In the Philippines, long after World War II ended, a soldier kept hiding in the jungle. He refused to believe the leaflets that said, “The war is over.” For 29 years, he lived like peace was a lie.

We do the same with God. Jesus declared it is finished. The war is over. But many of us are still holdouts. But what if we believed the truth? 

This episode, let’s dive into this incredible story and what it can mean for us. 

I’m your host, Jeromy Johnson, and welcome to the podcast: Slutty Grace. 

The War is Over.

That is what the leaflets dropped over the Philippines by the U.S. after WWII read.

In other words, we, as the United States of America, were saying: “We are no longer trying to kill you. As far as we are concerned, you are no longer our enemy.”

But…there were some who heard and read this good news and did not believe it. They thought these leaflets were lies—propaganda from the enemy.

These people were known as holdouts. They hid in the Philippines, believing that the U.S. and her allies were still fighting against them. They believed they were still at war with an enemy that, in truth, had declared peace on December 31, 1946.

The Story of Onoda

One of these Japanese soldier holdouts was named Onoda. He was the lone survivor of a group of four. In fact, 14 years after the war ended, he was (incorrectly) declared legally dead in Japan.

But in 1974—through a series of circumstances—he finally realized that the war was over.

“On March 9, 1974, intelligence officer 2nd Lt. Hiroo Onoda emerged from the jungle of Lubang Island with his .25 caliber rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition, and several hand grenades. He surrendered 29 years after Japan’s formal surrender. When he finally accepted that the war was over, he wept openly.”

Did you catch that? After he accepted—after he believed—that the war was over,
he wept openly.

The Power of Belief

The statement to Onoda was not, “The war is over IF you believe it.”
The statement was, “The war is over. DO you believe it?”

The war was over. Period.

But for nearly 30 years he continued to hide,
to clutch his weapons,
to ration his ammo,
to clean his grenades.

His belief that the war was still going on… caused him to act accordingly.

A lot of us do the same thing.

The Gospel Connection

And in a far greater way, Jesus declared peace with humanity 2,000 years ago through his blood.

Then he said, “It is finished.”
He signed the cease-fire papers.
He sent leaflets to us all: The War is Over.

But some of us are still holdouts. We’ve heard the good news, but we don’t believe it. We hide, clutching our familiar weapons—religious or secular—still thinking God is hunting us down to kill and punish us.

Some holdouts even spread the lie that the war is not over.  They insist God’s good news is propaganda—that peace only comes if you believe it, as though God’s declaration somehow depends on...us.

The Role of Belief

But they misunderstand belief.

Belief doesn’t make the war end—the war is already over.

Belief simply changes us.

Because how we believe is how we act.

If we believe God is still against us, still hunting us, still looking to eternally punish us—we will behave like enemies toward God.

But like Onoda hiding in the jungle, that enemy status exists only in our minds.

And when we hear and believe the truth

•  that God is no longer against us,
•  that we are no longer enemies in God’s mind,
•  that God has declared peace,
•  that the war is over,
•  that we are his children and he loves us

then our belief shifts. Our view of God’s reality changes.

•  We accept the reality.
•  We lay down our weapons.
•  We change our enemy-stance against God.
•  We finally live in freedom. 

The Invitation

Perhaps… after we accept, or believe, that the war is over—we too will openly weep.

And then…we can finally begin to live in, and share, the embrace of God.

Then, because we believe this news, we can spread it.

And the news is this simple: The War is Over. Period.

Love,
God.