A Christian in the Military? Yes or No?

No, a Christian should not be part of the military according to the evidence and teachings in BOTH the Old Testament and the New Testament. There are some important things that many have missed in Scripture that are important for us to look at. We will be looking at both the Old Testament and the New Testament as we look at this important topic of a Christian being in the military.

Are you looking for something more than just the same old concepts, interpretations, explanations, and perspectives you have heard regurgitated over and over again? This website will give you some new insights and things to think about. You may not agree with everything you read, but Biblical Research Reports will stimulate your thinking. Our goal is to help you to formulate in your own mind what is Jesus’ truth as you look at the research we share on the various subjects facing the Church.

The Old Testament and a Christian being in the military

The Example of the 13^th Tribe of Israel – The tribe that was not part of the military illustrating why a Christian should not be in the military.

Most Christians don’t realize that there were actually 13 tribes in Israel. That is because the Bible always refers to the 12 tribes of Israel, not 13. So how can I say that there were 13? Because Jacob had 12 sons and the tribe of Joseph was divided into the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. That made thirteen tribes, and the 13^th tribe is also referred to in the Bible as a tribe.

So, what happened to the thirteenth tribe? No one talks about a thirteenth tribe. It is a tribe that was not counted in with the twelve tribes of Israel. This tribe did not receive an inheritance in the land of Canaan. It is a tribe set apart solely for the work of the Lord. This tribe was not to participate in war. It was not counted in the army of Israel. God made a covenant with this tribe – a covenant of life and peace. It was the tribe of Levi – the tribe of priests.

The tribe of Levi was not part of Israel’s army. The Levites were separated for the work of the Lord. In Numbers 1, God had them number all the men in Israel twenty years old or older who were able to serve in the army. The Lord specifically commanded Moses not to count the Levites in the census of the army. Instead, the Levites were to be in charge of the tabernacle and the work of the Lord. The Levites, in a special ceremony, were cleansed and separated from the other Israelites and the Levites became the Lord’s.

Numbers 1:47-50 “But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying, Only, thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel: But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.”

The temple and those who served it had greater significance than what appears from a casual reading of the Old Testament. They were a type, an illustration, a foreshadowing of Christ and the Church. Hebrews 8:5 says, “They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven., This is why Moses was warned when He was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’”

The twelve tribes of Israel were an earthly kingdom. In that sense they were not a parallel in the Old Testament of the Church today. We often think of them as a parallel because they are called God’s chosen people. However, the tribe of Levi, and more specifically the priests, provides a much better parallel – a type and a foreshadowing of the Christian and our relationship to God. The Levites were chosen because they voluntarily gave their allegiance to God and showed zeal for God’s honor (Exodus 32:26). The tribe of Reuben should have been chosen because he was the firstborn, but he was rejected because of sin. As Christians we too have been “chosen” because we also have voluntarily given our allegiance to God. Thus the Levites give a precedence in the Old Testament illustrating that a Christian should not be in the military.

Moses, a Levite, did not lead the children of Israel into war. Joshua did.

The fact that the Levites were not part of the military is illustrated in the life of Moses. Moses was not a military man. He was a Levite. Although Moses was a great leader, he never led Israel in battle. Joshua, the son of Nun (of the tribe of Ephraim), always led Israel in battle. Moses would give God’s command to Israel to go to war, and he held up his arms in the battle with the Amalekites so that God would bless Israel. But Moses never actually fought in war. Thus, Moses gives us another illustration from the Old Testament that a Christian should not be part of the military.

Moses, a Levite, did not lead Israel in war.

Covenant of Life and Peace

In looking further at the tribe of Levi and their correlation to a Christian not being in the military, we find in Malachi 2:1-8 that God had made a covenant with the tribe of Levi – a covenant of life and peace! There in verses 4-6 God says, “You will know that I have sent you this admonition so that my covenant with Levi may continue, says the Lord Almighty. My covenant was with him, a covenant of LIFE and PEACE, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in PEACE and uprightness, and turned many from sin.”

There are several important concepts in this passage. The first is that God’s covenant with the tribe of Levi was one of life and peace. This supports God’s command in Numbers that the Levites were not to go to war, but it goes beyond it. The Levites were to be active in the promotion of life and peace.

The second concept in this passage in Malachi 2 is that this covenant of peace with Levi would continue. God here is saying that this covenant of peace is to continue to the priesthood of Believers, the Christian. Through Christ, the Church became a royal priesthood. We as Christians no longer have to go through a priest to contact God and to receive forgiveness for sins like they did in the Old Testament. We have direct access to God. In Revelation 1:6 it says that Jesus “…hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

1 Peter 2:9 also confirms that the covenant with Levi was passed to us as Christians by calling us a royal priesthood. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:”

The Christian, just like the Levite is to have a ministry of life and peace, explaining the way to eternal life and peace with God, and turning many back from sin. A Christian being part of the military or the military industrial complex is the opposite of a ministry of life and peace.

Therefore, the evidence from the 13^th tribe of Israel shows us that there is basis, beginning in the Old Testament, that the Christian should not be part of the military.

God did not permit David to build the Temple because he was a man of war

1 Chronicles 22:7-10  And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a 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 hast made great wars: thou shalt not build a house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.

Separation of Church and State in the Old Testament

The principle of peace and the Levites gives us understanding into the reality of war in the Old Testament. When it came to war, God made a distinct separation between the state and the “church”. God permitted and commanded at times the state, the 12 tribes of Israel, to go to war. The type of the church, the priests and Levites, was prohibited from being part of the military illustrating that Christians should not be part of the military.

Israel in the Old Testament was an earthly kingdom. As an earthly kingdom, God gave them the authority to use war to protect themselves and to conquer the land. Jesus also recognized an earthly government’s use of the military in John 18:36 when He said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

The word “now” in this passage is significant in that it indicates the ending of God’s earthly kingdom in Israel and the beginning of a Heavenly one. As Christians, our citizenship is actually in Heaven. Philippians 3:20 says, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” As Christians we have duel citizenship. Citizenship in a country on earth, and citizenship in Christ’s Kingdom.

As Christians, our primary citizenship and allegiance is to Christ’s Kingdom. We are in the world but not of it. Jesus said: John 17:14-16  “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.   They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” And thus a Christian should not be in a earthly country’s military.

God further tells us that we as believers are but strangers and pilgrims in the secular nation in which we live. Just like the tribe of Levi that lived in the land of Israel but did not receive an inheritance in the land like the other tribes.

Hebrews 11:13 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

1 Peter 1:1 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,”

1 Peter 2:11 “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;”

It is because we are a people belonging to God, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation; that we are to live as strangers in the world. God illustrated this concept to us through the Levites by not giving them an inheritance in the land of Canaan.

The Old Testament gives us the illustration of the tribe of Levi not being part of the military and having a ministry of life and peace. The tribe of Levi was a foreshadowing of Christians and the church and why a Christian should not be in the military.

The New Testament

and a Christian being in the military

The New Testament does not specifically state that a Christian should or should not be part of their country’s military. However, there are many passages of Scripture that taken together, would lead us to the conclusion that a Christian should not be part of their country’s military.

One of the things that is a confusion for many Christians in the United States is that people all over the world view the United States as a Christian nation. Many US Christians believe it is their God given duty to defend this Christian nation for Him. They believe that a Christian should enlist in the military.

Today things are much different, the United States is far from being a Christian nation. It has removed God and the Bible from its education system and in its place is teaching evolution and many other things contrary to what the Bible teaches and commands. The US military has military bases all over the world and is involved in many meaningless and unjust wars in many countries. It is estimated that millions of people, including civilians, have been killed directly and indirectly in these wars. And many millions more people displaced and had their homes and lives ruined.

In the New Testament a Christian is in the military of Christ’s Kingdom – a soldier of Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament God tells us that each Christian is a soldier in the military of Christ’s Kingdom. However, it is NOT a military that kills people and destroys homes, buildings, and infrastructure in enemy countries. It is a military that fights against Satan and his kingdom, to rescue people from spiritual death and destruction, and bring them to life and peace in Jesus Christ.

In 2 Timothy 2:3-4 we are told: “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

The military of Jesus Christ and that of one’s country have two totally opposite missions. For us as Christians, our goal is to please Jesus, our Commander in Chief. Our mission as a soldier for Jesus is to go into all the world and every country, either physically or using technology, to bring as many lost souls to a saving life in Christ (The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19,20).

Should a Christian be in the military of Christ’s kingdom and the military of one’s country at the same time with totally opposite missions? This passage says no – “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life”. We need to please Jesus; not kill those we are told to save.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”

• In this passage we find we are soldiers in a spiritual battle and not a physical war. Our weapons are powerful, destroying strongholds, imaginations, and false concepts that are against the knowledge of God.

Ephesians 6:11-18 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Philippians 2:25 “Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.”

1 Timothy 1:18  “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;”

Philemon 1:2 “And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:”

These passages all state that we as Christians are soldiers in Christ’s kingdom. A Christian is in a spiritual military and is in battle against the Enemy – Satan and his kingdom.

The Christian’s Ethic of Love – Love our Enemies

We will look at the mission of the Christian as a soldier for Christ. The following passages show us that we have a mission that is totally opposite that of an earthly country’s military. The number one difference is our mission is to love our enemies, not kill them!!

Matt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

We are peacemakers. Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

• PEACEMAKER, n. One who makes peace by reconciling parties that are at variance. Webster’s 1828 Dict.
• Being a peacemaker and going to war are two opposites. It is not possible to do both at the same time!

We are not to fight back and avenge wrongs done to us. Matthew 5:38-42 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have [thy] cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.”

• These are specific commands from Jesus, not suggestions. We as Christians are not to resist evil. Instead, God commands us to love our enemies, to bless them, to do good to them, and to pray for them. This is the exact opposite of what a soldier does in the military.
• There are two parts to this command. The first is what not to do – do not resist evil or fight back. The second part is what we are to do in addition to not resisting. We are to turn the other cheek, to give more than is demanded, to go the second mile, and give what is asked for.
• The term non-resistance comes from this passage “resist not”. Non-resistance is a term that defines what not to do. It does not adequately define what God commands us to do in addition to not resisting. The term the ethic of love better describes the mindset and the positive action that we are to have as Christians.
• Jesus is not commanding us to merely stand still and let ourselves be beaten up. We are to actively show our enemy that we love them and that we do not hate them.
• When we ask them to hit us more than they chose to, when we give them more than they demanded from us, when we do more than what they required us to do, it takes away our anger at them. Because it is then our choice to give more than they wanted. We are then free to love them as Christ would have us love them.
• Each of these actions shows our enemy that we love them more than we love ourselves. It shows them that we put them ahead of our own interests and wants. It is the kind of love that our enemy probably has never experienced before. Love is what Jesus did for us in coming to earth. He was rejected by people, and died on the cross in great pain for our sins.
• Children need to be taught from little up to not fight back, to not grab the toy back, etc.. They need to be taught to show love instead.
• It is our very nature to do the exact opposite of what Jesus commands here. Therefore, it will not come natural to follow this command. It is something that we must make a conscious decision and effort to carry out.
• Leviticus 19:18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.”
• Proverbs 20:22 “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.”
• Proverbs 24:29 “Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.”
• 1 Corinthians 6:7-8 “Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.”
• James 5:6 “Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.”

Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

• This passage is also known as the golden rule, to do to others as you would want them to do to you. Do you want others to kill you, your family, and friends; and destroy your home and home town or city?

Matthew 26:52  “Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.”

• Jesus said something very interesting here that I don’t hear Christians talking about. He said that self-defense, such as is in concealed carry, is a good way to get killed!

Luke 3:14 “And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.”

• This was John the Baptist speaking.
• Many modern translations translate “do violence to no man” as “don’t extort money”. The Greek word for violence means much more than don’t extort. It means – to shake thoroughly, to intimidate, to make to tremble, to terrify, to agitate, do violence, to extort from one by intimidation money or other property.

Luke 6:27-32 “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.”

Luke 6:35,36 “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”

Luke 10:37 “And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

Luke 22:35-38 “And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.”

John 18:11  “Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”

John 18:36  “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”

• Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. Therefore, our citizenship is in Heaven. We as Christian’s are in the world but not part of it. Therefore, we do not fight as if we were part of this world.
• Philippians 3:20 says, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 12:17-21 “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.    If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

• Recompense – “To require; to repay; to return an equivalent; in a bad sense.” Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

Romans 14:19 “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”

1 Corinthians 16:14 “Let all your things be done with charity.”

2 Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”

Philippians 2:4 “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”

1 Thessalonians 5:15 “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.”

2 Timothy 2:24 “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient”

Hebrews 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”

1 Peter 3:10-11  “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:  Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.”

• We are to seek peace, not participate in war.

Which is Worst? Conservative Christianity or Radical Islam?

For years we have heard a steady drumbeat from conservative God and Country preachers that it is our patriotic Christian duty to serve in the military and defend our country. Probably hundreds of thousands of conservative Christian young men and women have served in the military or worked for contractors that have supported the military. Those of us who believe that a Christian should not kill fellow human beings did not serve in the military. But, we supported conservative Republican politicians who were strong military proponents and who sent or endorsed sending the military into various countries where innocent civilians have been killed.

Both radical Islam and conservative Christianity fight under the name of their God. Radical Islam fights under the name of their god, Allah. Conservative Christians fight for God and Country and under the banner of “God Bless America” and with the inscription on our currency, which is used around the world: “In God We Trust.”

We condemn the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and terrorist attacks elsewhere. We are horrified with the shedding of innocent blood by radical Muslims. But we need to ask the question, who is worst when it comes to shedding innocent blood and supporting the shedding of innocent blood? Conservative Christians or Radical Muslims?

It is easy to condemn radical Islam and not think about the awful things we are doing and supporting. It is easy to see the problems of radical Islam and not see the awful things that our own country is doing.  Jesus told us: “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matt 7:3-5)

We have been directed by conservative handlers on conservative talk radio shows, and conservative Christian radio and TV programs to support the fight against terror and the bombing of other countries. Many conservative Christians have been solidly behind the US government’s fight against terror, the Afghan war, the Iraq war, the fight against ISIS, Russia, etc.

How many 9/11’s has the US caused in other countries since World War II in comparison to those caused by Islamic terrorists?

James Lucas writes: “It is essential that Americans learn more about this topic so that they can begin to understand the pain that others feel. Someone once observed that the Germans during WWII “chose not to know.” We cannot allow history to say this about our country. The question posed above was “How many September 11ths has the United States caused in other nations since WWII?” The answer is: possibly 10,000.”

He further states: “This study reveals that U.S. military forces were directly responsible for about 10 to 15 million deaths during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and the two Iraq Wars. The Korean War also includes Chinese deaths while the Vietnam War also includes fatalities in Cambodia and Laos.

“The American public probably is not aware of these numbers and knows even less about the proxy wars for which the United States is also responsible. In the latter wars there were between nine and 14 million deaths in Afghanistan, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, East Timor, Guatemala, Indonesia, Pakistan and Sudan.

“But the victims are not just from big nations or one part of the world. The remaining deaths were in smaller ones which constitute over half the total number of nations. Virtually all parts of the world have been the target of U.S. intervention.

“The overall conclusion reached is that the United States most likely has been responsible since WWII for the deaths of between 20 and 30 million people in wars and conflicts scattered over the world.

“To the families and friends of these victims it makes little difference whether the causes were U.S. military action, proxy military forces, the provision of U.S. military supplies or advisors, or other ways, such as economic pressures applied by our nation. They had to make decisions about other things such as finding lost loved ones, whether to become refugees, and how to survive.

“And the pain and anger is spread even further. Some authorities estimate that there are as many as 10 wounded for each person who dies in wars. Their visible, continued suffering is a continuing reminder to their fellow countrymen…” 

“To say that it is difficult to get exact figures is not to say that we should not try. Effort was needed to arrive at the figures of six million Jews killed during WWII, but knowledge of that number now is widespread and it has fueled the determination to prevent future holocausts. That struggle continues.”

http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-has-killed-more-than-20-million-people-in-37-victim-nations-since-world-war-ii/5492051

I encourage you to read the entire article. It details about 37 countries where the US has been directly or indirectly responsible for innocent people being killed. There is a possibility that the number of casualties is overstated, but even if the number of casualties is much less, it does not negate the incredible amount of violence and destruction that has happened around the world with the support of conservative Christianity.

So we go back to the question – Who is worst when it comes to supporting and being involved in 9/11 type of events and the shedding of innocent lives?  Conservative Christianity or Radical Islam? Who are the greatest terrorists?

Brothers and sisters, we need to repent of the wickedness that we have supported and been involved in. We have taken a stand against the killing of millions of innocent unborn children by abortion, but have supported the killing of millions of innocent children, men and women by our government and military in other countries. Their blood is on our hands. We can’t tell them about Jesus because they are dead and are spending eternity in hell. We are driving their family and friends far from Christ because they see our hypocrisy and feel deeply the pain and anger we have caused in the name of Christianity.

“Jesus loves the little children,

All the children of the world,

Red and yellow, black and white,

They are precious in His sight,

Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

Jesus told us: “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. “ (Luke 6:27-36)

Should a Christian be part of the military? No, a Christian should not be in the military of one’s country. A Christian is in the military of Christ’s kingdom.

For further reading see Peace in the Old Testament