The Ultimate Terrorist

by Gene Shelburne

America has learned some hard lessons in the past few weeks about terrorism. We’d already been introduced to it in a painful way even here in the States, with Oklahoma City as our prime lesson.

But the events of September 11, 2001, were something most of us would have considered beyond the realm of reality. That day my wife and I were watching the morning news, coffee cups in hand, as we were suddenly taken “live to New York” as the first tower was ablaze. Then the second. And even knowing that the cameras were not lying, “This is not happening,” somehow seemed an appropriate response. “Impossible” things continued to occur. Skyscrapers don’t collapse. Nobody would even dream of attacking the Pentagon.

As these lines are being written, a young man is being jailed here in Phoenix, charged with lying to the FBI. He is known to have been in contact with the man believed to have piloted the plane into the Pentagon. The two men had some shared areas of interest and both were learning to fly. This is not a good time to be a known associate of any of the September 11th perpetrators, or to have shared anything with them.

It’s highly unlikely anyone who is reading these words knew anyone responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing. (By the way, there was an Arizona connection there, too). And though at least one of the September 11th terrorists at one time lived and received flight training in Phoenix, I doubt I’ve met anyone who ever crossed paths with him.

The fact remains, though, that every one of us has come face to face with history’s ultimate terrorist. His name is Satan. He is the great deceiver, who first used his serpent-cunning on Eve. Then, spreading sin even more insidiously than weapon-grade anthrax spores, he got to Adam, and to you and me.

One characteristic of terrorists is that they use techniques that hide their true objectives. Satan assured Eve, for instance, that she would be a wiser woman if she ate the fruit. Our adversary is a liar and a destroyer. He would prefer, though, to be perceived as an angel of light. He knows that most us would not wish to hobnob with a known terrorist.

We’ve learned a lot about terrorists recently. And the more we learn, the more they remind us of the one we’ve known about all along.