Excavations for the new luxury high-rise near the waterfront unearthed something frightening—a UXB (unexploded bomb), relic of an all-but-forgotten war.  It was a rusty, musty thing, with a small portion of one side exposed and part of one directional vane showing.  Despite having been buried for the longest time, it looked to be in remarkably good condition.  The workmen took no chances, scrambling out of the foundation works, taking to their heels and scattering in all directions.

Construction was halted immediately, both by law and because of the hard hats’ exodus. There was much to do, which required immediate attention.  The authorities must be notified and, emergency and disaster relief agencies alerted. Locals must be evacuated. Pedestrian and vehicular traffic would have to be re-routed.  The site must be secured, sealed off and placed under armed guard 24/7.  Barriers would have to be erected and sandbags filled and placed.

Crisis management teams would need to be brought up to speed.  Lawyers for the developers and contractors would be called in to advise on legal and regulatory compliance matters.  Corporate image consultants would be put on standby and social media monitors and rapid reaction squads deployed.  Someone would be tasked with protecting the stock price by reassuring jittery investors.  The insurance arrangements would have to be reviewed of course, and the aid of the media enlisted to help warn the public.  A press conference and subsequent briefings would be organized post haste.

Ultimately, experts would be summoned to observe the scene and make a limited preliminary examination of the ordnance.  They would then offer recommendations as to how to proceed with best safety and lowest risk.  Meanwhile, photos taken by a remotely operated robotic camera were already being studied in excruciating detail.  Ground-penetrating radar provided valuable data for estimating the approximate size, shape and position of the armament.  This information was compared with the configuration of actual wartime munitions, to identify the type of bomb and its distinctive characteristics. What had been gleaned so far was not encouraging.

The UXB in question was bigger by far than the largest in the modern day arsenal of any nation on earth.  There were multiple ways to trigger the bomb and there was no telling whether any of these triggers may still be operable after all these years.  The fact that the bomb had not yet exploded was nothing short of a miracle.

Although most of the bomb remained buried, writing in a foreign tongue was visible in two places. The first of these was stamped near the protruding fin and warned of extreme peril if the bomb was not handled correctly.  The second was scrawled by someone, perhaps at the munitions factory or the airfield where the device was loaded onto the craft that would carry it to its target. The ominous message read, “Judgment Day,” which quickly became the bomb’s unofficial nickname.

The experts discussed the situation from within their makeshift command center.  Members of the international team were looped in via videoconferencing.

“The Judgment Day bomb hasn’t exploded so far,” said one.  “Maybe it never will.”  Several heads nodded in agreement.  A few crossed their fingers for luck.

“Why can’t we just cover it up and hope for the best?” asked another.

“Who knows if that thing even works anymore?” inquired a third.  “It didn’t go off on its way down and it didn’t go off on impact. If it was going to blow, you’d think it would have done so then, not—not now.”

“My cousin says there’s no such thing as an exploding bomb,” ventured another. All eyes swiveled to the speaker’s face.  “She says she’s never personally seen or heard or felt one.  So, I asked her where bomb craters come from, and shrapnel and blast damage.  She says there are plenty of alternate explanations.  It’s only a matter of time before researchers come up with the answer. They just need more data.”

“I must confess, I have my doubts about doomsday bombs, as well” sighed a bespectacled man with salt and pepper hair.  “The odd thing is, that there are some remarkably similar myths and superstitions about Judgment Day and great cataclysms, across most ancient cultures—in their art, literature, belief systems and folklore.  There is even a fair amount of archaeological evidence, though not of bombs falling from the sky and exploding,” he added wryly.

“Maybe there aren’t any bombs,” a squat woman suggested.  I read a book once called, ‘Gods, Unicorns and the Tooth Fairy,’ that said that the whole idea of a Judgment Day “bomb” is completely incompatible with the character of god, if there is one…which there isn’t,” she hastily added, her voice trailing off.

“I read the sequel!” a world-renowned specialist chimed in excitedly—“UFOs, UXBs and You. The author made a very compelling case for the alien origin of bombs.”

An authoritative and incisive voice suddenly sliced through the chatter.  “Look, people.  We’re scientists.  We deal in facts. And the fact is, the whole Judgment Day scenario is the fictional product of primitive peoples’ imaginations. Confronted with phenomena they couldn’t possibly understand, like war and genocide, they created a comforting bedtime story about a benevolent super being who wants only to love and protect them. In order to feel safe, they needed to believe that there is goodness and justice in the cosmos.  So they dreamt up the concept of some future day of reckoning, in which the evil would be punished and the just rewarded.  We may pity such ignorance, but we can at least see the rationale.”  The speaker paused for effect before continuing.

“The reality is, that we haven’t yet addressed the question of what to do about the bomb, and we are going to be asked for our recommendation very soon.  As I see it, we have three options: 1) assume it’s a dud, ignore it and keep building, 2) attempt prevention and containment by, for example, encapsulating the bomb in reinforced concrete, or 3) try disarming the device and run the immediate risk of a massive explosion.  Thoughts?”

“I choose to believe that the bomb will not go off,” answered a young, soft-spoken bomb disposal technician, with dense, curly hair.  “Judgment Day will not arrive for me or anyone else involved in the urban renewal project.  You cannot convince me otherwise.  Besides, there is too much invested, too much riding on this.  The new towers must go up.  The restaurants, hotels, shops and offices they bring will revitalize the downtown area, create jobs and fuel prosperity for generations.  I say we tell them to just send in a crew and yank the bomb out.”

“Are you volunteering?” demanded an earnest older man with piercing eyes under heavy black brows.  “What if you’re wrong? You cannot wish the bomb’s explosive power away, simply by saying you don’t believe in it.  Surely, you can see that,” he whispered, searchingly.

“I’ll take my chances” shot back the young man, confidently.

“That’s just it—if you’re wrong, you will have no chance and you won’t be part of that bright future you’re describing” the older man said softly.  His head shook slowly, in incomprehension and sorrow.

“Why not suggest a cost/benefit analysis?” said a voice from the back of the room.  “Let the numbers decide.”  As this would lift the burden of responsibility from all shoulders, there was a general murmur of assent.

“That’ll take months,” parried one brave soul.  “Construction will remain frozen and expenses will go through the roof. That’s the same thing as killing the project.”

“What about the containment option?” someone asked.  “Why not recommend a feasibility study?”

“Once more, that’s a project killer.  Construction remains on hold while engineering costs mount.  It would take even longer to complete than the cost/benefit analysis, which would no doubt be requested eventually, anyway.”

“So we’re agreed on our recommendation, then?” (the authoritative voice of the group’s informal leader was again heard).

“You mean, pause the project long enough to deal with the Judgment Day bomb and permanently remove the threat?” asked a bearded colleague.

“No,” said the leader, disappointed in the bearded man’s slow-wittedness.  “I refer of course, to option 1—assume it’s a dud, ignore it and keep building.  All in favor say ‘aye.’ ”  A chorus of approvals left no doubt that consensus had been reached.

God’s long-promised but not yet executed judgment may feel like an unexploded bomb to those who have not believed that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sin, was buried and rose again on the third day; to those who have not repented of their sin, confessed Jesus as Lord and trusted in Him as their Savior.  Though God’s judgment has been frequently and severely provoked, His love and mercy restrain the fiery blast of His righteous indignation and the fury of His fierce anger…for now.  But pressure is building and detonation is inevitable.

Will God’s love and mercy save sinners?  No. Otherwise, He would never have sent His only Son to die for us, to pay the penalty for our sin.  God could simply have perverted justice and looked the other way.  Many expect Him to do so in the end.  They are wrong.  God’s perfect character rules it out.  Instead, He sent Jesus, who lived a sinless life of perfect obedience to His Father. Jesus became our substitute, the wholly acceptable sacrifice that enables a just and holy God to pardon us without breaking His law or His word.  But each person must first receive Jesus and the gift of pardon He suffered and died to purchase for us, with His own precious blood.

God absolutely does love all people (full stop). He wills that whoever believes in Jesus should not perish, but have everlasting life.  Yet He requires that we come to Him through His plan, His way and on His terms.  If you have never surrendered your heart and life to Jesus, I pray together with the whole Church of God, that you will drop everything and do so now, right now.  While you respond to God’s call to receive Christ, remember this: HE stands ready to receive YOU.

• “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)
• “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10)
• “For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)
• “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  (I Corinthians 15:3,4)
• “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
• “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…”  (Revelation 3:20)
• “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
• “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”  (Romans 10:9)
• “Verily, verily, I say unto you; He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life; and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)