In 1947, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set up the Doomsday Clock. The goal was to countdown to a global meltdown or apocalypse, arising from the landmark scientific project that led to the development of the most lethal weapon ever produced by humankind — the Atomic Bomb.
Tagged the Manhattan Project, the research and development effort was led by the United States, with support from Canada and the United Kingdom at the outbreak of World War II. The scientific efforts carried out across 30 sites in the three countries between 1939 and 1946, resulted in the production of the first nuclear weapons.
In 1953, the Doomsday Clock was placed at two minutes to midnight, indicating how close the earth was to being wiped out in the event of another world war that could force nations that had the capability to deploy nuclear weapons. Other phenomenal happenings and human inventions such as climate change, breathtaking warfare platforms and armaments, breakthrough technologies such as artificial intelligence, etc have also been listed lately as Doomsday catalysts.
Just recently, in January 2020 to be specific as reported in Sky News online, the atomic scientists announced that the Doomsday Clock had moved closer to midnight than ever before. In fact, it was put at 100 seconds to midnight, that is, less than two minutes.
Making the announcement, the President and Chief Executive of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Ms Rachel Bronson, said: “We are now expressing how close the world is to catastrophe in seconds — not hours, or even minutes.”
She continued, “It is the closest to Doomsday we have ever been in the history of the Doomsday Clock. We now face a true emergency — an absolutely unacceptable state of world affairs that has eliminated any margin for error or further delay.”
The conclusion by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists derives from their observation of global trends – from the tension in the Middle East to the sabre rattling between the U.S. and Iran on the one hand and North Korea on the other, the climate crisis and the outbreak of deadly diseases never heard of in human history, among others.
According to the bulletin, “Humanity continues to face the two simultaneous existential dangers of nuclear war and climate change — compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare — that undercuts society’s ability to respond.
“The international security situation is dire, not just because these threats exist, but because world leaders have allowed the international political infrastructure for managing them to erode.”
In her reaction to the announcement by the scientists, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson called on “world leaders to join us in 2020 as we work to pull humanity back from the brink”. She described the current setting of the Doomsday Clock as “the most dangerous situation that humanity has ever faced,” adding that “Now is the time to come together — to unite and to act”.
It would amount to playing the ostrich to understate the magnitude of the threat these events pose to the world or their capacity to change the course of human history. However, nothing happening in the world today is outside of biblical prophetic timeline.
The current explosion in knowledge leading to mind-bugling scientific discoveries and inventions are well captured in Daniel 12:4. Indeed, all of the inventions, including the nuclear weapons, will culminate in the final destruction that will be visited upon the earth. Therefore, to that extent, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists is probably right in its prediction with respect to the apocalyptic events.
In addition, setting the Doomsday Clock at less than two minutes to midnight may also be taken to be somewhat a correct reading of the current times and seasons. However, what should be clear to the spiritually discerning is that human beings do not possess the capacity to bring an end to the world, only God has that power, and that only after all He ordained will take place would have occurred.
It is not in doubt that there are countries in the world that are bent on causing monumental disasters to take place, each driven by its own geopolitical and nationalistic interests. China as a budding super power wants to plant its footprints on the global stage; North Korea reckons itself to be an emerging global power solely because of its possession of nuclear weapons; and Iran believes it is destined to usher in the messiah of the Islamic world.
All of these interests could ultimately drive the world to the predicted doomsday. However, that end can only happen according to prophetic time-table, as spoken of by Jesus and all of God’s prophets. So, the greatest threat is not the weapons that have been amassed by nations but what humanity is doing to bring God’s judgement upon itself.
In fact, the greatest threat to human existence and the root cause of the impending global catastrophe is not nuclear Armageddon or climate change or any other human inventions that pose a threat to the continued existence of the world.
The greatest threat to human existence is sin, which author and finisher is the Devil. He is the one driving humanity to the brink, and turning their witty inventions to instruments of destruction. But despite humanity’s drive to self-destruct, the power to bring this age to an end is not in anyone’s hand but God’s.
However, in Matthew 24, Jesus spelt out all that will take place before the end of the age, and concluded by saying emphatically: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (v.14).”
Until then, God’s children must not live in the fear of the evil and looming catastrophe in the world or believe that human beings can suddenly fast-forward the hand of the clock and close this chapter of human history. We must get down to doing what God has ordained for us while time remains.