War, what does the Bible say?

WAR!!

Add your own input on the topic of war.

What has man done that there so much chaos, evil, and death in a perfect sinless world?

And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat it, not shall you youch it, lest you die."

Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves and made themselves coverings.
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the gadden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
So he said, "I heard Your voice in the gaden, and I was afraid because I was naked and hid myself." .......
To the woman He said:
    "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
     In pain you shall bring forth children;
     Your desire shall be for your husband,
     And he shall rule over you."
Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, "You shall not eate of it':
    "Cursed is the ground for your sake;
    In toil you shall eat of it
    All the days of your life.
    Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
    And you shall eat the herb of the field
    In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
    Till you return to the ground
    For out of it you were taken;
    For dust you are,
    And to dust you shall return."
   -Genesis 3

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned."
   -Romans 5:12

How do I fight for the true God in a fallen world?

"Finally, my brethen, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.
Stand thefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preperation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 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, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth bold to make known the myster of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."
-Ephesians 6:10-20

It's all over the news! What is the right stance to take? What does the Bible say?

After the flood, God establishes a new covenant with Noah in the post-flood world:
"And for your lifeblood, I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
"Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made man."
-Genesis 9:5-6
~~The reason man could kill animals, but neither animals nor man could kill man, is because man alone was made in God's image. Thus, taking the life of man, no matter how evil he is (e.g. Sadaam Hussein), is rebellion against God.

"Through the LORD's mercies, we are not consumed,
   Because his compassions fail not.
   They are new every morning.
   Great is your faithfulness.
   The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
   to the soul who seeks Him.
   It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
   For the salvation of the LORD.
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
   That woe and well-being proceed?
   Why should a living man complain,
   A man for the punishment of his sins?
   Let us serach out and examine our ways,
   And turn back to the LORD;
   Let us lift our hearts and hands
   To God in heaven.
   You have not pardoned."
   -Lamentations 3:22-26;38-42

Then what about salvation, why are there still wars and conflicts if God loves abundantly?

"Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one;
   He is mighty in strength of understanding.
   He does not preserve the life of the wicked,
   But gives justice to the oppressed.
   He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
   But they are on the throne with kings,
   For He has seated them forever,
   And they are exalted."
   -Job 36:5-7

Rather, how did Jesus respond to malice by his enemies?

"And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.
Now His betrayer had given them a sign saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; size Him." Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.
But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus [Peter] stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"
-Matthew 26:47-53

"When I say to the wicked, "O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shal die in his iniquity; but his blood I will reqiure at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delievered your soul.
"Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: "Thus you say, 'If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?" Say to them: "As I live,' says the Lord GOD, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?"
-Ezekiel 33:8-11

"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, He entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteouesness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepher and Overseer of your souls."
-1Peter 2:22-25

HA! How are we supposed to act like Jesus when Jesus himself went around destroying the marketplace at the temple?

"Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by my name, and say "We are delievered to do all these abominations'? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of theives in your eyes? Behold, i even I, have seen it," says the Lord
-Jeremiah 7:8-11

"Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'
Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them."
-Matthew 21:12-14

"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
   but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
   The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
   But he loves him who follows righteousness." -Proverbs 15:8-9

How can I overcome the grave injustices that some people commit? Isn't it just to take out at least some of the evil in the world?

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 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. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, lie peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 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."
(referring to the Ancient Egyptian custom when a person wishing to show great remorse for wrongdoing or repentance would carry a pan of burning coals on head, representing the burning pain of shame and guilt)
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
   -Romans 12:14-21

What about my government? I would believe they are not practicing these teachings!

"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Thefefore, you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor."
-Romans 13:1-7

So how do you treat an evil brother?

"Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evli of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.
Who are you to judge one another?
-James 4:11-12

How do you deal with a corrupt or bad government if this government is evil!? What if I was captured and imprisoned by the North Koreans or something?

"Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."
-1 Peter2:13-17

How do I rely on the heavenly father in the unpredictablity of war and such?

"The LORD is my light and my salvation;
   Whom shall I fear?
   The LORD is the strength of my life;
   When the wicked came against me
   To eat up my flesh,
   My enemies and foes,
   They stumbled and fell.
   Though an army may encamp against me,
   My heart shall not fear;
   Though war may rise against me,
   In this I will be confident.
   One thing I have desired of the LORD,
   That will I seek:
   That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
   All the days of my life,
   To behold the beauty of the LORD,
   And to inquire in His temple...
   And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;...
   Do not hide your face from me;
   Do not hide your face from me;
   Do not turn your servant away in anger;
   You have been my help;

Do not leave me nor forsake me,
   O God of my salvation.
   When my father and my mother forsake me,
   Then the LORD will take care of me.
   Teach me Your way, O LORD
   And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
   Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
   For false witnesses have risen against me,
   And such as breathe out violence.
   I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
   That I would see the goodness of the LORD
   In the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD;
   Be of good courage,
   And He shall strengthen your heart;
   Wait, I say, on the LORD!"
   -Psalm 27

Instead of resisting the siege of Satan, fight for God, powered by His limitless power!

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against the flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavnly realms."
-Ephesians 6:10-12

"Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world.If my kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; now my kingdom is not from here.
Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are You a king then?'
Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'
-John 18:36-37
We do not fight for the temporal kingdom on earth, but instead for the eternal kingdom of God!

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