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Today In Prophecy
Gettysburg and Civil War "He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire" (Psalm 46:9). July 1, 2013 marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War, the bloodiest battle of the bloodiest war the U.S. has ever seen. More than 51,000 men were killed or wounded during the three-day clash in and around the Pennsylvania town. The battle marked a turning of the tide for the Union Army, which won a hard-fought victory at Gettysburg and built momentum for an ultimate victory in the four-year war that claimed the lives of more than 600,000 soldiers. Historian John Huddleston estimated the final death toll of the war to include ten percent of all Northern males 20-45 years old, and 30 percent of all Southern white males aged 18-40. It remains the deadliest war in American history, even more so when one includes civilian casualties. J. David Hacker, based on an analysis of census data, in A Census-based Count of the Civil War Dead, calculated the total number of casualties, military and civilian, to probably be about 761,000 people.Although the abolition of slavery that resulted from the Northern victory was monumental in the history of America, the killing of fellow countrymen was a great tragedy that has impacted many families still today. A recent Harris Poll found the respondents divided over appropriate memorials to the American Civil War. Civil Wars’ Causes There is a common assumption that homogeneous societies are more peaceful societies. Countries in which civil wars occurred during the past 150 years might seem to support that assumption: Russia, Ireland, China, Viet Nam, Spain, Greece, Korea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Lebanon, Mozambique, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Congo. Each of these countries had diverse populations and/or significant class or religious distinctions. However, in a 2003 study of 129 such conflicts, Stanford civil war experts James D. Fearon and David D. Laitin concluded that "it appears not to be true that a greater degree of ethnic or religious diversity — or indeed any particular cultural demography — by itself makes a country more prone to civil war." Similarly, Crawford Young, an African politics expert at the University of Wisconsin and a former dean at the National University of Zaire, maintains that there is a new pattern to the conflicts in Africa. He contends that many of the post-1989 civil wars which have broken out have "nothing to do with religion, ethnicity and race." This view is opposed by Samuel P. Huntington in his book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Huntington previews a world torn apart by cultural differences between Muslims and other civilizations — ethnic warfare on a global scale. The Fearon-Laitin study, however, suggests that ethnic wars do not just happen naturally as a result of cultural differences; they require some outside force.
Similarly, a number of political scientists suggest that the root causes of ethnic conflict are institutional, political, and economic rather than cultural. They contend that the idea that certain groups are doomed to fight each other is naive, given that civil wars historically have been driven more by politics than ethnicity. In her book World on Fire, Amy Chua argues that democratization can give political power to an ethnic majority that is poor compared to an ethnic minority that is more economically successful. This, rather than ethnicity, causes conflict, persecution, and even genocide of the minority.False and True Religion Recent publications have illustrated that religion stood at the center of the American Civil War on both sides. North and South looked to God for meaning and each believed — with fervor and certitude — that God was on its side. Many ministers, generals, leaders, and editors went so far as to proclaim that God had ordained the war and as such He would determine its length, its damages, and its outcome. On a global scale, both Christianity and Islam have conducted violence in the name of God and have been guilty of shedding the others’ blood. Today, the majority accept war as inevitable, even though they would prefer permanent peace. When his disciples asked Jesus for the signs of his second advent, Jesus told them, "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet" (Matthew 24:6). Wars and threats of wars are man’s lot until the Prince of Peace brings them to an end during his second presence. This will come at the full establishment of Jesus’ Kingdom as prophesied by Isaiah: "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah. 9:6, NAS). Before war can be abolished, there must be a worldwide government not influenced by politics, economics or institutional religion that teaches righteousness and treats equally all of mankind. That government, established by Jesus and his Church through the resurrected ancient worthies — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel and the others — as representatives on earth of that kingdom, will supervise, overrule, and control the affairs of all earth’s inhabitants as this a real new world order is established.Yet more must be accomplished beyond just compliance to a new world order. Prejudice and hate must give way to loving kindness and mutual respect; selfishness must give way to generosity; sin must give way to righteousness. No longer must people want to war against their fellow man. No longer must contention be a way of life. Beginning first with the reestablished nation of Israel, Christ’s beneficial rule will change the hearts of all people: "I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jeremiah 31:33). Isaiah’s prophecy of the ruling of Christ in his Kingdom continues: "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:7). The wars and rumors of wars today will soon give way to this new world. Isaiah earlier prophesizes that the beginning of Christ’s work takes place when the kingdoms of this world are still fighting their wars: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:2-4). Soon the world will end its constant preparations for war. The resources dedicated to producing war instruments will soon be used to bring elements of good. Christ’s earthly kingdom will foster peace that even now beats in the hearts of many. The Kingdom will eliminate fear, hate, bigotry, and all elements that result in the senseless slaughter of human life. Let us rejoice and pray for that Kingdom.
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