Wars and Rumors of Wars: the Nations are in Distress

This week it was revealed that that the U.S. is considering an extended 10-year soldiers-on-the-ground commitment in Afghanistan, already the longest war in U.S. history. Is anyone surprised!? Wars are accepted as the new norm! According to a recent article by the “Peace Plan Union,” there have been 250 major wars since WWII, with over 50 million killed, millions injured, and millions more homeless. This century stands out as the bloodiest in history: 3 times more dead in the last 90 years than in the previous 500.

A major sign of the end times is an increase of wars. There are 38 going on right now, with regular rumors of more! And, given the unstoppability of nuclear proliferation, no wonder the nations are in distress!

It is hard not to see this as a sign of the times, but many Evangelicals have numbed out. Jesus said when you see the “distress of the nations,” it is time to “stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). I’m not suggesting you sell your condo in Florida just yet; but it seems to me there are things happening in the world today to which we need to pay closer attention.