C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR OCTOBER 31 & NOVEMBER 7, 2021 LESSON EIGHT : TOPIC – THERE ARE WARS AND WARMONGERS

And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet

(Matthew 24:6).

Jesus has told us that we should be expecting lots of wars in these end times. Don’t be troubled by the fulfilment; it is just a warning that we be prepared for Christ’s unstoppable return.

Since that day that Jesus foretold that there would be wars and rumours of wars as a sign of the end-time, there have been several wars, both civil and world wars. All these fulfilled Jesus’ Word. One important thing in this prediction is the warning for His believers… See that you are not troubled. Jesus doesn’t want us to be troubled at all, because of any war or its rumour. Why? Rumour of war even kills more than war itself. There is a saying that a coward dies several times before his eventual death, but a valiant dies once. Had Christ not warned us, the believers, against being troubled, many for fear and ignorance, would have lost their lives untimely, because of the rumours of war. When war eventually comes, believers still don’t have to be troubled, because God is mighty to keep them from being destroyed. God controls everything in heaven and on earth. It is not possible for the righteous to share the same fate with unbelievers (cf. Gen. 18:25). The Bible has this wonderful and sure promise for the believers (cf. Gen. 18:25). The Bible has this wonderful and sure promise for the believers in Christ: A thousand May fall at your side, and ten thousand at your hand; but it shall not come near you… (Psa. 91:7,8). In addition, Jesus wants believers to realise that the imergence of war is not the end, but a mere sign of the end. Therefore, we should cling on His promises, develop positive attitude in this end-time, and be better prepared for His Second Coming.

1. Jesus predicted war as a sign of His coming, but war predates the history of humanity.

2. War was not in God’s original design for the earth. The experience of war only came as a reminiscence of the battle the devil orchestrated in heaven, which led to his fall. However, the believers can live a victorious life in Jesus Christ.

AIM: To show that experience of war are a fulfilment of Christ’s prophecy, and reminiscence of the was caused in heaven by the devil.

OBJECTIVES: At the end of this lesson, the learners should be able to:

i. explain what war really is, and its ravaging effects;

ii. show that war is not part of God’s design for the earth, but a reminiscence of the war that the Devil championed in heaven;

iii. show that wars and rumours od wars, as we have them today, are signs of the end-time as foretold by Jesus Christ; and

iv. defend the fact that war and its rumours are allowed by God to prepare us ready for Christ’s Second Coming; not to trouble us.

We thank God for the previous lesson which was centered on the increase in unnecessary killings. In it, we found out that Satan is a killer and the one who motivate killings. We looked at Cain as the first man to ever take a man’s life, and his great grandson, Lamech, who saw termination of human life as nothing serious and how that generation degenerated into corruption, crime and all manners of ungodliness. This sounds a note of warning to us to be extra careful regarding God’s judgment on termination of human life, which is becoming too alarming in our time.

For the next two weeks, we shall be studying the issue od war and warmongers. It is mo longer news that human race has become terrible war-prone. Even the Bible asserts that the world is a battlefield, and man was born into battle. Jesus never minced words when He predicted war and rumours of war as signs of the end-time. The truth is that, the world has seen wars and many more would still come. Christians need to know this and allow it to spur their preparation for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

May God give us listening ears and receptive hearts to garner everything He has for us in this lesson in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This lesson is divided into 2 sections, I and II, with a further division into A and B respectively.

This section takes care of the war that broke in heaven, which led to the war in the human world. The books of Genesis 1:1-2 and Revelation 12:1-12 are the two Bible texts examined in this section to make the readers have thorough understanding of what war is all about: its origin, causes and effects. Had the Bible been written chronologically, the revelation that John got about how the devil led war in heaven (Revelation 12:1-12) would have been reported before the book of Genesis. That incident eventually led to the incident in Genesis 1:1-2.

No true parents want trouble for their children. In fact, every godly father and mother want it better for their sons and daughters that it was with them

This is what Jesus Christ demonstrated in this second division. He took time to explain to His disciples one of the signs of the end-time — wars and rumours of wars. He went further to sensitise then on the need not to be removed at all, since the fulfilment of war and its rumour are just one of the many signs of the end-time as foretold by Him. War and its rumours is not the end

Matthew chapter 24:1-8 is our point of call in this section.

War is the act, or fact of engaging in a war. It connotes the idea of conflict or struggle, in which case we talk of, for instance, economic warfare. Those who have seen or been part of any war anywhere would not want to experience such anyhow again. Why such a terrible experience would be allowed in human history is a question we must provide answers to. May the Lord help us. Amen.

A. WAR IN THE HEAVENS (Rev. 12:1-9)

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought (v. 7).

i. vv. 1:7: And war broke out in heaven

War, as a phenomenon, predates the existence of man, and surprisingly, it first took place in heaven, the seat and abode of God.

ii. vv. 1-6: The war broke out after a failed attempt by the devil (the dragon) to stop the birth of the Son of God (Jesus Christ), which could have translated to halting God’s redemptive programme for man.

iii. v. 7: This is purely the war between the hosts of heaven (angels of God) and the hosts of darkness (Satan and his angels). Whenever there is contention between light and darkness, the result is predetermined in favour of the Light.

iv. vv. 8-9: No rebellion has ever succeeded against the Almighty. He always crushes the plot of anyone who tries to play fast on Him, and Satan was no exemption (Acts 9:5). He was punitively chased out of heaven after the heavy defeat.

v. The defeat of Satan brought normalcy, peace to the heavens, because the everlasting troublemaker was hauled down to the earth. No one can enjoy lasting peace, who has nor successfully and triumphantly dealt with the devil, by Jesus’ blood and God’s Word (Rom. 16:20).

vi. War is not a situation that is palatable. It is an experience that is better imagine. Those who call or cry for war don’t know what war is

No one who has seen war and its destruction effects in life would ever pray for it again.

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the Sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time (v. 12)”.

i. Rev. 12:10-11: The defeat of Satan by the blood of the Lamb and Word, plus the declaration of victory in heaven meant peace, tranquility, glory to God, and strength and salvation to heaven dwellers.

ii. v. 12: Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the seas! The world has always been a peaceful place before the coming of Satan into it. He disrupted the pleasant life that Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden, causing them to be sent out (Gen. 2:8-25). He hasn’t stopped doing that. Neither be ignorant, nor give him room (Eph. 4:27).

iii. Woe is talking about terrible things. It refers to unfortunate happenings, calamities and all manners of evils. It is serious affliction, or misfortune (cf. Jn. 16:33). The world witness more woes during the great tribulation. It is better you are not part of it.

iv. v. 12b: For the devil has come down to you. Obviously, the manifestation of Satan on earth turned it into what it is now (war zone). Satan, formerly Lucifer, the morning star, is notorious for all the havocs, chaos and vices the world witnesses today (Jn. 10:10a).Man’s deliberate choice of sin aggravate the situation.

v. Gen. 1:2: The moment the devil landed on earth, he began causing chaos. Just imagine the formless and void chaotic mass that obviously resulted from his nefarious activity. He continues to cause intractable, irreconcilable disagreements, conflicts and differences, that oftentimes result in wars. But for Jesus, who came to destroy his works (1 Jn. 3:8), we would have been irredeemable doomed (1 Cor. 15:57).

vi. Imagine a situation where parents cannot find their children and spouses who have been detached from them without the hope of seeing one another again for life. That is how devastating war can be. Is it possible to go to war without prisoners of war and irreparable damages to human life, economic activities, religious life, infrastructure, etc.?

1. If Lucifer could cause war in heaven, the Church must beware, lest he causes dissensions that can completely tear us apart and down.

2. When Satan was hauled down from heaven, he came down in great wrath. Thank God for Jesus who has provisionally defeated him for us. Key into that victory now.

What are the aftermaths of conflict and war at all levels, the Church and the nation, inclusive? Is it possible to have a world without war?

i. First, war has been defined as a period or armed conflict between countries or groups. It is an effort to combat or eradicate something harmful. It can also be described as a serious struggle, argument or conflict with somebody, or an effort to combat or eradicate something harmful.

ii. Warfare, use of force on the part of two or more nations or other organised groups for the purpose of deciding questions as issue that cannot be settled by diplomatic means.

iii. Warfare takes a variety of forms besides organised military confrontations among them insurrections, revolutions, coups d’état, guerrilla warfare, and terrorism. A state of war can also exist without actual recourse to arms, such as the cold war.

iv. Aftermath of war.

v. The truth is, war is devastating, destructive, and causes set back in all ramifications.

vi. Some people were taking away from their lands and they never returned. Those that eventually returned were never returned in full; only a remnant returned (2 Chr. 36:22-23).

vii. In war, lives are lost and valuable resources are wasted

Many vagabond children are usually given birth to, during the war, because of rape and illicit sexual activities (war babies).

viii.Some of those who call fur war are only doing so because of the gains they will make: looting, sales of arms and other weapons, and opportunity to perpetrate nefarious activities.

ix. War produces division, disunity, animosity, hate, death, underdevelopment and total retrogression.

x. Many homes, churches and nations are still wallowing in the devastating effects of their experiences of war and conflicts.

xi. The truth is, the world has not seen anything yet. It cannot be better than this because the Word of God must be fulfilled.

xii. Refers to Division II A, iv, v, vi for further details.