August 6, 1945, dawned clear over southern Japan. It had been 1338 days since the Japanese had attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. And a war-weary world was about to change.
Profoundly.
Instantly.
Three US B-29 bombers had taken off from Tinian Island at 2:45 that morning. At 8:15 am, one of those planes – named Enola Gay – flew over the center of Hiroshima. At an altitude of 31,000 feet, the bomb bay doors swung open and out dropped “Little Boy”, a missile-shaped can filled with 140 lbs. of uranium-235.
The nuclear-enriched can fell through the blue skies for 44.4 seconds. And then, 1900 feet above the Shija Surgical Clinic (some 800 feet off from hitting a bridge that was the intended target), everything changed.
Profoundly.
Instantly.
With a blinding flash and deafening boom.
In an instant, the temperature below the can’s detonation soared to 7000 degrees Fahrenheit. Not that anyone directly under the can could attest to it: estimates put the number killed instantly at 66,000 to 140,000 people, with tens of thousands more injured.
Black rain fell from the blue skies.
Little Boy had ushered in the Atomic Age. All that from one atomic can.
Three days later, a repeat performance over Nagasaki. The intended target – the city of Kokora – was overcast. The crew of the Bockscar – carrying “Fat Man”, another atomic can containing a mere 11 lbs. of plutonium – turned toward Nagasaki, which was also overcast. But, just as the bomber flew over the intended bomb sight, the clouds parted. The skies cleared.
Blinding flash.
Deafening boom.
Another 40,000 dead.
Instantly.
Another six days later – August 15, 1945 – the Japanese government announced its intention to surrender. The capitulation of the Empire of Japan was made official on September 2, 1945, on board the USS Missouri, as the articles of surrender were signed by the warring parties.
The war that had engulfed so much of the planet was finally over. And the world was changed.
Profoundly.
Instantly.
How did the world come to this point? The tangled web of pacts and alliances and festering nationalist bruised egos reaches back to well before the first World War. I believe you could argue it all started when Cain’s jealousy and anger led him to pick up that rock and approach his brother.
The problem is simple: sin. I know, that’s an awfully simplistic answer to such a complicated question. But, when you get down to it, the only difference between all wars in history – from Old Testament battles to the current situations in Ukraine and the Middle East – is improved weaponry. The root of it all is hatred – one group hating another. We break the Tenth Commandment on a global scale.
My point here is not to spark some debate over “just wars” or whether God is (or is not) a pacifist, etc. The point is that as long as sin exists – as long as all humanity is infected with the curse of the knowledge of good and evil – there will people who hate people.
Governments who hate other countries.
Idealogues who hate any who oppose their views.
Someone who covets someone else’s land.
Or oil fields.
Or piece of ocean.
Or riches.
Solomon was right. There is nothing new under the sun. As long as sin exists, there we be oppressors. There will be dictators. There will be out-of-control insanity (and, frankly, nonsensical stupidity) raging amongst nations.
By and large, the circumstances of this world are outside the control of average human beings. Our lives get turned and twisted and torn by the decisions of others.
Again, it’s OK.
How can I say that? How can I look around and say, “it’s ok”?
The world is as it has always been. There have always been people groups who hate, attack and subjugate other people groups.
We can’t control it. We can’t stop it. We can’t even fully understand it.
The good news in all this: we don’t have to.
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. – Matthew 24:6-14 (ESV)
As followers of Christ, we have nothing to fear. God is love, and there is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear. We are all infected with the same sin – rooted as always in selfish covetousness. Thankfully, through the price Jesus paid on the cross, we have salvation – a means of escape from this sinful place.
God is sovereign. He’s in control of this crazy world, despite its out-of-control appearance. At the end of the day (or, should I say, “end of days”?), those who think they are in charge will learn how much control they truly wield. The will of God – the Creator and Sustainer of all – will not be thwarted.
Despite appearances.
The day is coming when Jesus will return. That’s a fact. And, when He does, this world be more profoundly changed than ever before.
Profoundly.
Instantly.
Blinding flash of light.
Deafening boom.
Greater than any atomic can ever dropped.
Done.
So don’t get caught up in the distress and dire straits we find our world in. Focus on Truth.
Focus on Jesus.
Stay in God’s Word.
Do not fear and don’t try to figure it all out. Trust God. Trust His timing. Trust His Word.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (ESV)
The Bouville Diarist and Sharpening Service 