Without warning, a bomb exploded on KAL flight #858 killing all 115 souls on board. It didn’t take long for authorities to trace and arrest the agents who had placed the bomb. Both attempted suicide by biting down on cyanide pills. One agent succeeded, while the other was unable to ingest enough poison to cause her death. Slowly the story began to come to light. The bombing was the work of North Korea in a misguided attempt to reunify the two Koreas.
Kim Hyon-hui, the surviving agent, was found guilty of the crime and sentanced to execution. She was later pardoned by South Korea’s president because she was as much a victim of North Korea as the passengers.Tears of My Soulis Hyon-hui’s account of her selection for the North Korean Army’s secret and elite espionage school, her mission and ultimate freedom gained in South Korea.
Enemy Of Our Souls
Many people in the west have difficulty understanding how indoctrination could have been so thorough in Hyon-hui’s life that killing 115 people would be acceptable on any terms. Yet such indoctrination occurred and continues to occur in the closed and secretive nation of North Korea. Because Hyon-hui had no access to opposing views or the freedom to discover truth for herself, she believed what she was told and carried out her mission.
While we in the west have much greater access to varying views and opinions and can search for the truth, we are not immune to falling prey to lies and falsehood. There is an enemy of our souls who would like to use us for evil purposes just as much as North Korea used Hyon-hui to achieve its evil intentions. Jesus warned that there is a “thief [who] comes only tostealand killand destroy.” (Jn. 10.10)
Without careful vigilance, it is far too easy to fall prey to the enemy of our souls. The influence of the world and its ways are strong and enticing. The world makes grand promises that regularly fail to deliver and often leave lives in ruin.
Test everything; hold fast what is good.
1 Thessalonians 5.21
Lover Of Our Souls
Unlike the enemy of our souls, the lover of our souls, God the Father, doesn’t attempt to beguile us with lofty promises. God’s love for us knows no bounds. While we were still His enemies and condemned to eternal separation from Him, God made the ultimate sacrifice. He sent His Son to take our punishment and then overcome that punishment so that we might enjoy life with him.
We often stand at a crossroads. Before us is a choice to follow the ways of the world or the ways of God. Satan uses every trick he knows to entice us to follow him. His plans are as ill advised and misguided as North Korea’s were. Satan doesn’t care about the lives that are ruined in the process.
God, on the other hand, cares greatly about each of our lives. He gently invites us to see truth instead of lies. He offers redemption instead of judgment. Above all, He loves each of us unconditionally, even when our actions might warrant other responses.
Perhaps this is why I enjoyed reading Tears of My Soul. In microcosm it is the story of evil and good, of hate and love, darkness and light, and especially of deception and redemption.
Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed;
every one was fulfilled.
Joshua 21:45