“Osama bin Laden is dead!” While Americans spontaneously burst onto the streets of Washington, in triumphalism, chanting: “USA! USA! USA!” ...the silence in some other parts of the world was deafening.

Media depicting the exuberance of Americans, expressing their relief that 54 year old Bin Laden, who had a US$50 million reward on his head, was now dead and buried at sea, left many Muslims around the world in a state of bewildered wonderment.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and their associated Hamas in Gaza, were not happy, and made statements about how the USA should use this moment to “leave Afghanistan”. Reprisals will inevitably follow in the Middle East, to revenge the loss of their revered martyr “Muslim Warrior”, as Osama is know by them.

It is understandable that Americans were pleased that after 9 years of intense sleuthing, this No.1 wanted terrorist, responsible for the masterminding of the deaths of many thousands of people, including those innocents in the New York Twin Towers destruction, had now been taken out by the very brave and courageous US Navy Seals (with full knowledge of the Pakistan military). Not only Osama, but also one of his sons, 2 of his wives, and many of his al-Qaeda aides, died in that momentous fire-fight.

Can Americans or anyone in the world now heave a sigh of relief and believe that there is no more deadly risk likely from terrorism?  Most people are intuitively not so naive.

Prophetically we know, in life, that we “wrestle not against flesh and blood”, but “against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Satan and his demons have been allowed by God an allotted period of time, before Jesus Christ returns to set up God’s Government on this earth for 1,000yrs (Dan 9:6-7; Rev 20:4-6; Rev 5:10).  The sand in the hour glass is sifting its last grains and Satan “knows that he has but a short time” to do as much damage as possible (Revelation 12:12)

Reality is not lost, in Pakistan and Afghanistan as Syed Saleem Shahzad, the Asia Times Online’s Pakistan Bureau Chief and author of upcoming book “Inside al-Qaeda and the Taliban, beyond 9/11”, reported May 3, 2011 (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/ME03Df01.html):

In Asia, Osama’s death is “likely to mark the beginning of a shift of the war theater from Afghanistan to Pakistan," al-Qaeda insiders have told Asia Times News Online.  Asia Times Online contacts in the North Waziristan tribal area - a militant hotbed - confirmed that several meetings had already been convened in the town of Mir Ali to formulate strategies. They all confirmed an immediate and fierce retaliation against Pakistan and the breaking up of all ceasefire agreements with the Pakistan military. The US has put all its embassies on alert, warning Americans of al-Qaeda reprisal attacks. This corresponds with information obtained by Asia Times Online that Bin Laden's death is likely to revive international terror operations against Western capitals that had been frozen following the great Arab 2011 revolt.

Late last month, Bin Laden warned that al-Qaeda would unleash a "nuclear hellstorm" if he were captured, according to classified diplomatic documents released by WikiLeaks.

What are the next steps in al-Qaeda’s terrorism plans?

“Following the upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa, Bin Laden had been spurred into action to create unity within the Islamist cadre of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the Afghan battle against the Americans. For this reason, he recently traveled to Pakistan to meet with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the legendary Afghan mujahid and founder and leader of the Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan political party and paramilitary group, and many other top jihadi leaders. He is believed to have shifted to Abbottabad about 10 days ago and was about to move again, sources told Asia Times Online.

They said that al-Qaeda's leadership shura (council), would run the organization and a new chief would be decided later. A new generation of commanders includes Sirajuddin Haqqani, Qari Ziaur Rahman, Nazir Ahmad and Ilyas Kashmiri, who have joined forces with al-Qaeda.

Over the past few years, Bin Laden had become more of a popular iconic figure than a nuts and bolts leader - most organizational policies were run by his deputy, Egyptian Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri, and other ideologues. Therefore, operational mechanisms can be expected to remain the same.

On the basis of interaction with top al-Qaeda leaders, this correspondent has no doubt in predicting that Operation Osama Bin Laden marks the beginning of a shift of the main war theater from Afghanistan to Pakistan and that all previous efforts for reconciliation between Pakistani militants and Pakistan will be sabotaged and all guns will turn towards the Pakistani military establishment.” (Asia Times Online, May 3, 2011  Syed Saleem Shahzadis Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief and author of upcoming book Inside al-Qaeda and the Taliban, beyond 9/11 published by Pluto Press, UK.)

In this moment of euphoria regarding Osama bin Laden’s removal from the world stage, it would be wise to consider the balancing words of 1Corinthians 10:12:  "Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”