General News
5 July, 2026
In good faith
IN GOOD FAITH: On September 1, 1939, German soldiers stormed across the border into Poland in the first act of what would become known as World War II.
On September 17, soldiers of the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland, sealing the nation's fate.
With overwhelming military superiority, the Germans quickly overran the Polish defenders, the last of whom surrendered on October 6.
Poland was then divided between Germany and the Soviet Union, according to a secret agreement between the two powers.
Prior to this, in the mid to late 1930s, Britain, under Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, and France, under its Third Republic government, had followed policies of appeasement.
This essentially meant that they were prepared to make limited concessions to Hitler's demands in an effort to maintain peace in Europe. In the end, the policy failed, and almost all of Europe was soon plunged into all-out war.
On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany.
On May 10, 1940, the German armies bypassed the heavily fortified Maginot Line by advancing through the Ardennes, beginning their invasion of France.
They pushed westward, sweeping hundreds of thousands of French, British and Belgian troops before them.
The retreat of these forces continued until they reached the French coastal town of Dunkirk.
For reasons still debated by historians, German tanks were ordered to halt just a few miles outside Dunkirk, giving the Allied troops precious time to construct a defensive perimeter and affording a window of opportunity for the Royal Navy, accompanied by hundreds of smaller civilian vessels, to launch 'Operation Dynamo', the evacuation from Dunkirk, on May 26, 1940.
For the next nine days, over 800 large and small ships and boats participated in the operation, often under heavy German attack and protected as best they could be by fighters from the RAF.
They succeeded in rescuing more than 338,000 Allied troops and transporting them back to Britain.
However, persistent attacks by the German air force inflicted heavy losses, sinking 266 vessels of various types during the operation.
The evacuation was dubbed by many as 'The Miracle of Dunkirk', although Churchill made no secret of his view that it represented a defeat.
Yet the evacuation stands as testimony to the loyalty and determination of the British people, who were willing to risk everything to save their countrymen.
What many had feared would be a catastrophe became an extraordinary rescue.
To this day, Dunkirk remains a powerful reminder that even in humanity's darkest moments, hope can emerge when all seems lost.
The evacuation of Dunkirk reminds us of another great deliverance that the Bible teaches will one day take place, according to God's plan and purpose.
We read that a time will come when Jesus will return to earth to claim those who are His and bring them into His heavenly kingdom. Many evangelical Christians refer to this event as the 'rapture of the church'.
In the Gospel of John (14:3), Jesus said: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
And in Matthew (24:30-31): "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."
Although many people have tried to predict when this will happen, the timing remains a mystery. What we do know is that the day will surely come. The question is: will we be ready?