By EDO TOBORE 

From  indications, war remains a recurring decimal ranging from inauguration of human relations across board. The scope is relatively large with due reference to community, socio-cultural setting, intra-state, inter-state and the global. The last sample is a rare specie and institutionally tagged World War. From the reckoning of literal history, the First World War lasted 1914-1918, while the Second World War stretched from 1939 to 1945. Invariably, the various nations of the world were directly touched in varied shades coupled with differing codes of functional structure and participation.  

Usually, the veritable instruments of warfare were mainly spear, cutlass and gun but the two global cases proceeded further showcasing utilitarian value of atomic bomb. The thrust was new generating express development and trendy concern. However, this survey attracts distinct analysis of the aphorism: Nothing is new. Beyond the normative, related data so derived from Biblical Studies affirms the First World War and associated bombshell took hold on the birth of Jesus Christ.  

This assertion captures the socio-spiritual engagement lasting till death of this Actor in Israel within the framework of Roman global hegemony in that given dispensation. To be precise, the war lasted 33 years and graphically presented in three phases. The first is 30 years covering His birth till the beginning of His ministerial service; second, the three-year ministerial activism; third, last three days of His ministry. It must be noted that prior to His birth, the Roman global regime was maintaining full swing without any form of assumed political challenge under the charge of King Herod.  

However, on the emergence of Christ from the womb, there was tension, thus the decree sanctioning male children ranking from day-one to two years. In this guise, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the Child. As indicated above, the First World War is coded in its partial derivative in the 30-year range but becomes gruesome in the next three years. Given this period, Jesus was sandwiched between persecutionary forces of the Temple in the like of the priests, Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees on a particular angle and the Roman governing body on the other side portraying the high point of the conflict. 

All this are elastic impetus of the many temptations of the evil one, but Christ remains steadfast to His missionary concern.  

We are informed in the course of creation, God created man in His-Image marking Spirit incursion unlike other creatures and further mandated to dominate but for Adamic flaw. By this calculation, the First World War earmarks the reconstruction of God-Image in man. In all, the site of the war is the Cross.The baseline of the war has two-divide. While the Roman global military arrangement was spear-headed by Pontius Pilate, the governor, alongside chief priest and elders, Jesus group was wholesomely formed around women. 

At the final phase of the three-year counter-engagement, a woman named Mary, finally armed Jesus to the fullest by bathing Him with very expensive anointing oil. This process defines purification of Christ as he was loaded with the sins of the world at that pace. This anointing captures Old Covenant code of atonement for chief priest before interceding for any identified group.  

Jesus has been empowered and marched to the mainstream of the war face-to-face with the Roman governor representing the prevailing global regime massively supported by the priest, elders and the global crowd. This period calls the attention of a second woman who maintained radical posture of intervention on Christ imperative. She is the wife of Pilate! She delegated Divine mandate to her husband while on judgement seat not to tamper with Christ as revealed in a dream.Without mincing words, Pilate failed to perform the appropriate though claimed innocent by washing his hands. He is not justified being the certified mandator of the event with the singular impetus of operation.  

This flawed practice applied to all the men registered on-course. After judicial injunction of Pilate, Christ was nailed to the cross amidst severe pain and tension coupled with verbal assault. As large as the world, only one man portrayed responsive concern for Christ. He is Joseph of Arimathea who sole-handedly ran the burial ceremony of Christ having negotiated necessary allocation from Pilate command. Beyond expectation, the template of the war hit its climax after Christ burial as the chief priest and the three notorious groups reached Pilate for necessary security against assumed that of the Body. In fact, the fear rested on declarative assertion of Christ par rising three days after death. Based on this notion, more soldiers and ammunition were employed as checker.  

However, on the third day, Jesus rose from the grave followed with bomb-blast that shook the entire earth crust as all attending rocks were split. One needs evaluate the distinction between the First World War being discussed and the assumed first World War 1914-1918 within the purview of effect and size in terms of global scape which becomes the central curvature of these event. Women occupy buoyant space in the engagement of Christ. In the pre-period of the war, two women maintain sway and they are Mary and Pilate’s wife. Joke aside, the quarrel that ensued between Pilate and his wife after the judgement is not recorded in the scripture but was characterised by fierceness. 

In the post period, another batch of women championed by two- Mary went enmeshed to visit the sepulcher and by structured Spirit arrangement became the first witness of Christ on resurrection. Considering the heroine superlative faith function, a theologian in a gospel analysis asserted: No woman, no Jesus.  

A typical survey reveals that right from birth to cross investment, Jesus remained guided by women in varied perspectives. In a comparative measure, this is a conversional index with due reference to Adamic flaw in Garden of Eden and the Second Adam in the cross warfare. Much the same, the earthquake-cum-bombshell show-cased as Christ resurrected yielded global response, especially on the security networking manned by Roman commander-in-chief. Just then, the military-on-guard simultaneously declared: Truly this was the Son of God. Very importantly the military group mandated for counter engagement later becomes the first batch of evangelists in the post-resurrection regime.  

Today the metaphorical variable that applies to Christian is soldier.The broad scope of Christ mission on earth is fervently expatiated by Prophet Isaiah and refers Him as Prince of Peace. However, dialectical study reveals otherwise meaning Christ is a radical Warrior within code of operation in a World War. By this calculation, the nomenclature “Prince of Peace” becomes applicable after the war that means transforming marred Garden of Eden (the world to its original status). The Lord’s Prayer affirms this in the first two verses.  

In same design, Apostle Paul maintains similar approach by noting in his first Letter to the Romans within essence of Christ victory. The believers served as medium of expression. Precisely, Paul portrays the war better within the corpus of international evangelism to the reigning Roman hegemony on queue being a major beneficiary.However critical, the associated bombshell of the assumed First and Second World War was limited to related sites of operation unlike Christ engagement that reverberated across the global universe and remains a continuum. In some parts of African society, gunblast in course of burial exercise is considered paganic but organised research about Christ resurrection-cum-expansive bombshell displays otherwise.  

Relatively, the 21-gunshot for state leaders, VIPs, military officers and more in course of varied ceremonies and events is so derived. With due concern of relative study, two events define Christ enterprise on earth. The first is birth (Christmas), while the second is resurrection (Easter). The wave of the former is always broad and cuts over-board with massive blast of firework showcasing extensive celebration and joy, but the latter is casually formatted in silence and adopted ritual. This gap provokes attention! It is not that one is measuring the two in superiority contest, but it is imperative to examine the latter furthermore.  

Basically manifest carol and praises were invested by Mary and Elizabeth in the inaugural Christmas as Jesus Christ and John the Baptist participated yet in the womb. The second Christmas was also appraised in songs by the angels, shepherds and wise men just after Christ birth. This implies that application of firework during Christmas marks a shift from the original baseline of Christmas expression.  

Beyond literal affirmation, associated bombshell of Christ resurrection from the tomb proves the fact that gun blast of varied species is the justified in course of Easter Celebration. 

It is not just tradition of funfare, but Spirit mandate resting on the glory and victory of Christ in the First World War engagement which defines God intervention, deliverance and restoration yielding global salvation.Within this survey, it becomes a responsive practice and doctrinal code of assessment for believers operating in any ideal church site to blast numberless gunshots wherever located. In the same vein, individual believer is equally charged to blast enough firework as in Christmas dispensation. This calculated design earmarks the joy of salvation best defined par Christ resurrection. Lest one forget, Easter is the fulfilment of Christmas. It is, therefore, most appealing to pursue the commemoration buoyantly with express function and Spirit-delight.  

On the whole, typical evaluation reveals Triumphal Entry as the earth-orientation and structured proforma of the bombshell. Given that socio-spiritual drama, the attending global audience accorded Christ the loudest applause and chorus of Hosanna ever witnessed as He marches onward the Cross. Relatively, the post- resurrection bombshell is Heaven-oriented, thus balancing the equation of the first two verses noted in The Lord’s Prayer. That is the reconstruction of Garden of Eden to its original standpoint of creation.

Tobore, a social commentator, wrote from Warri, Delta State.