Where are the Suicide Highjackers of September 11, 2001, now?                        Paradise?  Hell-fire or the grave?

Nineteen young men, all of middle-eastern backgrounds, mostly from Saudi Arabia and Egypt dressed themselves in clean undergarments on the morning of September 11, 2001, and began a series of events that shocked the world. Their actions resulted in the deaths of over 4000 Americans and dozens of people of various other nationalities. More than 7000 were injured, some seriously and tens of thousands of relatives and neighbors grieved because of this terrible loss.

The events and details are well known. Why these young men turned to such an act of barbarism is almost impossible to understand. One thing was evident. Along with their fellow suicide murderers in Israel, they believed, as martyrs for Allah, they would instantly attain paradise! And paradise included their own harem of 70 beautiful virgins (see www.abcog.org/islam.htm)

Were they right? Is that where they are now...in the ‘garden’ with their 70 virgins?

A Christian of the Roman Catholic faith would answer with a dogmatic “No!” Such a horrendous act of mass murder would ensure that the perpetrators would be cast into “hell-fire” and be punished forever amongst the everlasting tongues of flame...a permanent place of torture..”burning forever in hell-fire”.

Neither of the three monotheistic religions... Judaism, Christianity or Islam teaches that the actions of these nineteen men would spirit them off instantly to heaven...but they believe they would!

Where are they now?  And how can we answer this question?

It seems only logical that to understand what exists on the ‘other side’ after death, we should learn from an individual who has actually been there.  History records that only one man, one unique individual, can really lay claim to having experienced complete death, the grave, and a resurrection. His name was Jesus of Nazareth.  Those who witnessed the events of His death and resurrection, wrote and taught others, willing to sacrifice their own lives in the attempt. Their zeal was such that only one disciple did not die at the hands of an executioner.  Peter is said to have died a martyr, crucified upside down, or so tradition holds. But it was Peter in his most important speech, on the day of Pentecost who explained that “David is not ascended into the heavens” (Acts 2:34).  Surely if David is not in heaven, David,  “a man after God’s own heart” is in the grave.

So if the suicide highjackers are not in heaven, where are they? Are they in “Hell-fire”, a place of everlasting torment. There are those who wish they were.  But that is not the case.

Where did this “hell-fire” business come from? Jesus did refer to hell-fire several times during his teaching, the first time during the sermon on the mount..Matt 5:17-22, “but whosoever shall say, ‘Thou fool’ shall be in danger of hell-fire”. The word “hell-fire” is translated from the Greek...”gehenna fire”.  It was a term used frequently by the local people describing a fire which burned trash continually in the valley of Hinnom.  It was a well-known geographical location with great historical significance.  Everyone in the audience knew exactly what Jesus was describing.

The valley was named after the son of Hinnom, a deep east-west valley located about 1000 yards south of the Temple Mount.  Of all the ancient, evil practices that could be imagined, the most evil of all was that of burning one’s children alive as an offering to the pagan god Molech.  The story of such a practice is described in II Chron. 28:1-3. Here the valley of the son of Hinnom is identified as the location for the fire. Two generations after Ahaz who carried out these horrific acts, another wicked king of Israel, Manasseh continued the same practice (II Chron 33:1-6). And the practice continued until about 531 B.C. when King Josiah “made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and Keep his commandments” (II Kings 23:3) and “he defiled Topheth which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech” (vs. 10).

This valley and its history was an object of horror for the Jews...it became a refuse dump burning continually; a place for the disposal of the dishonored and despised dead.  But is was not a place of continual torment.

Jesus explained quite clearly where the dead were. John 5:28-29 “Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation”.

Paul explained it: Heb 9:27 “And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”. And in I Cor 15:12-24 “Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen; and if Christ be not risen then is our preaching in vain and your faith is also in vain..But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; and afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.”

So the resurrection will start when Christ returns to the earth. II Cor 15:52-54 “Behold I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed”.

Peter emphasized the judgment: II Peter 1:21 “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished”.

In the vision of the disciple John on the isle of Patmos, he records: Rev 20:11-15 “And I saw a great white throne, and His that sat on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell (the grave) delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”. The end is total incineration..following the judgment...II Thess 1:7-10 “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels. In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.

So these nineteen young men will be resurrected at the second resurrection...they will be told of their terrible acts from the first ‘books’.  Will they realize their error?  They may have a short time to change and their name may or may not be added to the ‘other book...the book of live’ or they will be incinerated...a second time in the second death.

Any questions? Comments? Contact Dr. Don Carruthers at JDCarruthers@worldnet.att.net

For more on this topic go to www.abcog.org

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