Antioch Agent

PAKISTAN/MALAYSIA: Over the weekend, a terrorist attack of massive proportions took place in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital in the evening. Launched at the time when many muslims were breaking fast during the Ramadhan season, the bomb-laden truck detonated, also setting to fire the gas piping with caused the blaze to spread with ferocity throughout the hotel grid. This caused the building to turn into a raging inferno. Scores of fatalities and umpteen seriously injured had to be accounted for. The carnage and wreck at the scene of the heinous crime was one of absolute mayhem, shocking across all scales. The fact that the perpetrators of such attacks have a seemingly unquenchable zeal and twisted sense of religiosity to it, further deepened worldwide fears that there seems to be no end in sight to all this madness.

I received word in Malaysia right on the eve of my departure to Pakistan, that the Marriott hotel had just been taken out by the worst terror suicide bombing attack in the country’s history. Of the many global events these days, this one in particular hit close to home, being that the only other Marriott still left standing on Pakistan soil, is the one in which I am presently typing away at this laptop. I have witnessed over the past few days the security within the parameter of the Karachi Marriott being speedily beefed up. The main entrance has been cordoned off whilst the alternate side entrance to the carpark and back exit points have been converted to the main means means of access into the hotel. A light armored truck with gunners on patrol can be seen guarding this newly commissioned front parking lot entrance. One is not first greeted by the warm smile of hotel staff, rather by sniffer dogs and security personnel who study faces and inspect the contents (including hood, trunk and underside) of the vehicle. All this precautions are necessary, as the Karachi site could always be a likely next target. There might be reason to belief that this latest attack could be linked with the upsurge of uninvited U.S. involvement in weeding out terrorist activities at the Pakistan border in recent days. Many of which oppose this uninvited military intervention. And with this growing tension on anti-US sentiment and the Marriott being a premier U.S. based hotel chain, i thought it would be of a rather interesting geographical note if you were informed that the Karachi Marriott is situated right beside the U.S. embassy too.

With all that said, it should be rather obvious that my reasons for being in Pakistan at a time like this is strictly business, not pleasure. But it has made me once again to consider how blessed I am to be Malaysia where such things are not a matter of monthly occurence (a local intimated that the regularity of a bombing is around once in 1 to 2 months). It makes me pause and give thanks to God for life, and more importantly life in Him. Yes, the child of God lives in certainty, while the world around us may be filled with uncertainty. With all of it’s uncertainties one could be here one moment and gone in the next. One could be in the lavish of a 5 star at one moment or in the blink of an eye, in a warzone.

I believe all these point to a time (and it may be very soon) when men will be saying “peace and safety” while what really overshadows those words is the very opposite. 1Thessalonians 5 speaks of this false sense of peace and safety …

1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

In God’s prophetic calendar, there is coming a time known as the day of the Lord . And when it arrives, it would be of unprecedented proportions, a globally unanticipated event. Just like this event recently, it comes unannounced and can catch everyone unaware. Every contingency or all the best laid plans man have devised for escape would fail, as verse 3 forthrightly states that “they shall not escape”. There will simply be no more time to react when the suddenness of the event takes many by surprise. It would certainly be too late. Ought not this to be a stronger impetus and added reason as to why we must more earnest be in our telling of the good news and “warning every man” (Col 1:28) of the coming judgment?

Now, while we as believers will not be a part of this time of travail (v.9) , we are reminded that the attitude in which we are to have in these days of declension and darkness is one of watchfulness and sobriety. This being that we are children, not of the night, but of light … and of the day. Paul goes on to say,

1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.

1Th 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

We note that 2 pieces of the armor of God are mentioned here (and in slightly different terms to Eph 6). It is a fitting reminder to us of with regards our earlier consideration for the need to appropriate the full armor of God. Twice in the passage are we called to be sober. Now this attitude of sobriety, together with watchfulness ( we can certainly add prayerful-ness to that), ought to be the attitude of them who the adorn the armor. To “Be sober”, is to be of a calm and sober disposition, in contrast to that of a man in a drunken stupor, unable to exercise any clear judgment. It also carries the meaning of being temperate, in which we are to be moderate and not excessive in our living.

These are sobering thoughts to me. This morning, this must cause me to reconsider the days in which I live in and the manner in which I should conduct myself in it.