Divide and Conquer

Jesus Christ taught that a house divided against itself will not stand (Luke 11:17). He also taught that one of the signs of the end of the age will be “nation fighting nation”—in the inspired Greek, this means “ethnic group against ethnic group” (Matthew 24:7). When we look around the globe, we see these prophecies being fulfilled more and more as Syria, Iraq, Egypt, the Holy Land and Ukraine are torn apart by internal divisions. And the United States is not immune! Racial tensions in the U.S. have reached another high as emotions and the use of force to deal with them escalate in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson (USA Today, August 19, 2014). Powerful protests have erupted in Ferguson in response to the shooting of an 18-year-old black man. Police action against black males has created problems in several cities this summer, including Detroit and now St. Louis. The U.S. is also experiencing increasing divisions among its elected officials at the national and state levels and among its citizens. 

Long ago, God prophesied that the Israelite-descended nations would begin to “fall” at the end of the age, because of rejecting Him and His laws of peace and love. It will get to the point where families will become divided and turn each other in to the authorities to be killed (Mark 13:12). Leaders will care only about themselves (Isaiah 56:11-12; Ezekiel 34:1-6).

One of Satan’s most powerful tools is to “divide and conquer.” He uses racial, ethnic, and religious tensions, corruption and power. One day soon though, Christ will return as the King of kings to usher in a government of perfect righteousness, love, and peace, when all people will matter and none will be overlooked.

For more on this soon-coming reality, read “Perfect Government Coming Soon!”