Not that it will surprise anyone who has been following world events these past few years, but there has been a lot of talk recently about how we in the U.K. should be preparing for war.
Which isn’t, I think, bad advice – not primarily because it’s been offered by the government, or some who may or may not have inside knowledge of the future, but because one who knows better than anyone cautioned similarly two thousand years ago.
Because it was back then that Jesus, sitting on the Mount of Olives, told his disciples that there would be wars and rumours of wars until the end of the age. [Matthew 24:6]
And so it has been these past two millennia – ever since the end times began when Jesus ascended, not just to heaven, but to the throne from which he has reigned ever since. The wars Jesus warned of were not meant to be used to anticipate his imminent return, but were simply something to be expected until he comes and puts an end to them forever.
So where does all that leave us in 2026? Well, just as he told his disciples in the first century, we too should not be alarmed by news of increasing tension between global powers.
Instead, concerning though the situation undoubtedly is, we should nonetheless keep calm and carry on – doing what we should have been doing in times of peace.
We should share the gospel and be prepared to give a reason for the hope that we have in Christ. We should comfort the afflicted with the comfort we ourselves have received from the God of all comfort. And we should love our neighbour by carrying out the good works that God has already prepared for us to do.
I could of course go on. But when considering how, practically speaking, we should prepare for war, I am reminded of the answer given nearly two years ago by Igor Bandura who, as the Vice President of the Baptist Union in Ukraine, was not preparing for war, but living in the thick of it – as indeed he continues to do today.
His answer, recognising that the church exists to offer a message of hope, was to see each day as an opportunity to share the gospel.
None of us can ensure the safety of all those we love – nor can we know all that will happen to us tomorrow. Only God can do and know these things. But we can share the good news of what Christ achieved on the cross.
And so Igor said, ‘If I’m going to die tomorrow, then I want to preach the gospel today’.
Which is not a bad way for any of us to live – irrespective of how close to war we may be.
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To read ‘Hope when the nations rage’, click here
