“A Stark and Powerful Symbol”

ON THE east bank of the Motoyasu River in Hiroshima City, Japan, stands a building that has remained partly in ruins since 1945. Why has it not been rebuilt for nearly 70 years?

Completed in 1915, the original three-story brick-and-mortar structure served as an exhibition hall to promote industry. But that changed on August 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m. At that moment, the first atomic bomb ever used in warfare detonated about 1,800 feet (550 m) above the city and almost directly above the exhibition hall. Everyone inside died instantly. The core structure of the building, however, remained standing.

Preserved unchanged, it is “a stark and powerful symbol of the most destructive force ever created by humankind,” says a UNESCOa article. In 1996 the building was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

Sadly, though, such poignant memorials have not stopped war, which is often caused by greed, nationalism, and racial, religious, and tribal hatred. So, will warfare always be with us?

The Bible answers no! “[God] is bringing an end to wars throughout the earth,” says Psalm 46:9. “He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the military wagons with fire.” At the same time, God will replace human rulership with his own world government​—God’s Kingdom in the hands of Jesus Christ, who is designated “King of kings.”​—Revelation 11:15; 19:16.

Thereafter, memorials to the folly of war will be unnecessary. “The former things”​—today’s distresses and heartaches—​“will not be called to mind, nor will they come up into the heart,” says Isaiah 65:17.