When opposing entities are at odds with each other, to whom does God side with?

A lot depends on the perspective of the situation and a possible outcome from its adherence.

One of the old cliches of sports teams is that when Catholic teams are playing against a secular school, proponents of the Catholic school will always expect their side to win. However, with that type of thinking God will always be in the bleachers yelling for our team if we are the “good believers” such as Catholic or a Christian group. Keep dreaming!

When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, all Japanese descendants in America were rounded up and placed in so-called interment camps that were more like concentration camps. All of a sudden if you had a Japanese nationality background, you became an enemy of the United States. At the surrender of Japan in 1945 many former enemies in Japan became friendly with American troops. Of course they were now victims of their leaders whose desire was to destroy America, along with Adolf Hitler in the European theater of war. That has all passed into the annals of history and now the opposing entities of different nations are still fighting. This never seems to cease. But the outcome of this skirmish with Japan, as with many other world-wide battles, had to be the interference of God since the desires of Japan were not in keeping with the eventual prayer-driven ideals proclaimed by God for his people. Compare this with the Israelites following Joshua at the the city of Jericho. God sent them to destroy this city as they worshiped idols, and this city stood in the way of their march to the promised land. So here we have one outstanding moment in history where God absolutely was cheering on one particular team to win. (Jos 6: 1 - 27).

At Gettysburg’s national memorial property you can view two opposing generals statues in an embrace signifying we all are children of God. That scenario also goes with the Japanese men and women who fought for their nation’s honor, irregardless of the attack that put America into WWII. To whom was God cheering on to win in Gettysburg, the Pacific battles (as detailed above) or even on the football fields of colleges and universities?

This may appear to be a rhetorical complexity of ideas, imagining that God will have a winner already picked out. Sports teams are still comprised of His children in spite of some Christian attendees cheering on their team. At Gettysburg, and other areas of the Civil War, Northern and Southern factions where both his children and their souls all belong to God and will be welcomed into Paradise with God. In war, no matter what nation or philosophies they represent, each one is still a child of God.

My article may put some readers at a crossroads to sinful nations or unworthy people who are at odds with each other and who do not believe or adhere to God and his love for all humanity. Remember God loves the sinner but not the sin they commit. When God created the world and then gave life to its inhabitants, he desired that each man or woman would want to live with him in an eternal existence forever. In order to accomplish this he sent his only Son to guarantee this probability.

The main criteria for all this to occur, he did not make people who were perfect, but who sought perfection through belief in Jesus Christ. All people make mistakes, fight with each other, and some attempt to make others a little less than themselves. The nature of God is beyond these finite intricacies. The infinite reality of God is pure, loving, and eternal. He will not sit and play the role of a puppeteer making one better than the next, but will give us a lifetime to believe in ourselves and find the grace to be like himself; loving and forgiving.

As I recently wrote that the Essence of God is Love, but the Light of God is the perfection of this Love. This Essence does not scrutinize any of us to the point of striking sinners with a sword of rejection. Instead he has given to multiple prophets the path for us to follow his Son and adhere to the final conquest Christ offers each one; all sports competitors, fighters in civil wars, and nations at odds with each other. If only dictators that lead their people into a conquest of what is not theirs to absorb would follow this rule of peace, we would not need to worry about nuclear bombs that can only destroy this world at the push of a button.

Our only solace will be the moment Christ comes down to where he Ascended from (Mt 28: 18 - 20) with all the saints to rectify all that did not take the advice of the martyrs. It is then where God will take sides with those of us who believe in Christ; the Son of the Living God!

Ralph B.Hathaway