p. 340 | A Holy Thing

Signs Publishing Co. · Melbourne, Victoria · May 31, 1920

FromAustraliasian Signs of the Times, Vol. 35, No. 22.

A Holy Thing

WE look over the ruin, the sorrow, and the death of the recent great war and wonder how it can be that any one in this day could look upon war in and of itself as a holy thing. Where we saw a few years ago, wealth, frugality, prosperity, peace, and stable governments, today through the mad ambition of militarism we see governments gone to pieces, famine and pestilence stalking through the world, and disease and destitution on every hand in the great countries of Europe. We have seen the results of war, and, look as we will, we can find no good thing that has grown out of it, no reward to the people who have suffered from it. On every hand there is trouble and destruction, desolation, ruined homes, and ruined prospects; and still there are those who uphold militarism and war as a holy thing. One who believes in the holiness of militarism has recently made the following declaration in a great European university:—

Because only in war all the virtues which militarism regards highly are given a chance to unfold, because only in war the truly heroic comes into play, for the realisation of which on earth militarism is above all concerned; therefore, it seems to us who are filled with the spirit of militarism that war is a holy thing, the holiest thing on earth.

If that which has accomplished what has been accomplished in this world through the Great War is “the holiest thing on earth,” then righteousness is sin, holiness is iniquity, justice is injustice, good is bad, and the doctrines of devils are the gospel which this world needs. War waged for personal ambition and for national aggrandisement is Satan’s answer to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is such teachings as that in the above quotation which have filled millions of our homes today with aching hearts, sent an army of cripples into the world to battle for existence, and brought the world itself to the brink of ruin. Of our Lord it is said that “He maketh wars to cease to the ends of the earth.” Ps. 46:9. The glad day is coming, and coming soon we believe, when war will be wiped out of the world, and the fear of war out of the hearts of redeemed men. The gospel of Jesus Christ, the glad news of salvation, will soon reach its consummation in this world, and the Prince of Peace will come to establish His peace throughout His universe. It is that and not war which is the holy thing that will bless the victorious redeemed peoples of the renewed and recreated earth.