Bomb Blasts and the Enemy: The Wisdom of Vigilance

By Dr. Chuck Missler
Koinonia House

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" - 1 Peter 5:8

Resorts World Sentosa, a Universal Studios theme park in Singapore, experienced a terror attack on Tuesday – after a fashion. A package left in an auditorium began to smoke, and guests were evacuated. Another package exploded outside a theater, and armed men opened fire on tourists. However, unlike the vicious bombing that killed 35 people at a Russian airport on Monday, the attack on the Singapore tourist attraction was not meant to be deadly; it was a simulation.

Lim Swee Say in the Prime Minister's Office commented,

"You saw a terrorist attack, you knew that it was not real, I knew that it was not real, and that's why all of us were still smiling. But imagine - what if what we saw just now was not a simulation but a real event? In Singapore, we are fighting a war, fighting a battle against global terrorism."

Terrorism hasn't gone away. The simulation in Singapore involved 400 of the resort's staff and law enforcement so that a real terror event wouldn't catch them by surprise.

Russia is still reeling from a horrific clash with the real thing. A bomb with the blast power of five kg of TNT detonated at Moscow's Domodedovo airport at 4:40pm local time Monday, killing 35 people and leaving at least 76 hospitalized. Like a cruel pinata, the bomb had been packed with chunks of metal in order to cause as much destruction as possible.

Sadly, law enforcement knew of the plot and were working to find and stop the suspects in the bombing before it took place, but they were not able to work quickly enough. This is Russia's second major attack in a year. Last March, female suicide bombers linked to Chechen militants killed 39 people when they detonated themselves on the city's metro.

Singapore does not want to be caught flat-footed. The simulation there on Tuesday offered security teams and law enforcement the opportunity to practice dealing with a threat. Issues that might not come up in brain-storming sessions were brought to their attention by actually having to go through a mock attack. For instance, when the officers were trying to neutralize the gunmen, they discovered they could not hide behind the big pillars and expect to be protected, because the pillars are not actually made of concrete, and bullets could penetrate them . Those are the sorts of realizations that save lives.

Melvin Yong, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police and Commander of Clementi Police Division, commented on the value of the simulation in preparing the resort staff for a real emergency.

He said, "During a crisis, the first responder at the scene is very important because lives can be saved if the first responder knows how to react promptly, calmly and confidently.

"And I think it's in our interest to make sure the IR staff are well trained, and well prepared to make sure that in any contingency, they are in the best position to take care of the patrons and customers within the resort."

In a world where armed men walk into post offices and even churches and start shooting, it is wise to have prepared in advance for how to deal with dangerous situations. Those of us in positions of responsibility for the protection of others should always have contingency plans for emergencies, so that we are not caught completely by surprise without a plan of action.

This applies to us spiritually as well. We know we have a spiritual enemy who wants to destroy us. Peter likens him to a roaring lion, hunting around for somebody to gulp down (1 Peter 5:8). Above all, we need to remain vigilant and aware of his desire to destroy the truly precious things in our lives, to be aware of his methods, and to remain fully protected under the faithful, watchful care of the Holy One of Israel, our Father.

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