On War
From LanceaSanctum
Delivered to the Sanctified on 18 July, 2006 by Father General Aroex Xaviar Bastian Valario de la Cruz.
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace."
Many have struggled with the issue of war for centuries. Before the birth of Christ, all good people wrestled with war and the existence of evil. Thankfully, God is not silent on the subject.
As the Bible is divinely inspired by God, it is readily apparent that war is sometimes a necessary option. In fact, just as there are numerous references to peace in the Bible, there are frequent references to God-ordained war.
Many present-day pacifists hold Jesus as their example for unvarying peace. But they ignore the full revelation concerning Christ pictured in the book of Revelation 19, where He is depicted bearing a "sharp sword" and smiting nations, ruling them with "a rod of iron."
Moreover, the Song of Victory in Exodus 15 hails God as a God of war: "… The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name." And, as the verses of Ecclesiastes indicate, there is indeed a time for war.
God actually strengthened individuals for war, including Moses, Joshua and many of the Old Testament judges who demonstrated great faith in battle. And God destroyed many armies challenging the Israelites. I Chronicles 14:15 describes God striking down the Philistines.
God even gives counsel to be wise in war. Proverbs 20:18: "Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war."
Today, our covenant continues to face strong challenges in the modern nights. The increasingly heinous acts committed by other covenants echo around us. This serves as a constant reminder of the frailty of even our vampiric forms.
It is apparent that our God-given duties must be defended.
Throughout the book of Judges, God calls the Israelites to go to war against The Midianites and Philistines. Why? Because these nations were trying to conquer Israel, and God's people were called to defend themselves.
We must also defend ourselves that we may continue our mission to test the faithful and chastise the wicked. This is a worthy pursuit. In fact, Proverbs 21:15 tells us: "It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity."
One of the primary purposes of the church is to stop the spread of evil, even at the cost of human lives. If we do not stop the spread of evil, many innocent lives will be lost and the kingdom of God suffers.
Remember, the sixth commandment does not admonish against killing, it admonishes against murder. There is a difference between killing and murdering. In fact, many times God commanded capital punishment for those who break the law.
We continue to live in violent times. The Bible tells us war will be a reality until Christ returns. And when the time is right, Jesus will indeed come again, ending all wars, and ending our Damnation.
Until that time, however, we must live as Galatians 6:2 instructs: "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
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