U.S. Syrian attack sign of end times?

By Bob Smietana

NASHVILLE (BP) — Nearly one in three Americans see the threat of airstrikes against Syria as part of the Bible’s plan for the end times, according to a LifeWay Research poll.

A quarter of respondents think a U.S. military strike in Syria could lead to Armageddon. One-fifth of those polled believe the world will end in their lifetime, LifeWay found. Results from the poll of 1,001 American adults surprised Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research.

“We weren’t talking about Armageddon during the air strikes on Bosnia,” he said.

Previous U.S. military action, like the war in Afghanistan or air strikes during the 1990s war in Bosnia, didn’t get the same reaction, he said. But because Syria shares a border with Israel and is specifically mentioned in the Bible, people relate it to the end times, LifeWay found.

Still, Stetzer said he could see why linking Bible prophecy to Syria is appealing to many Christians.

It’s not that Christians want the world to end or want to see airstrikes, which will lead to suffering, Stetzer said. But they do want Jesus to return to set things right.

“For Christians, the end of the world doesn’t mean despair,” he said. “The end is really a new beginning.”