1 January 2026 | Silver Spring, USA [Erton C. K\u00f6hler]<\/p>\n
The calendar has turned, but the world\u2019s cries have not fallen silent. While colourful fireworks flashed for some, multitudes crossed into a new year under the roar of artillery, sirens, and bombs. Wars persist across continents, humanitarian catastrophes are worsening, some nations are in civil upheaval, and places once peaceful now face violence on an unprecedented scale. The world\u2019s major players reaffirm their arsenals on the nuclear chessboard. Relations among the great powers are strained, and military exercises unsettle the architecture of global security. All these dynamics confirm the most current diagnosis: we are living during a historic level of armed conflict. If things don\u2019t improve, what then?<\/p>\n
Scripture prophesied this scenario. \u201cAnd you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled\u201d (Matt. 24:6). This command of Jesus is not na\u00efvet\u00e9; it is sovereignty. He does not deny conflict, but He calls His people to a purposeful life, free from panic. Therefore, as we usher in 2026, may our reference point rest not on the euphoria of the new but on the certainty of the eternal. Will it get better? Absolutely, and eternally. \u201cNevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells\u201d (2 Peter 3:13). For the Adventist Christian, hope does not ignore the alarms; it listens for a much louder trumpet. \u201cLooking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ\u201d (Titus 2:13).<\/p>\n
The biblical, prophetic voice summons the church to respond with mission, not fear. A swift angel announces the everlasting gospel to the whole world; he does not wait for stability to preach it (Rev. 14:6). Where uncertainty grows, identity rises. When violence expands, compassion enlarges. And if geopolitics tremble, faithfulness stands tall. \u201cNow when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near\u201d (Luke 21:28). Amid the storm, the Word anchors our hearts: \u201cGod is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble\u201d (Ps. 46:1).<\/p>\n
Our pioneers have already taught us how to endure times like these. \u201cA storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it?\u201d1<\/sup> Those who prepare for heaven do not stockpile fear on this earth; they direct their lives, schedules, and resources to the mission. They strengthen knees in prayer, hands in service, and voices in proclamation. They also cultivate a grateful heart, for gratitude nourishes courage. \u201cWe have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.\u201d2<\/sup> Those who remember God\u2019s mighty leading move forward with a supernatural conviction.<\/p>\n It will get better! Believe.<\/p>\n As we enter 2026, our feet stand in reality, and our eyes fix on eternity. May every home start the year in fellowship, may every worshipper renew their trust, and may every church reaffirm its calling. As the world\u2019s noise increases, let us increase the boldness of our witness. If the maps grow unstable, let us steady our steps in the Word. And let us press on\u2014grounded in the Bible, focused on the mission\u2014without retreat. Until the precious day when \u201cGod will wipe away every tear from their eyes\u201d (Rev. 21:4).<\/p>\n Happy New Year.<\/p>\n Happy New Heaven.<\/p>\n Maranatha.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1<\/sup> Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1904), vol. 8, p. 315.<\/p>\n 2<\/sup> Ellen G. White, Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1915), p. 196.<\/p>\n [Photo: Tor Tjeransen \/ Adventist Media Exchange (CC BY 4.0)]<\/em><\/p>\n The original version<\/a> of this article was posted on the Adventist Review\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nothing to fear<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":25262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192,7,1577],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-news","category-organisational-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25248"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25268,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25248\/revisions\/25268"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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