World War I: The War To End All Wars

James 4:1-4, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

I enjoy history. The old adage is true: History always repeats itself. Therefore, a wise person tries to learn from history so as to hopefully not repeat the same folly.

World War I (also called the Great War) lasted from July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918. It was fought between the Allies and the Central Powers and caused an estimated 22 million deaths. So sad and tragic! It is for the same reasons why individual people cannot get along on a personal basis that there are large scale wars. What took one month to manufacture in military factories were spent on the battlefield in just a matter of a few days.

Everything You Need To Know About WW1 In 3 Hours

World War I was a war of numbers. Whoever had the most men and ammunition won. Quantity was the difference between victory and defeat. Over one billion artillery shells were launched. Over one million machine guns. Fifty billion bullets were fired by 65,000,000 men at war! Each and every day 6,000 soldiers were mowed down with guns and bombs, killed. Over one billion artillery shells were fired during World War I, significantly impacting the war's destruction and the battlefield experience. This massive use of artillery was a defining feature of the conflict.

The Battle of Verdun in 1916 was one of the longest, bloodiest and most ferocious battles of World War I. Some 300,000 people were killed in just four months, with many more wounded. At the battle's onset 140,000 French soldiers died in just four days, with heavy casualties occurring. The average life expectancy of a British Army pilot in World War I was only 11 days. By 1917, the British empire was supplying 50 million artillery shells per year for the war. The Germans alone used 52,000 tons (104,000,000 pounds) of poisonous gas against men. Britain used 14,000 tons. France used 26,000 tons. Flame throwers were greatly feared.

One of my enjoyable interests is learning the biographies of famous people. I was recently learning about the fighting among the members of Bread, one of my favorite 1970s bands. I find it disturbingly ironic that one of the 1970s most iconic bands who sang about love, hated each other so much. You couldn't make that stuff up. I could just as easily show you the same toxic relationships between the members of The Beatles, the Eagles, Boston, Megadeth, Chicago, Hall & Oates, Journey, Metallica, Creedence Clearwater Revival, et cetera.

Such fighting is not exclusive to the music industry. The same hatred, bickering, grudges and hatred has existed throughout Hollywood's long and troubled history. Sadly, the same fighting is seen in the churches and Bible colleges. Galatians 5:15, “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” Human beings by sinful nature have difficulty getting along with each other. Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold is right that all you have to do sometimes for people to hate you is just show up. Some people are critical and given time will always find fault with everyone around them. You know I am right.

It is for the same reasons why humans cannot get along on an individual level why nations go to war. In a word, “pride.” Proverbs 13:10, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.” I was reading singer James Taylor's website today, and he writes about Russian President ruthlessly attacking Ukraine unprovoked. Vladimir Putin is an ungodly tyrant. Putin has lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, describing it as a “major geopolitical disaster” and expressing that it represented the disintegration of “historical Russia.” Putin has often indicated a desire to restore the influence and territorial integrity of the Soviet Union. Hence, the present war against Ukraine.

Sadly, you cannot believe anything that Putin says, because he lies so much. That is why Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky wanted assurances when he met with President Trump and Vice President Vance in 2025, but they horribly attacked him instead. I lost a lot of respect for Mr. Trump after he belittled Zelensky and reminded him that he has no cards left to play. Trump and Vance are bullies! I just read today that there are 3,200 cases of measles nationwide in the U.S. (the highest in 35 years), as a direct consequence of President Trump's reduction of vaccinations. Does our U.S. President know what he is doing?

My heart breaks every time I watch war documentaries, seeing human life thrown away and extinguished so cheaply. American banks loaned the Allies nearly $3 billion between 1914 and 1917, significantly profiting from wartime orders and bonds. Additionally, the war elevated approximately 21,000 U.S. investors into millionaire and billionaire status, with some individuals making substantial profits during this period. War equals profits!

On his website, singer James Taylor says: “What the world desperately needs now is cooperation, global cooperation on a list of pressing issues.” Is that what we desperately need? I kindly beg to differ.

I believe what the world needs is uncompromising Bible preaching coupled with God's unconditional love for everyone. Hard preaching of the letter of the law without love for sinners spiritually kills (that is what has happened to Steven Anderson's New IFB); but loving sinners without hard Bible preaching only produces apostasy (which is what has happened to Hillsong and Joel Osteen's crowd). I humbly agree with Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001):

“Old-fashioned, Spirit-filled, Christ-honoring, sin-hating, soul-winning, Bible preaching! It is the hope of the church! It is the hope of the nation! It is the hope of the world!” — Pastor Jack Hyles

NO GOD = NO PEACE;
KNOW GOD = KNOW PEACE

Estimates suggest that there have been about 230 years of peace during the last 3,500 years, which means that only about 6.5% of recorded history has been without war. Think about that.

Ephesians 2:1-2, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” As we just read, Satan works in the spirit of the unsaved, influencing the world to do his bidding. This is why there are so many wars. So, the answer is the Gospel.

Two men were once challenging one another's beliefs. One of the men was a Christian, and the other an atheist communist. They both noticed a man walking with a tattered coat in the cold weather. The communist man said, “You see that man—communism could put a new coat on that man!” The Christian man replied, “You see that man—Christianity could put a new man in that coat!” I heard that story many years ago and I've never forgotten it, because it is true.

James Taylor means well with his humanistic approach to fixing the broken world, but Biblically nothing will ever change by attempting to outwardly change human nature. There must be a new birth within that is wrought from above by the Holy Spirit of God. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Even so, come, Lord Jesus!