Five Minutes to Midnight

"Midnight," according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, represents global disaster—"the figurative end of civilization" (http://www.thebulletin.org/weekly-highlight/20070117.html ). The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 ushered in the nuclear age, unleashing fearsome weapons of mass destruction on mankind. Two years later, scientists at the Bulletin created the "Doomsday Clock." As recently as 1991, the clock registered a relatively peaceful 17 minutes to midnight, after the United States and Soviet Union reached agreement on nuclear arms reductions. The minute hand had come precariously close to disaster in 1953—two minutes before midnight—following U.S. and Soviet hydrogen bomb tests that year. On January 17, 2007, the Bulletin moved the clock from seven minutes (last set in 2002) to five minutes to midnight!

Did the Bulletin assess our global dangers accurately? Or will a wave of world peace envelop the world through statesmanship and the achievement of mankind's common goals?

The history of the world has demonstrated, time and again, that warring human nature has not changed. Historians Will and Ariel Durant researched the world's history of war and peace. In their book, The Lessons of History, they concluded: "In the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war" (p. 81). Any realist, looking at past human history, can safely predict that we will face war in the future. And we face other threats, such as potential pestilence and pandemics, asteroid collisions with planet Earth, weather disasters and catastrophic climate change.

Movies such as Deep Impact, Armageddon, The Sum of All Fears and The Day After Tomorrow may reflect potential trends and dangers. But, on the other hand, when popular entertainment presents an unrealistic, imaginative view of these threats, human beings may tend to discount the real dangers facing our civilization.

Can we realistically say that we now stand at five minutes to midnight? Not only does Bible prophecy give us insight into the history of humanity; it has also proved that its ancient and modern prophecies are accurate. For more on the Bible's inspiration and current and future prophetic fulfillment, be sure to order your free copy of our informative booklets, The Bible: Fact or Fiction? and Prophecy Fulfilled: God's Hand in World Affairs.

The greatest prophet who ever lived, Jesus of Nazareth, predicted that "no flesh" would survive, unless the God of Creation would intervene (Matthew 24:21-22)! Critics of Bible prophecy should pay attention to the scientific and historic realities of our time. World War III will see weapons of mass destruction far more powerful than the comparative "matchsticks" that devastated two cities in Japan.

The Bulletin explained several reasons it chose to move the Doomsday Clock two minutes closer to midnight: "The major new step reflects growing concerns about a 'Second Nuclear Age' marked by grave threats, including: nuclear ambitions in Iran and North Korea, unsecured nuclear materials in Russia and elsewhere, the continuing 'launch-ready' status of 2,000 of the 25,000 nuclear weapons held by the U.S. and Russia, escalating terrorism, and new pressure from climate change for expanded civilian nuclear power that could increase proliferation risks" ( http://www.thebulletin.org/media-center/announcements/20070115.html ).

Iran's nuclear ambitions prompted the International Jerusalem Post to feature an Israeli jet fighter on its front page, above the headline, "The highest stakes: If all else fails, can Israel stop Iran's nuclear program by force?" The article reported, "With Iran pushing ahead with its program in defiance of the UN and the international community, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates announced in early November that they intended to begin upgrading their nuclear energy programs. Of the six, the most advanced by far are Egypt and Algeria. Turkey is also reported to be toying with the idea of starting a nuclear program" (January 12-18, 2007, p. 15). You can learn more about events prophesied for that region by requesting our free, eye-opening booklet, The Middle East in Prophecy.

Yes, we are indeed entering a "Second Nuclear Age." Bible prophecy reveals the future, including the Middle East dangers that will lead up to "Armageddon." Now is the time for all of us to face the reality of an ultimate midnight. With a symbolic "five minutes" remaining until "global disaster," we need to seek the protection and deliverance of Almighty God (Luke 21:36). Beyond Armageddon lies tomorrow's world, global peace, and the Kingdom of God.