Devilish Bomber!

“How would you like to hâve a bomb go off and blow you ail to bits!? Eh? Well, you just hâve 48 hours before it goes off!” CLICK! The telephone answering machine recorded this mysterious, hurried message only hours before the Sabbath opening and the beginning of the prayer week.

The deaconess and the church secretary called me immediately, and asked me to call the play back device and listen carefully. The voice I heard was that of an older man, firm in context, brusque, raspy, and a bit hissing-like; a peculiar combination of terseness, and hâte. It was threatening!

I thought for a moment; racing thoughts, earthborn thoughts of decisions to be made, and quickly! “What shall we do?” was the cry.

“Listen,” I replied, “don’t panic, and don’t call the members, but just meet at the church as scheduled, and, oh, keep it hushed! Remember, there are some members that are spiritually weak, others still ‘babes’ in the truth, and one or two interested soûls, and, of course, the children.

Fil call you back after a few minutes.” I then called the vice-president, and another offïcer of the Greek field. Quickly calculating the time, I determined that 48 hours would take us to 5:00 p.m. Friday, just 10 minutes before sunset and the Sabbath opening. The two church officers quickly and reassuringly agreed, that it was just a ‘prank-call’… “meet as scheduled…let’s pray.” We prayed; a reaction that first would normally follow, wouldn’t it…I thought again? After ail, prayer week was to follow. What more appropriate time to pray!

Hère was a madman, a fanatic, a killer, a professional terrorist, or merely a “prankster”. We prayed, again. The brethren’s answer seemed too simple, too hasty. We needed an answer quick. Could our prayers now be opinionated, doubting, shallow, or anxious? My faith was now being tested. Time was rapidly ticking away. I now “wrestled by prayer.”

More bizarre thoughts and solutions raced through my logical mind, again, but not really the Lord’s thoughts as I vainly waited for His answer. I was now fiercely wrestling by prayer. The lives of our members were at stake. I would be responsible. I began wavering from side to side. More thoughts raced through my head. I thought it best and ‘wise’ not to meet at the church Friday night or Sabbath, but preferably at one’s house, as a precautionary measure, until the ‘crisis’ ended. After ail, thoughts racing wildly again, Jesus fled with His disciples in the face of danger in a few recorded biblical instances. Furthermore, Jesus frequently removed Himself from inappropriate situations. Now, I was beginning to rationalize. We are to be “wise as serpents and gentle as doves.” Mt. 10:16.

More thoughts and elusive solutions began flashing before me again. It might be wise to report this blunt “crank” call to me police and the anti-terrorist squad; they’re super-sensitive about such threats. Then, again, more questions, an investigation, and a scandai for the church. This absorbing idea was immediately abandoned. Furthermore, or perhaps coincidentally, was it another ominous sign that one field member of the church was Colombian, and another, Greek?

Colombia ranked number one Worldwide for terrorist acts and attacks, and Greece ranked number two. Greece experienced separate assassinations and bombings with hundreds of victims injured or wounded in the last 10 years only. Attacks were openly made on embassy couriers, diplomats, industrialists, corporate offices, institutions, and affluent personages. Not one offending terrorist, to date, has ever been apprehended, yet. Further, never was a religious institution or church fîred on or bombed….yet. Fve been sensitized to such incidents before, having had my VW camper stolen, then found completely destroyed, smeared with derogatory graffiti. Anti-Americanism still prevails, and Church and state are united. Greece, therefore, is a highly sensitive area of the globe.

Worldwide bornb threats are taken very seriously…even the commonest presumed prankster cails are treated as serious litethreatemng acts. Office buildings, schoois, governmfcnts agencies, airplanes and airports are evacuated quickly at the first sign of anything alanning, the bomb defused and the culprit is apprehended. Why shouldn’t this security measure be followed in our church; the House of the Lord, the House of Frayer? I continued wrestling by prayer; my only weapon against two common enemies… fear and dejection on tiie one hand, and our egoistic instinctive nature on the other hand.

It ail became suddenly clear to me as the Holy Spirii swept through me like a wind-storm, and brushed aside ail of my racing and lingering thoughts. That was exactly the soul-sufficing ansvver 1 was waiting for. 1 fmally realized that, what was involved was the House of the Lord, the House of Prayer! Further, it was the approaching of Sabbath, and Prayer Week! We are the children of God, sons and daughters of the Lord. He bas promised that, “No-one can pluck rhem ont of the Lord’s hand.” John 10:28, 29. Then Psalm 23 led me to remember, v-4

”Yea, though [ walk imough he valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

THAT WAS IT. WE SHALL MEET!

It was Friday. The Sabbath was approaching. My wife, Maria, and I arrived early at the church. The Greek sky was as brass, as the sun began to set. The golden rays of sun played sinister shadows on the gray church walls. As we approached the church, a massive build-up of garbage and debris was piled high just to the side of the entrance. The build-up was due to a week-long garbage worker’s strike, still in effect. The stench was nearly over-whelming,
but that didn’t trouble me. But, my thoughts wandered again, what a perfect place to plant a bomb! Next, I looked up at our Windows on the first floor. The shutters were ail shut tight. Ah! Good! WeTl leave them closed during the service. How. ridiculous, I thought, again. The most popular mode of bomb attacks in Greece were not those thrown, or dropped, but propelled rocked launched missiles!

Then I quickly looked up at some cracked walls of the ancient building, that were still remaining as a consequence of a sevère earthquake that occurred last year in Athens. Reconstruction and restoration was stil! being pondered over. and financial resources bcing explored, adding to the opportunity. Just one bomb. I thought, whethei planted, thrown, dropped or fired, even a ‘smair one, would jar f.hc entire building into a total collapse and mass of debris and bodies. NO! IT WONT HAPPEN! We are that remnant; and “hère is the patience of the saints: Hère are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev.4:12. Ifs our foundation, rock, and fortress. That’s who we are, and that’s what we believe. We shall not fear or be intimidated. WE WILL MEET! We meekly walked up the worn marble steps through a dusky hall; strangely counting the steps, never giving this any thought before. There was exactly ten….the LAW! The heavy door to the entrance was slightly ajar, squeaking as we ventured into the dimly lit sanctuary. A lone figure was mutely sitting at a removed corner of the darkened church, leaning over pensively with bowed head. It was the faithfui deaconess sitting in her favorite seat, praying. It was still early, yet, hopefully moie will corne. We’ll wait, as it’s only 4:45 p.m….We hâve 25 minutes until sunset, the Sabbath opening service and …the ‘appointed time’.

One, two, three, more dim figures, members, trickled into the church quietly sliding into their chairs. To calm any anxious hearts we began singing the hymns, “He Lives”, “Holy, Holy, Holy”, and “Nearer, Still Nearer”. How appropriate, and edifying, I thought. It, the ‘appointed-time’, however, was indeed, and grimmly nearer. The clock on the wall was loudly ticking the seconds away in our silence.

One more member shuffled quickly to his seat in the roar, then another slipped in for a total of 8; 6 members, one interested soûl, and one child; the surn-total for the Sabbath opening and the beginning of the prayer-week. It’s odd how a whole church of 32 members can be so quickly informed of a “hushed-event”. Is this the “falling-away” Jesus spoke of before the end?

Then the dark cloud lifted and streaming rays of divine light touched our soûls and barren hearts, raising cries of grateful praise and thanks in glorifying the Lord. It was exactly 5:00 p.m…

“the appointed-lime”! It was also the, . , . “appointed-time” for sunset and the Sabbath opening service.
Our church prayers collectively rose heavenward. The Lord hears such prayers. The Lord, indeed, was “Nearer, Still, Nearer”, i no longer wrestled by prayer. The trial was over! It ended, for what could have been an unhappy and disturbing circumstance. It was a lofty ending…5:10 p.m. sunset. Compassion reached out from each of us in prayer at the opening worship;,..for the devilish bomber. What must he be thinking now? Could he be suffering for what he said? Is his heart bitter, hardened still? What moved him to utter those barbatous words of hate? Dreadful words and thoughts of hatred only came from the devil. The Lord knows his heart, and forgives sinners.

We forgive him, too. Why? For we have learned to abide with the Lord. We are recipients of God’s perfect peace, because of His covenant of grace with us. Hallowed be thy name, Lord, for strengthening our faith and trusting with thee through this ‘blessed trial’.

2 Tim. 1:7, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but, of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” It is the devil who filis our heart with terror. The Lord promises power, love, and mental equanimity. But He gives these only to those of” His own who are empty of self. The time of Jacob’s trouble has not yet arrived, but the signs are growing closer to its reality. In our wrestling by prayer, the Lord, as with Jacob, presses onto the thigh area of our leg. The sinew of this muscle is the strongest in the entire body.

The Lord touches this area, an area so strong that it might take a horse to pull it apart, so that the Lord can with any of us at this point, break us of the habit of self, before he bestows the blessing. For “my times are in your hands.” Psalm 31:14-15 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19.

We closed the Sabbath service and beginning of the prayer week with the swelling hymn, “Nearer My God to Thee.” Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
AMEN.

By: Br. John Theodorou
Athens, Greece