Wars and Rumors of Wars

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”  Matthew 24:6

Well, they tell us the war in Afghanistan is over.  Perhaps that particular war which began after September 11, 2001 has come to a halt, the war is not over, not as long as there are people on earth who do not honor the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the same God whose Son, Jesus Christ, gave His life to save folks from their sins.  Jesus plainly told His disciples and us that there would always be a war, wars, or rumors of wars.  They will occur until He returns to rule the world in righteousness.

In His answer to His disciples’ question concerning the sign of His return and the end of the world, Jesus cautioned to not let fear and anxiety overtake them and us concerning the hostility among nations that result in rumors of war and in war itself.  At the time of Jesus’ warning, Israel was living in relative peace, albeit they were living under the rule of the powerful Roman Empire.  Peace is fragile.  A minor disagreement can turn into a full-fledged war.  I was born a few years after WWII ended and just before the Korean War began.  A few years later the United Stated was embroiled in fierce fighting in Viet Nam.  Later came the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq, not to mention hundreds of wars and turmoil among various nations and tribes across the world.  And who can forget the Civil War which took some 600,000 lives?

Jesus was absolutely right (of course, He is always right), when He said that nations would rise against other nations.  For many years during the 1950’s and 1960’s until the 1980’s, America was experiencing cold war with Russia.  Even though on the surface peace ensues, underneath still lies much hostility between those who support individual freedom and those who support government as an all-controlling entity over its people.  Our own country is experiencing a type of cold war within its own borders, which are very porous now, with half the populations supporting the country as founded by men and women who were looking for freedom to self-govern and freedom to worship while the other half seeks government as an all-powerful deity who provides for its citizens from cradle to grave taking from the freedom lovers and giving to those who worship government.  Many folks are deceived because they have forsaken God and have idolized government.

Even as we hear of wars and rumors of wars and are deeply concerned about the direction of our own homeland, Jesus said for us to not be troubled by all that we see happening around us.  It is difficult to not be troubled when there is trouble all around us.  We’ve all heard the phrase “collateral damage”.  It occurs as a result of war and affects the innocent as well as the guilty.  It is good that all those who managed to flee Afghanistan are safe, at least for now.  However, there are still American citizens and Afghans who sided with the U.S. in the 20 year conflict who are in extreme danger.  Those militants, who are trying to make the world believe that they are now civilized and desire to have a place at the world table, are just as evil as they were 20 years ago.  They say that a leopard can’t change its spots and neither can a sinner become righteous without surrendering to Jesus Christ.  I am hoping that many believers will fall on their knees and pray that God would protect the victims and touch the hearts of the terrorists.  They will never change unless they turn to Christ.