One word that I started getting on the day of this tragedy was "heroes." It was not until this morning that I began to understand it. A hero is someone who takes decisive action in a crisis. This is what the Lord wants His people to do in this crisis, and every crisis.

I have heard many comment that we are in the first stages of the great tribulation, that the anti-Christ is coming, and since it is prophesied, there is nothing that we can do about it. This is a tragic deception. Let's read what the Lord said about this very thing in Daniel 11:31-32:

"And forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with
the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.

"And by smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward
the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take
action.

The people who "know their God will display strength and take action." Many Christians have embraced doctrines of demons that are intended to paralyze the church when she most needs to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, but it is the nature of those who really know God to display strength and take action, even in the face of the anti-Christ. Christianity is not passive, and it is not fatalistic.

When I heard about the crash near Pittsburgh I felt that some heroic action had taken place, and I assumed that it was on the part of the pilots. When I heard about the men on that flight taking a vote to resist the hijackers I felt that there was truth to this even though it may never be proved. This probably saved many lives on the ground. I also felt that the Lord honored those brave souls who took this action.

I do not want to in any way detract from what they did, but next time do not wait for the vote! Use wisdom, but display strength, and take action! As Daniel 12:3 declares, "And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." If we have the light it should shine even brighter in the darkness. Those who have light in the midst of darkness are going to attract crowds, and will lead many others to righteousness.

Also, many, even "Christian unbelievers" will criticize those who use crisis to try to lead others to Christ. That is the voice of hell and do not pay any attention to it. What good is our faith if we do not lead those to the Light Himself in times of darkness? This is not spiritual opportunism, but spiritual responsibility. However, I will rejoice even in those who are doing it out of spiritual opportunism if it helps to lead others to the Lord. That's why the apostle Paul said that he did not care what people's pretense was for preaching Christ, he was just glad that they were doing it (Philippians 1:18).

We must not let the voices of those who are in confusion, and in darkness, detract from our purpose for being here-to display strength and take action. There are bad things coming that are inevitable, but we are here to be lights right in the face of it. You may be on earth for just such a time as this.

 Let me reiterate something I wrote yesterday before going on to a most important point. As Psalm 115:16 declares, "The heavens are the heavens of the LORD; but the earth He has given to the sons of men." The Lord has delegated authority to men over the earth that even He will not usurp. That is why the Lord will not do things on the earth until we pray even though He knows what we have need of. We are His body that He wants to work through on the earth, and what He does He wants to do through His people. We must understand this. There are wrong concepts and teachings about the sovereignty of God that have been perpetrated by the devil to paralyze the church in these most crucial times for us to take action.

God is 100% sovereign, and He has given free will to man. These are not in conflict. It was in His sovereignty that He gave man free will. As we are told in II Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, {there} is liberty." Liberty is the freedom to act. That is why the Lord put the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden. There could be no true obedience if there were not the freedom to disobey. He gave man choice from the very beginning, and He has never taken it back. We do choose our own destiny by either obeying or disobeying, everyday.

C.S. Lewis makes one of the great cases for this understanding in his classic work Paralendra. In this story the man Ransom is fighting with the demonic enemy who is trying to seduce the new world that has just been created. When Ransom cries out to the Lord, "God, why don't you do something?" The Lord simply answers back, "Ransom, you are what I'm doing!" Ransom won.

It has been repeated often that the only way that evil can prevail is for good men to do nothing. This is true. Even if we are living in the times when an anti-Christ takes over the world for a time, it should only happen over our dead bodies-literally. We should gladly accept death than to let evil prevail. There are things worth dying for, and life is not worth living if we have compromised with evil in order to live.

It seems that there were twelve hijackers who were willing to die for their faith, and they took thousands of souls with them. The Lord is looking for martyrs too. We are promised in Acts 1:8, "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." The Greek word that is translated "witnesses" in this text is martus (mar'-toos), which is the word we derive our English word "martyr" from.
 
Paul said he "died daily." He did this by not living for himself, but for the Lord. Day and night he sought the will of His master, and he did it. When the Lord found just a handful of such men and women He turned the whole world upside down with them. However, they did not take lives, they came to give life.

If these twelve evil men could take so many lives, many of them the best and brightest in our nation, let us resolve to see many souls saved for every one that was lost. If those deceived, evil men could take such bold action for the evil beliefs they serve, to take years preparing for it the way that they did, how much more should we be willing to prepare, and then take action when the opportunity comes.

Radical martyrdom is going to prevail in the times ahead, either for good or for evil. Lukewarm Christianity is the worst state that a believer could ever fall into. Read what the Lord has to say about it (Revelation 3:15-22):

'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or
hot.

'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My
mouth.

'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,"
and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and
naked,

I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white
garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may
not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.

'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent.

'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.

'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also
overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' "

It is time for Christians to become more radical for their faith than the deceived are for theirs. The call of the Lord now, and in times of peace, is the same, as we read in Isaiah 60:1-5:

"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

"For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the
LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you.

"And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

"Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you.
Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms.

"Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the
abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to
you."