Wednesday; August 27
On this day in 1896, our
civilization experienced the shortest war in history. Want to guess how long it lasted? According to historians, the war between
Britain and Zanzibar was waged for somewhere around 40 minutes. I will let you do the digging to find out the
geo-political background for the war but suffice it to say that the Zanzibaris
were no match for the British forces.
Now, while this might be
a cool answer to a trivia question, it caused me to remember a New Testament
prophecy, “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we
will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be
raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” (I Corinthians
15:51-52). In essence, the battle
between good and evil will be decided in a way that will make the
Anglo-Zanzibar conflict seem like a marathon.
On that final push for righteousness, the grave will be defeated, and
the righteous will win their ultimate victory.
You might be asking, so what … why are either of these facts worth considering? Well, I am not sure there is too much value in knowing the facts surrounding a 19th Century battle, but it is important to think about the impact of the Lord’s victory over death. When the Apostle Paul summarizes what we need to know about the human transition, he notes, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:58). We talk a lot about being prepared for battle, but considering the outcome, let’s be preparing for victory!
Think About It!