The main aim of terrorism is to instill fear, panic and shock to the targeted population by using violence. Terrorists try to bully people into giving in to their demands, whether they are justified or not. It can take many forms such as religious, left wing or state terrorism. They use a number of weapons to put their point across, such as firearms, explosives and chemical weapons, most of which did not exist during biblical times. As such, these weapons can inflict sudden, wide scale damage as compared to the ancient arms. The presence of media coverage has also made it possible for news of such attacks to travel wide, raising awareness about terrorists and their activities. They often attack innocent civilians while trying to pass their message and in recent times, guns have become their weapons of choice. Statistics show that 85% of terrorists use guns, since they are easier to acquire and use as compared to other weapons.
Modern terrorism as we know it did not exist during biblical times. The Old Testament has many instances in which the Israelites went out to war against their enemies such as the Amalekites and Jebusites. This is recorded in Josh 1: 6 and2 Sam 3; 1, among other places. They had clear instructions and responsibilities during wartime not to target the innocent, which is how modern day terrorism works. Unlike the Israelites, other communities would specifically target women and children who are considered innocent, while the Israelites would avoid them unless God specifically ordered them to wipe them out, as a form of judgement. God reminded them in Deut 9:4-6 that their instructions were limited to that particular military conquest, and God was using them because their enemies were wicked, and not because the Jews were superior to them in any way. Other instructions made their operations more human, such as soldiers being allowed to return home if they were afraid, newly- weds or unprepared for war. This can be contrasted to modern day terrorism that recruits even young boys and sends them to certain death through suicide bombing.