Wallace G. Smith

Many who were listening Friday morning to news of the mind-numbing slaughter of innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut are still dazed, bewildered and in grief. Twenty small children lay dead, felled by a coward’s bullets, with eight adults (including the shooter and his mother) dead beside them. What has become of our society that people commit such abominable acts? How has this become the state of affairs?

On November 6, the citizens of the United States of America re-elected President Barack Obama. Throughout the campaign, the President promised a better America for its citizens, and his campaign slogan was simple: “Forward.”  Will the President be able to fulfill his promises?  Is there reason to have faith in America’s ability to move forward?  Does the Bible have anything to say about the challenges facing a reconfirmed President and the ailing country he will lead?

Many are stunned by the images, video, and testimony coming from Aurora, Colorado, where a young gunman strolled into a crowded movie theater on Thursday night and killed 12 people, injuring 50 others.  What is happening in our society?  Should we fear being in public?  What should we do?

I believe in the risen Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior of mankind. I believe that after His crucifixion on Passover, He was three days and three nights in the heart of the earth—as He said He would be. I believe He was then resurrected by His Father, restored to the glory He had with His Father before the world was.

Well, a milestone of sorts has been reached. From now on, the so-called “Mayan Doomsday” date of December 21, 2012 (or December 23, 2012, depending on whom you ask) is less than a year away. Does mankind have anything to fear from that much-discussed date? How should Christians react?