A Marathon of Terror?

The trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger of the Tsarnaev brothers accused of the bombings, began March 4, 2015 and will likely last for several months. The selection of the jury was itself a legal marathon of several months. The bombing deeply affected Boston and galvanized its citizenry against the alleged perpetrators, making seating an impartial jury a time-consuming task. Jury selection finally concluded on March 3, 2015.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is accused of helping to build the two pressure cooker bombs that were detonated near the Boston Marathon race finish line, killing three and injuring well over two hundred participants and spectators.

The trial will likely include eyewitness testimony of many who were in the blast. The video footage many have seen on television will likely be used as evidence. The testimony of the law enforcement officers involved in the pursuit and capture of Dzhokhar, will undoubtedly be heard.

Such violent acts of death and destruction demand justice. Depending upon the outcome of the trial, many victims and their families may feel that justice has been served. Some may not. Regardless, bringing that incident to a conclusion will not bring an end to the continuing terrorism.

The 2013 Boston Marathon bombing is only one small incidence of terror in the total amount of terrorism taking place in the world every year. In just the first two months of 2015, terrorist attacks have occurred in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Philippines, Tunisia, Mali, Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, Niger, Somalia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Ukraine, China, France, Denmark, and in the U.S. in Colorado.

Thousands lose their lives in violent terror attacks, and many more wounded, disabled, and disfigured for life. Millions of lives are disrupted, greatly inconvenienced by necessary security precautions. Billions of dollars in property damage is sustained. The “war on terror” costs hundreds of billions of dollars and is fought on many fronts. The economies of many nations are negatively affected—and terrorism continues, as does the war against it.

There are many dozens of terrorist groups, but we are most familiar with al-Qaeda, Taliban, Hezbollah, Hamas, Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Islamic State, also called the Islamic State of Iraq and ash Sham (ISIS).

There is no universally accepted general or legal definition of terrorism by the international community, and yet we all generally know what terrorism is.

Naturally, we ask ourselves, “Why?” when we think about these horrific acts. Why does this happen? Why does God allow it? Will the violence and terrorism ever come to an end?

There are answers to these questions. But many will not like the answer. Prophecies given to Moses millennia ago answer the question, as do prophetic statement by Jesus Christ. God warned ancient Israel in Leviticus 26:14–16: “But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments… I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you….” And Jesus gave predictions of events that will take place before His return, which include wars, nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom, lawlessness abounding, great tribulation such as the world has never seen, such that unless those days are supernaturally shortened, no one will survive (Matthew 24:3–24).    

Unfortunately, this marathon of terror will continue and worsen until Jesus Christ returns to put a stop to it. Be sure to order and read our inspiring booklet Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return and the Tomorrow’s World article, “Seven Reasons Why Christ Must Return.”