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The Bible reveals that
horrific and frightening events are just ahead
Roger Meyer
“And you will hear of wars and
rumors of wars . . . For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom” (Matthew 24:6–7).
Violence is the norm, not the exception.
Wars and rumors of wars.
One cannot peruse the history of man without reading about
endless conflicts, tribal massacres, and nations at war.
Century after century, nations and empires arise and then cease
to exist, often with war providing both the source of their creation and the
cause of their demise.
The aftereffects linger for decades: hundreds of thousands of
orphaned children, widowed women left homeless, crippled bodies of survivors,
devastated infrastructure, and enduring economic ruin.
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars
. . . For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:6–7).
Christ spoke these words on the Mount of Olives nearly 2,000
years ago, and history has proved Him right.
In the last century alone, World War I saw around ten million
soldiers and eight million civilians lose their lives, with another 23 million
soldiers becoming wounded.
Though World War I was labeled “the war to end all wars,”
within two decades, World War II claimed even higher casualties.
Though exact figures are hard to determine, it has been
estimated that between 75 and 80 million people died during that conflict.
World War II was followed soon after by the Korean War and the
Vietnam War.
Millions more have been devastated by conflicts large and small
since then.
A
CONTINUOUS PROGRESSION
There was the Gulf War with Iraq, wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Kosovo, Tajikistan, Yugoslavia, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, the
Congo, Algeria, Slovenia, Croatia, Abkhazia, Chechnya, Senegal, Sierra Leone,
and Darfur — to name only a few.
There are ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia,
Nigeria, Syria, the Israeli West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
North Korea and Iran threaten to escalate tensions to the level
of war.
There is a palpable fear of war between the United States and
Iran, Israel and Iran, the United States and North Korea, and North Korea and
South Korea.
Waves of civil unrest, demonstrations, riots, and related chaos
threaten governments in Egypt, Yemen, North Africa, Algeria, Tunisia, and the
Ivory Coast.
There are rumblings in Burma, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, and China.
Failures to prosecute criminals and militants for the violence
they commit or instigate, as well as distrust and growing dissatisfaction with
weak or unpopular leaders, all increase the potential for conflicts and
uprisings in Colombia, Zimbabwe, Iraq, Venezuela, Sudan, Tajikistan, Haiti, and
Guatemala.
The Middle East is always a powder keg.
Ours is a time of uncertainty, anxiety, and perplexity.
WAR
HAS EVOLVED
War is now changing, becoming less conventional.
It still results in death and destruction, but now it is labeled
“hybrid war.”
We are experiencing a fusion of war, terror, and crime.
There are often no clear battle lines, no contested territory,
and no easily identifiable differences between combatants and noncombatants.
The enemy may be a stateless entity and live among the
population in urban areas.
Movement of the enemy may be on public thoroughfares or even
public transportation systems.
Targets may be innocent civilians in public places.
World powers may continuously use unrest and civil disturbances
to carry out “proxy wars” in an effort to pursue their interests in places
where open war would be strategically unwise.
As Romans 3:10–17 teaches
us, no one is righteous.
No one understands and seeks after God. Feet are swift to shed
blood and wage war.
The lesson of history is just as the Apostle Paul wrote: Mankind
does not know the way to peace.
Will the long-expected “Battle of Armageddon” soon occur?
Will the earth be destroyed? What will happen to you, your
family, and your friends?
The Bible reveals that horrific and frightening events are just
ahead.
But it also reveals an encouraging hope.
— Roger
Meyer
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