“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

During the darkest days of World War II, when London was being rocket-bombed almost daily and Londoners were in daily fear for their lives, they were stirred by Winston Churchill’s words (quoting President Roosevelt) when he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!”

For the past year, our own leaders and the news media have been reminding us daily that we are in a “War on Terror,” yet encouraging us to be confident, as well as alert. The apostle Peter, concerned with the serious dangers faced by the early Christians, similarly encouraged them: “If ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled” (I Peter 3:14).

We Christians certainly should be concerned about the possible dangers confronting us because of the “terrorists” of these latter days, but we need even more to keep all this in eternal perspective. As Christ said in our text, a far more serious danger—awaiting both indifferent secularists in our own country and those whom we call terrorists from Muslim and Communist countries—is the soon-coming judgment by our Creator because He is able to consign both soul and body to everlasting punishment in hell.

Therefore, our message to the terrorists, as well as to all unsaved men everywhere, has to be to “flee from the wrath to come” (Luke 3:7) through “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). As Paul said: “Knowing . . . the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. . . . We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:11,20,21). HMM