#168 - Kyle Thompson // A Time for War, and a Time for Peace

We conclude our week-long study of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 by focusing on the final phrase: "a time for war and a time for peace." While exploring this tension between conflict and reconciliation, we acknowledge both the reality of necessary warfare and the promise of God's future peace.

• Everyone has experienced peace, but fewer have witnessed actual warfare
• Some listeners carry battlefield memories, scars, or have lost comrades
• Isaiah 2:4 promises a future where God will make weapons unnecessary
• Revelation 21:4 describes God ultimately removing all effects of sin
• Christians are engaged in spiritual warfare as described in Ephesians 6:12
• We cannot opt out of this spiritual battle—we're already in it
• Ephesians 6:13-20 outlines our spiritual armor and battle strategy
• We must prepare for spiritual conflict to avoid being caught unprepared

Share this podcast and leave us a five-star rating and review to help equip other men for the fight. Stay sharp.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to The Daily Blade
• 0:21 Ecclesiastes 3: A Time For Everything
• 1:17 War and Peace in Human Experience
• 2:36 Spiritual Warfare and Standing Firm
• 4:59 Closing and Call to Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

Speaker 2: 0:21

Alright, guys, let's put a bow on this week. All week this week on the Daily Blade, we've been focusing on Ecclesiastes 3, verses 1 through 8, and I'll read it again here For everything there is a season and a time, for every matter under heaven a time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to heal. A time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to seek and a time to loose. A time to keep and a time to cast away. A time to tear and a time to sow. A time to keep silence and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

Speaker 2: 1:11

Yesterday we talked about the first part of verse eight. Today we're keying in on the latter part of verse eight a time for war and a time for peace. So everyone listening to this has experienced peace at some point in their lives. Right, and when I say peace, I mean peace in the land, I mean the absence of actual warfare. But some of you an ever-growing smaller percentage of some of yous in this country have actually seen war. You have actually been a part of it and some of you have experienced that war up close. Some of you can still remember what it feels like, what it sounds like, what it smells like, and some of you have left parts of you on the battlefield, whether physically or mentally. And some of you have had to say goodbye to brothers in arms and to all of you in this audience that have signed up to potentially make the ultimate sacrifice to this country. I will never be able to thank you enough. So today's episode isn't going to be a detailed exposition of just war theory, but I think that all of us can agree that there are times on this planet where war is not only justified but necessary.

Speaker 2: 2:11

This line in ecclesiastes 3 truly encapsulates the human tension between conflict and reconciliation. But we can all look forward to a time where worldly war is no longer a thing. And isaiah 2, the prophet is. Isaiah says this in verse 4, he shall judge between the nations and shall decide disputes for many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

Speaker 2: 2:43

Now, if you're a pacifistic doofus, then you take this passage to mean that we should destroy all of our firearms and means of protecting ourselves, which is obviously not the point of this verse. The point is that someday God will make all of the weapons of war unnecessary. This is the work of God, not us, because, as John says in Revelation 21, 4, he will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. I mean, basically, there will be a time where all of the effects of sin are no more, which would include war.

Speaker 2: 3:19

But for us as believers, we know that the war for this world isn't confined to this world Ephesians 6, verse 12,. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. And guess what, guys? This isn't a war that we get to opt out of. We can't cover our ears and eyes and just pretend that it isn't happening. We can't dodge this draft right. We are literally in the middle of it.

Speaker 2: 3:48

And what are we to do in the face of this war?

Speaker 2: 3:51

Let's let paul continue here in ephesians 6, starting in 13.

Speaker 2: 3:56

Therefore, take up the whole armor of god that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm.

Speaker 2: 4:02

Stand, therefore, having fastened on the belt of and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication To that end.

Speaker 2: 4:26

Keep alert, with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. So most of us don't have to prepare for times of peace, right, we just have to accept it and live in it. But all of us must stand ready for war, especially in the spiritual realm, for there is a time for war and a time for peace, and we should make sure that we are not caught flat-footed. Thank you for your attention this week. Stay sharp.

Speaker 1: 5:03

Thank you for listening to today's episode Before you go. If you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five-star rating and review. Stay sharp.