THE DATE OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 IS A DATE THAT WILL FOREVER LIVE IN UNITED
STATES HISTORY. IT MARKS THE DAY WHEN THE REALITY OF THE END-TIMES BECAME
PART OF OUR EVERY DAY LIVES. MAY GOD BE MERCIFUL TO THIS GREAT NATION AND
ITS' PEOPLE AS THESE EVENTS UNFOLD. PLEASE MAKE SURE THIS GETS POSTED IN
YOUR CHURCH, AT YOUR WORK, AND YOU SEND IT TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

WHY DID GOD ALLOW THIS?
It is 10pm on Tuesday night, the 11th of September as I write this
Devotional. I am absolutely drained as I type these words. I have been in
prayer the last hour, asking God to speak through me to help put this
watershed day in US history in some perspective for you. First of all,
thank you for joining me this morning in what turned out to be an incredible
prayer effort. Less than an hour after the events of the day began to
unfold, I sent a special call to prayer to over 700,000 worldwide that make
up the subscriber base of this Daily Devotional. Many forwarded it on to
family and friends, and within a few hours, we had mobilized over 1 million
around the world to be in prayer for the families of those who lost loved
ones, for the injured, for those brave men and women in the rescue teams,
the talented people in the hospitals, for our nations leaders, and finally,
for those who planned and carried out this horrific attack on innocent
people. I know God heard our prayers and has been working in a mighty way
throughout this tragic day. Additionally, we were flooded with tens of
thousands of emails, many expressing fear over what happened, many wondering
if the end is now upon us, most asking simply, why did God allow this? Let
me take this time to deal with these questions, and put this days events in
perspective for you.

Why did God allow this to happen to innocent people? There is never a good
answer when these tragedies occur. To try and understand however, you must
step back and look at the big picture. God made man and all creation
perfect. When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, that perfection was
spoiled. He was now born with sin and his environment was tainted by sin.
The fact is, we live in a world where evil abounds. It is rampant
throughout every aspect of creation. As part of this world, we are subject
to the evil actions of sinful men around us. Could God stop an event like
this from occurring? Of course. Why doesn't He? Only God knows that
answer, but the Bible teaches us that there will come a day in time when He
will end this world as we know it. Don't forget, we are bound by time and
space. We measure our lives with time. God is not bound by time and space.
The Bible tells us that a thousand years are but a day to God. So while we
may wonder why it takes God so long to clean things up, we forget that God
has no conception of time. His creation will come and go quickly in light
of eternality, even though it seems like a long time to us.

The fact is, all throughout human history, people are born and they die.
Many die tragically, seemingly innocent of anything other than being in the
wrong place at the wrong time. Nobody who got on those hijacked planes
today, nobody who went to work at the World Trade Center today, nobody who
went to work at the Pentagon today, thought they would never make it back
home. The Bible clearly tells us that tomorrow is promised to none of us.
That is why we must make the most of today, and treat it like the precious
gift it is. We must find ways to serve Him, even if that is simply being
kind to someone you meet along the way. We should never take for granted
our daily time with the Lord in prayer and the Word, since that is the only
relationship we take with us into eternity. Never take your life for
granted, since you never know when and how it will end. Until God steps in
and wipes this creation away as He has promises to do one day, there will be
evil in the world, and innocent people will tragically die.

Is this the start of the end times? Let me say this. In my spiritual gut,
I believe today was a VERY big day in the overall end times events. Any
time someone tries to take a specific current event and match it up with a
passage of Scripture, be VERY CAUTIOUS of that person. That is an extremely
dangerous game. My gut instinct about what happened today is in this
context. There is no doubt that the United States has played a special role
in God's overall plan. This nation was blessed from its founding and used
by God to bring millions and millions of souls worldwide to the Kingdom. I
have shared in the past how I was very concerned that in the last 40 years
we have squandered our blessing through the moral decay we have allowed this
nation to undergo. The destruction of the family, abortion, compromising
the Word of God, have led to the United States to be much like Israel in the
Old Testament. I have warned you, and have no doubt that without dealing
with these issues immediately, God will eventfully take His hand of
protection and blessing off of our great nation, just like He did at times
with Israel. The Holy Spirit quickened in me this morning as I watched what
happened, that "God allowed this to happen to our great nation". Only God
knows the day and time of the return of Christ, but the Bible says it will
be in the twinkling of an eye. The Word of God clearly tells us that we are
living in the last days. Today's event for me was simply more confirmation
of that.

What can I do? Pray and serve. Today is a wake up call for all of God's
children to realize how serious this battle is. We have it way too easy
here in the United States. We have the freedom to worship God any way that
we want, we face minimal if any persecution, we have the resources of the
greatest nation in the world. Yet despite all of that, the majority of
God's children here are spiritually fat and lazy. We pay very little cost
to be called a child of God. I think about those early Christians, how they
sat in the Roman prisons, waiting to be fed to the lions. They knew that
there was a price to be a Christian, and were happy to pay it. I think
about how a handful of common men after our Lord's death, burial, and
resurrection turned the world of their day upside down with the Good News
of Jesus Christ. How? They were sold out and committed to share the Gospel
with everyone. They knew the price of being a Christian was their very
life. It no longer belonged to them, but belonged to God. I pray that
today will be a wake up call in your life that being a Christian has a price
attached to it. So many are focused on this brief time here, instead of the
eternity that awaits each of us. They forget that their role here is to be
a servant, not be served. I take this message today to the masses, because
the majority of the spiritual leaders of our day have no vision, they have
no leadership skills, they have no fire to send the people of God out into
this sin-filled and evil world and proclaim that Jesus Christ is the King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords!!!!!! My word for you tonight is quit waiting for
your pastor, or some evangelist, or a TV preacher, or anyone else to do
great things for God. THAT IS WHY GOD HAS RAISED YOU UP
IN THESE LAST DAYS. TO DO GREAT THINGS FOR HIM.
No football player ever won the Super Bowl, no baseball player ever
won the World Series by sitting in he stands. You have to get out on
the field and work hard every day, give it 100%, and expect
God to use you to share the hope and love of Christ with this dying world.
I PRAY TONIGHT THAT YOU WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
AGAIN, THAT EVERYONE WHO DIED IN THIS TRAGEDY
TODAY WILL BE A REMINDER TO YOU THAT THE ENEMY
IS OUT TO KILL, STEAL, AND DESTROY, AND THAT GOD
HAS CALLED YOU!!!!...YOU!!!...FOR ASUCH A TIME AS THIS!!!!!!

I love you and care about you so much. I am not afraid of the events of
today, I am challenged by them. I see them as an incredible opportunity to
share Christ with a world that is hurting, lost, and looking for answers.
We have the answers for this world, and they are in a personal relationship
with the Lord Jesus Christ. Bad things will happen to good people in this
evil world until God brings this world to an end. We ARE living in the end
times according to Scripture. We each have a responsibility as a Christian
to be about our Father's business until either Christ comes or God tells us
our work here is over and calls us home. May we never forget that we must
work while it is still light, that night is coming. May you and your family
be richly blessed during these extraordinary times in which we live.

My friend, let me take this time to ask you if you died today, are you 100%
sure that you will spend your eternity with Jesus? If you can not answer
that question yes, or you are not sure, please go to
www.liveprayer.com/SPlan.html . Pray and ask God to open your heart before
you read this information. This is the most important decision that you
will make in this life. I am praying for you.

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller