World News and Trends: Will Osama bin Laden strike again?
Is there any truth behind the threats from Osama bin Laden? Talk of attacks rally terrorists together.
A former personal bodyguard of Osama bin Laden says he is certain the al-Qaeda leader is planning another attack on the United States .
As long as this archterrorist is alive, he apparently will continue to make threats—after all, it serves him well. Consider the reasons for such boasts. He might want to discourage the United States' pursuit of him. He may also want to rally fellow terrorists, hoping to regain some control over them.
Threatening the U.S.-led coalition forces offers an acceptable bravado to potential followers that need strong, rallying language. His threats could also serve as personal ego boosts.
Can Bin Laden facilitate a strike against the United States? Anything is possible, and the mere bravado might stir a terrorist cell to action. America and Europe must remain extremely vigilant to avoid such a strike, given their porous borders and personal freedoms. Though dangerous times are foretold for the future (2 Timothy 3:1), the Bible also shows that unprecedented peace will eventually come (Isaiah 11).
To better understand Bin Laden's motives and thinking and where such attitudes will eventually lead, request or download our free booklet The Middle East in Bible Prophecy.
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
