TRUE PEACE--FROM WHAT SOURCE?

Getting to the Root Cause

To answer those questions, we need to understand the causes of war, the Bible clearly states  that the rebellious angel Satan is the original "manslayer" and "liar" and that "the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." (John 8:44; 1 John 5:19) What has he done to further his designs? We read at 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4: "If, now, the good news we declare is in fact is veiled among those who are perishing, among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through."   Satan does everything possible to turn mankind's attention away from God's Kingdom as the solution to the world's problems. He blinds and sidetracks people with divisive social, political, and religious issues so that these seem to be more important than God's rulership.  The recent worldwide surge of nationalism is a case in point. 

Satan the Devil promotes nationalism and tribalism, the belief in the superiority of one nation, race, or tribe over others.  Deep-seated hatreds that have been pressed for centuries are being revived to fuel more wars and conflicts. Federico Mayor, director-general of UNESCO, warned of this tendency:  "Even where tolerance used to be the order of the day, a shift towards xenophobia is becoming more evident, and chauvinist or racist utterances that seemed to be a thing of the past are heard more and more often."  What has been the result?  The gruesome massacres in the former Yugoslavia and the tribal bloodbath in Rwanda are but two such developments that have made it to the headlines.

The Bible foretold that in the time of the end of this system , a fiery-colored horse, symbolizing war, would gallop throughout the earth. We read at Revelation 6:4:  "Another came forth, a fiery-colored horse; and the one seated upon it there was granted to take peace away from the earth sot that they would slaughter one another; and a great sword was given him."   Since 1914 we have seen this symbolic horseman "take peace away," and the nations have gone right on fighting and waging war. 

What must not be overlooked is religion's role in these wars and killings. Mankind's blood-drenched  history can be attributed in great measure to the misguiding influence of false religion. Catholic theologian Hans Kung wrote: "There is not disputing that in negative, destructive terms [religions] have made and still make an enormous contribution.  So much struggle, blood conflicts, indeed 'religious wars' are to be held to their account; . .  .and this also goes for the two world wars." 

How does Jehovah God regard false religion's role in killings and wars?  God's indictment of false religion, recorded at Revelation 18:5, states:  "Her sins have massed together clear up to the heavens, and God has called her acts of injustice to mind."   False religion's complicity with the political rulers of the world amounts to such bloodguilt, such a mass of accumulated sins, that God cannot possibly ignore it. He will soon completely eliminate this stumbling block on the way to true peace. -Revelation 18:21. 

Next time: TRUE PEACE--FROM WHAT SOURCE? -  The Way to Peace

From the Watchtower magazine, 1997