The Berlin Wall

Twenty years ago today, the Berlin Wall came down. Within two years the Soviet Union broke up virtually over night. This was a critical event in my life because the Lord used it to lead me to Christ.

The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Cold War that had existed my entire life. I had been a Cold War warrior spending nine years of my life preparing to repulse the Soviets as a US Army officer in a nuclear-capable field artillery battalion. It made no sense that the Cold War could just end over night without a shot being fired.

I had been reading a book my father-in-law gave me called, “The End of the Days.” Yes, it was a book on Bible prophecy which I considered to be a crack-pot-concept. But I read it to humor the old guy because he let me marry his dazzling daughter.

The book I read was essentially a commentary on the biblical book of Daniel which includes prophecies of the nations that would rule the world from the Babylonian Empire until the Messiah returns. These prophecies are in such detail that I became convinced the Bible had to be from God because only He can “declare the end from the beginning.”

What happened to the Soviet Union could be explained by Bible prophecy; the superpower stand-off had to be resolved to make way for the world-wide government that will be in place when the Messiah returns.

I was discussing these things with the fetching Mrs. Huckaby one evening when it occurred to me, if the Bible could help me understand the reason current events happened the way they did, it had to also be right about the need to have Jesus in my life. It was like a light going on in my head… If I didn’t start following Jesus at that moment; I knew I was going to spend eternity in hell. It was a classic “no brainer;” I immediately committed to studying the Bible to learn more about Jesus in order to follow Him.

Since then, the Lord has been changing my world view from a materialistic orientation to His eternal perspective… and this has helped me deal with difficulties in my life as well as all the craziness that is so pervasive in the world today.

There are a lot of similarities between the event God used to wake me up to Him and what is going on now. Anyone who seriously considers today's trends in the economy, politics and society would have to conclude that history is headed toward some sort of culmination.

As the U.S. - Soviet superpower stand off had to be resolved, so too does the last remaining superpower have to become history. The looming demise of the United States is the source of a lot of pain that has given me many opportunities to discuss spiritual matters with coworkers and friends.

The Bible can help us make sense of perplexing current events. The more we can point this truth out to our associates, the more others will be drawn to Christ. 2 Peter 3:12 says we should be “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God” (NKJ). The only way I know we can hasten the return of the Lord is to help more people know Him. When the number of people Jesus has in mind for the Church is complete, He will come for us. Maranatha!