When Russia invaded Ukraine, one cable news station called it “Europe’s Darkest Time Since 1939.” A televised report out of India carried the caption, “Third World War.” International leaders strongly condemned Vladimir Putin’s aggression, and President Biden imposed additional U.S. sanctions against Russia.
The threat of war makes everyone anxious Where will this lead? Already it is reported hundreds have been killed and scores injured because of Putin’s unprovoked invasion. I have five grandsons who are draftable age…or soon will be. I know freedom must be defended, and tyrants need to be stopped. But having seen the horrific casualties of the Vietnam and Gulf Wars and having witnessed the lack of significant accomplishment from those conflicts, I dread the thought of the United States sending troops overseas in an attempt to settle another dispute halfway around the world.
The Bible says that the source of war is covetousness in wicked hearts. (See James 4:1-3.) The citizens of Ukraine did not want to be attacked. Indications are the vast majority of people in Russia do not want war. The leaders of NATO countries are searching for ways to prevent war. Wouldn’t it be great if, instead of creating havoc for so many others, only the evil authorities who initiate wars were held personally accountable and brought to justice?!
Notice what Jesus said about war as recorded in Matthew 24 “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 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. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:3-8).
Jesus said wars and rumors of wars will be commonplace throughout history. So don’t interpret every conflict as the prelude to Armageddon.
False prophets come out of the woodwork during a crisis. On the one hand there are the scoffers who ridicule any suggestion of God’s judgment by saying, “Where is this coming he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4) “Nothing has changed” they insist. “Life goes in cycles. This too shall pass.”
On the other hand, there are alarmists who make wild predictions to get attention. For example, an evangelical pundit quipped last week, “Keep your eyes now on North Korea and China. We could possibly see war break out in the North Pacific.” Perhaps. Yet there is a strong temptation to exploit world problems to increase readership.
Jesus said, “Watch out that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4). Therefore, don’t be naïve or easily duped by opportunistic false prophets or sensationalized headlines. Jesus cautioned, “…see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come” (Matthew 24:6).
Jesus said wars and natural disasters will intensify as we near the end. Therefore, not every conflict is the prelude to Armageddon, yet someday it will be!
Jesus taught, “All these are the beginning of birth pains.” Any woman in labor will testify that birth pangs increase in frequency and intensify in agony. As God’s judgment draws near, this world will become increasingly uncomfortable. International conflict, pestilences, earthquakes, and famines will escalate.
An expectant mother doesn’t head for the hospital at every experience of discomfort or sharp pain. But when the birth pangs come consistently and frequently, she is perceptive enough to know her baby’s delivery is near, and the time for action has arrived.
When unprecedented political hostility, a global pandemic, and an international conflict occur in the same period, it should get our attention. While no one knows the exact day of the Lord’s return, believers should be perceptive enough to anticipate that our redemption draws near. Jesus said since we can predict the weather with some degree of accuracy, we ought to interpret the signs of the times. (See Matthew 16:2-3.) Jesus’ second coming will surprise the world like a thief in the night, but “that day should [not] surprise you like a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4).
Jesus said that since the end will come someday, stay constantly alert. The world does not expect the Lord’s return, but believers should anticipate and welcome His arrival at any moment. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:42-44).
Make no bones about it. The Russian aggression against Ukraine could escalate into a global conflict. With multiple countries now capable of nuclear warfare, never has the potential of nuclear war been so close. Only a simpleton would be cavalier about the horrors of war that threaten us.
The Bible predicts, “…the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10). And Revelation 8 prophesies a time when a third of the earth will be burned up, and much of the world turned dark.
It is time for God’s people to pray. Pray for the protection of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. Pray that Vladimir Putin will either be converted to Christ or brought to swift justice. Pray that President Biden and other world leaders will have the wisdom and courage to make the right responses. Finally, pray that our country will be jarred into repentance and seek God’s salvation.
This is not a time for us to fret or wring our hands in desperation and live in terror, glued to cable news. Neither is this a time for casual Christianity. Instead, this is a time for genuine followers of Jesus to repent of sin, cleanse our hearts and calmly trust that God’s will is about to be done. It is a time to say with the Apostle Paul, “For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain.” And to say with John: “Amen Come, Lord Jesus.”
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