A Needed Word from Someone Else

 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.