The Rising Death Toll

I enjoy laughter and love life.  I wish that every thought could be a happy one.  But that is not the world in which we live.  Ours is a day of spiritual warfare.  It seems the attack is stronger than ever and the casualties are great.

War is a terrible thing.  Death is inevitable.  In World War I over 16 million people were killed.  More than 75 million in World War II.  1.2 million in the Korean Conflict.  3.8 million in Vietnam.  The death toll continues in the modern War on Terror.  We read the statistics, but it is the realization of one truth that is most staggering: every number was an eternal soul.

Stand at the Vietnam Memorial and look at the names.  Sit quietly in a Veteran’s cemetery and look at all of the crosses.  These are not the beginning of war’s casualties, and they are surely not the end.

There is another death toll that is rising more rapidly than any other…

How do you measure the death of a nation?  No statistic can tell the tale.  The evening news cannot paint the full picture.  It is not physical, or financial, or political – it is spiritual.

1.  It is measured by the death of unborn babies.

In the United States, over 57 million children have been aborted in their mother’s womb since Roe v. Wade in 1973.  As innocent blood has been shed the conscience of a nation has been put to death.

2.  It is measured by the death of the family.

To drive through the average neighborhood today is to walk among the tombs.  Marriage is being put to death.  Homes are dying.  The very principle of authority is being destroyed.  Even in Christian homes, parents are putting to death the very things that their children so desperately need.

3.  It is measured by the death of innocence.

Talk to a child, a teenager.  For many, the innocence of youth is gone.  Put to death by wicked men and immoral agendas.  Purity is trampled.  True love unknown.  Lust reigns in our generation.

4.  It is measured by the death of churches.

Places that should be giving life are rapidly closing their doors.  Many that look very much alive are just an empty shell.  The form continues but the power is gone.  All that remains is the funeral.

5.  It is measured by the death of lost souls.

107 people die every minute.  The vast majority of them never knew Christ.

Only God knows the true death toll.  Eternity will tell the loss.  We are in a battle!  If you are a good soldier of Jesus Christ expect to feel the heat of this conflict.  The closer you get to the front lines the more casualties you will see.

Keep your eyes on your Captain.  Put your spiritual armor on.  Stay alert and watchful.  This is our moment to bring life into a world of death!

The war will soon be over and the Lord Jesus will make everything right.  Don’t give up in the middle of the conflict.  His fight is a good fight – it is worth the strain and struggle.  Shortly we will gather around the throne of God and enjoy Him forever.

Take a stand against wickedness.  Reach a family for Christ.  Lovingly teach a child the truth.  Encourage your pastor and fellow church members.  Give someone the gospel.  Where the attacks are strongest we must not be weak.

Remember the words of Missionary Robert Moffatt, “We have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only one short hour before sunset in which to win them.”