An End to Nuclear Weapons—How?
OURS is an age of anxiety. The marriage of science to warfare has produced thousands of weapons of inconceivably destructive power, indiscriminate killers that have the potential for annihilating humanity.
That man is so willing to slay his fellowman is disquieting. Yet, man’s murderous tendencies were manifested almost from the beginning. Reports the Bible: “So it came about that while they were in the field Cain proceeded to assault Abel his brother and kill him.” (Genesis 4:8) Man has been killing man ever since. And while it is true that since 1945 man has restrained his hand from using nuclear weapons in warfare, ours remains the most murderous century in history. Clearly, the problem is not the weapons themselves.
Causes and Remedies
Some scholars feel that since it is men who fight wars, the causes must be found in the nature of man himself. According to this view, men fight wars because of selfishness, stupidity, and misdirected aggressive impulses. Prescriptions vary, but many feel that peace can come only through changing the outlook and behavior of man himself.
Others say that since wars are fought between nations, the causes of war lie in the structure of the international political system. Because each sovereign state acts according to its own ambitions and desires, conflicts inevitably occur. Since there is no consistent, reliable way to reconcile differences, war breaks out.
In his analysis of the causes of war, scholar Kenneth Waltz observes that “a world government is the remedy for world war.” But he adds: “The remedy, though it may be unassailable in logic, is unattainable in practice.” Others agree. Author Ben Bova stated in Omni magazine: “The nations must unite into a single government that can control armaments and prevent war.” However, he also says: “Most people regard such a world government as pie in the sky, a science-fiction dream that can never come true.” The failure of the United Nations underscores this dismal conclusion. The nations have been unwilling to give up their sovereignty to that organization or any other!
World Government—A Reality!
The Bible, however, assures us that God himself purposes a real world government. Millions have unwittingly prayed for this government when saying the Lord’s Prayer: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matthew 6:10) The Head of that Kingdom government is the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. The Bible promises regarding that government: “It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms,” or human governments.—Daniel 2:44.
This world government will bring in true peace and security, not by nuclear deterrence nor through a sophisticated system of high-tech defensive weapons or shaky political treaties. Psalm 46:9 prophesies that Jehovah God “is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth. The bow he breaks apart and does cut the spear in pieces; the wagons he burns in the fire.” This means the destruction of all weapons, including nuclear devices.
But what about the warlike nature of man himself? Under God’s heavenly government, earth’s inhabitants “will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) Three million people today already live by this Bible text. They are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
These Witnesses live in over 200 lands and come from many ethnic groups. Before becoming true Christians, some of them were warlike, perhaps even vicious. But as a result of taking in knowledge of God, they now refuse to take up arms against one another or anyone else. Their neutrality in the face of political conflicts is a matter of historical record. The peaceful stand Jehovah’s Witnesses have taken internationally testifies to the fact that a world free of war and nuclear weapons is possible.
Millions of people living today were born in the nuclear age and expect to die in it—if they do not die because of it. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not share that gloomy outlook. Their trust is put squarely in the Kingdom and in their God, Jehovah, with whom “no declaration will be an impossibility.”—Luke 1:37.
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The Bible prophesies that it is God who will put an end to weapons of war
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Under God’s heavenly government, earth will be free of war and destructive weapons