When General Dobey, British commander of Malta during World War I, was stationed in the Holy Land in 1916, an aide approached him and said, “Sir, this is a funny war we’re fighting.

The Muslims won’t fight on Fridays, the Jews won’t fight on Saturdays, and the Christians won’t fight on Sundays.”

With Solomon-like wisdom, Dobey replied, “Well, if you can find four other world religions that refuse to fight on Monday,

Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday because of their holy days, you have solved the problem of world peace!”

It seems as long as man has been on the earth there has been fighting and war.

It started just one generation after the human race began.

The Bible tells us in Genesis chapter 4 that Adam and Eve’s two sons, Cain and Abel, went to offer sacrifices to God.

Abel was a shepherd so he picked a spotless, young lamb from his flock and brought it to God.

Cain was a farmer by trade.

He brought some vegetables from the ground as his sacrifice.

The Lord accepted Abel and his offering but rejected Cain because of the wrong attitude in which he brought his offering.

Cain became jealous of his brother and very angry with him.

Verse 8 tells us: “It came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against

Abel his brother and killed him.”

The first murder was committed between brothers and the world has been fighting ever since.

In fact, from 1496 B.C. to A.D. 1861, the world knew 3,130 years of war and 227 years of peace.

In the last four hundred years, it’s estimated that European nations have signed more than 8,000 peace treaties.

Over the last century, 37.5 million died in World War I and 45.4 million died in World War II.

In the Korean War approximately 4 million died, in the Vietnam conflict 57,605 U.S. lives were lost and 304,000 U.S. military personnel were injured.

Thousands more have died in the “War on Terror” in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and other countries.

Today is Veteran’s Day. It is when we take the opportunity to honor all of the veterans that have left behind families and friends to lay down their lives for the love of God and country.

Where would we be today as a nation if not for the sacrifices made by the brave men and women who fought to protect our freedom and democracy?

I thank God for those who gave their lives so we could enjoy the freedom we have here in America!

This is still the greatest nation on earth as far as I’m concerned.

And I am convinced that God wants to bless America again.

With all that is going on in the world now many people are asking, “Will we ever enjoy a world of peace?”

The answer is both yes and no.

No, because as long as mankind is in charge, they will keep having international meetings, signing peace treaties, and breaking them.

But the answer is also yes, because Isaiah 2:4 tells us there is coming a day when “God shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

So, as we thank the veterans for the many sacrifices they have made for our country… let’s also thank God for His promise of perfect peace in the near future!

Rev. Doug Johnson is the senior pastor at Raven Assembly of God in Raven, Virginia.