War in the heavenlies, Peace on Earth - Easter?

 Daniel 10:13 & 20-21, and 11:1, allude to conflict between spiritual beings in heavenly realms, and the wars described next that are the earthly component of these battles in other dimensions. This passage gives us a hint that gruesome conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza are neither new nor inexplicable.   Why does war continue? Why does God not sovereignly end these conflicts?

•      Perhaps because although Jesus did His part on the cross to bring peace on earth, He told us to take the good news to every nation. (Matthew 28:19-20) We humans have not yet completed the Great Commission. Simply put, the ball is in our court.

•      Another thought is that God uses earthly trials to test and refine His people. Our sins are forgiven and our eternal home secured when we receive Christ, but His work in shaping us takes place when we must deal with adversity. Our moral character and our trust in Him become aligned with His plan for us as we suffer as a result of sin (our own sin or those of others).

•      Another possibility is that God is using His grand plan and eternal events to visibly demonstrate the superiority of His nature and character for all to see. For Satan (née Lucifer) and those who follow him, it is a convincing proof that sacrificial love is a better paradigm for existence than self-love. For those who have allegiance to God, this shows us how He manifests His nature and character. The incarnation, death, and resurrection of the Son of God to rescue fallen humans is inextricably the manifestation of His very essence, so that we can learn to emulate Him. And it shows the fundamental, eternal emptiness of Satan’s approach.

 How and why the light-bringer (Lucifer) became Satan (the accuser) is a mystery. The life of God, in Christ, brings light to men. (John 1:4) This suggests that originally Lucifer had a calling to participate (somehow) in bringing God’s life to humankind. But the accusatory nature of his current behavior shows that instead of an approach of ‘you made a mistake here, this is how to make it right’, Satan chose the path of saying ‘you are a bad person, guilty before a holy God’. (Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5).

 The reason for Satan’s rebellion is really irrelevant to us, except for the temptation for us to follow his footsteps. It’s not just that Satan lies to deceive people into rebelling against God, but that he cleverly and carefully tailors the lies to appeal to our human nature, and we buy into them and hold onto them even when God reveals Truth to us. Jesus emptied Himself to take on the form of man and show us the path to eternal life, not just by teaching and preaching, but by living and dying. The  consequences of that life choice are eternal life and peace, as opposed to endless self-serving battles to get what we think is rightfully ours. Zoe (God’s eternal life) trumps bios (biological life) just as eternity trumps time. 

Although war continues now, one day the essence of Jesus’ resurrection will bring peace, not just to our soul, but ultimately to the heavenly realms and to our planet. It is sad that although Israel and Russia have vastly different value systems, they have this in common: both have rejected Jesus Christ as Lord, and will reap the fruit of choosing the world’s ways.