I went to bed the other night (11th August 2026) and some of the last words I said to John were, “I’ve decided that I hate the world!” Let me explain.
For whatever reason, and maybe the reason was to get me to this point of hating the world, our TV viewing of late has been documentaries and dramas that tell the stories of certain points in the history of the world. Here are some of things I’ve watched and read recently.
‘World war two’, a documentary with Tom Hanks, ‘The West’ a documentary with Kevin Costener, about the taking of the land from the indigenous people, ‘The White Queen’, a drama about the time of King Henry V11, Richard 111, ‘The Promise’, a drama about Israel in 1947/48, and ‘The Hitler diaries.’
The WW2 documentary is 20 episodes long and we learned a lot that we didn’t know. One thing was how many Chinese people were killed at the hands of the Japanese. The estimation is 35 million which includes those who were wounded or missing. In total, 70 – 85 million people died during WW2, in just 6 years. 21-25 million military deaths and 45 – 55 million civilian deaths. 85 million people. 85. Million. People.
All the above programs have similar stories. Someone wanted something, either land, property, the throne, a woman, control and it seemed that the best way to get that was to just remove the people that were in the way. And it didn’t matter how old they were, if they were in the way, they were taken out. Just think about the princes in the tower… Most died in the most horrific of ways, beheadings, gas chambers, swords, to name but a few.
And then there’s a book by my friend, Paul Hudson, ‘Stories from Survivors’ where I read a story, that can be multiplied, about a lady called Mukamunana (32). Her story, like so many, began in the fields where she worked. Without warning, soldiers came and dragged her away. What followed was 6 weeks of unimaginable suffering. Paul found it hard to ask the questions of what that was like, but he got to this answer from her somehow. She said, ‘I stopped counting after the 56th rape’
He goes on to talk about the child soldiers, 300,000 of them. They’re kidnapped, drugged, raped, trained to kill.
I asked ChatGPT (as you do!) how many people have died at the hands of another since 1AD. It said that there is no reliable data that goes back that far but the best honest answer would be hundreds of millions. Hundreds. Of. Millions. At the hands of another – human on human.
We can bring it down to another level to today, to those suffering because of abuse, divorce, sickness, human trafficking, murder, we probably all know someone who is or has suffered from one or more of that list.
It’s safe to say that our world is sick and has been since ‘EFF Day’ (Eating Forbidden Fruit Day ). I think you’d be blind, Christian or not, if you don’t think that our world is sick.
How far have we strayed from God’s intent for humanity? Before EFF Day, God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day, do you ever wonder what they talked about? There was NOTHING negative and there were NO needs. They had everything that they could possibly need. Yet, it wasn’t enough. They ate the fruit and the rest, as they say, is history.
What’s the answer I hear you cry? Well, maybe it’s more of a hope to hear you cry especially my friends and family who don’t know Jesus yet. Because He is the ONLY answer. I believe, along with billions of others, that one day, probably sooner than we think, Jesus is coming back. And He is coming back for those of us who have chosen to follow Him. If you’re not with Him, you’re against Him and it will not be good for you. Think WW2 and the Tudor times to infinity and beyond. Hell is a real place that lasts forever and the only reason people end up there is because they said ‘no’ to Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want anyone to go there; it will be your choice.
When Jesus walked on earth he said words to this effect, ‘When there are wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes, famines, epidemics, etc, these will be the signs that the end is near’ Sounds like about now doesn’t it?
God’s message to mankind is amazing. He’s creating a new heaven and a new earth. This world that we see in so much pain will one day be gone. In a billion years from now, I am 100% confident that I will be alive and living a life that is unimaginably good. My husband, parents, children and grandchildren and loads of friends will be there too (they know Jesus). During Covid, Beth, our daughter wrote a beautiful song called, ‘When this is over’ there’s a line that says,
‘So, I will look to the horizon like he’ll be here anytime, may he find me swimming deeply in the reason I’m alive’
(You can find the full song on Spotify. Just search for ‘The Goudies’)
It helps me to live my life with one eye on that horizon, that is my reality, not this crazy, evil world; Paradise is coming and I hope that you will be there too.
Let me give the final words to Paul Hudson:
“One day in eternity, we will stand before a vast, endless timeless place and rejoice that the great rescue is complete, that the journey is over, and that we have made it home. But today, right now, that spacious place also lives in our hearts. A seed of heaven is planted in our lives through the Holy Spirit. It is a place of freedom within you, even when circumstances try to hold you back. A place of love, even when hatred surrounds you. A place of power, even when you feel weak. A place of blessings and miracles, even in the middle of the wilderness.” (pg 63)
Buy the book….
debbullock 