Wars and Rumors of Wars

I woke up from my jet-lagged haze and opened up my device to get the morning news. As I was in the final stages of packing some bags for my husband and I to go to Europe for five weeks, the whole Kim Jung-Un thing had begun to make the daily headlines. So when I arrived in Switzerland, I was eager to see what the latest news might be. Was my country at war? Would Kim Jung-un's missiles hit Japan, South Korea or even the island of Guam? Everyday, the headlines outline the crazy state of affairs that this madman in the Korean Peninsula foists upon us.

To a Christian the whole world stage has a different appearance. The difference is an added dimension. It is the spiritual dimension.  So, we see the exact same events played out daily around the world, but we know that there is another more deadly and fiercer battle beneath the surface. That is the battle between the forces of good and evil, between God and the Devil. As many Christians read daily of the increasing natural disasters (Hurricane Harvey, Huricane Irma etc), the heightening possibilities of wars breaking out, it would seem prudent to review what the Bible says of such things.

"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4). God gave a message to Daniel in the sixth century B.C. God indicated to Daniel and to generations reading His book the Bible, that a lot of things would happen before the day when the forces of God and evil would fight the last and ultimate battle. Many times, and in many way God chose to remind us in the Bible, that He wanted to share a chain of world events with us. Like a good parent He goes out of His way to share His wisdom with us.

The Bible was given to man from God to answer the basic questions of life like : who are we? how did we get here? and where are we going? It tells us about God's relationship with mankind from the beginning, and how that relationship unfolded over time. It teaches us about how we should live our life, including how to treat one another at home, in friendships, business and even what justice is. About a third of the Bible from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, is devoted to prophesy, i.e. the telling of future events.

Even though prophesy comprises about one-third of the Bible, many Churches, including my own, have failed to teach it over the years. If God is the good parent trying to teach us all that we should know, then shouldn't a godly church be doing this as well? This is why it is critical for us to include the Bible in our daily reading. Even though there is no excuse for churches not teaching the full and complete Word of God, we must understand that it is our responsibility to pursue the wisdom that God has for us. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim.3:16).

Therefore, let's see what the Word says about some current events. The Bible talks of future events and the ungoing battle between good and evil playing out in our daily lives and throughout time. It speaks of wars and natural disasters as being a part of our lives. But, there is a distinction biblically speaking, between the normal and the extra ordinary events pointing towards the end of days. The point of this is to equip us and prepare us for daily living and to prepare us for events to come. "What I say to one, I say unto you all, watch." (Mark 13:37)

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famine and pestilences and earthquakes, in divers places. All these things are the beginning of sorrows."(Matt.24:6-8). According to the Bible, all of the things happening in our world at the moment, could very well indicate that we are getting closer to apocalyptic events. We hear of North Korea and Iran's expanding nuclear capabilities. We wonder if these nations will wage war on others? We see and hear of nations and kingdoms opposing one another every single day. Look at all the terrorist attacks in Europe and in the Middle East and understand that a day does not go by when people are not in conflict in a gigantic way.

As I write this, I have been praying daily for mercy as Hurricane Harvey, Irma, Katia and José have, and continue to have, an impact on many. Let us all do anything that we can to help those hurting after these disasters. Jesus in the above discourse interestingy tells us not to be troubled by all that we will hear and see in the coming times of trouble. He also tells us that a lot will happen but it will still not be the end of the world. In order not to be troubled we must daily pray and have faith in God and His promises of comfort and salvation. We should be watchful and aware of events. If you are in the path of a Hurricane you should do all that you can to follow safety guidelines. Even though I am in Switzerland, I asked a tree company to come and trim any deadwood at my home just in case the storm should head to New York while I am not there. I'm not even waiting to see if these tropical storms will barrel up the east coast before I trim my trees!  How much more should we then prepare spiritually? In order to be at peace with life and its' uncertainties we need to choose to follow God. It may be time to make some changes to your life. If so don't wait.  Living a good and virtuous life will give you peace, as the Bible describes that "surpasses all understanding."