military service & war

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MILITARY SERVICE AND WAR

by Herbert W. Armstrong1967, 1985 edition

Here, then, is the teaching of the Word of Godin regard to war, killing, and military service.

Part One

Here is the biblical teaching and commands ofGod on military service, killing and WAR At the outset, bear in mind that in the United

States, for example, the Selective Service andthe military authorities deal with "conscientiousobjectors" according to the genuine sincerity ofthe individual, as they, not the individual,determine his sincerity. But also God Almighty

judges according to each individual's sincerityof heart -- and HE can never misjudge or bedeceived!

SHOULD A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OFGOD FIGHT, bear arms, kill in war, or entermilitary service?

It is the duty of the CHURCH OF GOD, inministering to its members, to instruct IN THEWORD OF GOD -- to teach God's commandsand instructions.

The Church cannot stress too emphatically,therefore, the life-and-death importance to ourmembers that each be completely honestbefore God, and utterly sure of and sincere inhis convictions and actions, after havingstudied thoroughly God's instruction, teachingand commands, as shown in the Bible.

God does not allow the individual to decidewhat is right, and what is wrong. GODdetermines, and reveals, WHAT isrighteousness and WHAT is SIN. But Godcompels the individual to decide WHETHER toobey or to disobey, which is to sin.

Which Has Precedence?Decision YOUR Responsibility

This whole question is one of man'srelationship -- and his responsibility -- to hisGOD and to his country.

God made man a free moral agent. He allowsman to disobey His teachings and Hiscommands, but of course GOD'S laws carrystern PENALTIES, and they are automaticallyenforced! What is the relationship between the individual

and GOD? What is the relationship -- andresponsibility -- between the individual and hiscountry? And what is the relationship betweenGOD and country?

In compliance with this basic principle laiddown by the Creator, His Church does notattempt to make its members' decisions forthem. Each must make his own decision, andeach is responsible before God for the result. The Church of God herein gives you the

biblical answer and teaching.God's Church teaches, as Jesus said (Luke4:4), that we must live by "every word of God" -- that is, guide our lives by every word of theHoly Bible.

The thing called SIN involves man'srelationship to his Maker. The Bible definesSIN (I John 3:4) as the transgression of GOD'SLaw, which is a SPIRITUAL Law (Romans

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7:14). CRIME is offense against MAN'S law,enacted by an official human legislative body.

At the outset, therefore, in determining relativerelationships, it is necessary to determineWHICH law -- according to GOD'S Word -- hasprecedence.

Since God is the CREATOR of man -- theSupreme MAKER of those who constitutethemselves, by consent of humans, aslegislative bodies -- and since GOD is the

AUTHOR of right and wrong -- the Ruler overthe vast Universe -- God reveals that He isabove man's laws.

God commands that we whom He hasbaptized (by His Spirit) into His Church, as Hisown begotten children, be loyally subject to the

human government in authority over us. Thehuman government exists by God'spermission. Therefore God's Word teaches Hispeople to obey this human government,UNLESS doing so means DISOBEDIENCE tothe HIGHER POWER OF GOD -- unless itconstitutes SIN against GOD! Even then weare still SUBJECT to whatever penalty ourcountry imposes.

It is important, in this matter of relationships,

that we establish thoroughly that GOD andGOD'S LAW is supreme, and has precedenceover the laws of any nation. And since OURLIVES (those in God's Church) are committedto be lived by EVERY WORD OF GOD, welook to -- and stake our lives and our eternityon -- God's Word, the Bible, for our answers.

Through Isaiah, among others, God gives us acomparison of the relative power and authoritybetween Him and any or all nations of earth:

"O Zion, that bringest good tidings [the Gospel].... Behold your GOD! Behold, the Lord GODwill come with strong hand, and his arm shallRULE for him .... Who hath directed the Spiritof the LORD, or being his counselor hathtaught him? ...Behold, THE NATIONS are as adrop of a bucket, and are counted as the smalldust of the balance .... ALL NATIONS beforehim are as nothing; and they are counted to

him less than nothing, and vanity. To whom,then, will ye liken GOD? or what likeness willye compare unto him?" (Isaiah 40:9-10, 13,15,17).

God is the Supreme Judge over all on earth."... verily, he is a God that judgeth in the earth"(Psalm 58:11). "... the Lord shall judge the

ends of the earth ..." (I Samuel 2:10). "And heshall judge among many people, and rebukestrong nations afar off ..." (Micah 4:3). Godshall judge the whole world (Romans 3:6). "As live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow tome, and every tongue shall confess to God. Sothen every one of us shall give account ofhimself to God" (Romans 14:11-12).

God Supreme Over Nations

First, then, understand that GOD rulessupreme, even over national governments.Every national government on earth rules onlyby God's permission. Yet human governments,like human individuals, are free moral agents.God allows governments to obey and reapblessings, or disobey and sufferconsequences.

Perhaps humans in offices of authority overnations do not understand or accept this. But it

is not a matter of human acceptance orrejection. It is FACT!

In the Creator's great Master Plan foraccomplishing His PURPOSE here below, Hehas made man a free moral agent. He revealsthe right WAY, then requires MAN toCHOOSE. He allows man to rebel, reject Hisrule, His truth. But of course it's a matter ofCAUSE and EFFECT. What man sows, heshall reap. A day of reckoning is coming.

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God's Master Plan calls for a duration of 6,000years for man to CHOOSE whether voluntarilyto accept and obey the rule of God, or to rebeland suffer the automatic penalty. Six thousandyears for man to choose either to governhimself, or voluntarily accept GOD'SGovernment. This applies to mankind --individually and collectively. God governs withDIVINE Law. The basis of GOD'S Government


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So they had a human king, Saul. He was thetallest man in their country. But they stillremained bound by their covenant with God asHis Kingdom -- even though He allowed themto have a human king.

is His spiritual Law, the Ten Commandments,which is simply THE WAY to every blessing --every desired GOOD for man (individually andnationally). Actually, the PENALTY is, simply,the absence of those desired blessings, andthe penalty of eternal DEATH -- which, after all,is the absence of the blessing of eternal life. God removed Saul. It was GOD who chose

King David as the next human king. Then

came King Solomon. But he excessivelyovertaxed the people. They rebelled under theburden.

But human nature is hostile to God, and toGod's WAY, and God's RULE. Man wants theRESULT of God's way. But he wants to go theopposite WAY to get it! So mankind as a wholehas chosen, these 6,000 years, to reject God'sGovernment over him; to reject God's WAY,and to work out his own human-designedforms of conduct and of government. Fewheads-of-government among the nations ofhistory have ever acknowledged the fact thatGod is supreme in power over them -- that they

bear rule only by His consent!

When his son, King Rehoboam refused toreduce taxes, the nation rejected him as king.The former executive assistant of Solomon,Jeroboam, was set up as their king. Then thetribe of Judah seceded, in order to retainRehoboam as their king.

So, as it always has gone in humangovernment, the people suffered, and in duetime the nation was DIVIDED! The tribe ofBenjamin sided with and joined Judah. ThenJeroboam rejected the Levites, whom God hadchosen as the priests. They were the top menin education and leadership. In the priesthoodJeroboam placed men he could control -- "thelowest of the people" -- illiterate men!Thereupon the Levites also became part of theKingdom of JUDAH.

Ancient Israel

In the days of Moses, after all nations hadrejected God's rule, God emancipated theIsraelitish SLAVES from Egypt, led them to acountry He had appointed to give them, andset them up as HIS nation, ruled by HIM, withHis Government. Even so, God did notinterfere with their prerogative of free moral

agency. He made the proposal of thisTheocratic Government. The people madetheir own decision to accept it. But from thevery first, they griped, grumbled, complained,doubted, rebelled. After a time, they decidedthey wanted to switch to HUMAN government,like the other nations around them.

It was this Kingdom which became known asthe Jews.

After 19 kings in the nation ISRAEL, GODshowed that He still rules supreme over thenations of earth, causing the nation Israel to bedriven into captivity and slavery by theancestors of the GERMAN people -- the

Assyrians. The Israelites were moved out oftheir homes, their farms, their cities, and taken

as captive slaves to Assyria.

Here's the dramatic incident:

"Then all the elders of Israel gathered

themselves together, and came to Samuel untoRamah, and said unto him, Behold, thou artold, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: nowmake us a king to judge us like all the nations.... And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearkenunto the voice of the people in all that they sayunto thee: for they have not rejected thee, butthey have REJECTED ME, that I should notreign over them" (I Samuel 8:4-7).

Later, when the nation JUDAH refused to obeyGod's laws or live God's WAY of life, Godcaused King Nebuchadnezzar of theChaldeans to invade and conquer them. Thenthe Jews were removed from their homes andtheir land, and taken as slaves to the land ofthe Chaldeans.

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The First World Empire GOD'S Authority Supersedes HumanGovernmental Authority

Nebuchadnezzar's conquests included Judah,Tyre and Egypt, and he sat on the throne of thefirst world empire.

Thus GOD revealed to the very first EMPIREruler -- after the last of the two kingdoms ofIsraelites had been conquered, losing theirsovereignty -- that GOD is SUPREME over thenations -- that GOD gave Nebuchadnezzar the

power to govern -- that NATIONS govern onlyby GOD'S consent.

But was he, and his human government reallysupreme? Nebuchadnezzar, in his vanity,

thought so!

Now see how God revealed that THEETERNAL is the MOST HIGH -- that Godreigns supreme over nations and governments,whether men and human rulers recognize it ornot.

In the 3rd chapter of Daniel, is the account of asimilar incident to teach this human ruler thesame lesson. Nebuchadnezzar had made ahuge golden idol -- some 75 to 140 feet inheight. He then summoned all governmentofficials, even from the far-out provinces, toattend the dedication ceremony. When theband began to play, all were commanded to

bow down and worship this golden image.

God used the prophet Daniel to REVEAL thistruth to the FIRST emperor of a world-EMPIRE-- King Nebuchadnezzar of the Chaldean

Empire!

One of the TEN basic points of God's spiritualLaw forbids worship of idols. Another, withwhich we are concerned in this article, forbidskilling (to be defined later). Here was a casehistory, in which GOVERNMENTAL

AUTHORITY commanded these people to takean action that directly violated the HIGHERLAW OF GOD.

When this great king came to the throne, andhad invaded Judah, taking the Jews as captiveslaves to Chaldea, he also selected certainoutstandingly able young Jewish men forimportant posts in the government. These wereprinces and top-flight young Jewish men -- welleducated, skilled, of outstanding ability. Onewas the prophet Daniel.

Daniel's three Jewish colleagues, Shadrach,Meshach and Abed- nego, OBEYED GOD, andrefused to break God's HIGHER law byobeying the lesser human government.

In the very second year of his reign,Nebuchadnezzar had an unusual dream. Itfrightened and troubled him greatly. None ofhis magicians, astrologers, or sorcerers couldtell the king what he had dreamed, or itsmeaning. But then Daniel was summoned. Bya vision, God revealed the dream and itsmeaning to Daniel (Daniel 2:19).

In this case the Jewish lads were broughtpersonally before the king. And even thoughDaniel's interpretation of his dream hadrevealed to him that GOD'S POWER isSUPREME and over that of man's government,the king disregarded that.

Brought into the presence of the king, Danielsaid: "There is a GOD in heaven that revealeth

secrets and maketh known to the king ...." Afterreminding Nebuchadnezzar of what he haddreamed -- a stupendous metallic image --Daniel continued: "This is the dream; and wewill tell the interpretation thereof before theking. Thou, O king, art a king of kings [empireruler]: for THE GOD OF HEAVEN HATHGIVEN THEE A KINGDOM, POWER, ANDSTRENGTH, AND GLORY ... and hath madethee ruler over them all" (Daniel 2:28, 36-38).

The king said to the Jewish lads, "... if you willnot bow down, you shall instantly be flung intoa burning furnace. And where is the god whocan save you FROM MY POWER?"

A Specific Case History

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The Jewish men answered, "ONebuchadnezzar, we need not say a word in


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What Is SIN?

The whole question of the right or wrong ofmilitary service, bearing arms, and killing,revolves on the question: "Is it SIN?" If not, wemust submit to such service if so ordered bythe government.

If it is SIN, then God says we must obey GODrather than man (Acts 5:29), although still insubjection to the human authority by submittingto penalties, if imposed.

Sin began with Adam. Although, in the days ofMoses at Mount Sinai, God Himself spoke thewords of His Law in the hearing of the wholenation (Exodus 20), the Law had been in forcesince Adam. Adam broke three specificCommandments in his sin. "Wherefore, as by

one man sin entered into the world, and deathby sin; and so death passed upon all men, forthat all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). And,further, "... but sin is not imputed when there isno law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adamto Moses" (verses 13-14). So sin was imputed -- the Law was in full existence and force from

Adam.

The Law of God is the WAY OF LIFE whichCAUSES peace, happiness, abundant well-

being. It is simply a matter of CAUSE andEFFECT. Rebellion -- transgression of THISWAY -- is the CAUSE of unhappiness, poverty,strife, trouble, pain and suffering, war anddeath. GOD'S WAY brings the blessingeveryone desires. The OPPOSITE WAY, orsin, brings every curse.

God Himself determines that transgression ofHis Law is SIN -- because it brings harm, evil,upon humans whom God loves. So violation is

punishable by CAPITAL PUNISHMENT --DEATH for eternity -- eternal punishment!

In respect to war, the basic teaching of God --His basic LAW respecting war, military service,and killing, therefore, is the SixthCommandment: "Thou shalt not kill."

God's Law, as stated in brief in the TenCommandments (Exodus 20), exemplifies the

whole of the RIGHT WAY of life. They are theten basic principles of righteousness for man,both individually and nationally.

The New Testament, magnifying the basicPRINCIPLE, says: "Whosoever hateth hisbrother is a murderer: and ye know that nomurderer hath eternal life abiding in him" (I

John 3:15). Jesus, applying this law specificallyto enemies, said: "Love your enemies, blessthem that curse you, do good to them that hateyou, and pray for them which despitefully useyou, and persecute you; that ye may be thechildren of your Father which is in heaven"(Matthew 5:44-45).

This may sound, to those who do not knowGOD'S WAY, like the impractical teaching of a"square." But it is the teaching of THE ONE by

whom God created the universe, and who rightnow is the Executive administering the Super-Government of the entire universe, sustainingthis earth and all that exists by the Word of HisPOWER!!! (Hebrews 1:1-3.) We shalldemonstrate that it is easily possible to "loveyour enemies."

The Two WAYS of Lite

There are the two broad, general philosophies

or WAYS OF LIFE.

God's WAY is the WAY of LOVE (which isoutgoing concern) -- of being GOD-centered,loving and obeying God ahead of all else -- andloving fellow man (including enemies) as one'sself. It is the way that believes Jesus when Hesays it is more blessed to GIVE than to receive(Acts 20:35). It is THE WAY of cooperation,helping, sharing.

SIN is THE WAY of vanity, self-love, self-centeredness, selfishness, greed, competition,grasping, taking, getting, accumulating,acquiring; and of jealousy, envy, malice,resentment, strife, hatred, murder. It is theOPPOSITE of God's way. It is the way of WAR.

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In the SIN WAY OF LIFE, love of SELF isbalanced by an equal hostility or lack ofconcern for others -- although the "empirical


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self" usually includes those one feels allied with-- such as wife or husband, one's club, team,group, or country. In GOD'S WAY, concern forothers is in equal balance to love of self.

These are the two OPPOSITE WAYS OF LIFE-- opposite ATTITUDES of HEART. One is theway of righteousness, the other the way of SIN.

GOD is LOVE. His whole character is that ofLOVE -- OUTGOING CONCERN. HE IS THEGIVER of every good and precious gift. In lovefor us humans, God GAVE His Son -- gave HisLaw that it might go well with us! God desiresto GIVE each of us His Holy Spirit, and eternallife!

This gives you the broad, general PRINCIPLEof GOD'S LAW -- the basis and foundation of

the Government of GOD.

The entire Law may be summed up in the oneword, LOVE. It is love toward God, and lovetoward neighbor -- the two greatcommandments. The first four of the TenCommandments define, in principle, HOW tolove GOD. The last six, love toward fellowman. These, in turn, are applied in principle tospecific cases.

Military service, bearing arms (for use againsthumans), killing, war, is directly contrary toGod's Law in principle! It is not THE WAY ofgiving, sharing, helping, serving.

Specific Teaching

The one specific point of God's basic Lawconcerning war is the sixth of the TenCommandments, "Thou shalt not kill."

If all nations obeyed that Commandment, andfollowed the WAY of LOVE toward otherhumans -- and other nations -- there would beno wars.

But, one reasons, that's a pretty platitude, butit's not practical -- it won't work! WHY?Because, he reasons, if our nation obeys thatCommandment, and is disarmed with nomilitary force, it would be attacked and beaten

by some other nation which ignores, disregardsand disobeys God's Law, and believes in WARWe would lose our liberties, our land, ourhomes, our wealth -- probably our lives!

That is precisely the way all nations DOreason.

But God says, "There is A WAY that seemethright to a man, but the end thereof are theways of DEATH" (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25).

The Eternal Creator says that that reasoning isFALSE. The Creator understands humannature better than we humans do. He providedfor our protection against the ungodly ENEMY!

Almighty God is not impractical -- He doesn'tleave those who obey and trust Him -- whoaccept His GOVERNMENT over them,

helpless! One of the basic responsibilities ofany government is to PROTECT its ownsubjects!

Do you, then, think the Government OF GODis so feeble and lacking in power that it isunable to protect the individual -- or the nation -- it governs?

It's time we open our eyes to THE Facts!

God did take a people to be His nation. Hetook a family of some two to four millionhelpless SLAVES -- descendants of God'sfriend Abraham -- and offered to set them upas a nation under His Government.

Protection from Aggression Guaranteed byGod!

Notice now the specific application of thecommandment, "Thou shalt not kill," to military

force and war.

Notice how GOD says to those under HISGOVERNMENT, that HIS GOVERNMENT --an all-powerful supernatural and super-nationalGovernmental PROTECT His people againstany invading force.

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Government Protection Against War

NOTICE CAREFULLY! A part of God'sPLATFORM OF GOVERNMENT which He laidbefore the people before they became HISNATION was the promise that HISGOVERNMENT would protect its citizens fromneed of going to WAR.

Human Nature at Work

And HUMAN Nature? Yes, these Israeliteswere full of it!

WHY do world leaders, scientists and

educators EVEN TODAY reject God, and plytheir trades, professions, and interests as ifGod did not exist? God Himself tells us -- inHIS WORD to mankind: "Because the carnalmind [human nature] is enmity [hostile] againstGod: for it is not subject to the LAW of God,neither indeed can be" (Romans 8:7).

That is the OPEN PROMISE OF GOD, whichwould apply to ANY nation. Later, God offeredthe SAME government, and its protection andblessings, to the first WORLD EMPIRE -- thegentile Chaldean Empire under KingNebuchadnezzar -- as we shall see.

God plays no favorites. He does not bless onenation and harm another by HIS arbitrarychoice.

So NOW UNDERSTAND this BASIC LAW.God has made it a CAPITAL SIN for man totake human life. God is the giver and Maker of

human life. He, and He alone, has the right totake human life, if and when and by whatevermeans HE may use.

But human nature is human nature -- and factsare facts. And humanity had rebelled againstGod from the beginning before the Flood, andafter the Flood. God forbids the people -- the NATION -- the

Individual -- to kill. God renders wars and killingUNNECESSARY for any people or nation.How? GOD HIMSELF WILL DO THEFIGHTING if fighting be necessary!

From the time of the Tower of Babel, men hadorganized themselves into nations, withHUMAN ideas of government CONTRARY TOGod's laws, and God's Government over them.

"... and Leave the FIGHTING to GOD!"

They had chosen other gods!The people, individually and nationally, shallOBEY HIM. To do so, they must RELY ONHIM. He is able! He has the POWER! He hasthe RIGHT! He has PROMISED, and Hecannot lie. To doubt that He will do our fightingfor us is SIN. Lack of faith is SIN (Romans14:23). Therefore it is SIN to fail or refuse totrust God to do whatever fighting (for us) isnecessary, after He has FORBIDDEN us tofight and kill and has PROMISED to do any

necessary fighting for us.

Their religions were empty superstitions. Andthey were WAR-making kingdoms! God haddealt in an unmistakable manner with mankind,ever since Creation!

No PEOPLE, except a downtrodden SLAVEpeople in bondage, would have made theCHOICE to say to God, "All that the Lord hathsaid, will we do and be obedient."

Not only had this enlarged family of Israelitesbeen suffering under the lash of slavery, butGod had DEMONSTRATED to them HISPOWER -- and HIS LOVE in outgoing concernfor them, by delivering them from slavery bySPECTACULAR MIRACLES!

Obedience and faith -- that is the duty of thepeople! That is THE WAY to PEACE! To dowhatever fighting might be necessary -- that isGOD'S prerogative!

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In God's specific instructions above quoted(Exodus 23:20-23), what the people were to dowas break down the idolatrous IMAGES of

By the miracles in PLAGUES upon theEgyptians, God had freed them.


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these pagans -- not break down, fight, or killthe PEOPLE.

God said HE would do the fighting. He woulddrive them out.

Notice verses 27 through 33. God said HE, notan Israelite army, would put terror in these

enemies, turn their backs to the Israelites, andsend hornets which would drive out these landpoachers, who had no right to have taken theland promised to Israel (the "PROMISEDLAND").

Notice verse 29: "I" -- God -- will drive themout, NOT all at once in one year, but (verse30), little by little.

God's Specific Application

This is God's specific application of thecommandment "Thou shalt not kill" to militaryorganization and war. It is GOD'S instructionfor mankind. He says plainly we humans mustnot fight -- shall not need to fight -- because weare commanded, instead, to RELY ON GOD.God has promised that, when we obey Him inthis, trusting Him, HE WILL FIGHT OURBATTLES FOR US. Spiritual as well asphysical!

We shall show many case histories thatdemonstrate this. The PRINCIPLE applies bothto physical and spiritual warfare, and to bothpersonal and national enemies.

Next, study Numbers 33:50-56. Here we findthe same teaching. When the people of Israelcross the Jordan and enter their promised land,GOD shall have delivered those idol-worshiping land-poachers (as He promised in

Exodus 23:31) into their hands, and theIsraelites were to "drive them out" of the land.Nowhere in this passage does God say theIsraelites are to use military weapons and KILLthese people. God already had promised HEwould deliver them into Israel's hands, withtheir backs to the Israelites. Driving them out isNOT killing. What they were to DESTROY(verse 52) was the idolatrous "pictures"

(margin: figured stones), and molten images(idols).

These passages give GOD'S teaching formankind. God does not have one way forIsraelites and a different way for Gentiles. Goddoes not have one way for one time, and adifferent way for another time. God is no

respecter of persons. He says, "I CHANGENOT."

This is GOD'S teaching -- in His Word!

ANYTHING CONTRARY TO THISTEACHING, THEREFORE, IS SIN!

WHY Israel Did Fight

But, one may well ask, didn't Israel fight?

Did not that nation arm itself and go to war?Did they not KILL? Did not God even commandthem to go to war and kill?

The answer is YES -- but in no way does thisalter or nullify or refute the ABOVETEACHING, as we shall show.

Few, indeed, have ever understood WHYIsrael went to war. They should never have

done so -- as we shall clearly demonstrate.

So now UNDERSTAND why Israel did go towar! Understand how they SINNED in sodoing!

God did not intend that these people shouldever need to go to war. In delivering them outof Egypt, in order that they should not SEEwar, become discouraged or fearful, and wantto return to Egypt, He took them on a far-

around way to the Promised Land.

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"When Pharaoh let the people go, God did notlead them by way of the land of the Philistines,although that was near; for God said, 'Lest thepeople repent [change their minds] when theySEE WAR, and return to Egypt.' But God ledthe people round by the way of ... the Red Sea..." (Exodus 13:17-18, Revised StandardVersion).


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Even before they had reached Sinai a chain ofsignificant incidents occurred. After theMIRACLES God had performed in FREEINGthem from slavery in Egypt, protecting them,blessing them, FIGHTING their military battlefor them, leading them miraculously by a cloudby day and pillar of fire by night, these peoplebegan to gripe, grumble, complain and

DISOBEY God.

Even in face of such incredible MIRACLES,they began, even then to LOSE FAITH.

These people -- 600,000 men, beside womenand children -- came to the Red Sea. Therewere no ships, no bridges. They could notswim such a distance. They could not walk onthe water. They were STOPPED by thisobstacle beyond their own power.

They looked, and within eyesight Pharaoh'sARMY was coming after them.

How God Fights Our Battles

Right here, before they reached Mt. Sinai --before they heard God's own great voicethundering His Ten Commandments -- Goddemonstrated the pattern He would follow inpreserving His people from having to undergo

military service, or fighting in war, or takinghuman life!

Here is God's living EXAMPLE NUMBER ONE!

Yet even here, the people of Israel, in fright,grumbled, complained, accused -- lacked faithin God.

These Israelites had started out of Egypt "withan high hand" (Exodus 14:8). "But the

Egyptians pursued after them, all the horsesand chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen,and his ARMY, and overtook them encampingby the sea .... And when Pharaoh drew nigh,the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and,behold, the Egyptians marched after them; andthey were sore afraid: and the children of Israelcried out to the Lord. And they said untoMoses, Because there were no graves inEgypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the

wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt with us,to carry us out of Egypt? Is not this the wordthat we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let usalone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For ithad been better for us to serve the Egyptians,than that we should die in the wilderness"(Exodus 14:9-12).

But God's PURPOSE was not to be defeated.He PURPOSED to deliver them out of Egyptianslavery. He PURPOSED to show them -- andall nations, and all humanity -- that HE wouldfight their battles for them. So, in spite of theirfaithless complaining in this initial EXAMPLE ofGod's faithfulness -- in spite of their lack of faith-- He was determined to fight this battle andsave them.

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not,

stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,which HE WILL SHOW YOU to day .... TheLord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold yourpeace" (verses 13-14).

The Israelites were not to fight -- but stand still!They were to see God save them fromPharaoh's ARMY. God was going to SHOWTHEM that He would fight their wars for them!They were to remain at PEACE!

How God DID Fight for Them

Then God's angel moved behind the Israelites,and the great dark cloud moved between themand the Egyptian army. It held the Egyptianarmy from attacking Israel all night, butilluminated the way before Israel. Then Godparted the waters of the sea, holding themback by divine MIRACLE, so that the watersformed a high wall on both sides, and theIsraelites marched across on the dry floor of

the sea.

Now notice the dramatic example of how Godmiraculously fought Israel's battle for them, asrecorded in the Moffatt translation:

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"Moses stretched his hand out over the sea ....Then the Eternal swept the sea along by astrong east wind, all night, till the watersparted; the bed of the sea was dry, and the


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Israelites marched through the sea on dryground, the waters forming a wall to the rightand left. The Egyptians in pursuit of them wentinto the sea, all the Pharaoh's horses andchariots and cavalry. And in the watch beforethe dawn the Eternal looked out from thecolumn of fire and cloud on the Egyptian armyand threw them into a panic; He clogged their

chariot-wheels till they drove heavily. TheEgyptians cried, 'Let us flee from the Israelites!The Eternal is fighting for them against theEgyptians!' Then said the Eternal to Moses,'Stretch your hand out over the sea, to makethe waters flow back upon the chariots andcavalry of the Egyptians!' Moses stretched hishand out over the sea. Then, as morningbroke, the sea returned to its wonted flow, andwhile the Egyptians were fleeing against it, theEternal overwhelmed the Egyptians in the

middle of the sea; the waters did flow backover the chariots and cavalry, over the wholearmy of the Pharaoh, which had followed theminto the sea, till not a single one of them wasleft. But the Israelites had walked through thesea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall toright and left. Thus did the Eternal save Israelthat day from the Egyptians, till Israel saw theEgyptians lying dead on the sea shore; Israelsaw the mighty

action of the Eternal against the Egyptians,AND THE PEOPLE STOOD IN AWE OF THEETERNAL, BELIEVING IN THE ETERNAL andin His servant Moses' (Exodus 14:21-31).

Their Faith Short-Lived

Yes, for a short while, the spell of AWE stillover them, these people actually BELIEVED inGod. Trusting God to DO what He haspromised requires believing in MIRACLES, you

say? OF COURSE! Salvation requiresmiracles! God is a miracle-working God!

After this miraculous delivery from disaster --from a WAR -- a whole army of a then greatnation destroyed -- those Israelites expresseda little temporary FAITH. With Moses, theysang a song of praise and rejoicing: "I will singunto the Lord .... The Lord is my strength and

song, and he is become my salvation" (Exodus15:1-2).

But now UNDERSTAND the lesson here!

Egypt is a type of SIN. God was, figuratively intype, delivering these people out of SIN. Theywere starting out on GOD's WAY of life.

But, UNDERSTAND!!! -- God's way of liferequires FAITH. It is a life of OBEDIENCE toGod. Obedience requires FAITH. We areSAVED by GRACE, through FAITH "and thatnot of yourselves: it is the gift of GOD"(Ephesians 2:8). But not by a DEAD faith! It isa LIVING faith that makes obedience possible.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego (Daniel 3)obeyed God's command against idol worship --

but their stout refusal to bow down toNebuchadnezzar's idol was possible only bytheir RELIANCE ON GOD to protect anddeliver them. They TRUSTED God (Daniel3:28). They exercised FAITH -- living faith!Empty, dead faith -- just BELIEVING that Godexists -- is not the faith that saves. "Thedemons also believe, and tremble" (James2:19).

But faith and obedience must ENDURE! The

newly freed Israelite slaves, still under the spellof AWE after experiencing such miracles,expressed faith and sang.

But they didn't believe very deeply or for verylong. When they came to Marah, they foundthe water too bitter to drink. This one littleproblem in their path brought them again tocomplaining and DOUBTING (Exodus 15:24).

Again, by a miracle, God made the waterssweet.

The TEST of Obedience

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Moses led these people on to the wilderness ofSin -- between Elim and Sinai. They had nowbeen gone from Egypt one month. And again,"the whole congregation of the children ofIsrael murmured against Moses and Aaron inthe wilderness and the children of Israel saidunto them, Would to God we had died by the


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It was altogether unnecessary for theseIsraelites to arm themselves and wage WAR.

It was WRONG! It was SIN. But God let thedecision be theirs! This incident was theturning point.

It occurred before they reached Mt. Sinai. It

was after this that God laid before them HisPROPOSAL for them to become His nation,ruled by His GOVERNMENT.

It was after this that God promised, conditionedon obedience and faith, always to fight theirbattles for them -- to protect them from war --to give them constant PEACE.

It was after this that they accepted HisGovernment over them. But already they had

shown lack of faith and trust, even during thedays when God was DEMONSTRATING Hispower and faithfulness by so many miracles!

They had experienced a taste of war. Theycould have -- should have -- turned from it,afterward, and relied on God instead of theirown power.

But they didn't.

Refusal to Have Peace

Later, shortly before the Israelites, underJoshua, finally did enter the Promised Landafter 40 years, Moses wrote for them -- and forus today as well -- this account of theirREFUSAL through lack of faith to let GODsave them from WAR.

You'll read it in the first chapter ofDeuteronomy. Here is the gist of it in the

Moffatt version:

"The Eternal our God said to us at Horeb [Mt.Sinai], 'You have stayed long enough amongthe hills here; move on, away into thehighlands of the Amorites and all thesurrounding country .... I hand this land over toyou, as far as the great river, the riverEuphrates ....' On setting out from Horeb wepassed through that wide awful desert, as you

saw, on our way to the Amorite highlands .... Isaid to you, 'Now you have reached the

Amorite highlands, which the ETERNAL ourGod is to give us; here is the ETERNAL yourGod handing over the land to you; march inand take possession of it, as the ETERNAL theGod of your fathers has told you: FEAR NOT,neither be dismayed.' "

But the people DID fear -- and they weredismayed! They didn't BELIEVE GOD!Continue the account:

"Then you all came to me," Moses continued,"and proposed to send some men in front, toexplore the land and bring back word about theroute you should follow ..." instead ofproceeding in FAITH on the route GOD wouldlead. Moses continued: "... so I chose twelve

men, one for each [tribe], and they made theirway into the highlands as far as the wady ofEshcol, which they explored. Then, carryingsome fruit of the country, they brought it downto us, with this report: 'It is a fine land that theETERNAL our God is to give us.' But youwould not march up; YOU REBELLED againstthe orders of the ETERNAL your God, andgrumbled in your tents, 'It is because theETERNAL hates us that He has brought us outof the land of Egypt to hand us over to the

Amorites, to be destroyed! What is our fate tobe? Our friends have made our courage meltby telling us that the people are stronger andtaller than ourselves, and the towns are walledup to the sky; besides, they saw giants in theland!'

"Then I said to you," Moses continued, "'Dreadthem not, have no fear of them. The ETERNALyour God who goes in front of you, HE WILLFIGHT FOR YOU; HE WILL DO IT ALL FOR

YOU, as you saw him do in Egypt, and also inthe desert, where you saw how the ETERNALyour God carried you forward, as a man carrieshis boy, all the long road till you reached thisplace.' But, for all I said, you would not trust theETERNAL your God, who had gone in front ofyou upon the road, by fire during the night, andby a cloud during the day."

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These Israelites simply would neither BELIEVEnor OBEY the living GOD!

God's PURPOSE Stands!

Even though God ALLOWS humans to maketheir own decisions -- allows them to SIN --allows nations to go to WAR -- neverthelessGod's PURPOSE must stand! His PURPOSEwas to settle these descendants of Abraham inthe land He had promised Abraham "the

PROMISED LAND."

By their continuous disbelief, lack of relianceon GOD, and reliance only on PHYSICALWARFARE, they made the DECISION to be,like all the nations of the earth, a WARRINGNATION!

Actually, reliance on military arms, physicalforce, and human allies, is SIN. It breaks God'sCommandment, "Thou SHALT NOT KILL!

God's promise to Abraham, 430 years before,had been made unconditional. Abraham hadperformed his part of that agreement. He hadobeyed God, kept God's commandments andlaws (Genesis 26:5). Now God's faithfulnessdemanded that He plant these people in thatland, regardless of their conduct!

The fact that ALL nations have chosen this wayof SIN does not make it RIGHT! And theindividual Christian, today, having God's Spirit,and in God's CHURCH, must face this questionand decide for himself whether he will go alongTHE WAY OF SIN, as the overwhelming

majority are doing, or whether he will OBEYGOD, and then TRUST GOD with his life --TRUST GOD alone!

It was GOD'S responsibility to place these

people in the Promised Land, driving out theinhabitants. It was Israel's responsibility todecide HOW this would be done -- whether torely on God to do the fighting, driving out theillegal inhabitants, or to arm themselves, fight,and engage in war.

Nations CAN Choose Peace!

Would it seen preposterous to chiefs of statetoday, to believe that even NOW God Almightyactually would fight our wars for us -- that OURnations, today, could actually have PEACE --and have it this very year?

These descendants of Abraham had madetheir decision to be a fighting, war-wagingnation.

That decision was theirs to make.Undoubtedly it would! World leaders today -- in

ALL nations -- have gotten so far from God andGod's ways, and God has become so UNREALto them that it probably would seem ridiculouseven to suggest such a thing. The scientists,the industrial and commercial leaders, theeducators -- yes, and even the CLERGY --have all departed so FAR from God and HISWAYS, that such a thought could not evenenter their minds.

And since they had made it, God used them todo the fighting in driving out the inhabitantsillegally possessing the land God had allottedto Abraham's descendants. Consequently Godgave orders for them to do what fighting -- andkilling -- was necessary to accomplish God'sPURPOSE of putting them in the land ofpromise!

But that did not make war RIGHT. Whether toDO right or wrong -- that is MAN'S decision!These Israelites did not need to fight!

Yet the ETERNAL has not left us withoutabsolute ASSURANCE! He has recorded, inHis Word, not only His promises, but threeadditional concrete case histories -- in additionto those already recounted in this booklet --proving that He ACTUALLY DID DO THEFIGHTING for a nation being invaded, whenthat nation and its rulers TRUSTED HIM.

So it was BECAUSE of Israel's faithfulness anddisobedience that God ALLOWED them to SINby taking up arms. And therefore God usedthem as His instruments in driving out thenations illegally in their land.

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God allowed them to make their OWNWRONG decision to fight. So He said -- inthese special war regulations "When thougoest out to battle," and they find themselvesfacing a superior military force "BE NOT

AFRAID ... for the Lord thy God is with thee ..."(Deuteronomy 20:1).

Even at that later date the Israelites could haveREPENTED, changed their decision, andtrusted God to fight their battles for them.

God had given the Israelites every chance.They were without excuse!

But, even as in our personal and national lives

today, one sin invariably leads to another.Whatever is not of FAITH is SIN (Romans14:23.)

When they approached the actual battle, it wasNOT the army general or military commander-in-chief who was to give the orders, BUT THEPRIEST! The priest shall say: "Hear, O Israel,ye approach this day unto battle against yourenemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, anddo not tremble, neither be ye terrified becauseof them." And why? Not because Israel had asuperior military force -- for they were greatlyoutnumbered. Not because of superior militarystrategy, but "for the Lord your God is he that

goeth with you, TO FIGHT FOR YOU againstyour enemies, TO SAVE YOU" (verses 3-4).

Having committed the sin of DOUBT, theseIsraelites proceeded to commit the SIN OFFIGHTING -- of WAR!

God ALLOWED THIS! And for good reason!Without free moral agency God's PURPOSEfor having placed humans on this planet would

be frustrated! That PURPOSE is thedevelopment of righteous CHARACTER -- andit necessitates FREE MORAL AGENCY!

Then this law provides EXEMPTIONS frommilitary service.God's PURPOSE must stand, even though

God allows humans to rebel and sin! HisPURPOSE in placing the Israelites in thePROMISED LAND had to stand -- and GODSAW TO IT. Israel's SIN could not prevent it!

If a man has built a new house, and notdedicated it -- planted a vineyard and not yetenjoyed its fruits -- become betrothed, and notyet taken his wife to him -- he shall be senthome. If any man is faint-hearted and terrified,

he is to return home, lest his presence causeothers to lose heart also.

So NOW YOU KNOW the reason why the

nation Israel went to war!

God's Laws Relating to WarFinally, when Israel's army draws close to theenemy, they were to offer peace beforefighting, and fight only if the enemy rejectspeace. Quite different from the laws and rulesof warfare used by any nation today!

Since Israel exercised their God-allowedprerogative of making the wrong decision forWAR, it is true that God gave them speciallaws relating to war. They are found inDeuteronomy 20.

Why God Ordered Them to War

But NOTICE! They are not laws of military

strategy! They did not justify or glorify war.They did not teach Israelites to hate, want tokill, or become skilled in the arts and strategyof warfare or military tactics.

But one may ask this question:

If war is wrong -- if it is SIN -- if it is contrary toGod's WAY for man, then WHY did God, onoccasion, actually order the Israelites to go towar and kill?These laws still concerned God's fighting for

them -- even though they had decided to go towar. And these laws concerned militaryexemption for certain reasons.

Consider these TWO FACTS:

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But, did GOD do wrong, in using the war-determined Israelites to drive out thesenations, and to kill? NEVER!

1) Israel had sinned in a) not TRUSTING Godto do the fighting for them; and b) in disobeyingGod's commandment against war. They hadCHOSEN to be a war-waging nation. Thedecision was WRONG. Yet God compels manto decide WHETHER to sin. If he does, hebrings on himself the penalty. THE FACT,therefore, must be realized that ISRAEL

REFUSED TO RELY ON GOD TO DO THEFIGHTING; and CHOSE to be a warringnation.

Remember this basic truth: God alone has theright to take human life, since He alone is theGIVER of life.

Because of Israel's faithlessness anddisobedience, God used them as Hisinstrument in TAKING LIFE, which God had fullright to do!

2) God's PURPOSE must stand, regardless ofwhat men do. It was God's PURPOSE to installIsrael in, and to drive certain people out ofGod's holy land, which He had PROMISED tothe children of Abraham, Isaac and Israel.These nations had taken and possessed thatland illegally.

There is NO UNRIGHTEOUSNESS WITHGOD! But Israel had chosen the way of SIN ingoing to war. Even then, they could havechanged their decision.

The divine GIVER of human life has the right to

take the lives He gave. They belong to HIM!But for any human, or nation, of his or its ownvolition, on his or its own initiative, to takehuman life is SIN. The life he takes is not his --but GOD'S! He not only commits murder -- healso STEALS or takes what is GOD'S.

Since Israel was not going to rely on GOD todrive out these nations, but elected to be aWAR-making nation, God used them toaccomplish His PURPOSE of exterminatingthese land-poachers. Therefore, He orderedthem to do what was required to make HISPURPOSE stand! Even his own life belongs to God. The suicide

takes a human life that belongs to God!Understand this! The fulfillment of the divinePURPOSE does not depend on humans -- it

depends on GOD'S action, not man's.

When God has made it one of the ten basic

SINS for man to take human life -- and made itunnecessary for man to go to war by promisingto take care of the wars Himself supernaturally,then the nation which CHOOSES to be aWAR-waging nation has committed SIN. Andevery individual who enters its militaryorganization is committing SIN.

Actually, even though this Israelitish nationrebelled against God's command against warand killing -- even though they made theirdecision to become a war-making nation, likeall others -- even though GOD used them indriving out nations from the Promised Land, itis still considered in GOD'S WORD that it wasGOD who thrust out these foreign nations fromIsrael's land.

Israel had made that decision. Other nations,too -- all had made it. Since the nations of thisworld do fight, God allows them to commit this

SIN. Yet, to carry out HIS PURPOSE, GodHimself determines the outcome of wars. Andsince Israel already had rejected HIM as itswar-making force, He even ordered them tofulfill HIS PURPOSE, which must beaccomplished! But that did not whitewashIsrael from having deliberately rebelled andchosen to fight in war in violation of GOD'SWAY.

In Acts 7:45, New Testament, it speaks of "theGentiles, whom GOD drave out before the faceof our fathers, unto the days of David." In theRSV, it is, "Our fathers in turn brought it [the

Ark of God] in with Joshua when theydispossessed the nations WHICH GODTHRUST OUT before our fathers ....'

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God's Right to Take Life


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ILLUSTRATION: When God commandedAbraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, the life ofIsaac belonged to God. If GOD ordered his lifetaken, that was God's right. If He ordered

Abraham to be His instrument in taking it, itwas still GOD who was the responsible party intaking what was HIS to take. Had Abrahamrefused, his rebellion would have been sin. Of

course, it was a test. As soon as Abrahamproved his obedience, which required FAITH(James 2:20-24), God provided a lambsubstitute and reversed His order about slayingIsaac.

David's Killing in War

God called David a man after His own heart.

David was a warrior. David killed many people.As king, he waged WAR. But that did not makewar right. God held David accountable for hisblood guiltiness.

David very seriously desired to build the greatTemple in Jerusalem. Notice what King Davidsaid to Solomon his son:

"My son, as for me, it was in my mind to buildan house unto the name of the Lord my God.

But the word of the Lord came to me, saying,Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hastmade great wars: thou shalt not build an houseunto my name, because thou hast shed muchblood upon the earth. Behold, a son shall beborn to thee, who shall be a man of rest; ... andI will give PEACE and quietness unto Israel inhis days. He shall build an house for my name..." (I Chronicles 22:7-10).

David was a "man after God's own heart" NOT

because of his wars, his fighting, his killing.

God PUNISHED him for that!

What did endear David to God was, first of all,David's willingness to admit it when he waswrong, and to REPENT. David loved andobeyed God's Law (Psalm 119:97). His

ATTITUDE was right. He was humble, yet hewas strong and unafraid. He was FAIR in his

dealings; he respected authority and thoseover him; he was compassionate and merciful;he was honest and straightforward. David hadmany wives, but if you will research the recordcarefully, you will perhaps be surprised to findthat he repented of this, put away hisconcubines, and in his latter years had onlyone wife. David sinned -- but he acknowledged

his sins, and repented (Psalm 51)

Treating Effect -- Ignoring CAUSE!

It's just as simple as this: There is a CAUSE forevery EFFECT -- yet the whole society andway of life in the world today is based ontreating the effect, IGNORING the CAUSE! Ourpeople do it in treating sickness and disease.They do it in dealing with crime. They do it inWORKING FOR PEACE!

Everybody wants PEACE -- or at least, so thenations profess! They WORK for PEACE! Yetthere is no peace!

WHY?

The very NEWS of all this "working for peace"was reported millenniums ago in biblicalprophecy! But, it was also reported, "the WAYOF PEACE they know not ..." (Isaiah 59:8).

So, the nations and world leaders CRY for"peace" -- work for "peace," while theyendorse, sanction, and continue the way ofWAR! They follow the way that is the CAUSEof WAR, trying to STOP war by dealing withthe effect, ignoring the CAUSE!

WHY Must There Be WARS?

Many ask, "Well, if there be a God, WHY does

God allow wars?"

They argue: "If God is LOVE, He surelywouldn't want all this suffering. And if God is

ALL-POWERFUL, He could prevent wars! Sowhy doesn't He?"

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The answer is, certainly God could stop it --and in very few years will! But, why in thefuture? Why did He ever allow it?


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But, an objector argues, "That's a prettyplatitude -- but it's not practical. It would neverwork! Any nation that would follow thatcommand would be attacked and beaten bysome other nation that was more practical."

Because a PURPOSE is being worked outhere below! Man was put here on earth todevelop righteous character! That purposenecessitates free moral agency in man. It isabsolutely necessary that man be given boththe prerogative and the ability to make his ownchoice, and exercise his own will! Otherwise --NO CHARACTER!

Oh, but that way WOULD WORK! That way ISpractical!

There is a way that will prevent WAR, andproduce PEACE -- a way to happiness, andabundant well-being for everybody!

I repeat, the Creator understands humannature better than we humans do! He providedfor that!

The ETERNAL offered mankind that way -- andlet mankind choose! The ETERNAL createdand set in motion inexorable laws that work --not only laws of chemistry and physics -- butalso a basic SPIRITUAL LAW, which is theway to peace, happiness, abundant well-being!

That LAW is the basic CAUSE of peace. Itsviolation is the CAUSE of war!

Do you think the Almighty Creator is soimpractical that He leaves those who OBEYHIM -- who accept HIS GOVERNMENT overthem -- helpless? Understand this! God

Almighty is SUPREME! He created theUNIVERSE -- and He RULES SUPREME over

the entire vast UNIVERSE. He RULES overthe earth -- and whatever men do in theirpolitics -- their wars -- their setting up of theirown forms of government -- is done ONLYBECAUSE GOD ALLOWS IT! He did makehumans free moral agents.

Yes, it's just that simple!

But a rebellious humanity -- priding itself on itsrational processes of "intellect" -- willinglyblinds its mind to simple Truth, and embarks ona system of complicated and nonsensicalERROR!

Government Responsibility to ProtectCitizenry

God is SUPREME in Government! Again I

remind you. A prime responsibility ofGOVERNMENT is to PROTECT its ownsubjects!

Human nature is basically rebellious againstGod, and the inexorable laws of God (Romans8:7).

So open your eyes, now, to the FACTS asrecorded in four case histories!

The Creator laid before man the KNOWLEDGEof His Law -- the knowledge of HOW TO

AVOID WARS! But yielding to human nature --vanity, greed self-centeredness -- rebellionagainst God's Law of PEACE -- that is theCAUSE of wars!

God did take a people -- as I have alreadyshown -- a family of some two to three millionSLAVES, children of God's friend Abraham --and offered to set them up as a nation UNDER

HIS GOVERNMENT!Nations Never Needed Go to War!

To any people -- whether an individual, anation, or even all nations -- who will voluntarilysubject themselves under God'sGOVERNMENT, God says the SAME THING -- He is no respecter of persons! What He saidto these Israelites, He says to ALL:

In respect to war, the basic point of God'sspiritual Law is the Sixth Commandment. Itsays, simply, "Thou shalt not kill."

If all nations OBSERVED that command ofGod, and followed the way of LOVE andPEACE, there would be no war!

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In those days the Jews also had a sizable army-- but not nearly large enough to withstand aninvasion of a force of a million troops.

Perhaps, had the Ethiopians come with asmaller army, Asa might have gone to war withthem, relying wholly on his armed force,instead of on God. But, regardless, the FACT

is that in this instance this king did rely on Godfor his defense!

"And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, andsaid, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help,whether with many, or with them that have NOPOWER: help us, O Lord our God; for we reston thee, and in thy name we go against thismultitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let notman prevail against THEE! So the Lord smotethe Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah;

and the Ethiopians fled"! (II Chronicles 14:11-12.)

But there is an unhappy sequel to thistremendous event -- where reliance on GODput A MILLION ARMED MEN TO FLIGHT!

In the 36th year the king of ISRAEL, Baasha,came with an armed force against the Jews.Incidentally, note carefully, the Kingdom ofISRAEL was here fighting against the JEWS of

the Kingdom of JUDAH! They were twoaltogether different nations! The people of theKingdom of ISRAEL never were called Jews!

This time Asa neglected to rely on God to fightoff the attacking military force! This time he didPRECISELY WHAT THE UNITED STATES

AND BRITAIN ARE DOING TODAY! He hiredan ALLY -- the Kingdom of Syria (II Chronicles16:1-3).

"And at that time Hanani the seer came to AsaKing of Judah, and said unto him, Becausethou hast relied on the King of Syria, and notrelied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the hostof the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims ahuge host, with very many chariots andhorsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on theLord, he delivered them into thine hand. Forthe eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout

the whole earth, to show himself STRONG inthe behalf of them whose heart is perfecttoward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly" --JUST LIKE THE UNITED STATES AND ALLNATIONS TODAY! -- 'therefore fromhenceforth THOU SHALT HAVE WARS' (IIChronicles 16:7-9).

If you wonder why OUR NATIONS arecontinually having WARS, there is youranswer!

Case History No. 3

The next case history involves Asa's son,Jehoshaphat, the next king of Judah.

Three allied armies came against Judah, with amighty military force.

"And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself toseek the Lord, and proclaimed a fastthroughout all Judah. And Judah gatheredthemselves together, to ask help of the Lord ....

"And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation ofJudah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord,before the new court, and said, O Lord God ofour fathers, art not thou God in heaven? andRULEST NOT THOU OVER ALL THE

KINGDOMS OF THE HEATHEN?" -- that is,over all Gentile nations, as well as Israelitish?

Continue: "and in thine hand is there notPOWER and MIGHT, so that none is able towithstand thee? Art not thou our GOD, whodidst drive out the inhabitants of this landbefore thy people Israel? ...And now, behold,the children of Ammon and Moab and MountSeir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade.... Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come

to cast us out of thy possession, which thouhast given to us to inherit. O our GOD, wilt thounot judge them? for WE HAVE NO MIGHT

AGAINST THIS GREAT COMPANY thatcometh against us; neither know we what todo: BUT OUR EYES ARE ON THEE"! (IIChronicles 20:3-12).

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Could God be GOD, and fail to heed aheartrending prayer like that -- coming from


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helpless people who were obeying andTRUSTING Him?

Immediately God answered through one of Hisprophets:

"Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nordismayed by reason of the great multitude; for

the battle is NOT YOURS, BUT GOD'S ....

"Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: setyourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvationof the Lord .... And Jehoshaphat bowed hishead with his face to the ground: and all Judahand the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before theLord, worshipping the Lord ....

"Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me OJudah ... Believe in the Lord your God, so shall

ye be established: believe His prophets, soshall you prosper. And ... he appointedSINGERS unto the Lord, and that shouldpraise the beauty of holiness, as they went outbefore the army, and to say, Praise the Lord;for his mercy endureth forever.

"And when they began to sing and praise, theLord set ambushments against the children of

Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, which werecome against Judah; and they were smitten.

For the children [soldiers] of Ammon and Moabstood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir,utterly to slay and destroy them: and when theyhad made an end of the inhabitants of Seir,every one helped to destroy another. Andwhen Judah came toward the watch tower inthe wilderness, they looked unto the multitude,and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen tothe earth, and none escaped" (II Chronicles20:15-24).

But would not most Americans, and British,hoot and jeer in sarcasm, if one suggested thatthe great and powerful United States TODAYhumble itself -- and trust in the INVISIBLE God-- and WORSHIP Him, bowing our heads to theground? Couldn't you just hear the snorts andraucous ridicule of stiff necked proud "Great"Britons at the suggestion that they send beforean armed enemy an army of SINGERS,

saying, "PRAISE THE ETERNAL!" -- instead ofrelying on the nation's MILITARY strength?

Yes, WOULDN'T it seem RIDICULOUS tosuggest that OUR proud nations do this --BELIEVE God's prophets (not the numerousfalse prophets who are NOT the clergy of thetrue living CHRIST), and march to war

SINGING praises "to the beauty of holiness"?

Well perhaps so! But that kind of "foolishness"turned out to be mighty PRACTICAL forJehoshaphat and those Jews!

Someday -- and in not more than a few yearsat that -- America and Britain will be forced toWAKE UP to the sobering REALIZATION ofwhich way is truly the "foolish way! And God'strue minister is telling you, as you read this,

that you'd better make the right choice NOW,before it's too late! For indeed it is later thanyou think!

Case History No. 4

Several years later, "After these things andthese acts of faithfulness Sennacherib king of

Assyria came and invaded Judah .... And whenHezekiah [king of Judah] saw that Sennacheribhad come and intended to fight against

Jerusalem, he ... gathered [the people]together to him in the square at the gate of thecity and spoke encouragingly to them saying,'Be strong and of good courage. Do not beafraid or dismayed before the king of Assyriaand all the horde that is with him; for there isone greater with us than with him. With him isan arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord ourGod, to help us and to fight our battles.' Andthe people took confidence from the words ofHezekiah king of Judah" (II Chronicles 32:1-8

RSV).

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Continue: "After this Sennacherib king ofAssyria ... sent his servants to Jerusalem toHezekiah king of Judah and to all the people ofJudah that were in Jerusalem, saying, 'Thussays Sennacherib king of Assyria, "On whatare you relying, that you stand siege inJerusalem? Is not Hezekiah misleading you,that he may give you over to die by famine and


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by thirst, when he tells you, 'The Lord our Godwill deliver us from the hand of the king of

Assyria?' ... Do you not know what I and myfathers have done to all the peoples of otherlands? Were the gods of the nations of thoselands at all able to deliver their lands out of myhand? ...How much less will your God deliveryou out of my hand?"'

"Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah theprophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because ofthis and cried to heaven. AND THE LORDSENT AN ANGEL, who cut off all the mightywarriors and commanders and officers in thecamp of the king of Assyria. So he returnedwith shame of face to his own land. And whenhe came into the house of his god, some of hisown sons struck him down there with thesword. So THE LORD SAVED HEZEKIAH

AND THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEMfrom the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyriaand from the hand OF ALL HIS ENEMIES; andHE GAVE THEM REST [PEACE] ON EVERYSIDE (II Chronicles 32:9-22 RSV).

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War is so needless! War IS WRONG

IF only OUR PEOPLE AS A WHOLE couldrecognize REALITY -- could understand thatGod IS REAL -- and would humble themselvesbefore Him, BELIEVE Him -- RELY ON Him!

But, if our people WILL NOT, then it is

decreed, we shall, in fewer years than you willbelieve, see OUR CITIES DESTROYED --along with a full third of our populations -- by aforeign invasion!

The God who IS REAL says of OURPEOPLES: "Prophesy against the prophets ofIsrael .... O Israel, thy prophets are like thefoxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up intothe gaps, neither made up the hedge for thehouse of Israel TO STAND in the BATTLE IN

THE DAY OF THE LORD" (Ezekiel 13:2, 4-5).

That is NOT a message to ancient Israel -- butto OUR NATIONS of TODAY. The "DAY OFTHE LORD" -- a time foretold in more thanthirty prophecies -- is going to strike thisgeneration sooner than some think! You willknow, then, how REAL it is. You will wish, then,you had heeded. I am not writing foolishly, butvery soberly, ON AUTHORITY of the livingCHRIST!

Continue this WARNING to OUR nationsTODAY: "They have seen vanity and lyingdivination, saying, The LORD saith: and theLord hath not sent them: ...Because, evenbecause they have seduced my people,saying, Peace; and there [is] no peace"!(Verses 6, 10.)

Perhaps you need to read the free booklet"The United States and Britain in Prophecy"

and then read this whole chapter seriously! It isa last WARNING from the ETERNAL GOD!

God says to US, TODAY: "Cast away from youall your transgressions, whereby ye havetransgressed; and make you a new heart and anew spirit; for WHY WILL YE DIE, O house ofIsrael? For I have no pleasure in the death ofhim that dieth, saith the Lord God, wherefore,

TURN YOURSELVES, and LIVE YE" (Ezekiel18:31-32).

Part Two

Is there any DIFFERENCE between God's

teaching for ancient Israel, and His teaching formembers of His Church TODAY?

Now we need to UNDERSTAND the relation ofGod's teaching, so far covered, to individualmembers of God's Church today.

Remember, with EMPHASIS, this basicTRUTH: Sin is SIN, whether committedbetween the time of Adam and the Flood,whether in ancient Israel, or today; whether by

Jew or Gentile; whether by a nation, a group ofpeople collectively, or by an individual --regardless of time.

And for emphasis we repeat: Popularacceptance, group approval or disapproval, ornational decree does not determine what isSIN -- or what is righteousness! Governmentsmay legislate what they regard as crime, butSIN IS the transgression of GOD'S Law. SINinvolves man's relationship with his Maker. And

we have shown, in the beginning, that GODand the laws of God are SUPREME inauthority, even over those of nations and theirhuman legislative bodies.

Although God's teaching directs us to be loyallysubject to the government under whose

jurisdiction we live, if, unhappily, there isconflict, God Almighty teaches us that we mustOBEY GOD, rather than man -- even thoughstill submissively subject to the national

authority.

But Is There a Difference?

But are there certain differences, revealed andmade plain by GOD in His Scriptures, betweenthe position of the young man in God's Churchtoday, and that of men in ancient Israel, inregard to military service?

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There are certain differences which should beUNDERSTOOD.

But the difference is not between the nationthen, and the individual today. Nor is itbetween the nation then, and the nation now;nor between individuals then and now.

But there is a difference between the OldTestament CHURCH -- called TheCONGREGATION of Israel, and the NewTestament CHURCH of GOD. And, althoughsin is sin regardless, the same for the one asthe other, there still is a certain differencebetween the individual who is a Spirit-begottenmember of the Church of God, and one who isnot.

The Spirit-begotten Christian, who has

received the Holy Spirit of God, and in whomGod's Spirit actually dwells, has a spiritualmind. The unconverted has a natural, or carnalmind. This does not in any sense make militaryservice a sin for one, and righteousness for theother. Sin, as stated above, is SIN -- the samefor the one as the other.

Yet the one does approach this question froma certain different position than the other.

A New SPIRITUAL CITIZENSHIP

Old Testament Israel was not called to, noroffered, spiritual salvation.

But, Jesus of Nazareth came proclaiming, notthe physical worldly Kingdom of ISRAEL, butthe Spirit-born KINGDOM OF GOD. And Hepromised for His CHURCH the gift of God'sHoly Spirit (John 16:7, 13; 15:26; Acts 1:8).This comes by God's GRACE, upon two

conditions: repentance, and faith.

WHO, according to the New Testament, is trulyand actually a Christian? Those who havereceived, and in whom now "dwells," THEHOLY SPIRIT (Romans 8:9), and they only!The Holy Spirit imparts, provisionally andconditionally, the very divine and immortal LIFEof GOD. It imparts a new NATURE -- theDivine Nature (II Peter 1:4). It OPENS THE

MIND to comprehension of Spiritual knowledge(I Corinthians 2:11).

The natural-born MIND of man -- even the"great minds" of the world's great -- CANNOTcomprehend God's spiritual TRUTH (ICorinthians 2:7-11, 14).

Once a human has received God's Holy Spirit,he has been BEGOTTEN as a SON OF GOD.Not yet born of God, because he is still an Heir-- not an inheritor or possessor. He is a JOINT-HEIR with Christ (Romans 8:14-17). Even aconverted person Gentile born, becomes anHEIR of GOD, according to the spiritual(Scepter) promise to Abraham (Galatians 3:28-29).

But, at and after Christ's coming to RULE all

nations, in the WORLD TOMORROW, theseheirs shall then INHERIT God's Kingdom(Matthew 25:34; Daniel 7:22).

The presence of God's Holy Spirit CHANGESone -- changes his whole attitude, from one ofhostility to God (Romans 8:7) to submission,obedience, and faith -- changes his outlook onlife -- changes his WAY OF LIFE, so that itbecomes GOD-centered rather than SELF-centered.

Israel of the Old Testament was one of thekingdoms of this world!

But the truly converted Christian, receiving andbeing led in his life by God's Holy Spirit, is abegotten, though yet unborn son of GOD, assurely as once, in his mother's womb, he was abegotten, though yet unborn son of his humanparents.

The Gospel Jesus brought from God andproclaimed to men taught plainly that theKINGDOM OF GOD is the Divine Family intowhich we may be BORN (John 3:3-8). TheKINGDOM OF GOD also is the supernaturaldivine GOVERNMENT of GOD, of which Jesusof Nazareth was born to become the KING(Luke 1:30-33).

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We are, naturally, born citizens, or subjects, ofthe government under which we have beenborn (or naturalized). As such, we are LOYALcitizens or subjects. We LOVE our country. Weare SUBJECT to its laws, its authority. WE

ACKNOWLEDGE NO OTHER ALLEGIANCETO ANY EARTHLY POWER!

Jesus Christ Himself plainly said He wasBORN to become the KING of the Kingdom ofGod, while on trial for His life before PontiusPilate (John 18:37). But, He said, "MYKINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD: if myKingdom were of this world, then would myservants fight, that I should not be delivered tothe Jews: but now my Kingdom is not from

hence." (That is, from this world.) BUT, we now also have a spiritual citizenship,IN HEAVEN. But we are not in heaven, buthere on earth WHAT THEN?Yes, ancient Israel was one of the kingdoms --

or nations -- of THIS WORLD -- and, althoughno nation should fight -- none needs to fight --they DO go to war and fight, and Israel didfight.

We are here on earth as "AMBASSADORSFOR CHRIST" (II Corinthians 5:20). Even

Abraham, whose were the PROMISES, wasmerely a sojourner in the promised land, "as ina strange country." He is the father of thefaithful, and spiritually we are here in the sameway, even though we have national citizenship,

AS AMBASSADORS representing KINGCHRIST who is IN HEAVEN.

But Jesus made plain that HIS PEOPLE, nowthe begotten citizens of His KINGDOM, DONOT FIGHT! If His Kingdom were one of this

world's governments, then His servants -- Hiscitizens would fight! As it is, His PEOPLE DONOT FIGHT!

This spiritual CITIZENSHIP -- to be brought,later, literally to this earth -- does make adifference between the one who HAS IT, andowes spiritual ALLEGIANCE to it, and onewhose only citizenship is to a war-makingkingdom of THIS WORLD.

So, UNDERSTAND THIS!

The reception of God's Holy Spirit throughJesus Christ begets one into this SPIRITUALKINGDOM. AS long as God's Spirit dwellswithin him, he has SPIRITUAL CITIZENSHIPin GOD'S KINGDOM. Thus, the true Spirit-begotten Christian, in a

sense, has a new DUAL citizenship. But, in hisnew CHRISTIAN LIFE -- his primaryallegiance, above all, is to ALMIGHTY GODTHE CREATOR, and to his Lord and SaviorJESUS CHRIST, coming KING of the Kingdomof God! He is completely loyal in his heart, hisattitude, his sympathies, his obligations,concerning all governments of this world, toHIS COUNTRY in which he was born or hasnational citizenship.

Now notice Philippians 3:20-21: "For OURCITIZENSHIP [see margin] is in heaven, fromwhence also we look for the Savior, the LordJesus Christ: who shall change our vile body,that it may be fashioned like unto hisGLORIOUS body ..." (See also I Corinthians15:49-54; Revelation 1:13-16.)

The Spirit-begotten true Christian receives aNEW, a different, a SPIRITUAL CITIZENSHIP!

He becomes a CITIZEN of the KINGDOM OFGOD! But, since God's Kingdom has not yetcome to earth, as it shall, to RULE ALLNATIONS under the glorified CHRIST as KINGof kings, this spiritual citizenship ISRESERVED IN HEAVEN, as of now!

Most civil government laws are based, inprinciple, on God's Great Law, the TenCommandments. Laws against murder,stealing, etc., are all based on God's principles.

Then, WHAT IS OUR STATUS?

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But, where there might be conflict, as betweennational obligations and COMMANDS OFGOD, as we have shown from the beginning --for the true Spirit-begotten Christian, HE MUSTOBEY GOD, even though still being subject to


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penalties, if need be, of his nationalgovernment.

His PHYSICAL citizenship -- his EARTHLYcitizenship -- his NATIONAL citizenship iswholeheartedly confined to his nationalcountry. But he also has a SPIRITUALcitizenship, which in NO WAY is hostile toward,

or an enemy of, his country of this world. Andhe will, in most cases, make a BETTERCITIZEN for his earthly nation than those whodo not have this obedient subjection to the Godwho is the God of our nation, after all!

As an AMBASSADOR for CHRIST, he abidesloyally with all laws, rules and regulations ofthis earthly country, pays taxes, pays his way --but, as the United States Ambassador to theSoviet Union does not fight in the Red Army,

he takes no part in the military establishment.

Jesus did not join the Roman army, whichcontrolled Palestine when He was on earth.Christ, today, in us, will not enter the militaryservice. The true Christian today is like the

Apostle Paul, who said: "I am crucified withChrist: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christliveth IN ME; and the life which I now live in theflesh I live by the faith of the Son of God ..."(Galatians 2:20)

God's Word teaches that CHRIST, in Spirit,MUST LIVE IN US -- "Christ IN YOU, the hopeof glory" (Colossians 1:27).

Carnality in a man will fight, and think it right.His so thinking does not make it right --because GOD, not man, defines what is SINand what is righteousness. "There is a waywhich seemeth right unto a man, but the endthereof are the ways of DEATH" (Proverbs

14:12; 16:25)

Sin is SIN, regardless. But we do not judgethose who think military service and killing inwar is right. God has not set us to be their

judges. Neither do we condemn them.

The judgment of God is NOW on the House ofGod. The true Christian, who has thisUNDERSTANDING, is held accountable,

NOW! Judgment on the WORLD will come withthe coming of Christ to rule! We do not say thatthis makes it RIGHT for the unconverted toparticipate in war, because he thinks it right.But God knows how, equitably, to judge eachone.

Still we say, if ANY nation would OBEY GOD in

His commands against killing, and war, andwould RELY ON GOD, who commands, "ThouSHALT NOT KILL," God would fight its battles,and that nation would have PEACE!

Personal Application of the Command

Now notice NEW TESTAMENT teaching inregard to this command, "Thou shalt not kill."

Jesus said, "Think NOT that I am come to

destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not cometo destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say untoyou, Till heaven and earth pass, but to fulfill.For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earthpass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise passfrom the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17-18).

He set us an example, of obedience to the Law(John 15:10), that we should follow Hisexample (I Peter 2:21). And so WE, too, must

fulfill the Law (James 2:8), two of whose pointsare "Do not commit adultery," and "Do not kill"(verse 11).

Far from abolishing God's Law, transgressionof which is SIN, Jesus put a magnifying glasson it -- so that we might see how to obey it inPRINCIPLE, and in SPIRIT, not merelyaccording to literal letter.

Jesus Christ came into this world to "magnify"

God's law and make it honourable (Isaiah42:21). Jesus cast a spotlight as it were on theTen Commandments, and showed their realspiritual intent and meaning in the full Christianlife.

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Jesus said: "Ye have heard that it was said bythem of old time, Thou shalt not kill; andwhosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the

judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever


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is angry with his brother without a cause shallbe in danger of the judgment: and whosoevershall say to his brother, Raca, shall be indanger of the council: but whosoever shall say,Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire"(Matthew 5:21-22).

Here, killing, murder, war, is traced to its

source -- hate, anger, self-centeredness ofcarnality, greed, lust, spirit of competition, spiritof aggression.

Christ declared that if personal anger filled theheart of one of His subjects, such a person isin danger of judgment. If that anger leads aman to have utter derision and contempt for hisfellow human being, that man shall be "indanger of the council" -- of God's punishment.If in bitterness and scorn a man shall say of his

fellow, "Thou fool," an expression which in theoriginal Greek marked condemnation, such aman shall be "in danger of the hell of fire."

This is Jesus Christ's application of the SixthCommandment to you and me respectingindividuals. If we harbor hate and anger in ourhearts, we are harboring the "spirit" ofMURDER!

In a military organization, if men are not taught

to hate, and to want to kill (the enemy, ofcourse), he is not likely to be a very goodsoldier.

Action follows thought. First we think, then wedo! The Spirit of Christ guides us not only tocontrol our actions, but to control our thoughtsand our attitudes!

In part, the New Covenant is the process ofGod writing His LAW in our hearts, and minds,

and inward parts (Hebrews 8:10).

God spoke through Paul: "Dearly beloved,avenge NOT yourselves, but rather give placeunto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine;I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12:19).

Man is incapable of taking vengeance withproper wisdom and justice to all concerned.God ALONE has the wisdom and the power

and the "right" to take vengeance on humanbeings -- to the extent of executing them ifneed be. The true Christian must learn thatGod is REAL -- and that His protection and Hisvengeance are just as real!

The Character You Should Build

How, then, should you deal with your enemies?"Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; ifhe thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thoushalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be notovercome of evil, but overcome evil with good"(Romans 12:20-21).

It takes real strength of character to help andserve your fellow human being when he hasdirectly tried to harm you! It takes the spiritualwisdom to realize that he is a fellow human

being, made in the image of God, and simplymisguided for the time being in his thoughtsand actions.

Instead of the natural tendency to want to "geteven" with one who has done us wrong, a realChristian must really LEARN the lesson thatthe Apostle Paul was allowed to bring to usdirectly from the lips of Christ: "It is moreblessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).

God is the GIVER of every good and everyperfect gift (James 1:17). He has given us ourlives, our strength, our minds, our abilities --everything we have or hope to have comesfrom Him! In order to live happily forever asGod's son, man also must learn to GIVE -- toserve -- to love. This is the great LESSON oflife.

The perfect definition of this highest of allattributes -- Christian LOVE -- is given in the

13th chapter of I Corinthians. Read it. Study it.

The spirit of malice and murder is the exactOPPOSITE of this basic attribute which Godrequires of His sons.

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Notice the Apostle John's emphasis of thispoint: "We know that we have passed fromdeath unto life, because we LOVE thebrethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth


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Before the outbreak of World War II, Pope PiusXII declared: "Everything is gained by peace;nothing is gained by war."

in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is amurderer: and ye know that no murderer hatheternal life abiding in him" (I John 3:14-15).

One of the most respected statesmen andmilitary leaders of our time, General DouglasMacArthur, has stated: "Men since thebeginning of time have sought peace ... military

alliances, balances of powers, leagues ofnations, all in turn failed, leaving the only pathto be by way of the crucible of war. The utterdestructiveness of war now blots out thisalternative. We have had our last chance.

A continued lack of love in carnal humanbeings leads to hate. And hate leads toMURDER. God says the spirit of hate ismurder!

And this "spirit" of murder is not an indefinablenothing. Doctors and psychologists haveclinically proved that people in the attitude ofstrife and malice and hate literally becomeSICK physically -- and have a form of mentalINSANITY if this mental attitude is notchanged! And in all too many cases, thesewrong emotions lead to the literal MURDER ofa fellow human being.

"If we will not devise some greater andequitable system, our Armageddon will be atthe door. The problem basically isTHEOLOGICAL and involves a spiritualrecrudescence, and improvement of human

character that will synchronize with our almostmatchless advances in science, art, literature,and all material and cultural developments ofthe past two thousand years. It must be of thespirit if we are to save the flesh. "

Concerning these wrong emotions of lust andhate and covetousness, God warns us: "Lovenot the world, neither the things that are in theworld. If any man love the world, the love of theFather is not in him. For all that is in the world,the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes,and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but isof the world" (I John 2:15-16).

Humanity's "last chance" is to REPENT of thesin of war before human annihilation removesevery vestige of life from this planet!

The Breaking Down of Spiritual PrinciplesGeneral MacArthur acknowledged that the

problem we face is theological -- it is aChristian problem involving a true knowledgeof the true GOD! He went on to say that itinvolves "an improvement of humancharacter."

To a far greater extent than most of us realize,our modern society is literally based on asystem of competition, greed and selfishness.In other words -- in plain language -- it is basedon the spirit of MURDER!

All-time Greatest StatesmanYou have never thought of it that way before,have you?

The greatest statesman of all time was JesusChrist. He was the Spokesman for theGovernment or Kingdom of God. Christ said:

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thoushalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy.But I say unto you, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES,bless them that curse you, do good to themthat hate you, and pray for them whichdespitefully use you, and persecute you"(Matthew 5:43-44).

Well, it is fact, and it is time you came out ofthis modern "Babylon" (Revelation 18:4) before

Almighty God intervenes to PUNISH!

The spirit of God's Law as magnified by JesusChrist is as totally opposed to every form ofwar as would seem possible!

Nearly all the really great religious and politicalleaders of the world have acknowledged theutter FUTILITY of war.

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There is a great deal of highly respectable,cultured, and most interesting paganism


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Through the Apostle James, God shows thatwar results from a type of spirit exactlyopposite that which He wants His servants tohave.

abroad in the world today under the name of"Christianity." But can even this sophisticatedpaganism face these clear words of JesusChrist without confessing that His life, Histeaching, and His Spirit CONDEMN the veryessence of war? "From whence come wars and fightings among

you? come they not hence, even of yourLUSTS that war in your members? Ye lust, and

have not: ye kill, and desire to have, andcannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye havenot, because ye ask not" (James 4:1-2).

More lives have been snuffed out prematurely,

more suffering has been endured, more homeshave been wrecked and broken, more time andproperty has been utterly wasted because ofthe scourge of war than through any othermeans in the history of man! A Lack of Real FAITH

And war has NEVER solved the problems ofmen or brought permanent peace. Instead, itonly breeds more war! "For all they that takethe sword shall PERISH with the sword"(Matthew 26:52).

Men do not BELIEVE that God could give them-- individually and nationally -- the materialpossessions that they want and need. Instead,they feel they must compete and fight andWAR to get these things.

The Bible Teaching When an aggressor attacks, peoples andnations of this world REFUSE to trust God todeliver them as He did ancient Israel at theRed Sea (Exodus 14) and in other instances.

Jesus Christ came into this world as amessenger of the Government or Kingdom ofGod.

Today, we are divided and confused in ourreligious, political and national loyalties. Thereis no modern Moses to command us: "TheLord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold yourpeace" (Exodus 14:14).

He took no part in this world's politics or wars.On trial for His very life before Pontius Pilate,He said: "My kingdom is NOT of this world: ifmy kingdom were of this world, then would my

servants fight, that I should not be delivered tothe Jews: but now is my kingdom not fromhence" (John 18:36).

In plain language, there is no nation on earth --including America and Britain -- that reallyKNOWS and TRUSTS the true living GOD forHis supernatural protection in time of war!As we have stated, only GOD who gave life

has the right to take life. Therefore, only GODhas the right to wage war! And, as Jesustaught, God does not choose to have Hischildren wage war.

Instead, we seem to find it easier to spendcountless BILLIONS of dollars and man-hoursto protect ourselves. Countless millions of livesare lost or crippled or ruined. And millions ofyoung men are taught to become effective

killers -- murderers!

And wars fought by and for the governments or

kingdoms of this world are in defiance of thehigher government and RULE of Almighty Godfrom whom all real authority proceeds. Indeed, one of the most devastating

indictments against war is that it breeds inwhole populations the spirit of violence andMURDER.

The Apostle Paul stated to the Christians atCorinth: "For though we walk in the flesh, wedo not WAR after the flesh" (II Corinthians10:3).

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military service & war

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