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As I concluded in part one, there is absolutely nothing holy or righteous about modern warfare. There's nothing Christian about it. In fact, if you are familiar with the Scriptures, then you will already know that all of this warmongering is quite contrary to Jesus' teachings and the New Testament plan for the Early Church. Consider the following verses which clearly reveal the evils of violence and warfare, and how God declares that evil and violence will be met with reciprocal evil and violence:

"And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus [meaning the Apostle Peter] stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: FOR ALL THEY THAT TAKE THE SWORD SHALL PERISH WITH THE SWORD. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?"


"He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: HE THAT KILLETH WITH THE SWORD MUST BE KILLED WITH THE SWORD. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."


"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."


"And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest DESTROY THEM WHICH DESTROY THE EARTH."


"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."


"My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war."


"And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."


"And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."


In contrast, as we discussed in part one, we Christians are supposed to obey the law -- at least as much as secular laws conform to God's Laws -- and we are supposed to strive to live peaceably with all men. Furthermore, as difficult as it may be at times, we are supposed to love our neighbors, and even our enemies, as becomes rather evident by the following set of verses:

"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."


"But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."


"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth . . . Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."


"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."


"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."


"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."


"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you . . . These things I command you, that ye love one another."


"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;"


"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."


"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."


"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."


"If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:"


Let me bring to your attention the fact that in the Gospels, on the few occasions where the Disciples did want to resort to violence of some form -- either to protect Jesus, or to punish a certain village -- consider how Jesus responded to each situation:

"And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,‭ And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.‭ And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.‭ And when his disciples James and John saw ‭this‭, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?‭ But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.‭ For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save ‭them‭. And they went to another village.‭"


"When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?‭ And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.‭ And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.‭"


"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?"


Jesus summed up well how we Christians should not engage in physical violence upon this Earth during His brief exchange with Pontius Pilate in John chapter eighteen. As I mentioned in part one, in that chapter, Jesus stated the following:

"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."


So if His Kingdom is not of this world, then that likewise means that our Kingdom is not of this world either. As such, we have no real business supporting, and even less, fighting in, this world's awful, bloody, violent wars. There is simply no way to Biblically justify a Christian people, a Christian nation, or even a supposedly Christian-influenced president, engaging in war of any kind. You just won't find it anywhere in the Books of the New Testament.

Yet, sadly, as I have been warning for a few years now, that is exactly where the United States is headed once again with its heated exchanges with the Islamic government of Iran. It is very clearly the Iraq playbook all over again. Demonize the leadership in the eyes of the American public, and then declare war. While the nasty war hawks have been pressuring President Donald Trump to take on Iran, in the latest news I have been reading, Trump has been resisting their efforts thus far. But I must ask how much longer this will really go on. Just as Trump is currently surrounded by Vice President Mike Pence and other Christians in his cabinet, George W. Bush was too; and we all know that it led to an eight-year long war in Iraq. That ugly war resulted in thousands upon thousands of dead or wounded; particularly on the Iraqi side. Mr. Bush seemed to have some kind of a messiah complex. Does Trump too? Will he make the same mistake as his predecessor?

While we Christians are not supposed to involve ourselves in the secular wars of this Earth, as I have explained on many previous occasions, we are indeed involved in a type of spiritual warfare. This point is made evident by verses such as the following. What needs to be pointed out here is that this spiritual warfare concerns the souls of men, and is not a war to gain power, wealth, territory, political influence, economic advantage, or anything else upon this Earth:

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"


"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"


"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."


"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."


"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."


"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"


"Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin."


The previous verses tie in directly with what we discussed earlier. As we learned in part one, while we Christians are indeed in this present world in a physical sense, we are not truly a part of it. We are strangers and pilgrims on the Earth, just like our spiritual forefathers of ages past. You may likewise recall from part one, that in John chapter 17, in regard to His followers, Jesus said "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil."

Why would the Lord pray in this fashion? Why would He want to keep His followers here? Quite simply, because while the Apostles were not truly a part of the evil world of their day, they were here to fulfill a mission. As their spiritual descendants, we are here to fulfill the very same mission. That mission -- as you probably already know -- is to be emissaries of God's holy Kingdom, and to let our light shine before men, as we can determine by the following verses:

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."


"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"


Our mission, and our battle, as clearly outlined in the New Testament, is not to attempt to change the wicked, corrupt systems of man. Rather, it is to preach the Kingdom of God. That is our primary job as Christians. That is our Heavenly Duty. Let the wicked children of the world worry about their system. Our job is to preach and promote the Kingdom of God, and to invite people to join it, as is made so perfectly clear by verses such as the following:

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."


"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."


"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.‭ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.‭"


"For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!"


"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."


"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."


"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"


"And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."


"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."


"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."


"And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.‭"


"And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house . . . Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."


"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things . . . So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."


"Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things."


"Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:"


"And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."


Can our earthly mission be any clearer than that? Is there anything in the previous verses which talks about becoming involved in secular politics? Tragically, I have heard some misguided Christians make the claim that it's our civic duty to vote, and that voting is also a sign of our patriotism. Excuse me? Since when are the Children of Light supposed to be concerned with pledging loyalty to any corrupt system of the Earth? Those brethren who make such claims clearly lack a good understanding regarding what the Bible teaches about our separation from the world. If we are to be patriots, if we are to pledge our loyalty, it is only to the Kingdom of Heaven, according to God's Word.

Such people are quick to condemn those of us who choose not to vote. They say that if we do not vote, then neither do we have the right to complain about anything, because we are not politically involved. Actually, from my perspective, we are voting by choosing not to vote. By not voting, we are in fact registering our complete disapproval with the corrupt political systems of men. Furthermore, in my view, the way these politically-involved Christians think is a direct contradiction to all of the Scriptures I have shared with you in this series. Let me remind you again of a verse I shared with you earlier:

"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."


Do you truly understand what that verse is saying? If not, it means that you cannot fight in God's war to win souls to His Kingdom, while at the same time you are involved in the affairs of this current life. Stated another way, insofar as our current discussion regarding voting is concerned, you cannot simultaneously fight for, campaign for, promote and vote in the corrupt political systems of this present world, while likewise fighting for, serving in and promoting the Kingdom of Heaven. You have to make a choice regarding where your loyalties lie. It is either one or the other. You are either involved with the world's affairs, or else you are involved with the affairs of the Kingdom. You are either a soldier who pleases the Lord -- as Paul wrote above -- or else you are a soldier who fights for worldly causes and promotes political candidates.

In reading the Bible, we discover that the people of God have had to make this very same decision down through the ages. From Abraham, to Moses, to Joshua and Caleb, to the Prophets, to John the Baptist, to Jesus, to the Apostles, to all of the Disciples who came after them, every single one of them had to be willing to forsake the world they knew, and step out by faith, in order to follow God's lead. So which is it for you? Where do your priorities lie? Consider these sample verses:

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"


"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."


"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word."


"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."


"Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."


"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? . . . Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."


"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."


As I have already made clear, God's Word calls us to remain separate from the world. We must remain blameless, without spot and without rebuke. It is beyond me how any Christian can possibly even claim to do that when they are so deeply involved in one of the dirtiest, most corrupt institutions of man; that being the world of politics. You are deceiving yourself, my friend. Consider the following verses:

"I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."


"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain."


"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."


"I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:"


"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless."


Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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