Spared the cost of battle

President Harry Truman faced a daunting decision.

In August 1945, the U. S. government had developed the atomic bomb.  This new weapon of mass destruction could bring a swift end to the Second World War, but at the cost of utter devastation. 

On the other hand, U. S. forces could begin a land invasion of the Japanese mainland.  Only three beaches were optimal for landing, which the Japanese knew and fortified.  The kamikaze tactics of Japanese pilots would surely translate to ground soldiers defending their homeland.  Projected American casualties numbered 1 million.  Japanese casualties projected at 2 million.  The U. S. could take the mainland, but at great cost.

Truman didn't know if the American public could stomach such losses after just recently defeating Germany.  The European victory took four years and millions of lives.  Japan sensed this hesitancy and prepared to make any invasion as bloody as possible.

With that information, Truman decided to make a swift end to the war.  In the coming days, he would order two nuclear strikes - one at Hiroshima and one at Nagasaki - that would bring Japan to its knees in surrender.  Almost 450,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians died as the result of those two atomic bombs.  America lost 13 prisoners of war on the ground.

Some debate whether Truman made the right decision all those years ago.  I'm not a revisionist historian.  He made a decision based upon sparing American lives.  It's hard to argue with that logic.

But I do know Jesus will make a similar decision in the future.  Revelation 19 tells of the final battle between Satan's forces and Jesus.  Christ valiantly leads his army into battle armed with a sword and riding a white horse.  Despite having an army of angels and saints, Christ executes judgment himself.

"The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh." Revelation 19:21 (NIV).

All of Satan's forces were soundly defeated by Jesus.  Not one single follower of Christ is harmed.  He has no casualties in this battle.  It is swift and decisive.

In this life, believers will face countless spiritual battles.  Evil forces seek to take our integrity, our families and even our worth in Christ.  The fights are bloody and full of strife.  In time, we may grow weary of the battles.

However, we must remember that in the end, Jesus wins.  He does so without costing one additional follower's life.  He does the work so that we don't have to.  He does it because only he can.

When you face spiritual battles and constant reminders of your failures, remember that Satan fails in the end.  When all is said and done, Jesus is victorious.

That is something to celebrate.