Closing Gitmo

What is driving President Obama to close the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo?

Guantanamo has become a symbol of the on-going war against Islamic terrorism. President Obama wants us to treat Islamic terrorism as a routine crime and stop thinking of it as a war. (Could this be this what Jesus called a "rumor of a war" in Matthew 24?)

No-doubt, our not having had any terrorist attacks on the U.S. since 9-11-01 could lead us to the conclusion that we can get by dealing with Islamic terrorism in lower intensity mode. But is the reason we've been safe the last 7.5 years because the terrorism threat is not as bad as we thought or could it be that acting as if it is a global war and taking the battle to the neighborhood of the terrorists actually works to keep us safe? Time will tell which is true.

Regardless of what we do to thwart terrorism, our ultimate protection is not the government, it is God. Psalm 127:1 says, "Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain" (NIV). If God removes His hedge of protection, it is for a reason. The spiritual effect of 9-11 was than churches were full and people were giving serious thought to what is really important in their lives. But I fear that as a nation we have slipped back into spiritual complacency since those days.

The more we buy into the idea that our government is our savior, the more risk we are taking that God will need to shake us back into reality. But we may already be in the age when the consequences that the U.S. faces is lumped in with that of the whole world. "For thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the LORD of hosts" (Haggai 2:6-7, NKJ).