Where Was God - and Why?

Greetings, friends around the world! This is Roderick C. Meredith for the Living Church of God.

A horrifying tragedy struck the United States of America on September 11. Thousands have died, and billions of dollars in damage has been inflicted on America and its business enterprises. We should all feel deep sorrow and compassion for the people and families who are involved. This event has shaken our entire nation! And it should shake each one of us individually! We do need to pray for our fellow Americans and others who are suffering.

But, as I asked in my first commentary on this event, we should all ask "why?"

If there is a "real" God—a God of total power—then why did He allow this horrifying tragedy?

At any step along the way, He could have intervened. He could have stopped it!

Am I saying that God did this?

No, not at all! But He very obviously allowed very sick and hate-filled individuals to carry out the most heinous attack on the United States in decades—if not in its entire history!

Again, why?

Let me explain: If you were God, would you bless and protect a nation which claimed to trust in You and yet broke and smashed your spiritual laws with absolute impunity? A nation which has exterminated 35 to 40 million unborn children in the last few decades?

A nation filled with liars, thieves, drunkards, drug addicts and sex perverts?

A nation which legally protects foul mouthed individuals who are blaspheming and cursing God's very Name on the public media?

What kind of a "God" would bless and protect a nation that did all of these things—and much more?

Do you get the picture?

God did not directly cause these recent tragedies! Rather, as our personal and national sins have increased, He has "removed" His protective hand from the United States, Britain and Canada!

We are not truly "Christian" nations anymore—not by any honest definition of "Christianity"!

The Word of the great God tells us: "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1-2).

So why should we expect the God of the Bible to bless and protect us?

Why?

Notice Jesus Christ's comment regarding the tragedy in His nation when the tower of Siloam fell—about these kinds of tragedies: "There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish'" (Luke 13:1-5).

Yes, as in that time, this entire nation needs to repent! Our professing-Christian leaders need to acknowledge that "sin is the transgression of God's LAW" (1 John 3:4, KJV). Look it up, my friends, in your Bible. That is the definition of sin, which the ministers of this world do not like to acknowledge. Sin is breaking the Ten Commandments! Yet, they try to claim the Ten Commandments are done away, and they have undermined the very standard God Himself gave for good behavior! We read in 1 John 3:4 that "sin is the transgression of God's Law." And our people need to genuinely learn to "seek" the true God and turn to His ways and to obedience to His spiritual Law—the Ten Commandments! They need to learn to begin to study His Word and actually do what the Bible says! Do you really believe that our peoples as a whole will actually do this?

Notice what the God of heaven told Solomon and his people after the dedication of the magnificent temple at Jerusalem.

"Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: 'I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence (Or, I might say, terrorism) among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land'" (2 Chronicles 7:12-14).

Speaking of rain and disease epidemics, my friends, do you know what really controls these events and others?

Do you realize that—unless we truly repent as a nation—terrifying storms, earthquakes, disease epidemics and terrorists will continue to shake our nations? They will begin to intervene more than they have ever done. These things will happen along with continued terrorist activities. We need to realize this. God talks about this in the prophecies of His Word. We have shown you these things on the Tomorrow's World telecast and in the Tomorrow's World magazine again and again and again.

If you want to understand—and not just "make excuses"—then please contact us and request our eye-opening booklet titled Who Controls the Weather? Who controls the weather and these things that are about to begin to happen? This booklet will be sent absolutely free, upon your request. And you will automatically be sent a free subscription to our very informative prophetic magazine titled Tomorrow's World! You need to know!

You need to know! Both of these vital items are available on our Web site, or from our regional office nearest you. All of our literature is absolutely free, with no charge whatsoever! You do need to understand.

This Work is probably your only source of full understanding. So keep watching this site. Contact us today. Request and study this literature. "Watch and pray," as Jesus said. Ask God for understanding. And ask God for courage—real courage—and faith to act on the Truth.

This is Roderick C. Meredith, for the Living Church of God.