On the Nuclear Brink

“The United States, Russia and China are now aggressively pursuing a new generation of smaller, less destructive nuclear weapons. The buildups threaten to revive a Cold War-era arms race and unsettle the balance of destructive force among nations that has kept the nuclear peace for more than a half-century” (New York Times, April 16, 2016). The U.S. “expects to spend on the nuclear revitalization program—estimated at up to $1 trillion over three decades.” Russia “is fielding big missiles topped by miniaturized warheads.” And China “is flight-testing a novel warhead called a ‘hypersonic glide vehicle.’ It flies into space on a traditional long-range missile but then maneuvers through the atmosphere, twisting and careening at more than a mile a second. That can render missile defenses all but useless” (ibid.). Meanwhile, NATO has raised a “‘justified concern’ that Isil [ISIS] is plotting a nuclear attack on Britain” (The Telegraph, April 19, 2016).

End-time Bible prophecy warns of devastation that could be linked to nuclear weapons, including the destruction of one-third of mankind by a final “eastern” army of 200 million men (Revelation 9:13-21). However, the message of the gospel is that Jesus Christ will return and prevent the total destruction of humanity (Matthew 24:22) and establish His Kingdom “on the earth” (Revelation 5:10)! God commands His Church to warn the world of coming danger and repent of sinful ways (see Ezekiel 3 and 33). For more on the future of nations and the role of God’s Church, read our insightful article, “Connecting the Dots.”