There has never been a time on this earth when there was more division and strife than at this present time. As we look at the daily headlines, our world is full of war, divisions and terrorism. They call it Jihad, or Holy War, and that is exactly what it is. It’s a spiritual battle that has been waging since the beginning of time, but as we draw closer to the end of the age, to the day of the last great battle, this division becomes even greater. The Jihadists declare that they will not stop until Israel and the Great Satan (America) is no longer in existence. We somehow think that this is a new battle and has only been taking place over the last 20 years or so, but Jesus declared this war as He walked upon this earth nearly 2000 years ago. And not only that, but He also told us that He is the very reason for this war.
We can even look at our own culture in America. There are numerous religions in our country, each one declaring to be the truth. We see Buddhists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Islam, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Scientists, Mormonism, Greek Orthodox, Catholicism, Judaism, and then there’s even Satanism and Atheism. Why are they all so opposed to Christianity? The whole conflict can be summed up in one word… and one person. His name is JESUS! He is the reason for the battle. He’s the difference between Christianity and every other religion in the world. What you believe about Jesus Christ and who He is makes all the difference in the world. HE IS THE BLOCK OF STUMBLING! And He is the very cause of all the division and conflict in the world today. It’s a spiritual battle, and it’s being fought in the heavenlies between the forces of good (the kingdom of God) and the forces of evil (Satan’s domain). It is like a huge chess game, and humans are the pawns. And it is coming down to the final match, the last move…the “checkmate” of all time.
Often when we Christians, think of Jesus, we think of the peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7) We remember that Jesus promised to give us His peace. (John 14:27) In fact, according to the Word of God, He is our Peace (Ephesians 2:14) and He has broken down the wall of partition between us and God. So then, knowing all these precious promises of peace, how can Jesus, in this scripture, come along and declare that He came to cause division?
In order to find the answer to that question, lets take a look at some Biblical history. It all began way back there in the Garden of Eden. Satan came along and tempted Adam and Eve to do the one thing that God had commanded them not to do…the Source of all Evil brought sin into the world. And God announced right then that the day would come when He would “…put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15) But sin continued, and Adam and Eve’s son Cain killed his brother Abel, and so by the time Noah came along, scripture records that sin was so horrible in the world that “…it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” (Genesis 6:6) Then as scripture records God sent a flood to destroy everyone on the earth except for Noah and his family, and so the world had another chance to get it right. But they didn’t.
Sin continued and people rejected God over and over again…until finally…God sent the perfect solution…God sent His Son into the world to rectify sin. Jesus took flesh upon Himself and became a man who lived a perfect life and died a cruel death on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for the sins of the world and then He rose again on the third day in order that we might receive eternal life and live with Him forever. But the problem was that many people did not want to accept the price that He paid…they did not want to repent of their sins and they did not want to allow Jesus to become their Savior and Lord. Many people are quite content to remain in their sinful lifestyles and they refuse the price that Jesus paid. So…in order to try to justify their choice to reject Jesus, they began to create their own way to make themselves right with God…but the problem with that plan is that there IS NO OTHER WAY! Jesus said it Himself. He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) You see, THAT is the problem right there! God only provided ONE WAY to get to Heaven…and many people want to remain in their rebellion and so deny that Jesus is deity, and they try to get to Heaven every other way except the ONE WAY that God provided…and that way is through Jesus Christ.
So today, they devise all kinds of stories except for the one that is clearly spelled out in the Bible. They want to work their way to Heaven, they want to create other gods that don’t require them to turn from their sinful lives, they want to deny who Jesus is, and some of them…just like Satan…still want to rebel against God…which is what got us all into this mess in the first place. People want to try everything except the ONE thing that Jesus told us we must do. He told the Pharisee Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
So, because of the rebellion in the hearts of men and women throughout history and the world over, the world is divided. Sin is what separates us from God…it’s the same rebellion that Eve displayed in the Garden of Eden…the heart that says, regardless of what God says, I want to do it my way! And so the world remains divided…separated from God without a Savior…stuck in their rebellion and sin. Jesus made the Truth very clear…come to Him just as you are with a repentant heart, and allow Him to make the changes in your life that are needed. Since God is the One who created you…He certainly has the right plan for your life. All you need to do is to turn from your own way and allow Jesus to take charge from this day on. If you have never done that…there is no time better than now. If you mean it with all your heart, you can pray right now and allow Jesus to be your Savior and Lord:
Prayer: Jesus…I admit to You that I am a sinner…I have rebelled against God and I have done things I should not have done. I am sorry for the way I have lived my life, and I want to change. I ask you Jesus to come into my life and make me the way you desire for me to be. I ask you right now to be the Savior and Lord of my life. Thank You for the blood you shed on Calvary to cleanse me from my sins and make me whole. I receive your forgiveness and I commit to living my life for You…from this day forward…Amen
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