WARS AND BIBLICAL PROPHECY PART 1- RUMOURS OF WAR

Iranian UAV as Meraj 51 in Russia

    Today we cannot seem to get away from wars or rumours of war. Old territorial disputes have resurrected and new conflicts have arisen. The ultimate rumour could very well be the threat of nuclear war. Such a war has been dreaded and that day seems to be nearer. Attention has been drawn to one book that has stood up to criticisms and has proven itself many times as a historical record of previous wars. I am sure you have heard of the Bible.

Conspiracy theories, disinformation, false narratives, and alternative truths are now part of everyday life. Have prophesies in the Bible been fulfilled? The answer would be, Yes! A major prophesy would be Jews returning to Israel. Israel went on to become a nation on May 14, 1948. Israel has not been a nation of people since137AD. Don't get me wrong, there were always Jews living there but not as a mass of people since nor as a declared nation as done in more modern times.

In Biblical times the people group made the nation. Wherever they traversed, they were known as Israel but when they conquered the land of the Philistines and Canaanites, it was named after them. Similarly Canadians in Canada. The prophesy of return can be found in Ezekiel 20:33-38, and Isaiah 11:11-12. It is still ongoing as 50% still live outside of Israel.

If a prophesy is a rumour then it turned out to be true many times and in hugely significant ways. 

There are two questions I seek to answer in this first part of the mini series on Wars and Biblical Prophecy: 

1. What does the Bible say about current affairs? 
2. Rumours as prophecy

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT CURRENT AFFAIRS?

Let us start with what the one referred to as the Messiah, had to say in the Book of Matthew; 

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:6-8 

Two thousand years of world history are covered in just four sentences. Wars, famines, and earthquakes are expected and not especially noteworthy. However, based on current affairs, these events have become more intense and occur more often than in the past. If the scripture is indicative of intensity and occurrence then it would certainly be a true representation of the global situation today. 

Wars in 2022

The phrase indicates that wars and rumours of war are increasing in intensity. It had some momentum with the postal system spreading faster than in the ancient days, 2000 years ago. In this era of the fourth industrial revolution, rumours; have speed, reach more people, cross borders, and are more impacting than in Biblical times. Linking the words wars and rumours of war seems more meaningful than as a casual phrase. 

Wars and rumours of war are tied together like a set model or pattern. It is different to saying There will be famines and earthquakes. Wars are relevant to rumours. It is expected that one coexists naturally with the other. Even in a cold war rumours play an important role. 

I used to think that rumours came before the war but it did not turn out to be so, having taken a more in-depth look. It is obvious that there are many wars or conflicts in the world today. The premiss regarding the rumours of war is that, rumours have become increasingly strategic in the lead up to and in the midst of conflict/war.

There are examples in the Bible when rumours were used in warfare. In this verse it appears to be an expectation.

Do not let your heart grow faint, and do not be afraid when the rumour is heard in the land; for a rumor will come one year—and then another the next year—of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler. Jeremiah 51:46

As a strategy it must be quite popular as even the God of the Bible, uses it; 

So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah, who replied, “Tell your master that this is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid of the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’ ” 2 Kings 19:5-7

The potential of a rumour used as a strategy before a war was proven in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel was attacked by a number of nations in response to a rumour spread by Russia. Although the United Nations made a statement to counter the allegations made by Russia, the damage was done. Perhaps they were testing out the strategy of using rumours?

War was in the air, leaders strutted on the television screen, the people in the Middle East sniffed for blood, and Israel went on defensive mode. More people died in the short time of this war than during the Vietnam war. 777 Israelis died, equivalent to the Death Population Ratio for the Vietnamese war with America spanning 8 years. 

RUMOURS AS PROPHECY

Can a prophecy be a rumour? To answer the question, I would have to follow up with, Who would be the one to start it? That would be hilarious because the answer would then have to be, The Holy Spirit. He is one of the Trinity. Christians believe the Godhead is made up of three; Father, Son, and The Holy Spirit. Additionally, prophecy is inspired by The Holy Spirit.

The connotation that goes with a rumour is that it is not truthful. That actually marshes up the entire foundational doctrine of Christianity. The other member of the Godhead Jesus, is said to be the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). There are a number of verses about lying e.g. 

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Revelation 21:27

One cannot enter the kingdom as a liar. The father of lies is said to be the arch villain himself, the devil. Lying cannot be found with The Holy Spirit who is pure and the epitome of holiness. The inspiration or intelligence behind the prophesy is said to be from the writer of the Bible, who is The Holy Spirit. 

There were prophesies made by a Norwegian woman of 90 years in 1969. All of her prophesies came through with one more pending fulfilment, a nuclear war in Europe. The Ukraine-Russia War seems to be heading in the direction of a nuclear war. NATO has been staying out of the fight because of fear of escalation to a nuclear war. 

The conversation around this situation or conflict is often about nuclear war. How can this prophesy be a rumour given the current situation with Russia and Ukraine? However, I digress as this blog is specifically about the prophecies in the Bible. It is relevant in two way: 

1. the war furthers the alliance spoken of in Ezekiel 38
2. positions Russia as a 'chief prince'
3. causes more chaos in the world
4. adds intensity to wars and rumours of war
5. fits into the wars and rumours of war model 

It is common knowledge that famines, earthquakes and pestilences have become more intense and increase in occurrence. As a prophesy in the Bible, it is very accurate and still part of current global news. The model of wars and rumours of war, spoken of by Jesus, continues today. If rumours of war is a strategy then it has potential to be a prophecy which comes through or is used to win a war without physical violence. In that case it is the perceived truth of those involved. In the next blog I expound on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.