Three Wars

It may not be a coincidence that two franchises I follow, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Magic: the Gathering, are simultaneously depicting cataclysmic wars. In each franchise, several heroes, almost too many to count, now stand against an overwhelming foe whose power is apocalyptic and who has already claimed countless lives. In part, these stories illustrate the terrible struggle the heroes face and the losses they've been forced to endure, but these stories also emphasize the power of hope, even against all odds.

Both Thanos and Nicol Bolas are tremendously powerful. They've both beaten our heroes easily in the recent past. Yet, if I know anything about storytelling, and if the traditions of storytelling are upheld, our heroes will ultimately win. Whatever form that victory will take, and however many losses they'll have to face along the way, good will ultimately triumph over evil. It may seem hopeless, but I am (relatively) certain that the good guys will win.

Of course, the same holds true in real life as well. We are at war against an immortal evil, a being older than the earth itself, a being who has already claimed far too many souls for anyone to count. Every day, this foe attacks us with relentless endurance and lethal ferocity. It is difficult to survive. In fact, it could be said that all of us have suffered at least some measure of spiritual death. Yet, regardless of how many people have fallen to the enemy's attacks and have been corrupted into fighting on the enemy's side, and regardless of how many times we, ourselves, have fallen, we know for a surety that good will ultimately triumph over evil. It seems hopeless, like the world is doomed to destruction and the heroes are doomed to fail, but they're not. We know, from revelation and from our knowledge of storytelling conventions (and the existence of certain sequels), that the good guys are going to win.

I find this encouraging. If the Avengers can defeat Thanos and bring back those who were killed by the snap, and if the Gatewatch and their allies can defeat Nicol Bolas and win The War of the Spark, maybe I can win my war, too.

Naturally, I know that the writers of fiction may buck storytelling tradition and portray the tragedy of inevitable failure instead of the glory of impossible success, and I know that, whether or not the heroes win in stories has no bearing on whether or not heroes can win in real life, but whether these two wars end in victory for the heroes or not, they have already reminded me that the real, spiritual war will end in victory for Jesus Christ and everyone who sides with Him, no matter how long or how bleak this spiritual war will be.

It will be a tough fight. It has already been a tough fight. And there have been countless painful losses along the way. But I know for certain that the forces of Good will ultimately win this war.