Is a Nuclear Armageddon Close?

I remember as a young boy in school during what was called “The Cuban missile crisis,” climbing under my desk for another bomb drill in preparation for a potential atomic bomb threat. I seriously doubt our desks would have done us any good.

Now, 60 years later, AP News reported that President Biden said, “The risk of nuclear ‘Armageddon’ is at the highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, as Russian officials speak of the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in the eight-month invasion of Ukraine.”

Anytime a world leader—much less a U.S. President—uses the word “Armageddon,” we take notice.

Is This Armageddon?

President Biden continued, “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.” He suggested the threat from Putin is real “because his military is—you might say—significantly underperforming.”

Add to this the fact that the U.S. has just spent $290 million on Anti-Radiation drugs. The threat is not being dismissed.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, who has single-handedly set this nightmare scenario into motion is reportedly isolated in a bunker, becoming increasingly paranoid and nervous as his army has suffered defeat after defeat in his war against Ukraine.

World leaders are taking this seriously. So should we. But is this potentially Armageddon?

The short answer: no.

To most Christians, the word “Armageddon” is often used to describe the final apocalyptic battle that mankind will someday face. The word ultimately comes from the Hebrew word “Har-Magedone,” which means “Mount Megiddo,” the predicted location of the battle.

Whatever happens with Putin’s threats, Christians should understand that this cannot be biblical Armageddon. That is a specific series of battles fought at the end of what the Bible calls “the great tribulation period” that will last for seven years. It is inaugurated by the emergence of the Antichrist and ends with the return of Jesus Christ.

Would You Be Ready for Eternity Today?

But what if Russia and the United States enter this conflict of the highest stakes? Let us all pray together that such a thing never happens. But what if you knew that a nuclear missile was coming and you only had moments more to live?

As a matter of fact, this did happen at 8:07 AM on Saturday, January 13, 2018, to the people of Oahu. Their phones buzzed with this ominous warning:

BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

People in Hawaii waited breathlessly for 37 very long minutes before they were told that it was a false alarm. The official explanation is the wrong button was pushed during a shift change.

A friend of ours named Shelly, who was on Oahu at the time of this emergency alert, reacted calmly because of her deep faith in Jesus Christ. She texted us after the all-clear was given. Her neighbors came running over to her house on the North Shore of Oahu after the emergency alert and asked her what to do. Shelly writes, “I prayed with them and said the first thing we need to do is make sure we know where we are going when we leave this earth!”

One day a real threat will come your way—a nuclear threat, or a personal one. It could be a heart attack or a car accident. One thing is certain: no one gets out of here alive.

Like Shelly, we should all know where we are going. Only those who are prepared to die are ready to live.

The Way to Heaven

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, came to this planet of ours and died on the cross for all of our sins. There, hanging on that cross, He carried all the sins of the world, including yours, and died in your place. Then, three days later, Jesus rose again. Death died when Christ rose.

If we will turn from our sin and believe in Him, we can know we will spend the afterlife in Heaven. With that knowledge, we are prepared to give that same answer of hope to someone else.

There is no escaping the realities of life and death, even in a place as beautiful as Hawaii. One day, it will not be a false alarm. There is nothing more important than readying yourself for whatever emergency comes your way. I pray that our leaders, from the White House down, are doing everything they can to de-escalate this conflict immediately.

But, for the rest of us, it is absolutely vital that we know where we will spend eternity.

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