn’t know what it was, our hearts were stirred to
intercede
concerning it.
Then suddenly, the calamity struck. And it hit not only our city, but
the nation’s capital. One network anchor declared, “Think of it, our
two symbols of power and prosperity have been smitten in one hour.”
Little did he know, he was quoting Revelation
18:10: “Alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour
is thy judgment come.”
As a policeman from our church helped out at ground zero, his fellow
officers kept asking him, “What’s this all about? What’s happening?”
Meanwhile, the whole nation has been asking,
“Where is God in all this?”
We’re right to ask this question. We need to understand where God is in
this calamity. And to do that, we have to trust his holy Word alone.
We’ve heard hundreds of opinions from media experts and politicians.
But all their rhetoric has begun to sound the same. There’s no real
understanding about the meaning of this sudden destruction.
There is one thing I can assure you of: God wasn’t taken by surprise.
He knows the thoughts of all human beings, including every ruler,
despot and terrorist. The Lord monitors the movements of every person
in the entire mass of humankind. He knows when we sit down or stand up.
And I can
tell you, this one thing is sure: God has everything under control.
Nothing on the face of the earth takes place without his knowledge of
it, his permission for it, and, at times, his doing behind it.
If You’re a Christian, You
Know God Has Delivered a Message to America and the World Through This
Disaster.
Ministers and theologians everywhere are saying, “God had nothing to do
with these disasters. He wouldn’t allow such awful things to happen.”
Yet nothing could be further from the truth. This kind of thinking is
causing our nation to rapidly miss the message God wants to speak to us
through the tragedy.
The fact is, we have to have a word from God. Like many pastors, I’ve
wept and grieved over this awful calamity. I’ve sought the Lord in
prayer and through his Word. And I want to tell you, I’ve experienced a
grief that’s even deeper than the mourning for innocent people dying.
It’s a grief that says if we miss God’s message, if we turn a deaf ear
to what he’s loudly proclaiming, then much worse is in store for us.
The prophet Isaiah speaks directly to what we’ve just experienced. (If
you object to using the Old Testament for examples, consider Paul’s
words on the subject: “All these things
happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” [1 Corinthians
10:11]. Paul makes it clear: the examples of the Old
Testament reveal just how God moves in times like ours.)
At the time that Isaiah prophesied, God had been dealing patiently with
Israel for about 250 years. The Lord had sent “light afflictions” upon
his people, calling them to repentance. He was trying to woo them out
of their brazen idolatry and back into his blessing and favor.
All of the prophets throughout the years had spoken to Israel the same
essential word: “Humble yourselves.” Scripture says, “They served idols…yet the Lord testified against
Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers,
saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my
statutes” (2 Kings 17:12-13).
But God’s chosen nation rejected his call to repentance. “They would not hear, but hardened their necks”
(17:14).
These people mocked the prophets who called them to humility. And,
instead, they “followed vanity, and became
vain…and they left all the commandments of the Lord their God…and sold
themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord…therefore the Lord was
very angry with Israel” (17:15-18) .
God Sent Wake-Up Calls to Israel.
The Lord’s first wake-up call to Israel came in an invasion by Assyria.
This arch enemy attacked two Israelite provinces, Zebulun and Naphtali.
Fortunately, the attacks were limited to these two points, and the
damage was minimal. Yet God was clearly speaking to his people. The
Lord’s chosen nation lost their sense of security. Yet they still
missed the message God was speaking.
Israel then received a second wake-up call. This one was very severe.
Two nations whom Scripture calls the “enemies of Israel” — the Syrians
and the Philistines — combined forces for a sudden attack. According to
Isaiah, this attack came from both “before,
and…behind” (Isaiah 9:12). This means the invaders came from
the east and the west, surrounding Israel. And their sudden attack was
totally devastating.
Now we come to the heart of my message, and to the question most
Americans are asking: Where was God in this sudden invasion of his
chosen land? What were his people to make of the disaster that had come
upon them? Isaiah tells us God was faithful to speak to his people: “The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath
lighted upon Israel” (Isaiah 9:8) ..
God spoke a clear word. And he sent the message to the whole nation.
Beloved, this verse tells us something very important at our own time
of devastation. It says simply, “God always sends his word.” Never in
history has the Lord left his people clueless in a time of calamity. He
has never abandoned us and forced us to figure out things on our own.
He always provides a word of understanding.
Even now the Lord is raising up godly watchmen to speak for him in
these times. These shepherds are grieving, weeping and repenting as
they seek God’s face. And I believe they’re hearing and understanding
the Lord’s message behind the present events. Moreover, they’re not
afraid to proclaim dire warnings, because they know they’ve heard from
God. They’re compelled to speak of his purposes behind our calamities.
I Have to Speak a Word
None of Us Wants to Hear.
Many readers won’t receive the word I’m about to deliver. They’ll think
it’s heartless, cruel, unkind in a time of grieving. But, I tell you,
if we don’t hear God’s truth and face it, our nation is doomed. Here is
the word I hear the Lord speaking to us right now: “The Lord shall set up the adversaries of
Rezin against him, and join his enemies together…for the people
turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord
of hosts” (Isaiah 9:11, 13).
The Bible makes it crystal clear: God used enemy nations to chasten his
people. The Lord wielded these enemies as an instrument of warning to
Israel, calling the nation to repent. “O
Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine
indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and
against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the
spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of
the streets” (10:5-6).
God charged this coalition of Israel’s enemies to chasten his chosen
people. The Lord was trying to warn Israel, “You’ve lifted yourself up
with pride. Now I’m about to bring you down. I’m going to allow you to
be disciplined by your enemies.”
The enemy coalition launched their massive attack. And, suddenly, the
Israelites watched in horror as their buildings began to collapse.
Fires raged throughout the cities, burning down stately structures. In
a short time, Israel was in flames. And God’s people began to wail, “The bricks are fallen down…the sycamores are cut
down” (9:10).
After witnessing the recent disasters in New York and Washington, we
can begin to imagine the emotions of the ancient Israelites. Yet, did
Israel repent after this horrifying attack? Was there a nationwide
acknowledgment that God was sending them a warning? Did the rulers hear
God
speaking through the awful calamity? No. Israel’s reaction was just the
opposite. The people’s initial fear quickly gave way to a flood tide of
national pride. “All the people…say in the
pride and stoutness of heart” (9:9).
The Hebrew word for stoutness in this verse signifies a sense of
greatness. In other words, once the attack died down, the Israelites
regained their confidence. They declared, “The
bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the
sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars” (9:10).
They were saying, in other words, “These calamities aren’t from our
Lord. They’re simple fate, unfortunate disasters that can’t be
explained.
“We’re a great and mighty nation. We’re made up of a proud, unbending
people. And we’re going to let the world know we’re coming back. We’ll
build everything back bigger and better. Where we used bricks before,
we’ll use stone. And where we once built with cheap construction, we’ll
use better materials. We’re a God-blessed nation. And we’re going to
come through this disaster stronger than ever.”
Doesn’t this all sound very familiar? The Lord himself used an evil
enemy to send a warning of chastisement to his people. He wanted to
wake them up to their compromise, bring them back to himself, pour out
his blessings on them, and surround them with his protection. Yet,
throughout their days of grief and horror, God’s people never once
acknowledged his hand in it all. No one asked, “What is the Lord saying
through all this? Is he trying to speak to us?” No one thought for a
moment that such a proud, great nation could be humbled and chastised.
On the contrary, the people used the occasion to defy any such thought.
They refused to hear God’s warning to them.
I ask you: does Israel’s example hit home with you, after everything
we’ve witnessed in recent weeks? Please don’t misunderstand me. I thank
God we have a moral President leading our country. I thank the Lord for
all the devout Christians who serve in high office. Our church prays
diligently for our nation’s leaders. And we’re grateful for the
temporary outpouring of prayer nationwide. It’s encouraging to see
people sobering up and beginning to rethink their lifestyles.
Yet, even so, we risk missing God’s message to us. Think about it: when
our public assemblies call for a moment of silence, we think it’s true
repentance. When we see politicians singing “God Bless America,” we
think our nation has turned back to God. When we see sporting events
observe a silent minute at halftime, we think it’s a spiritual
experience.
But is this all that’s going to come out of our recent disaster? Will
people in sports stadiums stand in silence for a minute, then go back
to painting their bodies in wild colors, chug beer after beer, and
scream maniacally for their favorite team?
Like most Americans, I wept as I saw Senators and Congressional leaders
standing on the steps of the Capitol, singing, “God bless America…stand
beside us, and guide us…” Yet, as I was crying, the Lord reminded me,
“Many of the leaders you see singing have worked to rule me out of
American society. They are even determined to remove my name from
American history books. And they’ve allowed the murder of millions of
babies through abortion.”
Suddenly, I was struck by the absolute hypocrisy of it all. We give lip
service to God, but we continue our slide into the mire of immorality.
When a Nation Is Under
Divine Correction, It Will React in One of Two Ways.
A nation under chastisement may humble itself and repent, as Nineveh
did. Or, it may give lip service to God, but then turn inward to its
own strength to rise above the correction. There will be a rallying
cry, stating, “We have the strength to endure any disaster. And we have
the ability and resolve to overcome any problem. We’re truly a great
nation.”
I’m as patriotic as any American. And I’m as thrilled as anyone at the
unity our nation is experiencing. I thank God for the heroic efforts
and incredible sacrifices we’ve seen in the wake of the terrorist
attacks. The whole world is in awe of the fortitude and love displayed
by the people of New York, Washington, D.C. and America in general.
But we face the same danger Israel did. In our fiery patriotism, we
could easily miss God’s message to our nation. And right now, we’re
standing at the very same crossroads where Israel stood.
I wonder: if we had lived in Isaiah’s day, would we have listened to
his prophetic warnings? Or would we have turned a deaf ear to him? Both
Jerusalem and the nation of Judah refused to believe they could be
brought low. Yet Isaiah prophesied, “Shall I not, as I have done unto
Samaria and her
idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?” (Isaiah 10:11). God was
saying, in essence, “I’ve judged other nations for the very idolatry
you’re practicing. Why wouldn’t I judge you? What makes you exempt from
my law?”
All across America, people are holding meetings for “prayer and
remembrance.” It’s right and honorable (and totally scriptural) to
remember those who have died. But why are we so afraid to also call for
meetings of “prayer and repentance”? Right now, most Americans are
focused on remembrance and revenge. Yet, where is the call in America
to turn back to God?
As for the punishment of terrorists, Isaiah addresses this issue as
well. He declares, “When the Lord hath
performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will
punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria” (Isaiah
10:12).
Indeed, when God was finished using Assyria as “the rod of mine anger,”
he destroyed them. Likewise, God will bring down any terrorists who
attack and murder innocent people. It won’t be long before they meet
their eternal destiny in hell.
Here Is the Message I
Believe God Is Trumpeting in Our Calamities.
Deep in my spirit, I hear the Lord saying, “I’ve prospered you above
all nations. Yet, for years you’ve persisted in worshipping idols of
gold and silver. I’ve endured your shameless sensuality, your mockery
of holy things, your shedding of innocent blood, your tireless efforts
to remove me
from your society. Now time is running out for you.
“I’ve sent you prophet after prophet, watchman after watchman. You’ve
been warned again and again. Yet still you won’t open your eyes to your
wicked ways. Now I’ve stricken you, in hopes of saving you. I want to
heal your land, to destroy your enemies, to bring you back into my
blessing. But you don’t have eyes to see it.”
If God wouldn’t spare other nations that have outlawed him, why would
he spare America? He’ll judge us even as he judged Sodom, Rome, Greece
and every other culture that has turned its back on him.
Consider what God spoke through Ezekiel: “Cast
away from you all your transgressions…and make you a new heart and a
new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no
pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore
turn yourselves, and live ye” (Ezekiel 18:31-32).
For anyone who doubts that God feels pain, here is proof positive of
his great compassion. He too feels grief and sorrow over death. He’s
telling us in this passage, “I take no pleasure in seeing you suffer
and die. That’s why I’m pleading with you now: turn from your sin and
live.”
God weeps especially over those calamities that befall innocents. In
these past weeks, you can be sure Jesus has been weeping over the
victims of the terrorist attacks. He is said to “bottle the tears of
his saints.” Indeed, I believe many of the tears shed by Christians are
God’s own tears, prompted by his Spirit in us.
Yet, at times, God’s justice and righteousness cause him to restrain
his pity. And he’s forced to carry out his righteous judgments as a
last resort. The greatest example of this is the sacrifice of his Son,
Jesus. Justice demanded that the sins of the whole world be laid on an
innocent man, and that this man would be condemned to die for all. Tell
me, who could be more innocent than God’s own Son? Yet Christ willingly
gave himself as a sacrifice, to offer deliverance and salvation to all
of humankind.
What Will Happen to America
If We Miss God’s Message?
What will be our nation’s fate if we reject God’s call to turn wholly
to him? What will happen if abortions continue and fetuses are used for
research…if we keep erasing our Savior’s name from American history…if
we rebuild all things bigger and better, only to enrich ourselves
more…if we rely on our armed might rather than on God for power?
Isaiah describes what happens to every nation that rejects God and
boasts of its own greatness: “Wickedness
burneth as the fire…..they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the
people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his
brother. And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry…they
shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm” (Isaiah 9:18-20).
Devouring fires will rise to the heavens. Darkness will cover the land.
The economy will be hit with a staggering blow. And there will be
disunity in the nation, in communities, in neighborhoods, in families.
People will look out only for themselves, in a desperate fight to
survive. And God help you
if you come near them.
I was given a prophetic message nine years ago, and I delivered it at
Times Square Church on September 7, 1992. Let me share it with you now:
“This warning is not meant to scare you. It’s meant only for you to
take to the Lord and pray. This is what I believe God has shown me:
“Thirty days of chastisement will fall on New York City such as the
world has never seen. God is going to let down the walls. There will be
unimaginable violence and looting. The violence will be so ferocious,
it will shock the whole world. Our streets will be lined not just with
the National Guard but with militia.
“A thousand fires will burn at the same time throughout the city. The
Los Angeles fires were confined to a few sections of that city, but New
York will be ablaze in all its boroughs. Times Square will be ablaze,
and the flames will ascend into heaven and be seen for miles. Fire
trucks will not be able to handle it all.
“Trains and buses will be shut down. Billions of dollars will be lost.
Broadway shows will stop completely. Businesses will flee the city in
an unstoppable hemorrhage. Such things are expected in Third World
countries, but not in a civilized nation like the United States. Yet,
in not too long a time afterward, New York City will go completely
bankrupt. The Queen City will be cast into the dirt, becoming a city of
poverty.
“You may ask, when will all this happen? All I can say is, I believe I
will be here when it happens. Yet, when it does, God’s people are not
to panic or fear.”
Calls and messages have flooded our ministry offices, asking, “Was the
terrorist attack on September 11 the calamity you were prophesying back
in 1992?”
No, not at all. What I saw coming will be much more severe. Indeed, if
America rejects God’s call to turn back to him, we’ll face the same
judgments Israel faced. And they will hit not only New York but every
region in the country. Even the heartland won’t be spared. The nation’s
economy will collapse, and violence will erupt. Fires will consume our
cities, and tanks will rumble through the
streets.
Perhaps you wonder, as I have, “Can any of this be avoided?” Yes,
absolutely. I believe we’ll be given a reprieve if our President proves
to be a Josiah. You may well remember Josiah as the king who sought the
Lord with all his heart. We all should pray that God would give our
President the same spirit that Josiah had, to tremble at his Word. The
Lord spoke the following to Josiah:
“Behold, I will bring evil upon this
place, and upon the inhabitants thereof…because they have forsaken me,
and have (worshipped) other gods…But [say] to the king of Judah which
sent you to enquire of the Lord…Because thine heart was tender, and
thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, and thou heardest what I
spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that
they should become a desolation and a curse…I also have heard thee,
saith the Lord. Behold therefore…thine eyes shall not see all the evil
which I will bring upon this place” (2 Kings 22:15-20) .
God told the king, in essence, “As long as you’re in power, trembling
at my Word and relying on me, you won’t see the judgments to come. They
won’t happen during your reign.”
I believe our window of opportunity to respond to God’s call is brief.
We all should pray that our nation repents and turns back to the Lord.
But our most intense prayers should be for our own hearts: “Lord, let
me tremble not at the disasters, but at your Word. I want to hear your
voice in all of this. Cause me to turn wholly to you.”
Times Square Church, 1657 Broadway, NYC, New York 10019
http:// www.timessquarechurch.org
