There is No Pacifism in The Bible
It is reported that a Hindu, a few years ago, undertook to rebuke all the Christian Nations by asking, �How can you reconcile Jesus� doctrine of nonresistance with your military armament and with the wars you fight from time to time? Which of you will return good for evil?� In speaking thus, the Hindu smugly gloated over what he thought was an inconsistency between our religion and our national conduct.
Unfortunately, there are some Christians who are so ignorant of their own religion, they become embarrassed at such accusations and feel that we must be guilty of inconsistency, even a few phrases quoted out of context. However, it is time for Christians to learn more about what they claim as their own religion. We could ask the Hindu in return, how he can reconcile their on aggressive attack upon Portuguese Goa, which Portugal had held since the year 1510. How can he reconcile this aggressive warfare with their proclamations of his devotion to peace, whenever peace consists of leaving white men in slavery.
We shall not be content to point out inconsistencies in the attitude of the Hindus. We want to prove to you today that our own conduct is not inconsistent with our religion. In the first place, it is false to speak of Yahshua�s doctrine of nonresistance. In John 2:13-16 the beloved disciple reports that the first act of Yahshua�s ministry, in the city of Jerusalem, was to MAKE A WHIP AND FLOG THE MONEY CHANGERS OUT OF THE COURT OF THE TEMPLE. Does this look like nonresistance, cringing submission to the triumph of evil?
Indeed not, nor was this all. Matthew 21:12-13 and Mark 11:15-17 both record that Yahshua repeated this cleansing of the temple of the evil antichristians who infested it, during the last week before His crucifixion. Yahshua never tolerated evil, never consented that it should be allowed to remain triumphant rather than to resist it. Only in His crucifixion did He allow the forces of evil to have their way. This was not through any doctrine of non-resistance to evil, but only to fulfill the purpose for which He had assumed a human body. He came here for the express purpose of meeting death to pay the penalty for our sins, in order to Redeem us. If He had not submitted to crucifixion, His purpose to save and Redeem us would not have been accomplished. For this reason only did He submit and not because He ever believed in letting evil triumph without resistance.
What about in Matthew 5:38-39:
�Ye have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you resist not him that is evil, but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.�
No, there is no inconsistency here either. This advise was never given to the NATION, that we should surrender to our enemies and leave the world in slavery. It was ONLY given to individuals and to particular individuals at that.
Yahshua was preaching to bring His truths before all who had the qualities to respond to Him and would become His disciples. These would be that first generation of Christians whose responsibility, above all else, was to spread His word.� They were not to be distracted by petty quarrels with other people, they were to face ridicule, contempt and hatred. Every day they would be given provocation by insults and injuries, if they let themselves react with natural anger, they would be in constant quarrels and fights. They would be constantly arrested and in jail, not as noble martyrs to a great cause, but as brawlers constantly fighting in the streets over personal quarrels. This would not be a good recommendation for the new religion of Christianity.
Even if they did not fight, but looked to the law to vindicate their rights, this would make them spend all their time and energy in lawsuits instead of their missionary work. This was not the duty of the early Christians. Yahshua did not intend that they should tamely let themselves be slaughtered by ruffians, is clear. In Luke 22:36, He told His disciples that HE THAT HAD NO SWORD SHOULD SELL HIS CLOAK AND BUY ONE.
So many erroneous religious doctrines come from the mistake of taking out of context words spoken for a certain time and place and trying to make universal, eternal rules of them. In Matthew 14:19 and Mark 6:39, when Yahshua was about to feed the multitude with a few loaves and fishes we read;
�He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.�
This certainly doesn�t mean that it is a Christian�s duty to go around making people sit down on the grass. It was spoken only to meet the special circumstances of a particular time and place. No one should try to make a doctrine of it. This was the same with Yahshua�s instructions to the early Christians to stick to the job for which He had chosen them, not waste time quarreling with the wicked.
�Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof.� (Judges 3:2)
Don�t ever think that if you see some ruffian trying to rape your wife or daughter, you should merely stand murmuring pious platitudes about the desirability of good conduct. You duty, and I do mean duty as a good Christian, is to stop him, even if you have to kill him to do it.
�But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.� (1 Timothy 5:8)
So much for the individual. This Hindu was trying to place Christians nations, under the individual�s restrictions. Yahweh always distinguished between the rules for the individual and the rules for the nation. Particularly is this true of the laws of war. It is only when we have been guilty of evil conduct and disloyal to our God that He has allowed wicked nations to oppress us until we repented of our evil ways. Then Yahweh used us as His own servant and agent to make war against those wicked nations.
�Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms.� (Jeremiah 51:20)
Yahweh began our training for this early. When our ancestors came out of Egypt in the exodus, they were attacked by the Amalekites. For this, Yahweh said that He would have war with Amalek form generation to generation until He had utterly blotted out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. This duty He commanded His people Israel to perform, as we read in Exodus 17:14-16 and Deuteronomy 25:17-19. This is only the beginning.
We read in Judges chapter seven how Yahweh sent Gideon, with only 300 men, to deliver Israel form the huge army of the Midianites and he routed the Midianites with the slaughter of 120,000 men. We are clearly told that this was by the sword of Yahweh and of Gideon.
Neither let yourself be misled by the lying Judeo-Christian clergy quoting, �They that take the sword shall perish by the sword.� Note that this speaks to TWO swords; the sword of the aggressor, who shall perish by the sword of the defender.
Lest anyone should say that this is only a characteristic of earthly men, a relic of the past, that we should look forward to a higher, nobler character to be attained in the future. Let�s examine the book of Revelation, in its description of Yahshua when He returns to reign over all the world as King of kings.
Revelation 19:11 says of Yahshua, �In righteousness He doth judge and make war.� Yahshua recognizes that there can never be peaceful coexistence between good and evil. One must certainly conquer, the other must certainly perish. If good doesn�t have the will and the courage to be the conqueror, then evil will rule supreme. So long as evil exists, there will be wars. There will be wars of evil�s aggression against good, until good conquers and exterminates evil. This last great war to wipe out evil, will be led by no less a general than our Redeemer, Yahshua. When He come, let him find you, not hiding under the bed in abject terror, but marching resolutely in the ranks of His army.
For a coward, or the fearful, cannot enter into the kingdom of Christ:
�But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.� (Revelation 21:8) (Taken, in part, from a study by Bertrand Comparet)