"Wars and rumors of wars." Those were some of the words used by Jesus Christ, the Messiah, to characterize the last days prior to His return to earth.
Some say, "Well, that's nothing new! There have always been wars—and rumors of wars, all down through human history." And that's true, of course, though the intensity of war grew in the twentieth century, with some estimates as high as 160 million dead in all of that century's conflicts.
Now, in the early twenty-first century, we witness low-level conflicts, and rumors of conflicts in places we have difficulty even identifying on the map. For example, could you point to the Swat valley in the northwest frontier province of Pakistan? Not a place we think of every day; but maybe we should. You see, it borders Afghanistan, the nation from which came the attacks on New York City in September of 2001.
The Muslim fundamentalist Taleban are making a comeback on both sides of the border, and Pakistan's military is hard-pressed to contain, much less to defeat these people in their border foothold. Not long ago, the Pakistani government agreed to let local tribal chiefs introduce "sharia" or Muslim law in the restive region, in exchange for a cease-fire, and a laying down of arms. But the agreement fell apart, and now the Pakistanis military is on the offensive. Pakistan's prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, described the Swat conflict as a "war for the future of the nation."
If this all seems remote, let's not forget that Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons. And the Taleban-Al Qaeda alliance apparently would love to see Pakistan's government falter, and to get its hands on that nuclear technology.
In the world today what happens way across the globe can have an impact in our backyard.
But lets go back to Jesus's words. He followed up His comments about war with a reassurance: "See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet" (Matthew 24:6).
Those words, of course, are directed to His disciples, people who have brought their lives into line with His teaching.
So isn't it time for us to keep an eye on events like these on the world stage, even in distant lands like the Swat valley in Pakistan. And, more importantly, to conduct our lives according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. That way we can indeed "see that we're not troubled."
Some say, "Well, that's nothing new! There have always been wars—and rumors of wars, all down through human history." And that's true, of course, though the intensity of war grew in the twentieth century, with some estimates as high as 160 million dead in all of that century's conflicts.
Now, in the early twenty-first century, we witness low-level conflicts, and rumors of conflicts in places we have difficulty even identifying on the map. For example, could you point to the Swat valley in the northwest frontier province of Pakistan? Not a place we think of every day; but maybe we should. You see, it borders Afghanistan, the nation from which came the attacks on New York City in September of 2001.
The Muslim fundamentalist Taleban are making a comeback on both sides of the border, and Pakistan's military is hard-pressed to contain, much less to defeat these people in their border foothold. Not long ago, the Pakistani government agreed to let local tribal chiefs introduce "sharia" or Muslim law in the restive region, in exchange for a cease-fire, and a laying down of arms. But the agreement fell apart, and now the Pakistanis military is on the offensive. Pakistan's prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, described the Swat conflict as a "war for the future of the nation."
If this all seems remote, let's not forget that Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons. And the Taleban-Al Qaeda alliance apparently would love to see Pakistan's government falter, and to get its hands on that nuclear technology.
In the world today what happens way across the globe can have an impact in our backyard.
But lets go back to Jesus's words. He followed up His comments about war with a reassurance: "See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet" (Matthew 24:6).
Those words, of course, are directed to His disciples, people who have brought their lives into line with His teaching.
So isn't it time for us to keep an eye on events like these on the world stage, even in distant lands like the Swat valley in Pakistan. And, more importantly, to conduct our lives according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. That way we can indeed "see that we're not troubled."
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