Middle East Conflict Isn't a Sign of the End Times

War is always a sin

by

Special to United Methodist Insight

I once met an angry old man. He was in his 90’s and he was angry at his neighbors, he was angry with foreigners, he was angry with the government, but mostly he was angry with God. From what I could tell, life just had not turned out the way he thought it should have for him, and it made him mad. He was angry with God because he couldn’t understand why God was taking so long to bring about the end of the world. This guy hated the world and he couldn’t abide that God didn’t hate it too.

I am dismayed that now that war has broken out once again in Israel and Palestine there are Christian voices gleefully greeting the end days, as they anticipate them. I have a few heartfelt thoughts about all this – no surprise to those of you who know me. I need to let you know that those Christians who see the end times in current events are not the only or even correct way of faithfully discerning these events. You can disagree with me on this if you like, but I insist that the Christian faith has always been a conversation of many different voices. 

As I write this, the death toll in the conflict between Israel and Hammas has passed 2000 souls. Yes, Israel deserves to exist. The attack brought by Hammas is horrific and indefensible. Still, Israel has been creating a state of apartheid for generations. So I am acutely aware that this is complicated. Israel’s response to the attack has been inhumanely terrible. All this brings me to my first stop in this exploration.

War is always a sin. Always. I understand that there have been instances in human history where not opposing an evil would have been a greater evil, but I am enough of an idealist to believe that had we acted faithfully far earlier for justice and compassion that the need to respond warfully may have been avoided. All this is to say that there is nothing about the war in the Middle East that God wants or approves of. It is all sin. I do not believe that God ever uses human lives to enact some kind of theological stratagem. The innocent lives taken in this conflict are not God’s will, and God is weeping at the tragedy of it all.

I write this as a United Methodist. Officially and in general United Methodists are not biblical literalists (see our Theological Guidelines in our Book of Discipline). We listen to the best insights of scholars and theologians and historians as our understanding of the texts evolve. We take the Bible seriously, but not literally.

In recent years the “Left Behind” series of books have sold over 70 million copies. Please note that these books are fiction and not serious biblical commentary. In fact the whole framework of a “rapture” is not biblical and even been declared a heresy. Popular culture, however, has mistakenly assumed that this is typical Christian belief. It is not, and certainly not my belief. Those who are gleefully awaiting the end of the world and reading the conflict in Israel as its herald are at best misguided. They quote pieces of scripture as prophecy as if the Bible were a collection of prognostications from Rasputin or Edgar Cayce.

But I do not believe that biblical prophecy has anything to do with foretelling the future. God always uses prophecy to call people back into relationship. Prophecy is about repairing and restoring our current relationship with God and each other, not a theological treasure map showing exactly what will happen.

Part of the liberating gift of growing past literalism is an open future. These are not the only words God has shared with us. God can continue to speak new words. God is not trapped into our reading of any scripture, particularly the confusing Book of Revelation. God always has the prerogative to change directions. One of my core beliefs is that God is Love. Since God is Love, then God’s prerogative to change direction always changes toward compassion, justice, and healing. 

If anyone can find a way to avoid our destruction (even our self-destruction), it is the God who is Love. This horrific war is not a sign of the end times. It may be one of many signs to restore our relationship with God and each other. There is no end to love, justice, and healing. 

The Rev. Doyle Burbank-Williams serves as pastor of New Visions United Methodist Church in Lincoln, Neb. (Great Plains Annual Conference). Please email Insight for permission to use this content elsewhere.