Without excuse, I know that I blog way too little, particularly with all the happenings, situations, and circumstances of our day. It's like we are living the days of foretold prophecies in real time. Whether you read the newspaper, watch the news, stay up online, OR READ THE BIBLE, they all are in harmony.
This outbreak of unprovoked aggression on the other side of the world should serve as a catalyst of sorts or a 'cold-water in the face' type of events to awaken us to the truth, that while not likely today, this world is destroying itself because, in the whole, it has rejected creator God and His Son, Christ Jesus.
Each day, I received many solicited (that means I 'signed-up' for them) blogs, articles, and the like through emails. Since a preacher friend and I had an unplanned breakfast with Dr. Robert Jeffress, I have signed up for his mailings plus purchased several of his books. He is doing a great job of preparing his people (and us) for the future. Today, I received the following article from him. As you will see, he gives us a Biblical perspective on the Russian-Ukraine war. I pray it helps you as it did me.
How
Christians Should Respond to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Dr.
Robert Jeffress Commentary
Today marks the outbreak of military conflict of a kind and on a scale the
world has not seen since World War II. We are watching a devastating
invasion unfold in real time. Visceral and disturbing images stream out
of Ukraine every moment, as Russian forces bombard and assault Ukrainian
city centers. It can be difficult to process events like this. We need a
biblical lens. So I want to remind you of some basic truths to help you
navigate these extraordinary times.
First, wars remind us that God is sovereign over history.
Nations rise and fall at His command. As God revealed to the prophet
Daniel, empires would rise and fall, each failing to establish itself
permanently. The kings and kingdoms of this world are like the changing
of the seasons—they rise and eventually they all fall, according to God’s
will (Daniel 2:21). Nothing catches God by surprise or thwarts His plans.
As the Psalmist tells us, “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to
nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord
stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations” (Psalm
33:10-11). The evil designs of dictators like Vladimir Putin are, in some
mysterious way, turned and used by God to accomplish His greater purposes
in the world: “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the
Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1).
Second, wars remind us that the end is near, but they don’t
necessarily mean the end is here. Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine is an awful display of needless aggression by a glory-hungry
dictator. But these events probably do not herald the end of the world.
This terrible conflict is much more likely to be yet another of what
Jesus called the “beginning of the birth pains” that characterize our
age. There will be “wars and rumors of wars,” instances of “nation”
suddenly rising up “against nation” and “kingdom against kingdom”
(Matthew 24:6-8). It is true that birth pains get worse and increase in
intensity as the birth approaches. We are closer now to the end of
history and the return of Christ than ever before. Yet we do not know whether
that return is one year or one thousand years away—it is simply not for
us to know (Matthew 24:36). It may be that God allows each generation to
experience such pains and tremors, not to send us into a frenzy but
instead to remind us that the current order of things is temporary. In
war we have a preview of what the end of the age will look like. The
Antichrist’s actions will in some ways resemble the destructive and
lawless actions of Vladimir Putin (1 John 2:18). The end of the age will
in some ways resemble these terrible days of war and carnage.
Third, wars should stir us to courage in the face of evil,
sympathy for innocent victims, and urgency for the Great Commission. As
we seek to respond in a Christian way to these circumstances, you may be
wondering what you can do. We should have courage amidst the uncertainty
and evil that surrounds us. As Paul told the Corinthians: “Be on your
guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong” (1 Corinthians
16:13). We should also have sympathy for the innocent victims of this
unprovoked war. We should pray for a quick end to the conflict, for the
safety of innocent people, and for the Christians who will surely be
persecuted under Putin’s godless regime. Finally, we must have a renewed
urgency for our gospel mission. Christ has told us what to do with the
time we have until He returns (Matthew 28:19-20). So we need to make “the
best use of the time,” sharing the gospel with as many people as possible
(Colossians 4:5). We do not know when this age will end, when our civilization may unravel,
or even how long our own life will be. So there is no time to waste in
making Christ known and sharing the eternal hope we have in Him. He
promises us the only safe haven from war, in the only Kingdom that will experience
unending peace.
|
|
|
Comments
Post a Comment