There is much talk these days about the necessity of raising up an end-time army. However, it mostly refers to a spiritual one, such that will fight evil through prayer and intercession.
Is That All There Is?
Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week made it clear to me that this army cannot function only in the spiritual realm. Simply because the frontline the Body is facing these days is not only spiritual.
Major parts of the Western church, especially in Europe, embrace the world view called “pacifism”. Simply put, pacifism means that the God of the OT shifted from being a Man of War into the Prince of Peace, and that even in the face of violence, we must turn the other cheek.
For nearly two years, Israel has been fighting on more than seven fronts. Our armed forces usually prevail in all but one – spokesmanship. No matter what takes place on the ground, somehow facts are twisted in the media and social networks, and we turn out to be the bad guys. Mostly because it takes a split second to spread a lie, but much longer to check the facts and find what really happened. In this one front we keep losing the battle day in and day out.
A Great Opportunity
This creates a great opportunity for the church to take her place in this war and own this front.
Church, you need to stand up and speak truth out loud. To shout Truth from the rooftops. Not only on behalf of Israel, but mostly on behalf of Truth, especially for the sake of your next generations.
Kirk understood that well and did not love his life unto death. He adored Truth and believed that in it is the only hope for these lost crowds he was debating with. I listen to some of the questions and statements his audience uttered, and my eyes roll. So much ignorance.
So in light of his assassination and the implications it is already producing, I urge you, dear reader, to ask yourself: “How far am I willing to go for the sake of Truth?”
Most of you are reading my blog because you love Israel and want to stand with her. Will you do that even if it requires active confrontation? Are you willing to engage in this war? Or do you prefer to stay on the defense and for the most part turn the other cheek?
The level of evil we witnessed on October two years ago used weapons that are not only spiritual. That kind of evil constantly digs, schemes, learns our weak spots, and lurks in darkness, waiting for the moment that will enable it to kill, steal and destroy as many as possible. Twisting our minds is not enough anymore for our enemy.
The more authority and voice evil gains in the West, the more violence we will witness. Woke, progress, liberalism, left – however one calls it (I call it “Satan”) – strives to empty God’s names from their meaning and to silence His children. All he needs to do in order to win this front is to say we are wrong and then press the button. He doesn’t even have to prove it.
This front is not only virtual; it’s the very realm in which our children and grandchildren live. For them, whatever exists there IS reality.
Is God a Pacifist and Humanist?
Humanism is a philosophy that developed during the Renaissance, and is based on Hellenism and Greek mythology. It has various approaches, but the common denominator to all of them is the belief that man is inherently good, and will evolve into his ultimate goodness by his own efforts, mostly through education and reasonable living conditions. Obviously, this perception contradicts the Word of God.
God is undoubtedly humanitarian. He commands us to help others and to pursue a policy of welfare. But that does not necessarily make Him a humanist. The Bible contains quite a few stories that are hard for a humanist mind to settle with a good and sovereign God. Why would a God like that allow the killing of dozens or even hundreds of infants in Bethlehem just to save One that wasn’t even there? How can He command to destroy entire nations, or allow horrors such as the story of Rizpah Bat Aya and the concubine in Gibeah?
On one hand, He commands us to turn the other cheek and love our enemies (Mat. 5:39-46), but does that mean a believer is forbidden to actively fight evil?
Can Peace and War Dwell Together?
God’s nature did not change in the NT. The God of the NT – the “child who was born” and “the son given” to us (Isa. 9:5) – embodies two traits that at face value seem contradictory. In that very verse He is both described as the “Prince of Peace” and the “Mighty God” (the word in Hebrew translated into “mighty” means: a man who overcomes, who defeats his enemies, a heroic warrior).
How is this possible? How can these two traits work together? They can, since in reality, peace cannot be established only through love and acceptance, or by turning another cheek. One must actively fight evil, overcome it, at times even use force. The kind of evil that dares to raise its head today is not pacified by providing its carriers with education and opportunities to improve their lifestyle. On the contrary, it only grows stronger and waits for the right timing to manifest.
Israel learned this on October 7th, Europe is learning it the hard way right now, and apparently so is the United States.
Some Practical Ideas
“What can I do?” you ask.
Get actively involved in the discussion. Find someone around you who disagrees with you, listen to what they have to say, and take it back to the Word. Start equipping yourself with answers that are not derived from quotations of super and eloquent speakers like Douglas Murray, Ben Shapiro, or even Charlie Kirk, but from the bottom of your heart. From your own frustration and love for Truth.
Deal with your anger, of course. Bring it to God, let Him wash it with His blood, so that it will be His anger and not your human fragility your audience will eventually hear. It is Him through your voice that lost people need to encounter, not you speaking about Him.
“I believed, therefore I spoke,” said Paul (1 Cor. 4:13). Let it echo in the deepest places of your spirit and inspire you.
“Where do I start?” you ask. With any theme of your choice. Study thoroughly and systematically what Scripture has to say on subjects that burn deep in your heart. Is it gender identity, God’s plan for the nation of Israel, abortions, family values? Discuss these topics with people who disagree with you, and keep looking for facts and researching it in the Word, until they run out of answers. That is how one sharpens their weapons, that is how we develop our own battle cry – Truth spoken through our mouths.
Ps. 85:11-12 describes what happens when Truth comes forth from the earth: Justice, Grace and Peace – everything we long for. Well, the earth realm is our responsibility. If we want to reap justice, grace and peace, we must bring forth Truth from within our earthly bodies and vocal cords.
Join this army! Fill up and enrich your quiver, let Truth breathe passionate boldness into your heart, until you love it more than you love your own life.
Using Force in the New Testament
The Sermon on the Mount confuses us in that sense because it demands that we turn the other cheek. But this confusion can be sorted out once we understand that the sermon is not speaking to entire nations or groups, but to the individual. Nations or groups were not required to give their cloak when someone asked for their tunic, for example, or to pray in secret so that no one would see. The sermon is meant to make the individual excel in their spiritual conduct.
Matthew 5:39 cannot be interpreted as opposition to the Lord of Hosts or the Warrior described throughout the Old Testament. If the sermon was written for a group or nation, then there would be no place for public prayers, since we would be required to pray only in secret.
Examples From the New Testament
Does the NT teach we should use force and weapons at times?
Tax collectors and soldiers came to John the Baptist. These were the two professions most despised by the people. John, who was not afraid to rebuke Herod for his relations with his brother’s wife, surely was not afraid from the authority these people carried. Interestingly, He did not tell them to change careers, only to behave fairly (Luke 3:12-14).
Yeshua healed the centurion’s servant, praised him for his faith and the way he used his authority. Not once did he ask him to put away his weapon (Mat. 8:9-10).
When Peter stroke the ear of the high priest’s servant, Yeshua did not tell him to break the sword or get rid of it, only to put it back into its sheath (John 18:10-11).
Cornelius was a centurion, and thus equipped with arms. Yet the NT describes him as a devout and God-fearing man, whose righteousness and prayers God remembered (Acts 10:2-4). He had a God-fearing soldier (v. 7), who served with him, and none of them were required to change professions.
By the way, most members of the Roman community were retired soldiers. Throughout the epistle, there is no mention that any of them were required to repent of their occupational past.
Paul clarifies to believers in Rome that governing authorities are God’s servants who hold the sword to execute wrath on wrongdoers (Rom. 13:4). He demands that they pay taxes properly to fund these authorities.
Orna Grinman | Ot OoMofet Ministries | A Sign and Example 