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| Archduke Franz Ferdinand walks with his wife Sophie in Sarajevo minutes before his assassination. |
World War I
A Warning
for Today
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| British soldiers during the Battle of Menin Road Ridge, September 1917. |
Matthew
24:22 reveals that without divine intervention, a coming time of war and destruction
would destroy all human life. World War I was triggered by an assassination. What
will trigger the next major global conflict? We have no way of knowing what
will ignite this time of extreme trouble or when it will begin — but it will
occur - God wants us to use this
knowledge to prepare ourselves
by Tom Clark
June 28 marks the
103rd anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Though few
will remember it, it is one of the seminal events of the 20th century.
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz
Ferdinand (heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire) and his wife, Sophie, were
assassinated in Sarajevo.
As most historians note, this single
event eventually pushed the world into the most massive and devastating war
humanity had ever seen to that point.
The archduke and his wife had traveled
to the troubled region of Bosnia to inspect the imperial armed forces in this
former territory of the Ottoman Empire.
Just six years earlier, Austria-Hungary
had annexed the territory — an act that infuriated Serbian nationalists who
wanted to become a part of the newly independent Serbian nation.
Time and chance
start a war
The royal couple were touring Sarajevo
in an open limousine with little security.
The archduke decided to visit the
wounded officer, but his driver accidentally took a wrong turn that brought him
directly in front of a 19-year-old Serbian nationalist who happened to be
loitering in the area.
Seizing the opportunity, the young man
ran toward the car and shot both Franz and Sophie at point-blank range. Within
an hour, both were dead.
The political and military situation
rapidly deteriorated as the dominoes fell toward war. Russia announced support
for Serbia; Germany backed Austria-Hungary; and France and Britain were quickly
drawn in.
On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary
declared war on Serbia, and in short order, the other major nations declared
war on each other as what became known as World War I officially began.
It was also called “the war to end all
wars” because it was believed that it would once and for all sort out all the
tensions simmering under the surface of the European powers.
It raged for nearly 4½ years. Before it
ended, 70 million military personnel from more than 100 countries and territories
were involved.
In total, over 17 million soldiers and
civilians were killed. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history.
Although the war ended, the deep-seated
hatred and animosity did not.
Only 21 years later, the world was at
war again after Germany invaded Poland, beginning the carnage of World War II —
which led to the deaths of between 50 and 80 million people.
Since the end of World War II, there
have been major military conflicts on the Korean peninsula, in Vietnam, in the
Persian Gulf (twice), in Bosnia, in Kosovo and in Afghanistan.
There have been revolutions and civil
wars across the African continent. But there has not been another conflict
coming close to the destruction and casualties of the two world wars.
That is, not yet.
The real war to end
all wars
The 20th century saw warfare of
unbelievable scale — culminating in the destruction of two Japanese cities by
the atomic bomb.
But even the destruction of the
20th-century conflicts pales compared to what Bible prophecy reveals is coming.
Matthew
24:22 reveals that without divine intervention, a coming time of war and destruction would destroy all human life.
As of today, that is
over 7.5 billion people. The “Four Horsemen” alone, as described in Revelation 6,
will kill a quarter of mankind (verse 8).
What will trigger the
next major global conflict? Will it be a terror attack? The
assassination of a leader? A surprise invasion? Or something we can’t even
imagine?
Time will tell.
Are we preparing?
But the more important question
is: Are you and I ready for it? I’m not talking about physical
preparation — that is really impossible to do.
What I’m referring to is spiritual
preparation. Are we actively pursuing a closer relationship with God through
prayer, Bible study, fasting and practicing genuine Christianity?
Are we working to overcome our personal sins, draw closer to God and allow
the fruit of
God’s Holy Spirit to be exhibited in our lives?
How much longer do we have to do that?
In 1914 a single event — one that at
another time might have become a mere historical footnote, became the spark
that ignited a war that took millions of lives.
What will be the spark in the future
that will ignite the conditions described in Matthew 24?
God wants us to use
this knowledge to prepare ourselves.
Are we?
Tom Clark married
his lovely wife, Mary, in 1985. They have three grown children and four
grandchildren. Tom was ordained a minister in 1989 and has served congregations
in Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota and North Dakota. He
currently pastors the Bentonville, Van Buren and Mena, Arkansas, congregations
of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/blog/world-war-i-a-warning-for-today/
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