Posts Tagged: 1983
“THE MAN WHO SAVED THE WORLD”
Ever hear of Stanislav Petrov? Me neither—at least, not until this morning. However, we owe him a lot.
On September 26, 1983, Stanislav Petrov was on duty, monitoring the Soviet’s air defense system. Alarms went off, indicating that five nuclear warheads had been launched from the Unite States of America.
Petrov was supposed to notify his superiors, so that they could launch a counterstrike against the USA. He didn’t have much time to think about the matter. The missiles would reach the Soviet Union in just over twenty minutes.
But something didn’t seem quite right. The computer system he was working with had just been installed, and he didn’t entirely trust it. Furthermore, if the United States was really attacking the Soviet Union, why had they only launched five missiles?
So, he just sat there. Twenty minutes passed. No bombs.
Petrov was officially reprimanded for not following protocol. An old saying comes to mind: “Every good deed has its appropriate punishment.”
Petrov didn’t think of himself as a hero. “That was my job, but they were lucky it was me on shift that night.”
Petov died on May 19 of this year.
Thank you, Stanislav Petrov! Whether or not you thought of yourself as a hero, I do. The planet is still inhabitable, thanks to you.
I believe that there was a Man about two-thousand years ago who also saved the world. In this case, the nukes had already landed. Humankind was a nuclear wasteland. Sin had devastated the planet.
And then along came this Man named Jesus. A wonderful teacher? Yes! A miracle worker? I believe that he was.
But above all this, I believe that Jesus came to die for the sins of the world.
Hard to believe that one man could save the world, isn’t it? It is hard for me to believe. However, I kind of do believe it.
Thank you, Jesus. Whether or not you think of yourself as a hero, I do. This world and the next are inhabitable, thanks to you.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
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