By Mark Grace, CCCNZ Ambassador
E whakatika hoki tetahi iwi ki tetahi iwi, tetahi rangatiratanga ki tetahi rangatiratanga: a e puta nga po matekai, nga mate uruta, me nga ru, ki nga tini wahi.
E tau le isi nu‘u ma le isi nu‘u, e osofa‘ia fo‘i e le isi mālō le isi mālō. E i ai oge ma mafui‘e i nu‘u uma.
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
Matthew 24:7
I take great comfort that much of the New Testament was written in the shadow of wars and among rumours of wars. There were Roman-Jewish wars, Parthian wars, and civil wars throughout the empire. There was the uprising against Roman rule in Britain, and the Roman war against the native peoples of Illyricum—and all these in just the first century after Jesus’ birth.
I take comfort that the New Testament was written in the shadow of war because it feels like our world is slowly sleepwalking towards war. Tensions in the Indo-Pacific, Europe and Asia are all increasing with potentially catastrophic consequences in the coming decades.
In Matthew 24, Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple in the first century. He also describes a time that is “the beginning of the birth pains”, a time of cataclysm before he returns at the end of the age.
Whether these upcoming decades will be another tumultuous bout of “birth pains”, ones like the nations have experienced repeatedly over the last two millennia, or whether they signal the climatic return of the King, only the Father knows.
What we do know is how our Saviour calls us to live between his resurrection and return.
In times of crisis and catastrophe, don’t be gullible (verse 4). Don’t be deceived by false Messiahs (verse 13). Be faithful, stand firm. Don’t be stupid (verse 17). Be watchful and be ready for the return of the Lord (verse 42).
In these verses, we see that God holds history in his hands. He has a plan and is guiding our world towards its final goal: the return of Jesus, to reign over all. In effect, throughout these verses, Jesus is saying: despite the chaos and the trials, don’t miss me (25:1–13). Be faithful to me, be watchful for me, and be ready to receive me.
Among wars and rumours of war, the best thing we can do is worship Christ as we wait for his return.
