You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. - Matthew 24:6-8 -
I’m old enough to remember how scared I was hearing that a nuclear war would ensue with the USSR in 1981. Then in 1990 the first gulf war happened and followed shortly in 1991 with the second phase of the war. On September 11th of 2021 the twin towers were taken down by hijacked planes and another war pursued with changes to how Americans would travel forever. Two years ago Russia invaded Ukraine and a war ensued which is still going on, then on October 7, 2023 Hamas massacred over 1,200 Jews in Israel and so ensues another war. Today, Israel is fighting a three front war against its enemies.
Imagine waking up to sirens and seeing missiles flying over your house not knowing if it will hit your home. How frighten it is for the families caught in these wars? They are praying that the war will end soon. It’s hard for many of us to fathom what they are going through. We sit from a distance shaking our heads and wonder why they are going to war. We try to make sense of it and nations gather to try and bring about a peaceful solution.
Yet at the end of the day, we need to realize and be vigilant on our end so as to not fall away from the one true source that will give us peace. Jesus said, “My peace I leave to you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled (Jn. 14:27).”
Christians, while a physical war is happening in Israel and our prayers are with them all and praying for their victory as God will protect and provide for them; we too are facing a spiritual and worldly war here. The kingdoms and nations rising up against one another is the “prince of this world” against the “people of God.” As the ideology moves further from the truth of God, love for people will also grow cold as people will fear to help other people as Jesus describes to his disciples. Unfortunately, what we are seeing is just the beginning.
Although all these things are happening right now, remember that it’s only the beginning and pain will follow. Let us pray unceasingly during this time as we remain biblically vigilant! Jesus reminded us this: “Those who endure to end will be saved (Matt. 24:13).”
In Him,
Rev. Kevin Her
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