The war on terrorism which followed the Trade Center bombing on September 11, 2001 has as one of its main objectives the elimination of weapons of mass destruction. These weapons include nuclear, biological, and chemical, and they are different than those traditionally used in warfare in that they are designed to be used against civilian populations, and their use could cause massive loss of life. Civilization would be seriously denigrated by such wide-spread destruction, and life as we know it would be greatly disrupted.
The threat from these weapons has motivated our military takeover of Afghanistan and more recently the war for Iraqi Freedom. There is a real possibility that other nations such as Iran, Syria, North Korea, and China may be stockpiling such weapons which will place this country in jeopardy. No doubt the recent events have changed forever the world we live in as we lurch toward new social and political upheavals here and abroad in the interest of security. How present day events will culminate in the accomplishment of God's great plan is a matter of speculation. We know that the United States will play a dominant role in the future as it speaks like a dragon. At the sound of that dragon's roar men's hearts will fail from fear and the whole world will wonder. We also know that, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, as a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come" (Matt. 24:14).
Today, men's hearts are turning to God as never before; thousands are being converted in places that have never heard the gospel before; evangelistic meetings in India and Russia have resulted in such large numbers of baptisms that churches cannot be built rapidly enough to accommodate them. Truly, the word is going out and the gospel is being preached to the far corners of earth. This effort has been tremendously aided by modern methods of communication such as radio and TV which can circle the globe in a few seconds by satellite and fiberoptic cables.
However, who knows what the future holds with this technology? When the mighty angel of Rev. 18:1 comes down from heaven having great power, the earth will be lightened with the glory of his message. It will be heaven's final message to a dying world. In the last struggle between the forces of good and evil the forces of evil will go forth to deceive the whole world. Then God will unsheathe His final weapons of mass instruction.
