Will Nuclear War Happen?

Today is the 75th anniversary of an atomic bomb devastating Nagasaki, Japan. Three days earlier in 1945, the first atomic bomb used in warfare was dropped on Hiroshima. Historians have debated whether the United States was justified in using those bombs. It’s tragic how the bombings killed tens of thousands of people. However, many more lives would have been lost had the U.S. needed to invade the country that four years earlier initiated hostilities with the attack on Pearl Harbor. President Truman’s goal for authorizing the bombings was to convince the Japanese to surrender and bring a quicker end to World War II.

I grew up during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Fears of a nuclear exchange were triggered by watching made-for-TV movies like “World War III” and “The Day After.” Although the USSR dissolved in 1991, Russia still has nukes as well as a few other countries. Rogue nations like Iran have made progress in developing their own weapons of mass destruction. It’s scary to think about what would happen if they follow through on their numerous threats against Israel and the West.

However, I believe prayer plus a strong military has protected the United States and other countries from a nuclear attack. God wants to bring in a large end-time harvest of souls. Things will be different once the church is raptured. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 says, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”

Certain Scriptures some scholars have considered symbolic could be descriptions of a nuclear conflict. Revelation 6:12-13 says, “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.” The “stars from heaven” could be missiles from space.

Zechariah 14:12 gives an accurate description of someone exposed to an atomic explosion: “And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.” This and similar prophecies could be about the Battle of Armageddon or another future conflict like the war of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38.

Do these scenarios frighten you? They shouldn’t if you know Jesus. Psalm 91:7 says,“A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.” God knows how to protect His people. If you are uncertain of your eternal destiny, don’t delay getting your life right with the Lord. Tomorrow may be too late.

“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” - 1 Thessalonians 5:9

Why Do Churches Close?

During the winter, I often reside at a missionary house in Tampa, Florida. Not far from there are two churches that recently closed its doors. One of them focused on meeting the needs of the homeless. The pastor vacated the property after the landlord announced the rent was doubling. For now, the pastor and his wife will conduct park outreaches like they’ve done before.

The other was a small Assembly of God church where I sometimes attended services and Bible studies. After being there for over six years, the pastors decided to sell the property to a Hispanic fellowship. While it may have been disappointing for these pastors not to oversee a growing congregation, souls still got saved there. Three months ago during a Bible study, I got to lead an occasional attendee to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Four years ago, a megachurch in Minnesota that I visited a few times had temporarily shut down. North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Hills was founded in 1946 with a 450 seat sanctuary. NHLC had grown to a peak of 3,400 weekly worshippers that met at two locations. Attendance then dwindled down to a few hundred. Various reasons surfaced regarding the church’s brief demise: financial problems, downsizing and congregation members not approving of a woman that temporarily became the senior pastor. 

Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “…and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Churches often close not because of outside persecution but from problems within. One survey cited the number one reason people leave a particular fellowship is conflict and gossip. Some church folk can be hard to love just like certain family members. Nevertheless, John 13:35 says, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Then again, I have a friend in North Dakota who pastored a church there for a number of years but then felt led to shut it down and move his family to Oklahoma for a season. Instead of handing the reins over to another minister, this pastor encouraged his congregation to connect with other local fellowships. He later attended one of those himself.

Still, I believe it’s God’s best for all His churches to grow so they have a greater influence in their communities. However, if a church strays from sound doctrine and teaches things contrary to Scripture or don’t allow the gifts of the Spirit to function, then it should close its doors.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” - Psalm 127:1

In Pursuit of Peace

During the holiday season, we are often reminded of what the angels declared when the Son of God was born in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago. Luke 2:14 says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” The New Living Translation of this verse reads, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Jesus came to reconcile all sinners to the Father but that doesn’t happen to everyone by default. One must choose to be in right standing with God.

Still, there are individuals who persist in finding peace apart from Jesus Christ. Some dabble in cults or other belief systems because they want to continue living in sin. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” Other unbelievers try to categorize Christianity with other religions claiming they’ve been the cause of every war on this planet.

Most everyone wants peace in their house and for their country. They should begin by looking to the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” He also said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.”

The Bible is full of other verses associating Jesus with peace. The Lord often said to His disciples “Peace to you!” He rebuked a windy sea by declaring, “Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:39)  After the woman with the issue of blood received her healing, Jesus told her, “Go in peace.” (Luke 8:48) Many of the epistles began with the greeting, “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Of course, following Jesus comes with a cost. If you’ve been a disciple for any length of time, then you soon found out not everyone was thrilled with your decision to become a Christian. You probably had friends and even family members shun you. The Lord made this paradoxical statement in Matthew 10:34-36…

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’”

I’ve had sinners tell me Christianity is confusing. Yet 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace.” Ephesians 6:15 says we are shod “with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Every believer should be ready to offer God’s peace to those who don’t know Him. Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Many people campaign for world peace but that won’t become a reality until the Second Coming. Before Jesus Christ returns to the earth to set up His millennial reign, the antichrist will set up a false sense of security that will last a short period of time. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 says, “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”

One of John Lennon’s best-known songs has the lyric “All we are saying is give peace a chance.”  I offer this advice to any non-believers reading this: “Give the Prince of Peace a chance.”

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” - Isaiah 26:3

A Permit to Preach

Every minister who takes the gospel to the public occasionally comes into conflict with authority figures. Even in the United States where the Constitution guarantees “freedom of religion”, various laws and ordinances have been passed in an effort to hinder God’s word from going forth.

Two weeks ago in Crystal, Minnesota, I was with a group of soul winners sharing the gospel at a carnival. Although it was in a public park, a carnival supervisor came up to us saying we weren’t allowed to evangelize there because we didn’t have a permit. We continued moving and witnessing in the park until a policeman told us “no preaching”. We then moved outside the park perimeters and talked to individuals walking towards or leaving the carnival.

Then this past week at the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, I passed out tracts along Main Street and struck up conversations with other ministers doing the Lord’s work. One Baptist group was promoting a motorcycle giveaway. When I showed one man there the tracts I was using, he claimed the police in Sturgis have fined people for handing out literature without a permit. Later, I talked with a cross walker named Bob Hunas, who’s also a police chaplain. He said I wouldn’t have any problems as long as I didn’t stand in front of a particular business too long.

It's happened before when fellow ministers, for whatever reason, didn’t want me witnessing to others. One afternoon in Tampa, Florida, I was walking on a sidewalk across the street from a junior high school when a middle-aged man along with seven teenagers were waiting at a corner. I felt led to witness to them. The man said he was a born-again Methodist minister, but told me I wasn't allowed to talk to the students about “religion”. I pointed out I was on a public sidewalk where the First Amendment protects my freedom of speech. The minister responded that as their chaperon he didn't approve of the questions I was asking. I then asked, “Doesn't the Bible say we’re not to be ashamed of the gospel”? The minister hesitated at first, but then hinted at calling the police. Ignoring the threat, I quoted Romans 10:9 to four of the teens (the other three had walked away by this time) and gave them an opportunity to receive salvation. The minister didn't say another word to me as one boy prayed to get saved.

Sometimes it’s best to comply with local laws to avoid wasting time and money defending our rights. One time, I evangelized with a friend near a high school in Springfield, Virginia. There we noticed a police car at an intersection. I approached the policeman to let him know what we were doing. He informed me a local city ordinance required us to be at least one block away from the school. Although I could have contended for my constitutional right to distribute literature on public sidewalks closer to the school, I felt it was best to follow the policeman’s order. There were still many students my friend and I could talk to as they were walking home. Eleven of them prayed with us to receive salvation. 

We should always be respectful to authority but never bow down to the fear of man. Perhaps the next time someone tells me I need a permit to preach, I could open up my Bible and show them what Jesus said in the Great Commission. God’s laws supersede man’s laws.

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’” - Mark 16:15