Many believe the world is safer now with the Cold War over and nuclear arsenals being reduced, feeling secure from the threat of nuclear Armageddon. Yet, God warns that as the end of this age approaches, some will proclaim peace and safety just before destruction strikes. Immediately before the second coming of Christ, conditions on earth will lull many into complacency, believing mankind has solved its problems and can enjoy this period of peace and safety. However, the Great Tribulation looms near, and contrary to popular opinion, the world remains more dangerous today than during the Cold War. Human nature has not changed, and the same forces that caused past wars continue to work and worsen until Jesus Christ returns to usher in the Kingdom of God, when true peace and safety will finally be here.

The apostle Paul warned the church at Thessalonica about the Day of the Lord, a time when Jesus Christ will return, overthrow the governments of the earth and all opposition, and establish His Kingdom. Though the ultimate outcome will be joyful, this day signifies great calamity and destruction. Human military might holds no weight against God, for He protects whom He chooses and destroys whom He wills. History shows that neither the size nor skill of armies matters, as seen with Gideon's 300 men, David against Goliath, and Egypt's downfall without Israel's intervention. Even satan was powerless to harm Job until God lessened His protective hedge. What truly matters is God's will and which side He supports. America currently stands unchallenged economically and militarily, yet ancient Israel, at the height of her power, fell to Assyria when God's will turned against her. Her wealth and armies could not save her, just as America's power will not save the United States if God is against us. If God opposes us, who can stand for us? The same moral decay that plagued ancient Israel now rises in modern America, marked by greed, materialism, pride, oppression, perverted justice, and moral degeneracy. Complacency about immorality, fueled by wealth, mirrors Israel's downfall. Without national repentance, national calamity is certain. Being the world's sole superpower means nothing if God's will is contrary, and our greatest threat lies in our own tendency to disregard the instructions and intentions of the Sovereign who determines the fate of nations.