THE WORLD AT WAR
World War I was called “the war to end all wars” because of the senseless slaughter and destruction the war caused. No one believed there could ever be a more war destructive war than the World War I. World War I was also called the Great War. No other war in history had claimed so many lives and caused so much destruction. Over 16 million people were killed durin World War I including 16 million soldiers and 7 million civilians. The total amount of military and civilian casualties was approximately 17 million.
With the invention of more powerful weapons before the War to End all Wars, the useless slaughter of lives were “unimaginable” at the time. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing at the time as well and the ability to “mass produce” more and more deadly weapons seemed almost effortless. Advanced manufacturing techniques allowed industrial plants to produce arms at an alarming rate. The ability to kill your enemies on the battlefield became easier with the development of more powerful and readily available weapons.
THE SPANISH FLU
During the “Great War” in 1918 a great epidemic of flu broke out and infected approximately 500 million people around the world. The world’s population at that time was around 1.5 billion people, which means one-third of the world’s population was infected with the flu virus. This influenza pandemic was called “The Spanish Flu” because experts in the field of medicine believed it originated in Spain.
Deaths from the influenza pandemic were estimated to be around 50 million worldwide. In the United States approximately 675,000 people contracted the virus with approximately 100,000 deaths. Both the War to End all Wars and the Spanish Flu resulted in the deaths of nearly 70 million people between 1914 and 1919. Within 5 years nearly 70 million people died from the result of war and disease. These figures do not include the people who died of various other diseases or unnatural causes than the Spanish Flu.
Many people believed World War I would lead to the total destruction of many nations. It was a war that seemed to many unimaginable at the time. The slaughter of human lives was beyond comprehension. Nobody could have believed such death and destruction was possible at that time.
WORLD WAR ONE AND THE BIBLE
Many Bible scholars and students of end time prophecy believed World War I at the time was the fulfillment of scripture. They believed the “Apocalypse” John wrote about in the Book of Revelation was being played out on the battlefields in Europe and other parts of the world before their eyes.
World War I began in June 1914 with the assassination of the Archduke of Austria. Bible scholars in those days and the days leading up to the War to End All Wars believed that the times of the Gentiles would end and Christ would set up His reign on earth in 1914. Many Bible scholars believed 1914 was a pivotal year in Bible prophecy. According to Bible scholars in those days Daniel’s 2,520 year prophecy regarding the second advent of the Messiah ended in October 1914. (See Psalm 2:1-6, and Daniel 7:13-14).
During World War I millions were dying on battlefields and the greatest plague in modern history began in 1918 during The Great War. Many Bible scholars were referring to the war and the plague as “The Apocalypse.” They were looking for the soon return of Christ.
As terrible and destructive as The Great War was, it was not the War to End All Wars. Another World War would begin a little more than 20 years after World War I ended that would be even more devastating and catastrophic than the First World War. At the time many Bible scholars and believers believed World War II was the war John alluded to in the Book of Revelation which would end all wars.
WORLD WAR II
World War II officially began in September 1939. Although there were other wars being fought in some areas of the world at that time, World War II had not yet officially begun. Japan had already invaded Manchuria, and there were a few other “conflicts” being fought around the globe.
World War II officially began in September of 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. Germany had already annexed the Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia. Germany would go on to invade and occupy 11 countries before the war ended.
World War II was just an extension of World War I. Many historians believe the two wars were part of a vast global conflict that had never been settled after the First World War. Many of the same ideologies and “wounds” still “occupied the minds of many of the participants of the first “great conflict.”
World War II was even more devastating and destructive than World War I. In terms of casualties and the destruction of cities and world economies, World War II was immensely more brutal and devastating.
World War II fatality statistics vary with estimates between 70 and 85 million deaths. It is estimated another 28 million people died of starvation and disease during the war. Altogether the death toll for World War II is estimated to be over 100 million people.
At the time many Bible scholars and Christians believed the Second World War was the “final global conflict” John wrote about in the Book of Revelation. At the time Hitler was thought to be the Antichrist, and indeed he was “anti-Christ and was a type and shadow of the Antichrist.
Both world wars were a type and shadow of the Great Tribulation and the “global conflicts” that will take place during the End of the Age. The Second World War was an even “greater picture” of the Tribulation than the First World War seeing that the Jews and many Christians were persecuted and put to death. During the Third World War many Jews and Christians will be persecuted and murdered. There will be a “second holocaust” during World War III where millions of Jews and Christians will be put to death.
Speaking of the “final conflict” between nations, Jesus said nations (ethnic groups) will rise against nations (ethnic groups). The “final wars” will include “ethnic cleansing” between nations. According to Christ there will be also wars and rumors of wars.
World War II was an attempt to build new empires and eliminate many “ethnic groups,” as well as their cultures. Jews, Christians, Gypsies, the elderly, mentally impaired, and handicapped were among Nazi Germany’s “cleansing objectives.” There are an estimated 11 million people the Nazi Party “brutally executed” before and during World War II. Most of them were Jews and Christians.
Like most wars, World War II was fought firstly due to “conflicting ideologies.” Fascists, Communists, Imperialists, Capitalists and others were all participants in the war. Secondly, World War II was a war over territory. The Axis Powers, Germany, Italy, and Japan all had their sights set on building “great empires.” Thirdly, World War II was a war about resources. Germany, Italy, and Japan lacked many of the natural resources they needed, and decided they would take them from others by force. Thus, World War II was fought according to the three main causes of war I wrote about in Chapter 4 of this book titled “The Battlefield of the Mind.”