From The Ongoing War战争中的反思
Author: Sis Grace Gan
I am not one who keeps myself updated on politics, but on 24 February when Russia declared war on Ukraine I knew we needed to pray. I wondered, how should I pray? The underlying question I probably had was, how should I respond towards the occurrence of a war?
I remembered that Jesus had told us ahead of time that "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.” (Matthew 24:6)
When World War I and II happened in the previous century, Christians must have wondered whether the end of the age was coming. Today we hear of the Russia-Ukraine war and rumors of World War III. Yet, the end is still to come, though it is a sign of the end of the age. Another word of God is fulfilled right before our eyes. But still, what else does it mean for us?
I read about the response of Daniel in the Bible when the rule of Babylon ended after 70 years of Israel’s captivity in Babylon, as what God had prophesied in Jeremiah 25:11 resulting from Israel’s disobedience. Beyond being in awe that the word of the Lord was fulfilled, he responded to the situation with repentance and petition to restore the nation of Israel.
That led me to find some answers to my question by reflecting upon Jesus’ words in Matthew 24.
1. Repent and be ready for the return of the Lord, because He will come at an unexpected hour.
2. Stay faithful till He returns “However when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)
We need to pray for God’s mercies on the political violence inflicted upon Ukraine, and for the people of Russia and Ukraine. Both are losing their lives in different ways as we speak. Pray for those who have not known God yet, to receive salvation. And for those who already have, to be strengthened in their faith.
As we witness God’s word fulfilled in the signs of the end times (and with more signs to come), we also need to respond to the situation with an urgency to share the good news in this era of bad news, and a deeper conviction to stay faithful to the end.
May all who had received the Lord’s salvation of grace and mercy stand firm as a disciple of Christ till we see Him face-to-face.
文:颜恩慧姐妹
翻译:王佩瑾师母
我是一个不太注意政治动态的人，但是当俄罗斯在2月24日向乌克兰宣战的时候，我知道我们必须祷告了。我在想，我应该如何祷告？或许我心中潜在的问题是，当战乱发生时，我应该如何应对。
我记得耶稣说过“你们也要听见打仗和打仗的风声，总不要惊慌，因为这些事是必须有的，只是末期还没有到。”(马太福音24:6)
当第一及第二次世界大战在上个世纪发生时，当时的基督徒应该也在想，末日是不是就要来了。今天，我们听到俄乌战争及第三次世界大战的传言。末期虽未到来，但这些是征兆。神的话语又一次在我们眼前应验了，但这些对你我而言还有什么意义呢？
我在圣经里读到，当巴比伦沦陷后，结束了他们对以色列长达70年的统治，且应验了神因为以色列的不顺而在耶利米书25:11所给的预言时，但以理是如何回应的。他除了因为神的话语应验了而对神感到敬畏之外，还以悔改及恳求的态度，祈求神恢复以色列国。
这让我在反思耶稣在马太福音24章里所说的话时，为我的问题找到了答案。
1. 悔改并为迎接主的再来做好准备 因为祂将在一个你意想不到的时候到来。
2. 保持忠诚，直到祂回来 “然而，人子来的时候，遇得见世上有信德吗？”(路加福音18:8)
我们需要为施加在乌克兰上的政治暴力祷告，祈求神对乌克兰及俄罗斯的人民施以怜悯。两国的人民都在因为这次的冲突，以不同的方式死去。我们为那些还未认识神的人祷告，祈求他们能领受主的救赎，而那些已经认识主的，信心能够加强。
当我们见证到神的话语在世末的征兆中(还有即将发生的更多的征兆)应验时，我们也必须用一种积极的态度来应对，在这个充满坏消息的时代里，把主的福音宣扬出去，并且以更深的信念，保持对主的忠诚，直到最后。