What Bin Laden's Death Could Mean to Bible Prophecy

The news media has recently announced that Osama bin Laden has died. He was killed by US forces on Sunday, May 1st, 2011, nearly 10 years after his terrorist organization flew planes into the World Trade Center. Osama bin Laden had a large influence on world history for the last ten years; when his people blew up the World Trade Center, several events that seem to have been predicted in the Bible were set in motion. Bin Laden's death has the potential for further pushing the Bible prophecy timeline.

Middle East Unrest

Several countries in the Middle East have already seen unrest. Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, and several other countries have already seen protests from people that are clamoring for more democracy. The death of Bin Laden could potentially increase this unrest. It could make him a martyr; not all people in the Middle East had ill will towards this terrorist mastermind. This event could even unite the Islamic countries in the Middle East. According to the Bible, there will be war in the Middle East in the Last Days. Bin Laden's death could accelerate the prophetic timeline in that regard.

Retaliation Against the United States

Most Bible prophecy scholars do not believe that the United States is mentioned in Bible prophecy. Many Middle Eastern and European countries are identifiable, but not America. Some news anchors have worried that some groups friendly to Al Qaeda's cause might choose to retaliate. A large strike, especially if it involved nuclear weapons or an EMP blast, could affect the power that the US currently is used to.

Strike Against Israel

The Bible says that the world will be against Israel in the final days. There will be an attack against Israel, and the Antichrist will make a peace treaty with the small nation for seven years. After three and a half years, the Antichrist will break the treaty. Groups like Al Qaeda think of the United States as the Great Satan, and Israel as the Little Satan. We already know that groups that are unfriendly to Israel are planning on a third intifada in mid-May, and another flotilla, sponsored by many of the same groups that sailed the flotilla into Gaza last summer, is scheduled to sail to the region at about the same time. It is possible that Bin Laden's death could inspire these groups in the coming weeks as they take action against Israel.

Hopes for the Future

We can hope that the United States and its allies will be especially alert during the coming months for individuals that would like to retaliate for this strike. While we cannot predict the future, Christians who believe in the Bible can see similarities between the events of our day and the predictions made in the Bible's prophetic books. There is no doubt that Osama bin Laden's death is a major event in American history. Whether it is a major turning point in prophetic history remains to be seen.

Sources:

The Bible.

"THIRD PALESTINIAN INTIFADA: All Arabs to March on Israel on May 15th" Intifada-palestine.com, 25 April 2011.