GN Commentary: August 14, 2009 - Arms Race—In Space?

Will there be a space-based arms race? And if so, what would that bring for humanity?

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Video Transcript

An arms race in outer space? That was just what one statesman warned of this week at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland.

On Wednesday, China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi warned the 65-nation conference of the possibility of an arms race developing in outer space—and implicitly blamed the United States for not joining Russia and China in opposing it. The US, in turn, asserts that Russia's and China's ground-based missile systems have already created an arms race, even though those two nations don't have space-based weapons.

Mr. Yang declared that "outer space is now facing the looming danger of weaponization. Credible and effective multilateral measures must be taken to forestall the weaponization and arms race in outer space."

In these days of localized wars, news like this is unnerving. Will there be a space-based arms race? And if so, what would that bring for humanity?

After all, one is hard pressed to point to any weapon of war that hasn't been used at one time or another.

It's hard to predict whether an arms race will develop in space, but human efforts to avert catastrophe haven't ever been truly successful. Humanity seems to be simply incapable of bringing lasting peace to this earth. As the prophet Isaiah declared "The way of peace they do not know" (Isaiah 59:8, NIV).  

One thing's for sure: times of great danger lie ahead. Jesus Christ told us "if  those days"—the last days prior to His return—"had not been cut short, no-one would survive" (Matthew 24:22, NIV). The same verse goes on to identify a group of human beings referred to as "the elect," for whose sakes there will be divine intervention to avert catastrophe.  

And that's really the good news. Humanity won't be allowed to destroy itself in a cataclysm of war, either space-based or earth-based. God Himself is going to intervene to save us from ourselves. Isn't it time for you to learn about this good news?

For GN Magazine, I'm Ralph Levy.