War

Introduction

As I start to write this paper, it is becoming crystal clear that the world is on the brink of a third and final world war, which God will finish through the apocalypse. The Old Testament scriptures are full of battles fought by and against the Israelites and their enemies. We are told of the great armies of the powerful empires throughout its historic context. The scripture quoted in the above illustration sets the scene very appropriately I think:

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. (Isaiah 3 KJV)

Consequently, I feel the time is right for me to tackle this difficult topic, warts and all. I should add that it was my brother in Christ, Dave, who focussed my mind on writing this paper. May the Holy Spirit assist me in this endeavour; I think I will need all the help I can get in coming up with the correct perspective on this subject. Amen.

Over-Arching Scriptures

The wisdom of King Solomon tells us that life is divided into times that bring opposites of emotion and action. Love will bring about peace but hate will bring about war and we can see these opposites in spades in our currently troubled world. Nation is fighting against nation, civil wars and unrest are occurring in many nation states, and yet there are still those who are putting their own lives on the line to help and sustain their fellow man. Like good and evil one needs war to appreciate the goodness of peace:

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. (Ecclesiastes 3 KJV)

More wisdom from Solomon tells us to plan all things properly and to seek good counsel where appropriate, especially in the making of war. So, Solomon clearly accepted that war was a necessary ingredient of this life. Being a little crude here, the Principle of the Six P’s comes to mind (Proper Planning Prevents P—s Poor Performance’):

18 Purposes are established in counsel; yea, make war with wise guidance. (Proverbs 20 GLT)

6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors [there is] safety. (Proverbs 24 KJV)

Interestingly this principle is repeated in the Gospel of Luke. However, it comes with the significant addition of trying to sue for a peaceful end to the foes’ differences:

31 Or what king, as he goeth to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and asketh conditions of peace. (Luke 14 ASV)

The peacemakers of this world get a very special mention direct from Christ’s own words:

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5 ASV)

Jehovah, The God of War

Well, I guess we might as well start with the crux at the heart of this subject. The concern that I and many of my fellow Christians would have is that the nature of our God, as depicted in the Old Testament, is as a God of war. The following section of Jeremiah Chapter 51 states His position very clearly. Here God is using His chosen nation Israel to destroy those nations that deny Him through their idol worship. And when I say destroy, I am not kidding. Reading through these verses you can see that we are talking genocide of these faithless nations. I would have to acknowledge that this makes for some very uncomfortable reading:

19 The Portion of Jacob [is] not like them, for He [is] the Former of all things, and He [is] the rod of His inheritance, Jehovah of Hosts is His name.
20 You [are] My war club [and] weapons of war, for with you I will shatter nations and with you I will destroy kingdoms.
21 And with you I will shatter the horse and his rider, and with you I will shatter the chariot and his charioteer.
22 And I will shatter man and woman with you, and with you I will shatter old and young, and with you I will shatter the young man and the girl.
23 And I will shatter the shepherd and his flock with you. And I will shatter the farmer and his team with you, and with you I will shatter heads and rulers. (Jeremiah 51 GLT)

As a specific example, we have God’s promise to King Jehoshaphat to defend the Israelites against their enemies. Here, the Israelites only had to stand their ground and Jehovah would destroy the foe. He even set out the battle plan whereby His people could witness the destruction He would bring about on their behalf:

15 and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat: Thus saith Jehovah unto you, Fear not ye, neither be dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16 To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 Ye shall not need to fight in this [battle]: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, nor be dismayed: to-morrow go out against them: for Jehovah is with you. (2 Chronicles 20 ASV)

When it came to fulfilling His promise to King Jehoshaphat, Jehovah did not come up short. The king promoted singers in front of his army to sing praises to God. This was enough to cause Jehovah to make their enemies fight amongst themselves, the Ammonites and Moabites against the children of Mount Seir. All their enemies were destroyed leaving none alive on the battlefield. All this without a drop of Israelite blood being spilled:

21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them that should sing unto Jehovah, and give praise in holy array, as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto Jehovah; for his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever.
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, Jehovah set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, that were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
24 And when Judah came to the watch-tower of the wilderness, they looked upon the multitude; and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none that escaped. (2 Chronicles 20 ASV)

In a similar vein, God warned through His prophet Isaiah, that He would cause the Egyptians to fight amongst themselves to destruction for following their false idols and witches (check out my earlier paper on Witches):

2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, [and] kingdom against kingdom.
3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. (Isaiah 19 KJV)

And more from the Prophet Zechariah on God’s war supporting His people against the idol-worshipping nations:

2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because [there was] no shepherd.
3 Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.
4 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
5 And they shall be as mighty [men], which tread down [their enemies] in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD [is] with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded. (Zechariah 10 KJV)

And we also have God’s on-going war against the Amalekites. I have to say, however, that I am not too sure what to make of the raising and lowering of Moses’ hands in the following account. Having reviewed a number of commentaries on this subject, I have to say that I am not particularly convinced by any of them which mostly seem to correlate the raising of Moses' arms with the strength of Israel's prayers to Jehovah. The True Bible Code website has an item on the subject but I do not think this has nailed it either: Understanding 313 - Exodus 17. This is clearly a matter I need to discuss with the Lords' Witnesses' President, Gordon:

8 And the Amalekites proceeded to come and fight against Israel in Rephidim.
9 At this Moses said to Joshua: Choose men for us and go out, fight against the Amalekites. Tomorrow I am stationing myself upon the top of the hill, with the rod of the [true] God in my hand.
10 Then Joshua did just as Moses had said to him, in order to fight against the Amalekites; and Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it occurred that as soon as Moses would lift his hand up, the Israelites proved superior; but as soon as he would let down his hand, the Amalekites proved superior.
12 When the hands of Moses were heavy, then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on this side and the other on that side, so that his hands held steady until the sun set.
13 Hence Joshua vanquished Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 Jehovah now said to Moses: Write this as a memorial in the book and propound it in Joshua's ears, 'I shall completely wipe out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.'
15 And Moses proceeded to build an altar and to call its name Jehovah-nissi,
16 saying: Because a hand is against the throne of Jah, Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. (Exodus 17 NWT)

And more action from and upon the Amalekites, this time during David’s reign. I have missed out some of the non-essential verses from this account for the sake of brevity. Again, we see a merciless response from David clearly with Jehovah’s blessing:

1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the South, and upon Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire,
2 and had taken captive the women [and all] that were therein, both small and great: they slew not any, but carried them off, and went their way.
3 And when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captive.
8 And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake [them], and shalt without fail recover [all].
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they gave him water to drink.
13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.
14 We made a raid upon the South of the Cherethites, and upon that which belongeth to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
15 And David said to him, Wilt thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this troop.
16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels and fled. (1 Samuel 30 ASV)

And more from the Prophet Isaiah, using much flowery symbolism to tell Israel how Jehovah will protect and make His people into a weapon that will annihilate His and their enemies:

10 Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
11 Behold, all they that are incensed against thee shall be put to shame and confounded: they that strive with thee shall be as nothing, and shall perish.
12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contend with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
13 For I, Jehovah thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith Jehovah, and thy Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 Behold, I have made thee [to be] a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
16 Thou shalt winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; and thou shalt rejoice in Jehovah, thou shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41 ASV)

Then we have Jehovah’s use of setting gentile nation against gentile nation without any intervention from or protection of His people Israel. In this example we have the destruction of Pharoah’s Egypt by the Babylonian forces from the north. Pretty much the whole of Jeremiah Chapter 46 is taken up with some very bloodthirsty and warlike rhetoric throughout from Jehovah, hence my reproduction of the whole of it:

1 The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.
2 Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh-neco king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah.
3 Make ready buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.
4 Harness the horses, and mount, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, put on the coats of mail.
5 Wherefore do I see them dismayed and turned backward? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and they are fled apace, and look not back; terror is on every side, saith the LORD.
6 The swift cannot flee away, nor the mighty man escape; in the north by the river Euphrates have they stumbled and fallen.
7 Who is this like the Nile that riseth up, like the rivers whose waters toss themselves?
8 Egypt is like the Nile that riseth up, and like the rivers whose waters toss themselves; and he saith: 'I will rise up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.'
9 Prance, ye horses, and rush madly, ye chariots; and let the mighty men go forth: Cush and Put, that handle the shield, and the Ludim, that handle and bend the bow.
10 For the Lord GOD of hosts shall have on that day a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Him of His adversaries; and the sword shall devour and be satiate, and shall be made drunk with their blood; for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt; in vain dost thou use many medicines; there is no cure for thee.
12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and the earth is full of thy cry; for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, they are fallen both of them together.
13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.
14 Declare ye in Egypt, and announce in Migdol, and announce in Noph and in Tahpanhes; say ye: 'Stand forth, and prepare thee, for the sword hath devoured round about thee.'
15 Why is thy strong one overthrown? He stood not, because the LORD did thrust him down.
16 He made many to stumble; yea, they fell one upon another, and said: 'Arise, and let us return to our own people, and to the land of our birth, from the oppressing sword.'
17 They cried there: 'Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath let the appointed time pass by.'
18 As I live, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, surely like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.
19 O thou daughter that dwellest in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity; for Noph shall become a desolation, and shall be laid waste, without inhabitant.
20 Egypt is a very fair heifer; but the gadfly out of the north is come, it is come.
21 Also her mercenaries in the midst of her are like calves of the stall, for they also are turned back, they are fled away together, they did not stand; for the day of their calamity is come upon them, the time of their visitation.
22 The sound thereof shall go like the serpent's; for they march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
23 They cut down her forest, saith the LORD, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the locusts, and are innumerable.
24 The daughter of Egypt is put to shame; she is delivered into the hand of the people of the north.
25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith: Behold, I will punish Amon of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with her gods, and her kings; even Pharaoh, and them that trust in him;
26 and I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants; and afterwards it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 46 JPS)

Oh, and just in case we might have forgotten or were not clear about what we have just been reading:

3 Jehovah is a man of war: Jehovah is his name.
4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea; And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The deeps cover them: They went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Thy right hand, O Jehovah, is glorious in power, Thy right hand, O Jehovah, dasheth in pieces the enemy. (Exodus 15 ASV)

1 When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, [and] a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them; for Jehovah thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
2 And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,
3 and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye draw nigh this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; fear not, nor tremble, neither be ye affrighted at them;
4 for Jehovah your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. (Deuteronomy 20 ASV)

31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle; But victory is of Jehovah. (Proverbs 21 ASV)

Let us now look at several further verses following on from those in Deuteronomy Chapter 20 above. Here we have some detailed rules of engagement with Jehovah’s enemies. First off, we have definitions of those men who, for one reason or another may not be fit or able to act as fighting men. Then we have the appointment of a chain of command to lead Israel’s army into the conflict. When it comes to the battle itself, the first option would be to offer a peaceful settlement. If no peace can be agreed, then the battle will commence with no quarter being given. Jehovah is indeed the Army General specifying the whole war strategy from recruitment into the army through to the armed conflict itself:

5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
6 And what man is there that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not used the fruit thereof? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use the fruit thereof.
7 And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.
8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart melt as his heart.
9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.
10 When thou drawest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.
11 And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that are found therein shall become tributary unto thee, and shall serve thee.
12 And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
13 and when Jehovah thy God delivereth it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: (Deuteronomy 20 ASV)

I couldn’t resist making some mention of David’s most famous of contests against Goliath and the Philistines. David put his prospective victory over him/them fully down to his God Jehovah:

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
46 This day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
47 and that all this assembly may know that Jehovah saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is Jehovah's, and he will give you into our hand. (1 Samuel 17 ASV)

Jehovah, as the God of war, trained King David to fight against his enemies in battle whilst providing him with His strength and protection:

34 He teacheth my hands to war; So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation; And thy right hand hath holden me up, And thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.
37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; Neither will I turn again till they are consumed.
38 I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise: They shall fall under my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, That I might cut off them that hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save; Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets. (Psalms 18 ASV)

1 [A Psalm of David.] Blessed [be] Jehovah my Rock, who teaches my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
2 [He is] my mercy and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield, and in Him I take refuge, [in Him] who humbles my people under me. (Psalms 144 GLT)

And just in case you think Christ brought a different message to mankind, you better think again according to these words from our saviour. Battles will be fought within one’s own household between family members for Christ’s sake:

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household. (Matthew 10 KJV)

51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. (Luke 12 KJV)

Meanwhile, whilst being a God of war towards His enemies, Jehovah is also a God of peace towards His own people:

11 For I have known the thoughts that I am thinking towards you -- an affirmation of Jehovah; thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give to you posterity and hope. (Jeremiah 29 YLT)

And finally, to round this section off, there are many other stories told in the scriptures that refer to the battles fought by/for the Children of Israel in the name of Jehovah. Paul summarises this all up rather nicely in his letter to his Hebrew congregation:

29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were swallowed up.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been compassed about for seven days.
31 By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with them that were disobedient, having received the spies with peace.
32 And what shall I more say? for the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah; of David and Samuel and the prophets:
33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, waxed mighty in war, turned to flight armies of aliens. (Hebrews 11 ASV)

The Law of Moses

Now let us start to analyse all of this. Amongst the ten commandments, handed down to Moses, we have this very relevant item which seems to run counter to the above actions and commentary from God:

13 You shall not murder. (Exodus 20 GLT)

However, further up the list we have:

3 You shall not have any other gods before Me.
4 You shall not make a graven image for yourself, or any likeness in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth;
5 you shall not bow to them, and you shall not serve them; for I [am] Jehovah your God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of fathers on sons, on the third and on the fourth [generation,] to those that hate Me; (Exodus 20 GLT)

It is a generally recognised concept that the ten commandments are written in a descending order of importance as we go down the list (e.g. https://ministry-tools.nacministers.org/docs/nacm-summary-series-theology/ten-commandments-implications-sequential-order/). So, as we go through that list, we see that love of God and keeping to his ways is man’s top priority followed by our responsibilities towards our fellow man. This is shown more succinctly by Christ’s words in the New Testament:

36 Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law?
37 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.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22 KJV)

Christ is clearly confirming the priority sequence of the ten commandments. So, I guess that breaking the sixth commandment to keep the first commandment is OK? Destroying God’s enemies to protect yourself from their idol worshipping practices could be argued to be a form of spiritual self-defence. The Law does explicitly allow physical self-defence in the case of a thief breaking into one’s home, so a case of defending one’s spiritual well-being is easily justified by comparison:

2 If a thief should be found in the act of breaking in and he does get struck and die, there is no bloodguilt for him. (Exodus 22 NWT)

Following on from the commandments, there were numerous examples of the Israelites taking on the idol-worshipping practices of the surrounding alien nations with disastrous consequences for them. This warning, coming from Jehovah via His prophet Ezekiel, pretty much sums it up:

1 And it happened, the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, set your face towards the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them.
3 And say, Mountains of Israel, hear the Word of the Lord Jehovah: So says the Lord Jehovah to the mountains, and to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys, Behold, I, [even] I will bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places.
4 And your altars shall be ruined, and your pillars shall be broken. And I will cast down your slain before your idols.
5 And I will put the dead bodies of the sons of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars.
6 In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be deserted, so that your altars may be laid waste and become guilty, and [that] your idols may be broken and brought to an end, and your pillars may be cut down, and your works wiped out.
7 And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I [am] Jehovah. (Ezekiel 6 GLT)

Another example is God’s attack upon His own people, at the end of King Joash’s reign, for their idol worship and culminating in Joash’s ordering of the killing of His Prophet Zechariah. This Jehovah achieved using a small force of Syrians to overcome the much larger army of Israel:

20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood before the people and said to them, So says God, Why do you transgress the commandments of Jehovah, and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken Jehovah, He has forsaken you.
21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him [with] stones by the command of the king, in the court of the house of Jehovah.
22 And Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada his father had done to him, and killed his son. And at his death he said, Jehovah shall seek [you out].
23 And it happened, at the turn of the year, that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came into Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people; and they sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus.
24 For with few men the army of Syria came in, and Jehovah gave a mighty force for multitude into their hand, because they left Jehovah, the God of their fathers. And they executed judgment against Joash. (2 Chronicles 24 GLT)

So, clearly, God was not kidding when He issued the tablets to Moses. Love of God comes before all other considerations in life. Amen

Life

In all this we must not forget that It was God that has given life to us all, the unrighteous as well as the righteous so, arguably, it is His to take away as Job recognised:

21 and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah. (Job 1 ASV)

As I have said in previous papers, we need to be able to think like God. This life is a temporary testing ground; our real life is to be in the next system. By focusing our minds on this, then the first death in this system is not quite the disaster that it otherwise would seem to be:

18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4 ASV)

1 For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5 ASV)

As such we should not fear the first death, which may be wrought by the hand of man. But we should fear our God, Jehovah, who can deliver a far more destructive living second death upon us in Gehenna for our unforgiven unrighteousness:

28 And do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. (Matthew 10 NWT)

The first death is used as an illustration to both mankind and the angels to mark the severity of morally unsustainable behaviour. Such behaviour must have clearly caused strife in heaven beforehand and resulted in God's creation of His Earthly son Adam. God knew that Satan's jealousy would bring about the fall of Adam thereby creating the first death:

16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Eating you may eat of every tree in the garden;
17 but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, dying you shall die. (Genesis 2 GLT)

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return. (Genesis 3 KJV)

Whilst it is bad enough for right-minded humans, I imagine mankind's suffering must create a shocking picture to the righteous angels. These would not have known the process of aging, a first death or any of the physical vulnerabilities that are common to mankind (check out the final section of Introduction 2 - Why did God create the angels?...). Even the Holy Spirit intercedes between us and our saviour with groanings:

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8 KJV)

The War Against Evil

Well, what follows is some strong talking from James to his fellow Christian Jews dispersed by the diaspora (Greek word ‘διασπορᾷ’) from James 1:1. The word ‘wars’ is correctly translated from the Greek word ‘πόλεμοι’ from James 4:1 so, at first sight, it seemed that there must have been much serious infighting between and within individual groups within the Hebrew congregation. As a result, I was left wondering why such strife should have been present between these ones.

After much deliberation, I concluded that this incorrect understanding was due to some generally poor translation work. This is why I have reproduced two English versions. Most translations, as per the KJV, have the otherwise innocuous Greek preposition ‘ἐν’ as ‘among’. The Kingdom Interlinear Translation (KIT), a much more literal translation, has it as ‘in’. Whilst ‘among’ could be a valid translation, I think the overall context of James Chapter 4 indicates that what we are talking about here is everyone’s individual battle against their own sinful natures rather than any serious strife between the members of each congregation. One might argue, though, that it is the failure of some men’s fight against their own evil tendencies that ends up leading to real wars, nation against nation:

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion, greeting. (James 1 ASV)

1 Ἰάκωβος θεοῦ καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλος ταῖς δώδεκα φυλαῖς ταῖς ἐν τῇ διασπορᾷ χαίρειν. (James 1 OGB)

1 From whence [come] wars and fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your lusts that war in your members? (James 4 KJV)

1 Wherefrom wars and wherefrom fights in you? Not herefrom, out of the pleasures of you the (ones) doing military service in the members of you? (James 4 KIT)

1 Πόθεν πόλεμοι καὶ πόθεν μάχαι ἐν ὑμῖν; οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν, ἐκ τῶν ἡδονῶν ὑμῶν τῶν στρατευομένων ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ὑμῶν (OGB)

2 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. (James 4 KJV)

2 you are desiring, and not you are having; you are murdering and you are being jealous, and not you are able to obtain; you are fighting and you are warring. Not you are having through the not to be asking you; (James 4 KIT)

2 ἐπιθυμεῖτε, καὶ οὐκ ἔχετε· φονεύετε καὶ ζηλοῦτε, καὶ οὐ δύνασθε ἐπιτυχεῖν· μάχεσθε καὶ πολεμεῖτε. οὐκ ἔχετε διὰ τὸ μὴ αἰτεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς· (James 4 OGB)

Paul also wrote along similar lines to the congregation of Rome:

22 For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man;
23 but I see another law in my members having warred against the law of my mind, and taking me captive by the law of sin being in my members. (Romans 7 GLT)

As did Peter:

11 Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (1 Peter 2 ASV)

And we battle external evil as well as that within. Paul advised the Ephesian congregation to don their spiritual battle dress and arms to fight the evil demonic forces that constantly are at work on us all. A Christian’s weaponry consists in our striving for God’s truth, our righteousness and desire for peace together with our faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ:

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 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].
13 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.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6 KJV)

And a similar but more succinct message to Paul’s congregation at Corinth:

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh
4 (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds),
5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10 ASV)

Ditto to his congregation in Rome:

12 The night [is] far gone, and the day has drawn near; then let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the weapons of the light. (Romans 13 GLT)

And a similar message from Paul to Timothy to fight the good fight:

18 This charge I commit unto thee, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which led the way to thee, that by them thou mayest war the good warfare; (1 Timothy 1 ASV)

12 Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6 ASV)

3 thou, therefore, suffer evil as a good soldier of Jesus Christ;
4 no one serving as a soldier did entangle himself with the affairs of life, that him who did enlist him he may please; (2 Timothy 2 YLT)

Paul, in his letter to the congregation in Rome, quotes King David, in confirming that God’s faithful ones are killed by mankind for their faith. He describes them nonetheless as ‘conquerors’ since they will not suffer the second death as will likely their murderers:

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8 KJV)

22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. (Psalms 44 KJV)

A promise reiterated in the Book of Revelation:

11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (Revelation 2 ASV)

It is incumbent upon mankind to live peaceably with his fellow man; it is for God to seek vengeance on our behalf as He sees fit (check out my earlier Punishment and Vengeance paper):

18 If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.
19 Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath [of God]: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. (Romans 12 ASV)

At an individual level we recall that the Law of Moses allows a man to seek retribution upon those who harm him and his:

24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (Exodus 21 GLT)

20 breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be rendered unto him. (Leviticus 24 ASV)

21 And thine eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. (Deuteronomy 19 JPS)

However, Jesus modifies this substantially by saying that it is better to submit yourself peaceably to those who would do you harm:

38 You have heard that it was said: "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;" [Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21]
39 but I say to you, Do not resist the evil; but whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. (Matthew 5 GLT)

Further on in the Gospel of Matthew, we have confirmation of this more peaceable view although, I have to say that the Old Testament reference does not actually say ‘hate your enemy’:

43 You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor" and hate your enemy; [Lev. 19:18]
44 but I say to you, Love your enemies; bless those cursing you, do well to those hating you; and pray for those abusing and persecuting you, (Matthew 5 GLT)

18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I [am] Jehovah. (Leviticus 19 GLT)

As if to emphasize this, Jesus Himself told one of his followers to put his sword back into its scabbard after cutting off the ear of one of His captors. He made it clear that, if He had wished to defend Himself physically, He could have called on twelve or more legions of angels to that end. Goodness only knows what destruction they could have wrought amongst Jesus’ enemies had He made that call:

50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, [do] that for which thou art come. Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
51 And behold, one of them that were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear.
52 Then saith Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
53 Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26 ASV)

Jesus delivered a similar message to Pilate:

36 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. (John 18 KJV)

This final battle against evil brings victory over death in Paul’s first letter to the congregation at Corinth. I have also included the Old Testament references provided by Jay Green to which Paul was referring:

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.
54 But when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality, then will take place the Word that has been written, "Death was swallowed up in victory." [Isa. 25:8]
55 "O death, where [is your] sting? Hades, where [is your] victory?" [Hos. 13:14]
56 Now the sting of death [is] sin, and the power of sin [is] the Law;
57 but thanks [be] to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 15 GLT)

8 He will swallow up death in victory! And the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from all faces. And He shall reprove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for Jehovah has spoken. (Isaiah 25 GLT)

14 I will ransom them from the hand of Sheol; I will redeem them from death. O death, where [are] your plagues? O Sheol, where [is] your ruin? Repentance is hidden from My eyes. (Hosea 13 GLT)

The End-Times

Jesus’ own words to His disciples pretty much spell out what we should expect going forward. So, no surprises for those with faith in His saving grace:

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (Matthew 24 KJV)

It is not only on Earth that wars are fought. Arguably the concept of warfare originated in Heaven. On one side we have Satan and his fellow demons that did not accept the authority of Jehovah their Father. On the other side we have the archangel Michael and his angels, the Second Holy Spirit (check out Introduction 11 - The Holy Spirit is God's Wife!) fighting on behalf of Jehovah.

While it does not appear that angels can be killed, since they cannot suffer the first death as does mankind (check out Introduction 5 - Pre-adamic Man, The Resolution), they can be ‘imprisoned’ by more powerful angels. In this case, Satan and his demons (one third of the population of heaven) are effectively imprisoned on Earth. My belief is that this occurs in three separate instances whereby demonic possession of humans is enabled. The first instance being pre-flood. The second instance being the time that Christ walked the Earth. The third time is right now during the end-times when world leaders and global business chiefs will again be possessed to lead the world into its final demise (check out Understanding 101 - The Master Chronology of God's people from Adam to Armageddon).

Michael must have fought the war before He began His ministry on Earth as Jesus (check out Introduction 16 - Jesus is the archangel Michael, Michaelmas is Christmas and Jesus came to earth before his ministry as Enoch. Michael possessed Enoch.). From the verse in 2Peter Chapter 2 below, it appears that the demons were held prisoner in Tartarus, the high security wing of Gehenna, to be released onto the Earth in Christ’s time and again today from the start of the invisible (to us) Kingdom of God. In both cases this was to test the righteous ones prior to their salvation into the Kingdom. Below I reproduce the relevant scriptures pertaining to those three demonic appearances on Earth and their time in Tartarus. There is much symbolism, contained in Revelation Chapter 12, which I do not intend to go into for the purposes of this paper. The interested reader can find the official LW understanding on this at U151 - Revelation Decoded:

2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose.
3 And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years.
4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. (Genesis 6 ASV)

6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. (Jude 1 KJV)

3 And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems.
4 And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered he may devour her child.
5 And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [going forth] to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels;
8 And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.
10 And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.
12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man [child]. (Revelation 12 ASV)

4 For if God did not spare sinning angels, but delivered [them] to chains of darkness, thrust down into Tartarus, having been kept to judgment;
9 [But the] Lord knows to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unjust for a day of judgment, being punished, (2 Peter 2 GLT)

And let us not forget the four horseman intent on destroying mankind, the symbolism for which is decoded at Understanding 151 - Revelation 6 Decoded:

2 And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.
3 And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come.
4 And another [horse] came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
5 And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand.
6 And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A measure of wheat for a shilling, and three measures of barley for a shilling; and the oil and the wine hurt thou not.
7 And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come.
8 And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6 ASV)

Then we have the gathering together of the nations for the final worldly battle of Armageddon:

14 for they are spirits of demons, working signs; which go forth unto the kings of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (Revelation 16 ASV)

And finally, we have the apocalypse from which we are left in no doubt that Jehovah is the God of War. Jesus leads His army of angels from heaven in the final battle to destroy the demon-possessed leaders together with the quarter of unrighteous mankind who are left on the Earth after the rapture of those saved:

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19 KJV)

Whilst we might not strictly consider this as an act of war (although God probably does!), let us not forget the Flood and the destruction of sinful mankind and the demons by the hand of God. This will effectively be repeated on the Great Day of Jehovah to end the current system of things:

37 And as [were] the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man.
38 For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
39 and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. (Matthew 24 ASV)

The Kingdom of God

Following on from the final conflict prophesied for the end of the current system of things, we have God’s promise through His prophet Isaiah for the Kingdom to come. All weaponry will be turned into tools for the benefit and well-being of mankind and war will no longer be a threat hanging over our heads:

4 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. (Isaiah 2 KJV)

This is the very opposite of Jehovah's message to the nations prophesying His apocalypse, as told through His prophet Joel:

9 Proclaim ye this among the nations; prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. (Joel 3 ASV)

While a God of war in this system of things, Jehovah will become a God of peace in the next:

9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariots in the fire. (Psalms 46 ASV)

A message effectively repeated by Jesus:

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16 KJV)

And Paul to the congregation at Philippi:

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4 ASV)

Amen.

Synopsis

We are clearly on the brink of WW3 so I think it apposite that I write a paper at this time on the topic of war of which the scriptures are filled.
King Solomon recognised that war is a reality of this life. But he also realised that peace can also exist at times. Arguably one cannot appreciate peace without having the knowledge and/or experience of war.
Solomon goes on to tell us that if one is going to war, one had better prepare well for it.
Luke goes on to advise that we should sue for peace before we enter the battlefield. The peacemakers of this world will be well rewarded in the Kingdom to come.
In Old Testament (OT) terms, Jehovah is a God of war, using the Israelites as His holy army to destroy, without mercy, those alien nations that deny Him through their idol worship.
In some cases, the Children of Israel did not even have to fight. Jehovah God destroyed their enemies without their need to have their own blood spilt. Sometimes this was by causing Israel’s enemies to turn against each other.
In the Book of Exodus, we have an explicit verse that describes Jehovah as ‘a man of war’.
There are several cases where Jehovah effectively acts as the Field Marshal of Israel’s army by commanding them in their recruitment and battle strategies.
King David fought many battles on behalf of Jehovah and His people. David acknowledges that he was trained for that role by Jehovah Himself.
Many Christians would see a vast difference between the Old and New Testaments comparing war and peace respectively. However, Christ tells a different story. He is as against the evildoers of this world as is His Father.
Despite the warlike rhetoric, both Testaments tell us that our two Gods offer peace to their faithful ones.
There are many examples in the OT of the Israelites wars against God’s foes. Paul gives us a summary of this in his letter to his Hebrew congregation lest they were to forget their history.
All the above points make out God and His people as warmongers set against the backcloth of the commandment not to commit murder.
However, further up the priority order of God’s commandments are those to worship the uncreated God Jehovah rather than any of mankind’s randomly created idols.
Jesus confirms this priority by putting the love of God before the love of mankind.
Moses’ Law allows for the physical protection against a thief even as far as the killing of the latter in self-defence. Consequently, spiritual self-defence against an idol-worshipping nation would appear to be covered in the Law.
The nation of Israel was itself not immune from the influences of those idol-worshipping gentile nations and God severely punished them for their stumbling in that regard.
While killing in this life is certainly a serious matter, we must bear in mind that this life is a temporary testing ground for us humans. What we must fear more than this first death is the prospect of the second death in the prison of Gehenna once this life is over for us.
War begins in all of us in our own individual battles of the spirit against our fleshly evil desires.
There are several New Testament (NT) scriptures that implore us to don the spiritual weaponry to fight those evil tendencies. We are told to fight the good fight as a soldier of Christ, so this warlike symbolism still prevails in the NT.
However, the message in the NT is modified in that we should attempt to sue for piece. Instead of seeking due recompense under the Law to any evil done to us, we should try to forgive our enemies for the wrongs they do us.
Looking at the world’s situation right now, it looks like the Bible’s warning of wars to come was spot on.
While I only intended to comment on wars on this Earth to begin with, we are told that the art of war was first learned in Heaven between Satan’s demons and the Archangel Michael’s angels.
The demons have been thrown down to Earth on three occasions by my reckoning. They have been imprisoned in Tartarus for their trouble but were released temporarily to possess the evil leaders of today’s world to take us into WW3. They will see Tartarus again upon the world’s end.
The four horsemen will do their evil worst to mankind prior to the outbreak of WW3.
WW3 will end in the final battle of Armageddon. This will be followed by God’s apocalypse where the demons and the remnant of unrighteous mankind will finally get their just deserts. This will effectively be a replay of Noah’s flood where all evil ones will be destroyed and the righteous ones saved.
The righteous ones can look forward to a peaceful time in the Kingdom of God. All weapons will be dismantled and turned instead into tools for mankind’s benefit.
Our God of war will finally become what He has always wanted to be: a God of peace over His faithful people. Amen

Date of Publication: 23rd April 2025

War

Courtesy of Bible Art

Isaiah 3:25

Jewish Lords' Witness