NOT EVEN IN SELF DEFENSE!!!
Aren’t We to Be Like Jesus?
Your Last Decision is Your Last
For the life of me I am unable to understand how people who profess to prophesy in Jesus name and claim to have the love of Christ in them can tell people to murder and kill their enemies when the Bible clearly states NO MATTER WHAT we are to be LIKE JESUS and lay down our lives to save souls.
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Jesus said,
Matt 5:21-22
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.
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But people will say things like that only applies to “my brother” yet all people saved and unsaved are also our brothers even if they have not been blessed by knowing Jesus. How do we know this? Because the Bible says so.
Mark 12:30-31
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
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But WHO IS YOUR NEIGHBOR?
Bear with me here and read this CAREFULLY because it is a critical mystery to the understanding of who is our NEIGHBOR! Who we are COMMANDED to LOVE as the SECOND MOST IMPORTANT commandment.
Luke 10:25-37
25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.'”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
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HERE WE SEE that we are NEIGHBORS of even those who we do not know! We are JESUS to those who are unsaved. We lay down our lives and wash the feet of those who do us evil.
Moreover Jesus said:
Matt 5:38-39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
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Matt 5:43-46
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies,
HOW IN GOD’S GREEN EARTH DO WE LOVE OUR ENEMIES BY SHOOTING THEM WITH GUNS IN OUR DEFENSE?
THINK IN JESUS NAME
Jesus goes on to say: bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
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HOW CAN YOUR READ THIS AND THINK YOU ARE SONS OF OUR FATHER BY DEFENDING YOURSELF WITH GUNS?
Rev 13:9-109 Anyone with ears to hear
should listen and understand.
10 Anyone who is destined for prison
will be taken to prison.
Anyone destined to die by the sword
will die by the sword. (TLB)Moreover Jesus said:
Matt 10:37-39
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
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What is it about these words that people who profess Christ as their Lord do no understand? Why do we believe it is OKAY to KILL people in self defense when JESUS would NEVER DO THIS and did in fact NOT DO THIS?
More and more I see people who I’ve brought on the radio show and quoted their “prophecies” turn to the darkness in their flesh and misquote the Bible to tell people it is okay to disobey the WORD OF GOD and KILL people in SELF DEFENSE. THIS IS NOT OF CHRIST.
2 Tim 1:7
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
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WE DENY THE POWER OF THE NAME OF JESUS in the name of FLESHY FEAR of the DEVIL
The NEW TESTAMENT was anointed by the Holy Spirit and every word is of GOD. Pointing to the Old Testament to wrongfully justify and cancel the commandments of Jesus is ANTICHRIST.
Many otherwise good Christians will perish because of the wrongful teachings of those who do not understand the love of Christ and our command to be LIKE HIM unto DEATH.
I could quote endless stories from the book “The Pilgrim Church” and “Foxes Book of Martyrs” but sadly it would fall on deaf ears. We DENY THE POWER of Christ so satisfy our own fears and desires.
2 Tim 3:2-6
For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
NKJV
(Note: The KJV and NJKV do not get this verse correct!!)
Hebrews 8:6
But now He (Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
(see note below on the love covenant)
Matt 10:16
Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
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Phil 4:4-5
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
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Col 3:12-15
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
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“c”hristians who say its okay to use guns even in self defence are guilty of ….
2 Tim 3:5-6
having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
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THE LOVE COVENANT TO ALL PEOPLE
1 Cor 11:25
25 In the same manner He (Jesus) also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood.
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Note that a covenant is essentially a type of contract but with much more eternal ramifications. The “clauses” added to a new contact/covenant supercede the old contract (Old Testamant/ old covenant). Since Jesus is God (John 10:30, 1 Tim 3:16) He (as one with the Father) established a new covenant with mankind. This is what can be referred to as the LOVE COVENANT . The entire New Testament (new contract/covenant is all about love. The second most important commandment (yes they are prioritized) is to LOVE your neighbor as yourself.
In Romans 13:8 it states that “love is the fulfillment of the law because it does no harm to a neighbor“.
In Romans 12 we are commanded to LOVE our enemies. We no longer live, but it is CHRIST who lives in us. We ARE Christ on this earth. Christ layed his life down out of love for the whole world. For God so loved the WORLD (John 3:16). Anything that is not done out of love is not of Christ.
CAN YOU KILL SOMEONE OUT OF SELF DEFENSE OUT OF LOVE – NO!!!
I hope that people “get” the spiritual “mandate” of discipleship on earth. There are so very few truly spiritual Bridal party candidates out there. They “believe” they are spiritual, but they don’t REALLY exhibit it in their hearts. I see this duplicitous (two-faced) dynamics in SOOO many people depending on what the subject is, their “earthliness” is revealed in them.
I pray, often in tears, deep sobbing tears, beseeching God to purge me of any inner earthliness and start to transform me now into a spiritual being overflowing in love; shedding everything that is human in its origin.
I want to stand in front of the man with a gun pointing at my daughter and say “You there! Unclean spirit I command you to come out of that man!“. I know that I know that I know that that man will drop his gun and start to cry because the demon will leave him.
OH GOD Helpst thou our unbelief!
ABSOLUTE PROOF YOU CANNOT POINT TO THE OLD TESTAMENT TO CONDONE VIOLENT BEHAVIOR
Hebrews 8:7-13
A New Covenant
8 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” In that, In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
FULLFILLING PROPHECY NOT CONDONING WEAPONS
Sell Your Cloak and Buy a Sword
(One of the MOST misunderstood scriptures in the Bible.)
People who do not understand the madate to love all people as Jesus did, will frequently point to:
a) The Old Testament (old covenant) to justify their earthly/fleshy desire to kill another person,
b) Luke 22:36-18 claiming that Jesus wanted his disciples to buy swords and even claiming that this proves they carried swords for self defense, when in fact, it proves the opposite. If they carried swords for self defense Jesus would not have asked them to get swords because they would have already had them. But the misunderstanding is far worse than that (see below).
c) 1 Timothy 5:8 where people who misunderstand this scripture suggest that failing to provide for their family requires them to “kill” people in self defense, which is a complete misunderstanding of this passage where the admonishment is to provide for your family with the love of Christ and understanding of His Word; to teach them in “His ways”.
WITH 7,957 VERSES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, HOW WE ATTEMPT TO JUSTIFY OUR FEAR DRIVEN FLESHY DESIRES WITH TWO VERSES IS UNBELIEVABLE.
The word LOVE is in the New Testament 179 Times
Every book of the entire New Testament admonishes us to LOVE
JESUS EVEN STATES …. That our Love FOR HIM, and to be obedient to Him and the Father, must take precedence over the love of our OWN CHILDREN.
Matt 10:37-38
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
NKJV
John 14:23-24
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
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THE MYSTERY OF SELLING A CLOAK FOR A SWORD REVEALED
The Lord showed me precisely why Luke 22:35 is in the Bible. I will leave you with this little a write-up I did for another person.
Look very close at this scripture.
Luke 22:36-38
36 Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. 37 For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.”
38 So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.”
And He said to them, “It is enough.”
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The only reason Jesus told them to get a couple swords was so He could fulfill the prophecy (in green).
Isa 53:12
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
NKJV
Please notice that:
1) None of them had swords, that’s why Jesus said to get some swords. This means that all 12 apostles did not ever carry swords for self defense or for any reason
2) Notice that when one of the apostles came running up to Jesus he said “here Lord are two (2) swords” and Jesus said that is enough. Why in the world would two swords be enough for thirteen (13) people do defend themselves. Its not. Jesus was only fulfilling the Isaiah 53:12 prophecy, so they would accuse him of being a rebel when he was not
3) Then later Peter uses one of the very two swords they had and cuts the ear of one of Jesus’ accusers and Jesus rebukes Peter and says
John 18:10-11
10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”
NKJV
And he heals the ear of the servant telling Peter to put the sword away.
This had absolutely nothing to do with self defense. Jesus and the apostles did not need to defend themselves. They operated with the power and authority of GOD; just as we are commanded too. Peter was wrong, Jesus rebuked him, healed the ear of the man, and told him to put the sword away.
JESUS WAS ONLY FULFILLING THE ISAIAH PROPHECY so that he would be considered a criminal to give them even more (wrongful) reasons to convict him so he could suffer for our sins.
THINK!
There are 7,957 verses in the New Testament, which establishes the NEW COVENANT in Jesus’ blood. YET we pick primarily TWO verses to justy our fleshy desire to KILL someone instead of loving them unto death as Jesus did for us.
No wonder our Father considers our idea of righteousness to be but “filthy rags” to him.
Isa 64:6
6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
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Rom 13:8-10
8 Owe no man (any man on earth) any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
KJV
WE LOVE OUR ENEMIES …
(Yes even those who seek to do our families harm!)
Rom 12:20-21
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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SEEK TO SAVE YOUR LIFE, AND LOSE ETERNAL LIFE
Matt 16:24-26
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, (this is an eternal reference) but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (who gives up his life for Jesus will find eternal salvation). 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
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The words “loses his own soul” is proof that these words are ETERNAL in their ramifications.
How the Early Quakers Were Left Untouched During Wars
For more of this video click HERE
TURN THE OTHER CHEEK
Matthew 5:37-48
Go the Second Mile
(Turn the Other Cheek)
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist (anthistemi “to stand against“) an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Love Your Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren i only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
They Who Seek to Save their Lives Lose It
IT’S ABOUT LOVE
AND
THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
2 Tim 1:7
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
NKJV
Here is an email I sent to someone who was having a hard time grasping these spiritual concepts of becoming like Jesus.
Our “flesh” (e.g. that is the human part of our existence) is that which Jesus and our God command us to extricate from our existence. Anything and everything that has to do with our human nature to “save ourselves” from harm is part of “the flesh” that God is (essentially) repulsed by. When we fail at any time to “walk in the spirit” (e.g. believe 100% in the miracles of God and trust the POWER of the Holy Spirit) we are essentially living in “sin” (we are living carnally and in our flesh nature). We are to become beings of love and light and transform into everything that Jesus Christ was in all our thoughts, beleifs and actions.
Rom 14:23
;for whatever is not from faith is sin.
NKJV
If you feel a twinge of “fear” when a person threatens your family, that fear is “flesh fear” and it comes from Satan. God expects us to us the supernatural power of His divine protection, the Holy Angels, and the Holy Spirit to take control of ALL situations. To command tornadoes to change their path, to command lions and serpents to GO NOW and LIKEWISE to take full control of the demons that control the unsaved people who would threaten us and do us harm. This is who we are in the earth. Jesus would never kill someone. Every time in his 33 years of life on the earth of which we have a record of, Jesus responded to every threat with “love” and the supernatural power of God. That is who we are. (well some of us). If you feel in your heart a need to protect your family with an earthly weapon you are in sin (see 1 Cor 10:4-6). It really is that simple. You do not trust God and you do not understand the power of Jesus Christ which lives inside your soul/spirit body matrix. You are also not putting it into practice. Practice makes perfect oh ye of little faith.
Luke 10:19-20
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
NKJVNo matter how you think it through, how you imagine a “would be attacker” coming toward you or one of your family members, the moment you consider using a weapon, you have given Satan full authority to kill your family. You have lost all your power through Christ because you are entered into sin and fear. However if you stand with the authority of Christ IN YOU and you say ‘In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I COMMAND YOU to LEAVE and drop your weapon NOW IN JESUS NAME” you will successfully save your family’s lives, your own life, but you will also save the life of the attackers and probably lead them to Jesus in tears. Always saying as Jesus did, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.
Ps 78:41
Yes, again and again they (the Israelites) tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.
NKJVDON’T LIMIT GOD … HAVE FAITH… USE THE POWER
If the Father knows this is how you will respond to such threats. It is extremely unlikely any danger would approach your family. For the Lord God tests the righteous. However if the Father believes that you still have carnal earthly fear inside of you and you do not trust Him or the power of Christ in you, then you are FAR more likely to have your family attacked.
Ps 11:5
The Lord tests the righteous,
NKJVWe need to transform now. First pray for overwhelming love inside of you for every person including the evil people. The pray that our Father will teach you about HIS power that lives inside of you and learn to TRUST HIM.
Eph 3:20-21
Now to Him (Jesus) who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
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DENYING THE POWER
NOTE: This scripture below is about “believers” of today. We know this because a) it mentions the last days and b) is states that they have a form of godliness which a non-believer would not have. Note the “key word” of what these ‘believers’ are missing in their walk. They deny the ‘POWER’ of the Holy Spirit because they do not understand it.
2 Tim 3:1-5
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power.
NKJV
It is with a heavy heart, and a deep sadness, that I write this article. Perhaps for some, this article may be a victory. Unfortunately, for me, it comes with the burden of knowing that many people (and particularly awesome Christians) will suffer unnecessarily because of a “mis-understanding”. And worse, may have to pay penalties for it, when standing before the Son of Man. Or much worse, end up in hellfire because they killed people due to their lack of understanding and faith in the power of Jesus Christ.
In your last moments you realize that the feet coming down the hallway are not coming to take you to Heaven
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Carter Conlon, Sr. Pastor of Times Square Church
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The other thing that troubles my heart, is that I stand along with some of the greatest Christians to ever live. Certainly, I do not consider myself worthy to be counted as part of their group. In fact I am really not a part of any group. In fact in most ways, ironically, I am a “lone voice crying in the wilderness”. But by virtue of “similar missions” and connected writings the general worldwide readership of Tribulation-Now would naturally assume I am “of one mind” with all those I stand among in “our” mission to disclose the enemy’s movements, and warn the world of the forthcoming “dark times”.
Rom 13:14
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh
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To PUT ON the Lord Jesus is like “sinking into a garment”; literally becoming Him.
Sadly, among many of those it is assumed I stand firm with, there may be some “key” differences that MIGHT separate us. These “differences” some people may see as “no big deal” but in fact on a global scale and in the midst of the fight we will certainly find ourselves in “pretty soon”, these differences have an impact that reaches into the Heaven’s and will surely make our Lord God cry out in frustration.
Now it’s okay to disagree with me. And there’s really no point in sending me scriptures you extrapolated in defense or your position. I know what I know not only because it is what Jesus (and his apostles, disciples, and scribes) clearly said, AND because …
The only reason I am sad about presenting this material is because I am sure that so many will disagree with me. And while there is no harm in disagreeing, there is enormous harm that will ultimately result due to that disagreement that could have been avoided if the Lord would only “reach out” and speak to them to help them understand the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT and the LEGIONS OF ANGELS we have at our disposal.
But you have to BELIEVE.
A Vision of Warning and Word of Preparation for the Saints
Confusion with the Flow of Scripture
We are all guilty of many things. I am the first to raise my hand when asked “who’s guilty”? I stand humbly at the front of the line of sinners unworthy to stand before the Son of Man and I pray, in Jesus name, every day that He pulls me out of harms way when the time comes.
And I am also guilty of “cherry picking” scripture. In fact, I am pretty sure that most of us are unwittingly guilty of this “cherry picking” at one time or another. I have, at least, learned to TRY and seek contextual agreement of verses before I start “waving them in the air” as my “motto” or official “position statement”.
There is a frightening humility that one learns (hopefully) as they begin their journey in understanding this situation we find ourselves in. The more I studied this New World Order situation, (off and on about ten years now, concentrated about 5 years), the more I began to realize that Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said they would take us away and kill us and there would be great persecution. The “natural” thing to want to do is “dig in”. The natural thing to want to do is “hide out” and protect your family from this forthcoming evil.
Let’s study this problem a bit.
Jesus was the Paradigm Shift
There is no question that the Old Testament is full of conquest. Chariots, swords and wars all the time. One Kingdom conquering another. These scriptures are LOADED with verse after verse that one can use to show “beyond of shadow of a doubt” that it’s “okay” to fight a war on the side of YHWH God, and it’s “okay” to defend your family and protect your property. One could even argue that for every verse that says it’s okay to “take up arms” there are an equal number of verses that say otherwise. This is likely the case.
BUT WHY?
Well when you read the Bible there is this really strange “paradigm shift” that occurred when Jesus came down to earth in the flesh. The entire dynamic changed. The list of changes is so utterly vast that it would take me an entire book to document them all.
What should jump off the pages at the reader, is that around the time that Jesus came, the Hebrews were pretty much settled in. Yes, in 70 A.D. there was an uprising against the Roman Empire when the Hebrews decided they had had enough and started waring with the Romans.
BUT LISTEN. Here is the lesson to be learned by what happened. The Jews (Hebrews), did not understand that Jesus was their Messiah. They did not listen to WHO? They failed to listen to the KING OF KINGS. Wow. Think about that for just a minute. And what happened to them when they up-rised against the Roman Empire? Millions of them were slaughtered. MILLIONS. It was an utter disaster. A horrible consequence of not following …. WHO?
JESUS
But who was Jesus? Is not Jesus also God? Are YHWH and Jesus and the Holy Spirit not the essences of the unity of the “Godhead”. Are they not spiritually, one in the same? Was Jesus not here at the “foundation of the world”?
Then it stands to reason, when the Hebrews fought against the Romans, that “their God” (YHWH) wasn’t backing them. Hmmm. Well the evidence is clear. The outcome says it all.
A Commonly Misunderstood Scripture
I decided to do a little looking into the use of the word “sword” in the New Testament. One of the most commonly misunderstood verses in the Bible regarding the notion of “taking up arms” is Matthew 10:34. Let’s take a close look at what Jesus was trying to say here.
Matt 10:34
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
NKJV
WOW. Now those are some powerful words. I have heard time and time again, people that I dearly love, use this verse as their “motto” to demonstrate that Jesus wasn’t a “pacifist”. I have heard this verse used to demonstrate that people have a RIGHT to stand up against an unjust government. Hmm. Maybe. Surely we can cut Romans 13 out of the Bible. Surely … right?
Sorta makes you wonder why GOD (YHWH) made it PERFECTLY CLEAR that He was USING Babylon to place an IRON YOKE around the neck of the Hebrews for not following his instructions. And for 70 years no less.
I have a wonderful Jewish friend that is surprisingly knowledgeable about such things and often teases me. He says things to me like “Johnny, you sound like my old Uncle Frank. Even HE thinks we still have the iron yoke of Babylon around our necks!”. Funny. Maybe Uncle Frank is right. Maybe.
BUT WAIT.
Just this morning, even I was questioning that scripture’s meaning. Surely is “implies” that Jesus is coming to bring a “sword” and to cause division of sorts … right? Surely.
Well. Turns out not really. Never mind the fact that there are about 27 verses in the New Testament (the new COVENANT) that mention the word “sword”. And never mind such alarming wake up calls like the verses in Romans that say:
Rom 12:14-21
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
NKJV
Now if this scripture is not solid enough instruction on how to behave like a true Christian with the FAITH that GOD and His Holy Spirit and Legions of Angels will STAND in your defense (when you do so), then I suppose I am left wondering a bit.
BUT WAIT
Let’s revisit Mark 10:34 again, but THIS TIME, let’s do it with the Kenneth Wuest Expanded New Testament. Maybe there is some “hint” of why Jesus would say he is coming to bring a “sword”. After all, Kenneth Wuest in supposedly one of the greatest Greek translators to ever live. You see the Greek language doesn’t translate well to English. For example in Greek, there are 5 words for “love”. Did you know that? Each Greek word for “love” means something entirely different than the other. And Mr. Wuest doesn’t just “translate” word for word because this is simply not possible. He “transliterates” the language so the result is the “intended meaning”.
You DO want to know the “intended meaning” don’t you?
(Note: In the Kenneth Wuest translation, he has to rearrange the “paragraph structures” to ensure the context of the communication is not lost by the errors of the original attempts. So since each “paragraph” should be speaking about a single “thought stream” when you read Mr. Wuest’s translation, you will see he clumps together the verses a bit differently than the other texts. This is critical to understand the true and intended meaning)
Matt 10:32
32-1 Everyone therefore who is of such a character that he will confess me before men in the realization of and in testimony to his oneness with me, I also will confess him before my Father who is in heaven in the realization of and testimony to my oneness with him. But whoever is of such a nature that he will deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Do not suppose that I came with the result that my coming would throw peace suddenly upon the earth. I did not come with the result that my coming would throw peace, but a sword. For I came with the result that my coming puts a man at variance with his father, and a daughter against her mother, and the newly married wife against her mother-in-law, and the enemies of a man shall be those of his household. He who has an affection for father or mother above that which he has for me, is not worthy of me. And he who has an affection for son or daughter above that which he has for me, is not worthy of me. And he who does not take his cross and take the same road with me which I take, is not worthy of me. He who has found his soul-life, shall ruin and render it useless, and he who has passed a sentence of death upon his soul-life for my sake shall find it. He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives Him who sent me on a mission. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever shall give one of these lesser ones in their station in life a drink of cool water in the name of a pupil, assuredly I am saying to you, he shall positively not lose his reward. And it came to pass that when Jesus finished giving detailed orders to the twelve disciples, He went away from that place for the purpose of teaching and of making a public proclamation in their cities with that formality, gravity, and authority which must be listened to and obeyed.
(from The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest Copyright © 1961 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. All rights reserved.)
WOW. What an amazing difference. Here you quickly understand that Jesus was merely suggesting that HIS coming to the earth would bring choas to the world. The “word” sword is simply being used as a metaphor to point out that the “demons seed” generations of the world would not accept him and his teachings (those of His Father YHWH, our Heavenly Father), and the RESULT of this….
HUGE PARADIGM SHIFT
… would be fighting and chaos.
But who would be fighting and where would the chaos be coming from?
Go back and re-read Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13 to wrap your arms around the fact that we Christians will be persecuted.
This doesn’t mean we “fight back”. This means we ….
ACT EXACTLY LIKE JESUS DID!!
John 16:2-3
They will put you out of the synagogues (the churches and ministries of today); yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you (or persecutes, and speaks evil about you) will think that he offers God service. 3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me (i.e., the do not know the LOVE of Jesus and our Father commanded of us)
NKJV
(I addeded throughout this article helper text to assist in the depth of better understanding. I hope this helps a little)
Are we not supposed to all be like Jesus? Are we not to become consecrated and sanctified unto Him? Are we not supposed to be PRECISELY THE IMAGE OF CHRIST here on earth.
The Consequences of This Misunderstanding
Of the 27 verses that mention the word “sword” in the New Testament, arguably only one or two others, when “cherry picked” and taken out of context MIGHT indicate that maybe there is some “sword related” activity. But when your realize that the KING OF KINGS is clear that HE is coming back to kick some cheek on our behalf, you have to remember this IS a double standard. Vengence is MINE sayeth …. WHO? I believe it is THE LORD.
So in closing let’s just investigate the likely sad and utterly horrible consequences of “some Christians” trying to “righteously” defend themselves.
Two Words.
BRANCH DIVIDIANS
There is not a single one amongst those of us who study the NWO and the “conspiracy” facts that does not realize the ATF attack on the Branch Dividians was uncalled for and taken to extremes. There are even articles and lots of documentary video evidence that these people, man, woman and child, were BURNED SACRIFICIALLY by these demon possessed entities in our government.
Is it possible there MIGHT have been some borderline wrong doings going on there with their policies on marriage and such? Maybe. But the testimonies of those that supposedly impeached Mr. Koresh, were called into serious question.
And why aren’t there TANKS burning down houses in UTAH right now because of their Mormon “like” questionable belief systems.
I submit to you that if there WERE NOT WEAPONS on the campus of the Branch Dividians, they likely would still be there today.
The point here is NOT that the Dividians were decent operation. The point here is that “they” gave the government REASON to go in and burn the place down.
Don’t give the forces of EVIL a reason to come into your home and kill your children in a fire fight!! Do you have any idea how many people are being arrested for having arsenals in their homes even though they are in their legal limit of registered weapons?
Summary In Jesus Name
If you behave like Jesus and the apostles did, and you BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit “has your back”, and you believe the scriptures like “If God is for us, who can be against us” then what is your ultimate goal of considering any action other than that of PEACE AND LOVE?
ANYONE WHO BELIEVES THEY NEED ANYTHING OTHER THAN GOD TO PROTECT THEM, DOES NOT UNDERSTAND PSALM 91 AT ALL.
Maybe the soldier dressed in black, pointing his weapon at your home, is a Christian. Maybe as he is following orders he is praying “In the Name of Jesus, let this family surrender that they may LIVE and proclaim the GLORY OF GOD!”
AND THEN YOU SHOOT!
Never mind the millions of peaceful true Christians that will suffer because of the lies the media will tell about your “stand off”. Never mind the persecution the rest of us will face because they slander your name and tell the world that THOSE DARN CHRISTIANS are a threat to us ALL.
Maybe your bullet hits the target. Maybe you kill that soldier. Maybe you killed the ONLY Christian in the entire group.
OH YOU SAY “But it was a Russian soldier” …. Well 71% of Russian are Christians.
Remember those feet coming down the hallway may not be coming to take you to Heaven.
AND THEN ….
Luke 21:3636 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
LET US HOPE, YOU WILL BE COUNTED WORTHY
I for one will take NO CHANCES
I for one will surrender to the CROSS
I will DIE PEACEFULLY for my KING!
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TRUE JESUS-LIKE BEHAVIOR DURING PERSECUTION
