Is There Hope for Victims of the Boston Bombing?
Two bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday. Shattered glass and debris covered the ground, along with severed arms, legs and other body parts. Over 150 people were wounded and at least three people were killed.
No one has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack, which occurred on one of the city’s most famous civic holidays, Patriots’ Day.
The Boston Marathon attracts competitors and spectators from around the globe. It is the oldest running marathon in the world. Each year, more than 20,000 people compete in the race, while about a million people gather to cheer them on.
Australians in Boston for the marathon described the moments when the two bombs detonated in the crowded streets near the finish line. Robert de Castella, a former world champion marathon runner from Australia, witnessed the explosions: “We heard these two booms; it sounded like, you know, enormous claps of thunder. You even felt them against your chest. And then, all hell broke loose, the sirens and people running and people crying—and it was really devastating for me, who loves marathons and loves Boston.”
The attack has raised fears for upcoming marathons in London, Belgrade and within the United States. The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is scheduled for April 28. The OKC marathon memorializes the victims of a 1995 terrorist attack that killed 168 people and injured nearly 700.
Even in the bloody and terrifying aftermath of the Boston bombing, there is still a great cause for hope. The increasing violence we see in our world is actually a sign that Jesus Christ is about to return. In addition, the Bible reveals that those who died in this most recent attack on America will live again, along with all those who died in Oklahoma City and beyond.
In Luke 11, Christ admonished us to pray for God’s Kingdom to come quickly. That Kingdom is mankind’s only hope. To understand how you can have hope for mankind—both the living and the dead—please read Herbert Armstrong’s inspiring, free book The Incredible Human Potential.
