Maybe the question of the future will be:  “where were you when you heard about bin Laden’s death?”  I was on my way to bed and picked up my cell phone for one last look.  I had received an alert from one of my apps that Osama bin Laden had been killed and that the president would be speaking momentarily.  I said out loud:  “wow, just wow.”  I was stunned and stayed up for a couple of hours watching TV and reading tweets.

Everyone wants to know:  “How did you feel when you received the news?”  Maybe a better question would be:  “How should I respond as a follower of Jesus Christ?”

First, we should grieve over the state of the world.  We live in a world of evil and rebellion, a world filled with people who hate one another and seem unconcerned about anyone other than themselves.  No wonder that God looked on the world of Noah and grieved that He had made man (Genesis 6:6).

Second, we should be thankful that the oppressor has been taken away.  There can be no justice for the oppressed until the oppressor is removed.  How ironic that bin Laden and Hitler both died on May 1.  The prophet Nahum foretold that barbaric Nineveh would be defeated, an impossible position to take from a merely human point of view.  He told how all who heard of Nineveh’s demise would clap their hands (Nahum 3: 19).  It sounded much like the reaction to bin Laden’s death.

Third, we should give thanks for our brave military, firefighters, and policemen.  Who can forget the firefighters who went into the Twin Towers or the heroes of Shanksville, or those who serve to protect our children and grandchildren?  I am now reading a fascinating book about the flag raisers on Mt. Suribachi on horrifying Iwo Jima.  These are amazing people.

Fourth, while I am thankful that the oppressor has been removed, I cannot rejoice over the eternal lostness of any person.  God cares for every person and we should too.  God desires that all people know Him and that no one—no one–should perish.  It is time for us to pray that the Gospel of Jesus Christ be preached to all the world and that the nations hear of the hope that is in Christ.

Finally, we must remember the major message of the Prophecy of Daniel and the Apocalypse—every earthly kingdom will fall but God’s Kingdom will reign forever.  Despots and terrorists will not last.  God’s kingdom endures forever.