Wars and rumours of war
Wars and rumours of wars: For nation will rise against nation
The sheer arrogance with which Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, without any provocation, is just one more example of how mankind is heading towards destruction. When a war is in the distance and you have no emotional connection to it, it is easy to be neutral and not be moved. However, when your own people or someone you know well is involved, it hits closer to home. Such is the writer’s position at this moment.
Let us have another look at a passage from Scripture we often read, but never really bother to look at in depth, until the reality becomes more evident and affects us. Matthew 24 is a seminal part of the Bible on which is hinged all history from the time it was uttered, until the end of the world. We suggest that you read the chapter first, and then return and continue.
The disciples show Jesus the temple and the beautiful buildings. This is His response:
2And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. – Matthew 24:2
Later, obviously puzzled by His answer, they ask Him for more information:
3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? – Matthew 24:3
They ask Him three questions:
- When will “these things” happen?
- What is the sign of His return?
- What is the sign of the end of the world?
While He later answers their questions, He first focuses on something very important that would precede the events He is going to explain soon.
4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6And 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. 7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8All these are the beginning of sorrows. – Matthew 24:4-8
The most important thing we learn from this is that we should not be deceived. Notice that when the disciples ask Jesus about the end of the world, He does not immediately give them the answer, but rather states that deception will take place all over the world first. He specifically says that many will come in His name and proclaim themselves to be the Christ, and many people will be deceived as a result. Why is this? Because many do not accept the infallible Word of God, and thus they are unable to distinguish truth from deception. We have often discussed the deception of the last days. Paul focuses on this as well:
8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. – 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12
The deception is the result of the choice people have made – to not receive the love of the truth (Jesus, John 14:6) so that they may be saved. Because they decided to entertain unrighteousness, God allows them to accept the delusion, believe the lie and be lost forever.
Jesus moves on from explaining the deception and now answers their questions. When they hear of wars and rumours of war, first they should not be troubled by this as these things must happen. He says the wars, international political conflict, famines, diseases, and earthquakes in many (divers) places are just the beginning of sorrows. This will lead to worse events.
We know from history that part of what Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:2 has already taken place. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by the Romans in about AD 70 (There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.). Jesus though, looks much further ahead in time and tells them of events that would be in the future for them, but which we are experiencing today. What we are seeing today is not the end yet, but merely the beginning.
How shall we view the events in Europe in the past few weeks? It is part of unfolding history, terrible and heart breaking as the events are, already foretold in Ezekiel 38-39, amongst others. Should we remain untouched by these events? Not in the least. In fact, we should make every effort to support those who are at the receiving end. Should we be troubled? No. We should understand that these things are foretold, will happen, and the precursors to something much worse that will overshadow events we are witnessing now. While we are concerned for the safety of those caught up in the conflict, we should not be troubled. In this context, the original Greek from which we get “troubled” is θροέω, transliterated throeō and it means “clamoured” – to make a large noise, complaint, and demand.
While we as believers may be worried about the situation in Ukraine, we should keep on praying for its people. It is our responsibility to pray for their protection and pray that God will speak to them through His Holy Spirit. Pray that those who are not yet believers in the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ, be moved by the Holy Spirit to trust not in this life, which is a mere blink of an eye, but focus on eternity.
Conslusion
The John Chapter Three website does not usually take sides. After all, the website is available in Russian, which is spoken by many Ukrainians. However, we support the people of 🇺🇦 Ukraine and stand in the gap for them, asking God for His protection. Why? What is happening now is the work of Satan, and we should resist and denounce his evil actions.
Next week: [ The very real face of deception: Lies are being fired to you from all sides, no matter who or where you are. You need discernment... ]