by Michael Burkert

For the thirty-eight years that I listened to Garner Ted Armstrong, he preached and taught that in the End Times, the times we are currently in, the world will be a very unstable and hostile place.  Wars and rumors of wars along with the other plagues and woes described in Scripture will rise to a crescendo.  That the Third World War will be a NUCLEAR WAR is most likely in the offing.  Who was he afterall, to make such predictions?  Where did he get this awful idea that this world will ever again mobilize for WORLD WAR, let alone NUCLEAR WAR?

Since 1945, the United States has been the most powerful nation the world has ever known.  Certainly, other nations possessed great power and military prowess during “The American Century,” yet it was the United States that GUARANTEED the peace around the world.  Our forces have been stationed in countless nations around the world for decades.  We’ve spent BILLIONS of our dollars to bolster-up weak, yet friendly nations over the years. 

Many former servicemen and women can claim the title “Cold Warrior.”  Besides serving through two “hot” wars myself, I served in both Europe and Asia, as part of the so-called “Vanguard of Freedom.”  Our national might was indeed impressive.  As a young soldier, I was awed at the unbelievable firepower I saw unleashed against our communist enemies in Vietnam.  Later, when I entered into aviation service, I witnessed first hand the types of ordnance that was deliverable by our army attack helicopters.  I used to marvel and ask openly, “How could anyone EVER want to make war with the United States?”

In 1991, while serving in the first Gulf War, I witnessed firsthand, the carnage inflicted on the Iraqi Army as it fled Kuwait.  Air raids conducted by aircraft of the British Royal Air Force and our U.S. Air Force ground attack fighters inflicted horrible casualties.  The sight was absolutely mind-boggling, and to this day, I remember the stench in my nostrils of the dead lying in the sand for as far as I could see.  Yet none of this is anything like what is going to soon take place in this world, prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Garner Ted Armstrong was able to predict the future because he was granted a unique gift from the Eternal God.  He was granted the ability to understand just what the Bible says, and what it means.  His unique gift allowed him to observe and witness current events, as they relate to Bible Prophesy.  He had no “crystal ball,” he was no “seer” or anything of the kind.  He didn’t predict the outcome of ballgames or races.  He did warn anyone who would listen as to what’s going to happen to the nations and this earth as we progress further into the End Times up and to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

For over fifty years he warned of the reunification of Germany, and an end to American domination in Western Europe.  He knew that the Soviet Union WAS NOT THE BEAST POWER OF REVELATION.  He fully understood that the Beast Power will be the final coalition of 10-nations; the seventh and final establishment of the Roman Empire. 

He continually warned the United States, that our power and our pride would be broken.  That process began with the Korean War, it progressed rapidly with the Vietnam War, and continues to this day with the war against terrorism.  Clearly, the majority of the nations of this world are not behind our President’s efforts to defeat Al-Qaeda, and ultimately Islamic terrorism.  The support simply is not there.  Neither candidate for the office of President of the United States, in Campaign 2004 is capable of mustering the aid of the European Union nations, in this war.  So, what is the solution to this war?  Do we carry on unilaterally, with the few nations still willing to help us, or do we quit?  What’s the cost in lives and treasure, if we continue to pursue the “war against terrorism?”  What’s the cost if we just sit back, and wait, as some would have us do, until we’re attacked again?

Neither choice is a rosy solution to the problem of containing the terrorists.  Continuing to pursue Al-Qaeda is going to cost the lives of more soldiers and marines.  Each and every loss is a tragedy, yet THE LOSSES SUFFERED BY OUR NATION ON 9/11 CONSTITUTED 3,000 TRAGEDIES!

Ultimately, the United States may well elect a government which will choose to “end the war, and bring the troops home.”  Sadly, the result of good intentions may well increase the possibility of an all out conflagration being waged against us at home.  It’s not really up to us, to end the war.  We don’t have that option, despite the political rhetoric to the contrary. 

How many more 9/11 attacks is the United States willing to suffer, before we would lash out with a NUCLEAR response?  Would we suffer one more attack, two, three… how many?  We know that Iran is harboring Al-Qaeda operatives.  We know that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, and already has the NO-DONG MISSILE, courtesy of the North Koreans.  Do we give them a pass, in the name of “political correctness,” and sacrifice any initiative we’ve already gained through our current strategy?

Clearly, mankind is incapable of creating any form of lasting peace.  Though we try, we will never succeed.  Our last hope as a nation is to repent of our national sins, and make every effort to walk in the path that our Savior Jesus Christ implored us to do, over two thousand years ago.  We won’t do that however, and as a result, our national pride will soon be completely smashed, and our nation weakened to the point of irrelevance.

The current European Union will not survive for long.  It too will ultimately succumb to external pressures, terrorism, economic calamity and a reformation under a new strong central figure.  With the passing of the United States from the world scene, the final coalition of 10-nations, all former members of the Roman Empire will emerge as the world’s most powerful ULTRA SUPERPOWER. 

This is not some “crystal ball” prediction.  It’s what your Bible has clearly revealed to us for centuries.  Only now, events are shaping up to finally bring the End Time prophesies to fruition and fulfillment.