Dear Christian Believers,
May God bless you and greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

  The major military conflict in Iraq has come to a close and now the work begins to allow the Iraqis to form a new government, free from the tyranny of its previous reign. But what about WAR? When did WAR begin? Why did it ever come about?

Revelation 12:7-9
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
⁸And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
⁹And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

  The first war took place in heaven when Lucifer, God’s top angel decided that he wanted to be God. God’s archangel Michael and his angels fought against Lucifer and his angels and Lucifer lost the battle, and was cast out of heaven and down to the earth. WHY did this war occur? Because Lucifer wanted to rule heaven and earth, He wanted to play GOD. It says in Ezekiel 28 that iniquity was found in Lucifer. The war with the devil will conclude when Christ returns with his saints and subdues all principality and power, when death shall be destroyed, along with the devil and his kingdom. Man throughout the ages has had the same problem as Lucifer, he wants to be God over his life and the lives of others, and he desires the worship of men. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 God sets the times of men, and in verse 8 it says... "A time of love and a time of hate; a time of war and a time of peace." Until the Prince of Peace returns with his saints to finish war once and for all, there will be "a time of war, and a time of peace." There have been protests against the war around our nation and other nations. Some people refuse to believe war is ever necessary.

Romans 12:18 says...
IF it be possible, as much as lieth within you, live peaceably with all men.
(Amplified Bible)
If possible as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with every one.

  God knows that there will be times when peace is not possible. No loving honest thinking person wants war, it is not the desire of God nor peace loving people. BUT there is a reality in this world, that must be faced and understood, and that is, "There is EVIL in this world." Webster’s defines evil as, “wicked; wickedness; disastrous and ill omened; what is morally wrong; what hinders the realization of good.” EVIL ...“is everything that GOD isn’t." There are some people that do not understand or refuse to believe that there are truly evil people in this world whose only goal is to serve their purposes. EVIL cannot be appeased. In 1938 the Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain reached an agreement with Adolph Hitler called the Munch Pact. Italy and France joined Britain in this agreement. They tried to appease Hitter by letting him have part of Czechoslovakia; in return Hitler would not invade Europe. Needless to say while Chamberlain was confidently proclaiming, "Peace in Our Time," Hitler was on his way to invading Poland and the war was on. You cannot negotiate with Evil. Whenever it is tried you lose, and you know it. To appease evil only makes it stronger, and harder to deal with. Praise God, that we don’t have to negotiate with evil for "Greater is he that Is in you than he that Is in the world." I’m very thankful that the war in Iraq is fast coming to an end, and I pray for the many families that have suffered the loss of their loved ones, and I pray for the Iraqi people. The phrase "war is hell" is as true as when it was first spoken, nevertheless as long as there is evil in this world there will be a time of war, and a time of peace.

Love, John