Rumors of Wars
Rumors of Wars
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matthew 24:6
As we continue to read through Matthew 24 and the prophecies of the end we come across the telling of wars. What is very interesting with v.6 is that it speaks of ‘hearing’ of wars and ‘rumors’. This might sound perfectly fine with us today but is very strange for ancient times.
We must remember that there were no cars, planes or trains in Jesus’ day. Wars and battles were slow tiresome things. Troops would have to walk on foot for days or weeks to reach the enemy. That is why watchmen were so important. People were needed to see armies and soldiers coming to plan their defenses and get their own troops ready.
It was very obvious when a war was starting. Hundreds of thousands of men wasn’t something you could easily hide. That is why rumors and hearing of wars is so interesting. That is very much a modern thing in warfare. With quick deployment and technology, wars truly can be heard about and rumored without actually seeing anything.
The Cold War is probably the best example of a rumored war. Spying, talking and plans were constantly in the air but nothing ever really developed. The Bible, and Jesus, knew very well what the future would be like.
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Matthew 24:7-8
But real wars would also appear in the future. In fact there has scarcely been a time, if ever, when there wasn’t a war raging somewhere in the world. With them, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes would also come. All these are common things in our days but v.8 is a reminder that much more still needs to happen before we are truly within the days of the end.
May we all be ready and prepared for those days.
God bless,
Pr. Steven Couto