FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT
EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK
This is an unpleasant, vicious, mischievous and malicious action or attitude, which negates the rules of morality. On the 16th day of October 2005, in the metropolitan city of Lagos, Nigeria, an eleven-year-old boy was lynched and burnt alive. This dastardly act was captured on video camera and broadcast. Millions of Nigerians who watched this gruesome act perpetrated by sadistic elements were utterly outraged. An eleven-year-old child!!! The little boy was accused of attempting to steal a baby, an allegation the boy so passionately denied in spite of the inhuman and brutal assault on him. He was beaten so mercilessly by the irate mob of men and boys not less than ten in number. He was stoned, brutally and severally struck with iron rods, sticks and everything else the mob seemed to lay their hands on. This happened in broad daylight and lasted for at least twenty minutes as I gathered. Finally, a used car tire was placed over the little boy’s head and someone poured an inflammable solution presumably petrol on the child and set him ablaze. I watched this little kid burn and roast like an animal. It is even criminal to treat animals that way not to talk of a little child. The boy is gone and his destiny has been decapitated by evil men. It is barbaric, deplorable and a shameful embarrassment to the human race. It is an act of witchcraft. Note this: witchcraft is a relative term and is viewed in different ways by people of diverse cultures. However, the word of God is very clear about witchcraft. What is witchcraft?
It is the practice of magic rituals that cause harm to an Individual or to a people. It is the worship of demons as well as the manipulation and negative influence of people’s bodies or possessions. It entails the act of carrying out atrocious acts such as death, misfortunes, sickness and various evil deeds. Many people are overtly or covertly involved in the practice of witchcraft. The word of God declares that witchcraft is an abomination before God. It is a detestable practice. In Deut. 18:10-12, the word of God states:
“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a necromancer, for all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee”
– (KJV)
The practice of wickedness is one of witchcraft and it is an abomination before God. The word of God clearly states that
“Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies… they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”
- Gal. 5:20-21 (KJV)
I make bold to say that the book “Harry Potter” by J.K Rowling, which unfortunately is said to be an astounding best–seller and which has sold millions of copies worldwide, is inspired from the pit of hell. Exposing children to such practices of darkness is irresponsibly wicked and treacherous to say the least. No parent should ever expose or allow his/her child/children or wards to delude their minds with magical and witchcraft practices. Harry Potter is a book that propagates the act of witchcraft condemned by God Almighty.
Hear this story: I read a news article in a national newspaper captioned “Suspected Ritualist Gouge Boys Eyes”. A ten-year-old boy was at press time in critical health condition. His eye had been removed by suspected ritualists (ritualists are evil men and women who use human body parts for satanic invocations and sacrifices to demons) The young child had been found in a bush by a good ‘Samaritan’ where he had been lying unconscious. The medical doctor who was said to have effected some sort of surgery on the boy’s eyes confirmed that the right eye had been forcefully gouge out while the left eye was severely damaged in the attempt to remove it. He further said that a sharp object like a knife must have been used to remove the little boy’s eyes and that the boy was likely to suffer mental retardation and hypertension. On a similar note, how would you describe a situation where an employed Chauffeur disappears with his boss’ four children after picking up the kids from school? He went straight on to sell the children to Ritualists? How about a 40 year old German woman who was convicted of manslaughter, on Thursday June 1st, 2006 and sentenced to 15 years (only) prison term for killing her eight new born babies and burying them in flower pots and a fish tank in the garden of her parents home in Germany? All these are beyond human comprehension. In my opinion, they perfectly fit the Bible’s description of the practice and influence of witchcraft.
In Exod. 22:18, the Bible categorically states:
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” – (KJV)
Witchcraft is occultic as it involves the invocation of deities and demons. The word of God makes it clear in Rev. 21: 8:
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Now, let us see another color of wickedness in wars, conflicts and hostilities. These are some of the most tragic and unfortunate catastrophes that ever befell mankind. Ethnic crisis and cleansing, religious violence, civil wars, and so forth, always leave a trail of disaster and doom. Stories abound of the atrocities that took place during many civil wars particularly those of some African countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan, et cetera. Provocative reports of sexual violence perpetrated by armed soldiers and/or militants and rebel fighters who invaded villages, towns and cities and turned teenage girls, some as young as eleven years old, into sex toys. Reports from the DRC have been awfully infuriating. It is a fact that lots of women there were raped for several days in front of their husbands and children. Some of these women were raped consistently for over a week by numerous, cruel, ruthless, and merciless soldiers or rebels, taking their turns with these defenseless women and children, over and over again. Even old women including grandmothers were also victims of this sexual brutality. Some of the victims of these orgies had alcoholic beverages forcefully inserted into their vagina. Others were not as fortunate as they had their vaginal mutilated with knives after the armed terrorists had exhausted themselves in their rape escapade. Today, a lot of these victims of rape are HIV/AIDS infected. Some are nursing young children that have no fathers. Can you imagine the mental ordeal and/or psychological trauma these victims will live with? The despicable act of rape is a grave desecration of the body, soul and spirit of any victim. Rape is a fruit of wickedness and the shadow of darkness.
RACISM
This is one shameful, despicable and obnoxious ideological phenomenon that surprisingly still rears its ugly head in many parts of the world and in various strata of human endeavor. It is the wicked and stereotyped prejudiced belief that some races are superior to others in terms of ideologies, resources, attitude, power, technological advancement and so on. It is a primitive, crude, immoral, outrageous, devilish, sickening and unreasonable principle, perception and irrationality of some people who dwell in darkness in the midst of light. It entails the uncivilized and ill-mannered ascribing of political, social and moral importance to a particular lineage. I just can’t understand how the color of a person’s skin would affect his/her intellect or capability. There is no soul on earth that had a choice as to what race or family he/she is born into. Racism is a terrible atrocity. People achieve astounding exploits in life not because of the race they belong to but because of their individual effort, determination and development. Bill Gates did not become the wealthiest man on earth for several consecutive years because he has a white skin. Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King are one of the most esteemed legends of our generation not because of the color of their skin. God in His infinite wisdom created man (man in generic terms), black, white and so forth. Racism is an insult to the ingenuity of the Almighty omniscient God. The United States of America for instance, is one great country that God has richly blessed. It is a country of all races, a country that aptly fights to protect freedom and human rights. Howbeit, racism is very high in the US. This contradicts her ideological support for freedom. There are lots of geniuses for instance who are in the sports and entertainment arena and who hail from all races: whites, blacks and the rest. Bob Marley, Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, Michael Jordan, Mohammed Ali, Michael Jackson and many more. The color of their skin had no bearing on their achievements. Racism is born out of hatred and self deceit and is predominantly among lowly people of sparse intellect. It is an evil absurdity and an irrational way of living. Racism and slavery in my opinion are two faces of the same coin. As a matter of fact, every racist needs psychological therapy and spiritual deliverance from demonic possession. Racism is an infringement on the fundamental human rights of others. It often involves racial segregation in schools, churches, hospitals and the like. In addition, it also engrosses the violation of the voting rights of other races, institutional discrimination as well as terrorism. Furthermore, it entails the preference, exclusion, restriction or distinctiveness of persons based on their race, color or ethnic origin. It is a system of oppression, intimidation and racial inequality. Anyone who practices racism is called a racist. Racism provides all racists first class tickets to hell as they are indisputably haters of God. There are so many racist cults and organizations all over the world most of which propagate murderous and violent ideologies and acts of wickedness. Racism is expressed through hate slurs and/or speeches. I once heard a white racist call an African a ‘Chimpanzee’. How can someone call God’s creation a ‘Chimpanzee’? Some Negroes also refer to white skinned people as ‘pigs’. God’s perfect handiwork ‘pigs’? Any employer of labor who refuses to hire qualified persons or who purposely doles out more wearisome work to persons of a particular race or those who refuse to promote their employees because of their race or color should relentlessly be ashamed of themselves because racial bias is a demonstration of stark ignorance.
Have you ever heard of apartheid of South Africa where a minority white treacherously dominated, oppressed and annihilated many among the majority blacks in that African nation for many years? How about the word anti-Semitism which is racial discrimination targeted against the Jewish people? Adolph Hitler, one of the most monstrous anti-semitists that ever lived, has the blood of millions of Jews hanging over his soul crying for justice.
Genocide, same race discrimination, racial nepotism, apartied, and the rest, are all condemnable acts of darkness. It is a fact that racism is more predominant among the whites but even the so-called colored people have unfortunately joined the band wagon of racial discrimination and hate. Some Negroes forbid and disown members of their families who marry whites. Some white churches do not accommodate black skinned people.
Soccer is one sport that tends to unite the world but racism has become a major deterrent. FIFA, the world’s soccer governing organization embarked on anti-racial campaigns throughout the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany. Players were seen lined up before opening matches holding banners with inscriptions against racism, while the captains of various contending teams were made to read out anti-racial messages prior to every match. In spite of all these effort by FIFA, the evil and animalistic racial insults and vicious taunts did not abate. Monkey sounds and racial slurs were targeted at black players. How pathetic and deplorable. Racism kills the spirit and flavor of sports. Severe penalties should be meted out on anyone who utters racial slurs. This evil atrocity must be outlawed and defeated worldwide. It can lead to grave hostility and destruction of lives and properties because it is provocative and devilish. Say no to hate and ridicule against blacks, whites, Arabs and Moslems, etc. It is not every Arab or Moslem that is a terrorist. The racial prejudice against Arab and/or Moslem Americans is so thick you can almost literally cut it with a knife. Hate crimes are provoked by racial and religious discrimination.
If a 37 year old man can be convicted and jailed for about 16 months in Australia for cruelly torturing rabbits and guinea pig, why shouldn’t racists be jailed for a longer tenure for meting out psychological and emotional torture and discrimination against fellow human beings albeit of a different race or color? Let us all encourage interracial marriages and promote racial tolerance and love for one another. Love has the power to break the backbone of hate and wickedness. Love your neighbors as you love your selves. Say no to racism.
CORRUPTION
This refers to the moral decay and weakness of an Individual, people or a nation. It is the distortion of an upright form to a debased one. It encompasses extortion, dishonesty, bribery, cheating, stealing, wickedness and degeneracy. It is a vice that has destroyed many lives and economies particularly in developing nations of the world. One of the greatest problems in most developing countries these days is the high level of corruption that has become widespread, from the peasants to the leaders. Corruption has become a culture in many countries notably African nations where there is so much poverty and underdevelopment in the midst of abundance of resources which are usually stolen, misappropriated and/or siphoned away to buy luxury houses and cars, refineries and the like in developed nations or to stash in foreign accounts. It is very ironical that in some of these countries, the Police forces that are constitutionally empowered to enforce law and order with great integrity are awfully and intolerably corrupt from top to bottom. A country where the number one Police chief steals billions of its local currency and stashes same in his private accounts needs to wake up and fight this vice. Scores of politicians, business men & women, bureaucrats, teachers, medical practitioners, attorneys, officers of the Customs and Immigration services, and so on, live very corrupt lives in some of these nations. Corruption has so much bastardized the economy of many of these countries to the extent that very many university graduates hardly find jobs after graduation as some of them resort to hawking telephone recharge cards on the streets while some others have become armed robbers, assassins, fraudsters, ritual murderers and narcotic peddlers and dealers. Corporate crime is on the increase. Election rigging is constantly being perfected by some of these jobless graduates and unschooled youths. The value of life has become so worthless that many jobless youths are prepared to kill for peanuts. Avoidable plane crashes have painfully swallowed the lives of many enterprising men, women and children all because some airline operators are alleged to perpetually cut corners in order to enhance profitability in their businesses in disregard to expedient maintenance of their aircraft. Aviation watchdogs are also accused of compromising quality and safety standards after being influenced through bribery.
In a similar vain, it is a sad reality that many students in high schools and tertiary institutions no longer deem it fit to study hard at all. It has become a norm for lots of students to easily bribe their Lecturers in order to score very high grades in an examination. Every grade has a stipulated fee. A distinction has the highest fee. A student who hardly attends lectures and one, who barely study, can still make a distinction in any subject or field if the stipulated fee is paid. How lamentable!
As for politicians, lots of them are incontrovertibly very corrupt due to their antecedents. The abuse of public offices for illegitimate and personal gain is very common. Embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, drug trafficking, and all that, are all crooked works of darkness that will consistently undermine any economy. Corruption subsists in every country of the world. Howbeit, it is executed flagrantly with great disdain and with no respect for the rule of law in several developing countries. This is unfortunate. Corruption is responsible for undermining democracy, good governance and developmental advancement across these nations. I’ll give you an example. When a public officer disregards the honor and excellency of his office by stealing and siphoning millions of dollars and launders such monies to other nations of the world (thereby enhancing foreign economies), when such a character procures very expensive houses and businesses overseas and expends millions of dollars buying luxury cars, wristwatches and the like, while his municipality or State staggers in poverty and abject underdevelopment, then there is obviously a serious problem. When the children of a fraudulent bureaucrat are seen wasting and lavishing mind boggling sums of money they never worked for on friends, women, cars, parties and so on, while one African child dies every 30 seconds due to malaria and malnutrition, then something has terribly gone wrong: darkness is having a field day.
Corruption causes economic distortions in any nation. It erodes the quality of services. Many African past Presidents and Leaders are known to operate Swiss Bank accounts where most of them have billions and others, several tens of millions of dollars stashed. The capital flight from many African nations to Europe and the Americas is upsetting as it runs into tens of billions of dollars annually. Bribery has become an epidemic in many societies of the world. Bribe-givers and bribe-takers are all culpable. It takes two to tango.
According to Transparency International, the worlds leading anti-corruption organization, some of the most corrupt countries of the world include Nigeria, Angola, Cote d’ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Chad. Corruption stems from greed, which is an inordinate lust or desire to acquire material wealth or resources by any means. Greed is an emotional dissatisfaction and it is a seed of darkness. The Bible states in Luke 12:15:
“…Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Also, Eph. 5:3 states that:
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people”.
Furthermore, the Bible states in 1 Tim. 6: 9-10,
“People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs”.
The inordinate lust for money and material possessions is a root cause of the evil works of darkness. Greed is idolatry (Col.3: 5). It is heartbreaking to see known criminals, corrupt and depraved people being conferred as knights, bishops, deacons and pastors of various Churches. My advice to everyone is rooted in two scripture passages. The first is in Heb. 13: 5.
It reads:
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”.
The second scripture passage is in 1 Tim.6: 6-7, it states:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it”.
INCEST
Do you know that just the way many feel and consider homosexuality a right way to live, many also regard sexual relations between close family members or blood relatives as right? You heard me! A father and his son had both been having sexual intercourse with his daughter/sister for quite some time. When the father was queried about his incestuous activities with his daughter by a Pastor, he boldly and proudly stated that his daughter belonged to him. He further said his daughter is very pretty and instead of someone else to enjoy his daughter, he chose to enjoy her himself. He also declared it was not wrong for his son to likewise have sex with the same daughter as they were all one family. I know celebrity ladies who were once sexually abused by their fathers. But today, God has set them free and healed their emotional and psychological wounds. Weird things really happen!!
Do you remember Lot, Abraham’s nephew? His two daughters, who had been polluted by the sexual life style in Sodom and Gomorrah, had an incestuous relationship with him and they both conceived and gave birth to two sons: Moab and Benammi (Gen. 19). Sexual activities between very close family members are called INCEST. This is forbidden in many societies. Incest is a work of darkness; those who engage in such shameful and evil acts can also claim their rights just like homosexuals do. It doesn’t make it less sinful and dishonorable.
From my researches, I discovered that there are societies in this world that encourage sexual relations between a man and his aunt, and between a man and his cousin.
A few years ago, I stumbled on a TV channel that aired an episode of the Jerry Springer show. That was my first encounter with the program. I was astounded by what I saw as I couldn’t have imagined such level of immorality, toxic and ungodly words and misconduct could brazenly be aired on world television. One episode I watched was that of a crisis situation that was rocking the boat of a young lady’s marriage. Do you know what caused problem in her marriage? Her husband had been having sexual relations with her mother and now the husband suddenly prefers her mum. Her mum also felt cool about this and as usual, there were near physical scuffles. I felt so grieved in my spirit. We must be very careful about what we watch or listen to as some of these programs are most unedifying and capable of polluting the human mind. America has gone too far in sin and must rush back to God. Sin brings about calamity and dreadful destruction.
Incest is also the result of sexual exploitation between children of same parents. It is the most common form of child abuse. I was in a Church prayer conference someday and the senior pastor of the Church gave a word of knowledge that there were several men present at the meeting who had been having sexual relations with their sister-in-laws for long. These persons were invited to the podium in front of the Church for prayers. We were all asked to shut our eyes. I couldn’t help opening my eyes slightly to see if anybody would respond to such a call for repentance from acts of incest. But alas, to my bewilderment, there must have been over thirty men who responded to the call. It was a large crowd of men. I wondered! How can a man have sexual relations with his sister-in-law? Incest is a violation of God’s word. It leads to bitterness, depression and self-hatred. Many are known to have committed suicide after such incestuous acts. It is self-destructive. Incest is evil and unnatural
OCCULTISM
Sometime in the year 2005, I read one news article on the activities of some men who engage in sexual intercourse with mentally deranged women who sleep under bridges or at street corners. It was stated by eyewitnesses that these men do these odd things in company of their paid fetish priests all in a supposed bid to acquire wealth, power and fame through satanic rituals, which includes having sex with a mentally sick woman. These occultic atrocities and rituals usually happen in the night. The news article decried the recent wave and rise of pregnancies among mentally deranged woman in major cities in Nigeria.
Occultism is the study and practice of supernatural demonic principles and ritualistic spiritism usually kept secret. It entails the mystical application of witchcraft, magic, voodoo, talisman, meditation and chanting of incantations to powers of darkness.
Recently, I listened to the testimony of a young Christian, an erstwhile secret cult student. I discovered that many young students today are being cajoled to join secret cults where all they do is plan and strategize on how to wreak havoc and cause harm to people. The young ex-cultist narrated how they used to inject acid into eggshells with the aid of a syringe. They eventually seal the holes created by the syringe needle when the eggshells are full of acid. Then they use such eggs full of acid as missiles against their enemy targets more often than not young ladies who refuse to have relationships with any of their members. He also said they hire guns, axes and knives for robbery operations or for battle against other cult groups.
In year 2004, a major occultic shrine was discovered in the thick of a forest in one of the eastern states of Nigeria. The shrine was raided by the Police and the said raid was aired on national television. Corpses, human skulls, clay pots, and so on, were discovered. A book register of all who patronized this occultic shrine was also found and it was said that many among the high and mighty in the country, patronized this shrine for protection, wealth, political success, to settle scores, etc.
The word of God condemns the practice or patronage of occultism, which usually involves supernatural rituals and acts done by evil powers. The act of divination, magic, fortune telling, the use of tarot cards, hypnotism, and all that, are all enforced by powers of darkness and these acts are an abomination before God Almighty. Occultism is a very old practice. It existed even in Old Testament times. It leads to demonic possession and oppression. Satan is evil personified. He has no free gifts. All who patronize occultic practices and rituals unwittingly trade their souls for satanic captivity. The Bible states that there is no peace for all who practice wickedness (Is. 57:21). For those who patronize occultism, this is the word of God to them: Lev. 20:6,
“And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirit and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people”.
Disobedience to God’s word is an act of witchcraft (1. Sam. 15:23). Occultism is a sin against God and it attracts the wrath of God as stated in 2 Chro. 33:6:
“And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also observed times, and used witchcraft and dealt with familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the lord, to provoke him to anger”.
Occultic and witchcraft practices provoke God to anger. Jesus Christ came to set mankind free from the works and bondage of darkness. Have you been involved in occultic practices? Have you ever, or do you still patronize the use of magical jewelry such as rings, amulets, charms, divination, fortune telling, astral travel and projection, tarot cards, vampire worship, astrology, voodoo, and the like? Are you a member of Freemasonry or Rosicrucian Order? I learnt that many Church leaders, business and political moguls belong to these secret cults. Whatever, I implore you in the name of Jesus, to abandon all such ungodly practices or cults. Renounce these satanic rituals and rush now to Jesus. He alone can set you free from the powers of darkness and from eternal damnation. All power in heaven and on earth and underneath the earth is given unto Jesus. Every knee shall bow to the authority of Christ. Repent now for the night draws near
TERRORISM
This is the wicked and treacherous use of violence and brutally coordinated strategies to attack someone or people or a nation, for political and/or religious purposes. It is an unconventional form of warfare. Since September 11th terrorists attack on America, the word terrorism or terrorist attacks, has come to limelight to the extent that little children know what it is about. Terrorism entails the indiscriminate, wanton and unjustifiable attacks on civilians with utmost disregard for the sanctity of human lives as well as the rules of warfare. Terrorism is a violent form or means of tactically destroying political, economic and social structures of a nation. It is the act of violence and the threat to violence with the aim of intimidating and coercing perceived oppositions or enemies to submission. All who engage in acts of terror are called terrorists. However, these terrorists, based on their ideological perception and beliefs, see themselves as freedom fighters, liberators or militants who fight the injustices of their enemies. Most terrorists are driven by the inordinate desire to be martyrs in the cause of their struggles. Acts of terror are incensed by deep hatred for perceived enemies. If everyone on earth obeys the word of God for us all to love our neighbors as ourselves, the spirit of hatred and terrorism will be defeated and driven back to the abyss of darkness. The engine room of terrorism is decorated with religious and political ideologies. The weapons of terrorism include intimidation and fear which results in the coercion of States, Countries, and so on, to yield to the demands of terrorists.
The strategies of terrorists involve kidnapping, assassination, suicide bombings, rape and other forms of violence. Terrorism is an unlawful and ungodly act of wickedness. There are several undemocratic states and nations presently that sponsor or engage in devilish acts of terror. They oppress members of opposition groups, they file trumped up charges of treason against perceived opposition or enemies, and they intimidate, harass and hound their adversaries.
Civilians usually bear the heavy brunt of terrorist’s activities and attacks. Organized crime and armed robbery operations may not be classified as terrorism. Terrorist activities and attacks are clandestine and deliberate acts of wickedness intended to cause fear and grave harm and intimidation to innocent civilians, in order to paralyze and demoralize an enemy to submission. It is an unproductive instrument of blackmail that only succeeds in exacerbating hatred and more conflict. Terrorist attacks and violent conflicts in the Middle East have swallowed the lives of millions of people and there is no end in sight to this cycle of terror and death over there. Terrorists groups are getting stronger and more sophisticated. Most of them are very well funded by ideological and/or religious fundamentalists. The frequent insurgency attacks in Iraq have been having devastating impact on that oil rich country. Many people who went over there to help reconstruct the Iraqi infrastructure destroyed in 2003 by the second US led war against that country, have been kidnapped and/or killed by insurgent terrorists who infiltrate Iraq and wreck grave havoc that made Iraq unstable and ungovernable for quite a while. Some of the kidnapped victims were mercilessly beheaded or had their bodies horribly mutilated.
Terrorists usually target densely populated places such as shopping malls, train or metro stations, crowded restaurants (as often seen in some Middle- eastern and Asian countries), aircraft, symbolic buildings of national pride and power such as the Pentagon, Embassies, and so on. Some of the deadliest terrorist attacks that come readily to mind are the March 11th, 2004 train bomb attacks in Madrid-Spain; the four suicide London bombings on July 7th, 2005 and the Bali bombing in October 2005. September 11th , 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York as well as the Pentagon, is in my opinion, the deadliest terror attacks in recent times. Passenger airplanes filled with aviation fuel were hijacked and used by suicide bombers against America. These attacks definitely had devastating economic and political impact on the United States of America. How can anyone blow himself/herself up so enthusiastically, just to make a political or religious statement? It is absurd. While many cling on to life and struggle to live even in the face of imminent death through sickness, and all that, some others eagerly long to blow their lives away as long as they are able to kill others. What kind of religious or ideological belief would endorse such evil acts of darkness? One of the Ten Commandments written by God Himself on two stone tablets, precisely the 6th Commandment, states in Exo. 20:13:
“Thou shalt not kill” – (KJV)
Also the word of God clearly says in 1 Jn. 3:15, that:
“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him”.
Suicide bombers are haters and murderers that need to repent speedily before it becomes too late to do so. Jesus says in Matt. 5:21:
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, THOU SHALT NOT KILL; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment”.
Suicide bombing became prominent during the Second World War when Japanese suicide Pilots known as the Kamikaze Pilots, flew airplanes full of explosives into allied forces targets. This dealt a terrible blow to the allies. Suicide bombing has been a very lethal tactic used by Insurgent groups and guerilla militants for many years now. The ideology of martyrdom has made suicide bombing more rampant. It is a difficult task to deter a suicide bomber who is anxious to die. What moral justification do terrorists have over their causes or ideology when they fritter away innocent defenseless civilian lives? To even make matters worse, women and children are now being used as suicide bombers in order to bamboozle security operatives so as to make their attacks more effective and devastating. Many children of Middle Eastern origin are now being coerced and trained to hate Jews and to prepare to die as martyrs. This motivates these children to eagerly prepare to commit suicide bombings. Most suicide bombers are very unassuming. They are often taught to regard their missions as self-sacrifice, which they purport has immense reward in the world beyond. The act of deliberately sacrificing oneself in order to kill and inflict brutal pain on many is without doubt inspired by powers of darkness.
It was a suicide bomber called Rajaratnam Thenmuli, who snatched away the life of former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Ghandi, in Madras on the 21st day of May 1991. Also, a former President of Sri Lanka, the late President Premadassa was assassinated by a suicide bomber in May 1993. The US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-salaam were blown by suicide bombers in which 224 people died and many others wounded. 17 US Marines were killed by suicide bombers aboard USS Cole by terrorist bombers. How daring!
Apart from vehicle assisted suicide bombings wherein such vehicles are loaded with high explosives, the use of suicide belts also known as death belts usually strapped to the body of suicide bombers underneath their clothing is very common. This surreptitious method maximizes the casualty. Suicide bombers usually walk into shopping malls, restaurants, cafés, bus/train stations or anywhere there are lots of people and then detonate the death belt explosives with the aim of killing many unsuspecting civilians or people. No parent should ever encourage his/her child or children to waste their lives. It is devilish and criminal.
The Bible states that the devil only comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. There are better ways to fight a just cause without spilling blood. Suicide bombings have never yielded any positive results that I have ever heard of. For instance, whenever the nation of Israel is attacked by Palestinian militants, Hezbollah fighters or other suicide bombers, this usually provokes Israel to respond with ruinous reprisal attacks against perceived enemies. It eventually culminates in more deaths. Targeting, maiming and killing unsuspecting unarmed civilians through acts of terror are wicked, illegitimate and eternally unjustifiable. Unfortunately, it has become the preferred modus operandi for terrorist groups, religious extremist and so-called freedom fighters. There is a verse of the Qu’ran that speaks against suicide killings of all sorts. My understanding from the said verse is that Moslem faithful are enjoined not to take lives because life is sacred. Take a look at this verse of the Qu’ran which corroborates this assertion:
“O ye who believe! Squander not your wealth among your selves in vanity, except it be trade by mutual consent, and kill not one another. Lo! Allah is ever merciful unto you”
- Verse 4:29
(An-Nisaa 4; Ayat no: 29)
Why do scores of people engage in suicide attacks and destroy their lives as well as the lives and properties of others under the guise of fulfilling Islamic injunction? Islam is said to be a religion of peace. A lot of terrorists are motivated to commit heinous atrocities so they can become martyrs. They are assured their reward in “paradise” will include marriage to seventy-two virgins. Will female Terrorists also marry seventy-two male virgins? Nobody has a right to terminate or destroy any human life.
In the last quarter of year 2005 in Lagos Nigeria, residents of the popular 1004 Estate at Victoria Island were forcefully evicted by the Federal Government as the latter had sold the said estate to private entrepreneurs. Hundreds of armed and fierce looking Policemen were reported to have invaded the estate in the early hours of the morning of a certain day and forcefully evacuated every resident. There was a mass exodus. In the course of it all, a married couple was said to have both committed suicide by drinking a poisonous substance. They gave up. Why would anyone contemplate or even commit suicide over the loss of a residential apartment? Why would such parents abandon their children to the fate of a harsh economic and austere social welfare system? Why would they choose to go to hell because of earthly and temporal challenges? It is certainly incongruous. There is an appointed day when every soul will be judged by God Almighty. Hell is real and it is an everlasting place of torment for all who walk in darkness and dishonor God. Nobody reserves the right to squander any life whatsoever. NO ONE!
LAWLESSNESS
Let me paraphrase the statement once made by a friend. He said that power (electricity) failure devours people’s resources and diminishes their potentials. How true! Sometime ago, I traveled to the ever bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria and decided to stay at the home of a bosom friend of mine. There was power failure all through the night and I had to write this section with the aid of my mobile phone light as my friend’s generating set had worked long hours and had to be put off sometime around mid-night. Physical darkness and electricity outage is a sign of systems failure and underdevelopment. There hardly goes a day in Nigeria without protracted power outages. Sometimes one wonders if the operators play pranks with the system as there could be up to a dozen power outages in a day. Anything goes in an unruly society. You can imagine what Nigerians go through in 365 days of every year. It irks one to even imagine that billions of dollars have purportedly been invested to revamp the power sector in Nigeria. Inefficiency and corruption has bedeviled and strangulated the electricity sector in this West African country for many decades.
In summer of year 2003 in New York City, there was an unexpected power outage for several hours. It made headlines and breaking news worldwide. Many New Yorkers had to walk very long distances to their homes. The experience was undeniably harrowing. That was a strange experience and the first for many Americans. Also in summer 2005 when hurricane Katrina struck and devastated cities like New Orleans, electricity was cut off. The city was almost completely evacuated for fear of an epidemic of cholera, typhoid fever, etc. Flood water rose up to about 15 feet above the ground as many houses and buildings were completely submerged. Some people died. Lawlessness set in. It was the greatest challenge for the New Orleans Police who seemingly had no adequate training for such a catastrophe. Armed hoodlums captured on the disorder and devastation that the hurricane left behind, looted shops and committed various crimes. One of President George Bush’s main objectives at that time was to promptly restore law and order in New Orleans. Lawlessness is a fruit of the works of darkness. It is evil and retrogressive. It is a state of chaos orchestrated by the prince of darkness who is a lawless rebel condemned to eternal damnation.
Have you ever lived in a society where lawlessness is the order of the day? A society where no one is safe and where anything can happen? A society ravaged by mass looting of government treasury; armed robbery; rape; car snatching; assassinations; reckless power outages; violence; murder; dangerous driving particularly by law enforcement agents; pestering of street beggars and traders; gun renting; bribery; prostitution; fighting; kidnapping; insecurity; warring militia groups; intimidation; smuggling; illegal arrests and detention; fraudulent activities; harassment by street touts; violent clashes between security agencies; narcotics trafficking; barefaced disregard for Court rulings, and the like. Many underdeveloped countries of the world fit the above illustrated shadow of darkness.
In year 2003 when American led forces stormed Iraq, they were ill prepared for the outcome of the fall of the erstwhile Iraqi regime and so there was terrible breakdown of law and order. There have been numerous cases of hostage taking, violent rape, looting, killings, suicide bombings, and so on. Promiscuity is another terrible form of lawlessness and gross indiscipline. I have known a Moslem car rental driver for many years. One day, while patronizing his services, he informed me his car fell into a river few weeks back. I was astonished and so I took another look at the car. Then he narrated how it all happened. One of his valued clients had hired his services for several hours one evening, in search of prostitutes for the night which was his usual practice. They drove through a wrong path just by a river. The car fell into a ditch and slid into a near by river. The entire car was covered with water. Shocked, I asked him why he provides services for promiscuous clients since his religion (Islam) frowns at promiscuity. His answer was that such clients pay very well. He went on to tell me how such clients shuttle from one nightclub to another at nights or from one red light zone to another in search of female prostitutes. Some engage the services of three or four prostitutes every night. One of such prostitutes was a twelve year old girl who confessed to him she works for a notorious rich pimp whose stock in trade was to recruit teenage prostitutes of various classes and sizes for depraved men. He further said that prostitution is a very lucrative business in the city of Lagos as the high and mighty in the society patronizes these prostitutes. In these times of HIV/AIDS? What could ever make an adult patronize a twelve-year-old child-prostitute? What could make a married man indulge in sex with three or more women at the same time? Promiscuity is an act of lawlessness and a fruit of darkness. The seed of lust is a demonic oppression that destroys the souls of men. I just can’t comprehend how people deprive themselves of a good night’s sleep to perambulate from night club to another at very “unholy” hours of the night in search of ladies and/or prostitutes, all to gratify their sexual lust. It is foolish for any lady to degrade and malign the dignity of her body, expose herself to satanic invasion, oppression, sickness and diseases, through illicit sex. Prostitution is a lawless act. The Bible rightly states in Matt. 24:14 that:
“….Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow
Cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved”.
A young pretty distraught African-American teenage girl went to a TV talk show for assistance in order to confirm her strong conviction that her former boyfriend was the father of her less than one year old child. Her ex-boyfriend had denied being the father because according to him, she also had sexual intercourse with his blood brother. A DNA test was carried out and behold the guy wasn’t the father. She then insisted it must be another guy who was also invited and the same test was conducted but again, the second guy wasn’t the father of her baby either. She was broken. She was reaping the fruits of her sexual escapades and outrageous immorality. This is one in millions of similar cases of pre-marital sex, teen pregnancies and various acts of lawlessness in many countries.
The word of God states in Eph. 5:11:
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
But rather reprove them”.
Ejiro Okene