The Handwriting On the Wall

 

In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand,

and wrote over against the candlestick

upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace:

and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

— Daniel 5:5

             

            He's 72, a slender grandfather, a quiet chemist, a professor and Ph.D. at a prestigious university in a faraway state. He grew up dirt poor and worked his way through school. He's a native Nebraskan, a Cornhusker football and volleyball fan, and an American patriot. He has read the Bible from cover to cover every year for the last 38 years.

 

            Not exactly what you would think of as a soldier on a dangerous, chaotic battlefront. But that's exactly what he became after 9/11. So did we all. But something he witnessed thrust him to the front lines as a scout for us all.

 

            After that horrible day, the professor arrived for work. Let him tell what he saw in the stairwells and hallways of the two science buildings:

 

            This writing was in large letters in blood-red paint. It was impossible to miss! It was surreptitiously painted over by maintenance (or a division of the thought police) sometime the next day. Such phrases as "Death to the American infidels" and "Bring America to her knees" are phrases that come to mind.

 

            He said there is a Muslim grammar school a few blocks from the college and many Muslims in the community, including many attending the university.

 

            One other thing that stayed around a lot longer was the word "Omar" which was written with a glass cutter across the 4' x 8' plate glass mirrors in all of the men's rooms in the two buildings where I teach. Eventually the mirrors were replaced. However, the word "Omar" appeared again shortly after they were replaced. No further writing has appeared in the stairwells or hallways.

 

            A convert to Christianity from Islam with whom I meet each Friday morning at a local Starbucks helped me understanding the significance of "Omar." I assumed that it referred to Osama's lieutenant and said something about this to my former Muslim friend. He explained that the reference to "Omar" was instead Mohammed's lieutenant who was a SILENT follower for a number of years and then went out and KILLED a few hundred Jews and Christians with his sword. The admonition is one that is apparently readily understood by Muslims as an exhortation to not be a silent follower (as many Christians are, by the way) but instead go out and kill a few Americans. This would not bear repeating if it came from anyone other than a 54-year-old man who only a short time back WAS a Muslim. I accept what he said as fact. 

 

            A few days later, the professor approached his classroom, 45 minutes early, as is his custom. He heard male voices speaking animatedly, in a language he is almost certain was Arabic. He stood momentarily outside the classroom, listening:

 

            The only word which I understood was the occasional use of the word "jihad" which was unmistakable. As you may know, this is apparently a connotation word even for Muslims. Some Muslims would have us believe that would signal an all-out war, while others (such as Osama bin Laden) would have us believe that we are currently involved in a jihad. Anyway, after a short period of time, I walked into the classroom and began writing notes for the day on the whiteboard. As you can imagine, it became deathly quiet. Finally, I turned around and said, "Good morning, men. How are you doing this morning?" They replied, "Fine, Professor, how are you?" 

 

            He adds one more 9/11 impression from a retiree friend:

 

            He frequented a sandwich shop operated by a couple of young Muslim men. The morning of 9/11 he went into their shop as the towers were being shown coming down again and the plane hitting the Pentagon. As my missionary friend walked in, they and the clientele present that morning were celebrating as most of our nation would have been watching in horror. 

 

            Death to the infidels.

 

            Bring us to our knees.

 

            Omar.

 

            Jihad.

 

            Hooray for 9/11!

 

            They may not say it openly. But that's what they mean. There may not be a lot of them. But there are enough.

 

            The professor saw the handwriting -- literally -- on the wall. By now, we all have. It was a sobering testimony to how many people in the world don't know Jesus, and act like hell because of it.

 

            With God's help, may our hearts turn toward their good, and may we fully comprehend what we're up against. May we respond with wisdom, grace, power . . . and success.

 

            Let us teach them that Jesus has already defeated all enemies, and there is nothing they can say, do, write or shoot at us that can truly hurt us. Not really.

 

            Let us teach them the REAL handwriting that's on the wall, that we all should heed:

 

            Bring life, not death.

 

            Lift others up, don't push them down.

 

            Break out of your silence and fear, not to hurt and kill, but to tell others about Jesus.

 

            Make peace, not war.

 

            And remember 9/11, not only as a tragedy, but as an opportunity to share the love, joy and peace that comes only through . . . ONLY through . . . our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. †

 

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Ever a scholar, the professor turned to books to try to understand the events of 9/11 and its aftermath. He recommends:

 

-- An English translation of the Koran, especially one with Muslim commentary on the Bible; he suggests that Christians will be shocked to read that Muslims think Jesus never claimed to be God, but only a "prophet."

-- Unveiling Islam by Ergun and Emir Caner, former Turkish Muslims. 

-- The Costly Call by Emir Caner with H. Edward Pruitt.

-- Infiltration by Paul Sperry, documenting how Muslim spies and subversives have penetrated Washington, D.C.

-- Because They Hate by Brigitte Gabriel.

-- Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg.