During WWI the term “The War to End All Wars” had spread all across Europe as a catchphrase and was synonymous with hope for a better future. Despite the fact that the phrase had been used in Europe for years, it's most often attributed to President Woodrow Wilson. Now, it ought to be reasonably obvious and manifestly evident that none of those people who were using the term the “war to end all wars” in 1918 had ever read their Bibles! The sentiment, though it may have been one of hopefulness, certainly didn’t age well considering WWII broke out barely 21 years later! In reality the war that actually will end all wars is still a little ways off yet according to the Bible! Having said that, I want to address in this article what I do believe “the next great war” will be.
I am personally convinced that the next great war that this world will be embroiled in for all intents and purposes will be what we can call World War III, and it will be the war that will completely change the geopolitical landscape of the planet and the balance of power. This coming World War will completely alter the existing global order and will be the major event which makes the way for the rise of the last day great axis powers and alliances that we see prophesied about in the prophetic scriptures. In short, the consequences of the coming Great War will give rise to the Antichrist Kingdom of the Beast.
Now, without question many people, both secular military leaders, as well as Bible teachers have been predicting and prophesying World War III for many years now and sad to say sooner or later it will happen! But contrary to popular belief World War III will not be Armageddon! The Biblical Battle of Armageddon will still be yet to come. However, World War III will be the war that consequentially sets up all the right conditions for the events of the great tribulation to commence. Which in turn ultimately lead to that great and final battle in the Valley of Megiddo at the return of Jesus Christ!
It is important at this point that I briefly lay out where I believe both the Scriptures and the perilous times in which we live in are leading us. Over the course of the last few years many people have asked me if I believe that the time of the Tribulation Period has begun and if the events of the book of Revelation have started. More and more, as the world over the past few years has become so manifestly dystopian I’m seeing that question being increasingly asked on numerous social media platforms and forums. Now, regarding the main question, “has the tribulation begun or are we in the tribulation yet?” The short answer is no. The Tribulation Period has not yet begun. Do I believe we are on the very precipice of it? Yes! But there are very specific events that must take place in order for the time of the tribulation to commence as predicted in the Bible. The very first of which is Jesus Himself breaking open the seals of the scroll that we read about in Revelation chapter 5 and 6.
“And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” (Revelation 5:1–2). And we learn that NOBODY can open that scroll EXCEPT, “… the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, (he alone is worthy)… to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:5)
We see that the Lion of the tribe of Judah is the Lamb who has been slain. He alone is worthy and the multitudes in heaven sing! “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood….” (Revelation 5:9)
Then in Revelation 6:1–4 we read; “Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” (This is referring to and speaking of the rise of the Antichrist).
Then we read, “When He (Jesus) opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”
I am pointing out these passages of scripture in order to show that it is in the breaking and opening up of the seals that sets in motion the tribulation events. It is most important to understand and bear in mind that the Tribulation Period will not begin one moment before Jesus initiates it! It is Jesus Himself who initiates through the breaking of the seals of the scroll the Tribulation. It is the worthy Lamb of God who sets into motion the events of the seven year Tribulation, (which is also referred to as Daniel’s 70th week, and the time of Jacob’s trouble).
Now, as I already stated, I believe the next Great War for all intents and purposes will be World War III. And that will occur, I believe, just prior to or concurrently with (I think there is certainly in all probability an overlapping and a necessary dovetailing together of these major events) when the 1st and 2nd seals of Revelation 6 are broken and the rider on the white horse is released to go out conquering and to conquer, to be quickly and logically followed with the breaking of the 2nd seal and the Red horse, to whom is given a great sword. The first two seals of Revelation 6 clearly seem to show that a global war will kick off the Tribulation and bring about the rise of the Antichrist. And right now, the odds of a devastating global war appear to be very high.
People often ask, “will World War III be a nuclear war”? And if there is a nuclear war won’t the world be destroyed? Undoubtably, it is highly likely the The Next Great War will go nuclear, but no, it won’t destroy the whole world. If we accept the premise that the breaking of the seals is the beginning of the Tribulation Period then it becomes evident that contrary to popular belief the world will survive World War III. Albeit, the death toll of course will be horrifically enormous, nonetheless, the human race won't be completely annihilated. The Bible tells us that the accumulative effects of the first four seals, the “4 horseman of the apocalypse” will be enormous! Roughly two to three billion people will perish in those days! “And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8)
I have shared all of that to basically answer the question, “Has the tribulation started yet.” No, it hasn’t, not yet. However, I think it is safe to say that those who survive this coming Great War will know that the tribulation has begun when they see in the aftermath of the global devastation the rise of a new Mid East military power and other geopolitical alliances that hadn’t existed before (at least not fully. We do see the prophetic global alliances slowly coming together even now, but they are not yet fully established). But this is what is most important to know and understand. This new and powerful end time “Kingdom of the Beast” will not rise up until the next Great War has made the way for it!
The winds of war are howling loudly in both Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific. Not to mention the incessant threat of war in the Middle East. The proverbial storm clouds are gathering and it just might turn out to be a confluence of events that triggers the most massive storm of all time!
Trigger-points!
There are several very possible different scenarios that could trigger the next great war and we are perilously close to any one of them occurring, or even all of them going off at the same time! The most immediate at the time of this writing is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On the heels of that is a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan. And then there is always the ever increasing threat of an Israeli-Iranian war breaking out. Any and all of these trigger points have the potential of spiraling quickly out of control into a world war!
In regards to the Russian-Ukrainian situation, I don’t believe that in itself necessarily triggers a world war. However, the potential for Putin's war on Ukraine to spin out of control into a global conflict is very possible. And every day the world waits with bated breath as to what may happen next. What the real danger here is how the West reacts, or for that matter doesn’t react! The real danger here is how China perceives it. If they see weakness on the part of the Western allies they will almost undoubtably invade Taiwan. Therefore, let’s look at the China/Taiwan trigger.
China threatens to invade Taiwan on an almost daily basis now since the beginning of the Biden administration. If China does invade, the United States has said it will defend Taiwan. However, with this present Biden administration I think that could be very doubtful. Nevertheless, if the US did intervene on Taiwan’s behalf it is almost certainly WWIII. A Chinese -US conflict could easily erupt into World War III. However, even if it didn’t spiral out of control the global economy would still most likely collapse and the global supply chain would be irreparably broken if the two largest economic powers went to war.
China’s President Xi Jinping, has revved up the saber rattling ever since Biden took office, and he has been getting the Chinese people ready for war. China has had the fastest military buildup in modern history and has become a military state. (See here)
The Washington Post (see here ) reported, “China appears to be building, in an area covering more than 700 square miles in the Gansu desert, 119 missile silos for the ten-warhead DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile. When added to 26 more silos the Chinese military is building elsewhere, China could soon be housing from these fixed locations about as much firepower as the existing U.S. nuclear arsenal. When China's missiles carried on mobile launchers and submarines are added, China's warheads could end up exceeding America's.”
Reports are that Chinese military planners are actually thinking (see here) of using nuclear weapons in an offensive capacity. China's military officers and political leaders have publicly threatened to use their nuclear arsenal in this way. Xi Jinping back in a July 1, 2021 speech promised to "crack heads and spill blood" of anyone standing in the way of what are, in essence, his plans to take territory under the control of others. "The Communist Party of China and the Chinese people, with their bravery and tenacity, solemnly proclaim to the world that the Chinese people are not only good at taking down the old world, but also good at building a new one," Xi said.
Another major trigger point of course is an attack by Israel on Iran or Vice versa. It was reported (see here) back in October that the Israeli Air Force has resumed training for a possible strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. To make matters worse, if that was at all possible, consider if Israel attacks Iran, it’s double jeopardy! Why? Because….here we go again…China! "China’s growing influence in East Asia and Africa has challenged U.S. interests, and the Middle East is the next battlefield on which Beijing can challenge U.S. hegemony—this time through Iran." (See here Iran’s Pact With China Is Bad News for the West)
Last year, China and Iran entered into a 25-year strategic partnership in trade, and security. Tehran’s new strategic partnership with Beijing will give the Chinese a strategic foothold and strengthen Iran’s economy and regional clout….Cooperation between China and Middle Eastern countries is neither new nor recent. Yet what distinguishes this development from others is that both China and Iran have global and regional ambitions, both have confrontational relationships with the United States, and there is a security component to the agreement. The military aspect of the agreement concerns the United States, just as last year’s unprecedented Iran-China-Russia (joint naval exercise see here) in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman spooked Washington. Chinese-Iranian ties will inevitably reshape the political landscape of the region in favor of Iran and China, further undermining U.S. influence.
Now think on this! Can you just imagine how much more intense the worlds hatred against Israel would be if they were to attack Iran and that triggered World War III! To say we are living in dangerous times, and on the precipice of the abyss would be to egregiously understate it!
I need to quickly mention one more thing before closing, and I will simply address it briefly because it is actually a topic worthy of a whole other article and discussion.
I need to note that I certainly recognize that there are some who believe the next great war will be the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38 & 39. However, notwithstanding that somewhat popular modern viewpoint, I do not hold that position based on both exegetical grounds as well as on historical grounds.
The idea that the Gog/Magog war will be the next Great War which starts the Tribulation is exegetically anachronistic and that position simply doesn’t hold up under careful scrutiny.
A very careful study of comparison’s between Ezekiel and Revelation (Not to even mention the scriptural comparisons to the other apocalyptic biblical prophecies) will show that the Gog Magog war is actually one and the same as the battle of Armageddon which is fought at the return of Jesus in Revelation 19. That was the historic belief and position of most if not all of the early church fathers and after much personal study that is my position as well. That war! Will be the war that will actually be “the war to end all wars!”
I will say this however, notwithstanding the difference between these viewpoints and perhaps what one could consider at least a bit of “common ground” is that many who do hold to the Gog Magog war being the war which starts the tribulation at least recognize that there is going to be a major war that is needed to trigger the Tribulation Period. In all fairness, I used to hold that position myself so I do understand it. However, I must emphasize and repeat that the Gog/Magog war timing is mistakenly misplaced by many, and suffice it to say, that, by putting it before the Tribulation Period it creates many exegetical and eschatological logistical problems. (Of which is not the purpose here.)
But most importantly in closing, I am compelled to say this. Perhaps very soon billions of people may die in a major nuclear war! That is a mind numbing and sobering thought! Billions of people will instantaneously be thrown into an eternity without Christ! Are we burdened and concerned for them? Are we as Christians reaching out to the lost? They need the gospel of salvation! They need Jesus! But tragically the things of this world have them distracted and mesmerized! Yet, time is of the essence! If we don’t warn them and try to reach them with the message of the gospel, they will be consumed! But God will hold us accountable for their blood!
“Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’ (Ezekiel 33:2–6)
His Grace is still amazing to me! Andy
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