I
think I will quote the passage that contains the sign we are going to
discuss in this article. It is found in Matthew 24:6 (the first part)
and verse 7 (the first part): “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of
wars . . . For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom.” So this sign has to do with wars as a sign of Christ’s
coming.
Wars
have always been a part of this world’s history, ever since the tower
of Babel. Some are very local, as the present war going on in Syria,
and some wars have involved almost the whole known world. But they have
always been a part of history.
Wars
that involved the entire known world were the great world wars of the
Old Testament times. These wars involved the world powers of Assyria,
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. It is striking that these
nations that ruled over the whole world were all part of the development
of the Antichristian kingdom yet to come. This is taught us in
Scripture in Daniel 2 where Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the image is
explained; and these nations are referred to once again in Revelation
17:10-11.
The
seven kings in this passage are: the kingdoms of Babel (with Nimrod as
king), Assyria (which took God’s people captive), Babylon (with
Nebuchadnezzar as king), the Medo-Persian kingdom (with Darius, Cyrus
and Artaxerxes as kings), and Greece (with Alexander the Great as king).
They are the five that Revelation said were “fallen.” The one that is
refers to the Roman Empire (with the Caesars as rulers) that existed
during the time Revelation was written. And the one that is yet to come is the antichristian kingdom that shall be established at the end of the world.
World
Wars I and II were called “world” wars because almost all nations were
involved. But there are literally hundreds of local wars that dot the
pages of history. The Bible itself speaks of many of them.
Interestingly, while writing this article I read that there were 48
local wars going on in the world at present. So, as the Lord said, wars
increase in frequency and in intensity. This shall continue until
Antichrist himself puts an end to wars and establishes a world-wide
kingdom of peace and prosperity. This time of peace will be temporary
as the world shall end with another war, the great Battle of Armageddon.
Why
and how are wars and reports (rumors) of wars signs of Christ’s coming?
To understand that, we must remember that wars began with the
confusion of languages at Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). Nimrod wanted to
establish the very first antichristian kingdom that would include all
the population of the earth. He wanted to do this by building the tower
of Babel that would reach to heaven.
Nimrod
did indeed build the tower of Babel, but God created the races at Babel
and divided the people into nations by confusing their speech so that
each talked a different language. There could be no unity. For it was
the beginning of a series of kingdoms that would culminate in the
kingdom of Antichrist, which could not, according to God’s purpose, come
before its appointed time.
But
the dream of a universal kingdom did not die; only, now each nation
wants to be the head of all the nations in what George H. W. Bush
(former president of the United States) called “a new world order.” And
so the nations make war with each other in their efforts to be the head
of this new world order. The interesting part of it is that the pope
has emphatically made clear that he ought to be the one to head this new
world order.
They
all, in other words, strive to be Antichrist; and so they all are part
of the development of the Antichristian kingdom. In this way, wars and
rumors of wars are signs of Christ’s coming. But God is sovereign and
Christ is Lord of lords and King of kings.
God’s
purpose in history is to gather His church. And if the antichristian
kingdom would have been established at Babel or at any other time when
one nation ruled, the church would have been destroyed. In every
instance that one nation ruled, the church was persecuted. Think only
of how the Roman Empire persecuted the church!
Since
the Roman Empire fell by the force of the barbarian tribes that swept
Europe there has been no world-wide kingdom. Hitler tried it, with the
aid of Japan, but it didn’t work. During the period of time since the
fall of the Roman Empire till today, there has been no one kingdom
ruling over all, because the catholic
church was being gathered by God – the church from every nation and
tribe and tongue. The premature realization of the antichristian
kingdom would have made that impossible.
And
so, Jesus says, kingdom shall rise up against kingdom and nation
against nation, but the end is not yet. These are only the beginning of
sorrows. More must come!
Yet,
for a short time just before the end total peace will come. It might
come through the United Nations; it might come some other way; but it
will come when God wills it. It will come in the kingdom of Antichrist,
for his kingdom will be a kingdom of peace and prosperity such as the
world has never seen. But it will be broken up and destroyed by the one
great and final war, the battle of Armageddon. But by that time, God
will have finished gathering His church with the saving of the last
elect.
With warm regards,
Prof. Hanko
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