War's End, End's War

Some Christian pastors and leaders have been making the news. They have publicly declared that the current war between Russia and Ukraine is going to usher in the world’s end. Various prophecies from Daniel and Ezekiel have been marshalled to predict that Russia will not content itself with its southern neighbour, but will keep marching to attack Israel. With the Western powers sending arms to Russia’s opponents and the current cost of fuel portending tough times ahead, one cannot tell where this aggression will end. There are some folk who would love me to make such claims from Salem’s pulpit; it would certainly make a more exciting sermon series than reflecting on the errors of the early Jewish kings.

There is only one problem; it might not be true. Had we lived in 1914 or 1939, those respective wars would surely have sent us into a state of apocalyptic apoplexy. An antisemitic cult in Europe, the whole world at war thanks to the European empires, devastating weaponry developed, the like of which had never been seen before: all would have made us think those were the end times. Yet it was not the final war between good and evil; Hitler was not the final antichrist reigning over a revived Roman empire; Jesus' second coming was not about to launch.

Contemporary Christians do well to have one eye on the times’ signs and another on God’s word; yet arriving at sure-sounding conclusions and basking in wonderful publicity may backfire if this war, like all its antecedents, is nothing special. It might just be another example of unrestrained, sinful human natures, heavily armed. Jesus will return and wars and rumours thereof will occur and circulate until that time. Until then, let us watch and pray. 

Image by peterStein94 from Pixabay