Why Terrorism Will Lose

              Why Terrorism Will Lose

    When you look at the world we live in today it is sometimes hard to see signs of hope.  Even Jesus painted a pretty grim picture in Matthew 24:4-14, at the end he said that those that held fast would be delivered.  We are having all the signs he predicted and with Ebola having made it to America one could see things as being pretty bleak.

     Many years ago before I became a Christian I had an experience that gave me hope for mankind.  All I have to do is look back on that day and know that no matter how bad things seem, evil will be defeated.  I discovered that truth in a bar, not in a church.  That is not discounting religion and the parties involved did not share their religious background, but they did share what they believed.

    The event happened at a sky diving competition in Strasbourg, France.  All the parties involved were there for a skydiving competition.  The day it all happened started out with an overcast and rain.  At 10 AM the competition organizers called it a day and cancelled any further activities based on the weather forecast. It was a good call as it rained all day and continued till late in the evening.

    The competition was an international one with almost thirty nations represented.  Skydivers do what they do because they love it.  The second thing they like to do, especially when they can’t jump is drink beer.  After a very short time the word got out that jumpers were going to a small local bar within walking distance of the airport.  Suddenly the better part of three hundred jumpers descended on a small bar that was probable designed to handle fifty.

    By early afternoon the poor owner had to resupply as he was out of food, drink and beer. Shortly more inventory showed up and defused the tension caused by the lack of supplies.  Little did he know that this crisis would happen twice more before he was allowed to close the bar at five the next morning.  The owner probably made more money that day than he normally did all year.  Especially as almost every party left a very generous tip to compensate him for our unwillingness to leave at the midnight closing time.  We were just starting to manage the language problems by midnight.  When we left at five in the morning no one was drunk in spite of the alcohol consumed over the nineteen hour occupation of the bar.

    One of the first hurdles we had to get over was the political representatives for the communist bloc states.  They did not jump and we made it clear this party was for skydivers only and they would have to leave.  They argued but after a while gave in and left.  Then things opened up and got to be really enjoyable.

    As I said skydivers love to party.  It was a party that had a minor twist. Of course there were French, but also Germans, Swiss, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Czeck, Norwegians, Belgians, Dutche, Americans, British, and Canadians to name a few. If I wanted to talk to the Norwegian, I had to talk to the Spaniard who talked to the Russian, who talked to the Norwegian.  Then after translation it had to travel back through the same channels.  The only problem was all those who spoke the languages being used wanted to put in their two bits on any topic that came up.

       We quickly agreed to dump nationalities and just have a serious talk about what we as people felt on the issues and problems in the world.  At the end we all parted friends and had solved all the world’s problems.  The conclusion was reached that all of us wanted the same things out of life.  To be able to support our families, have a decent job, eat well, and have a decent home.  The unanimous decision was also reached that we the people of the world could get along with each other.  What we needed to do was get rid of all the meddling governments and bureaucrats and there would be no problems.

      When I saw all the youth protests in the Middle East a couple years ago and some of the ones that have followed since I realized there is hope. The world is changing and generally for the better.  Regardless that a few radical terrorist are acting out.  They will be reined in. They do not represent the views of the people in the countries they are terrorizing.  The people will get upset and they will take care of the trouble makers.  The majority are good and sound people.  The terrorist do not represent Islam any more than a cop shooting a black boy in Missouri represents what America is about.

      

     We just have to remember Jesus said there would be signs and what we are seeing is nothing more than signs.  In the end God’s Will, will be done.  Regardless of what anyone in the world thinks on the matter. His Word is final and will be fulfilled in the end of things.