Peace and War

[Matthias]

“Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.”

(Psalm 120:6-7, NET)

In 1869 the Russian author Leo Tolstoy had published a novel titled War and Peace. What a pity, the word order in the title. How true, though, the word order is in this age.

An age is coming when there will no more be war. As a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, I live now, in this present evil age, as all will live in the coming age. I preach peace to the world and call upon all who will to refrain from hating their enemies. The world responds to the message of peace with violence.

The world in this age is filled with talk about war. Jesus knew that it would be.

”You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the present evil age]. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end [of the present evil age] will come.”

(Matthew 24:6-14)

Brackets are mine.

War and peace. The world is filled with the former and in desperate need of the latter.

Peace and war. The Messiah’s disciples have and live the Messiah’s peace now, in the midst of this evil age, are persecuted, and willing to suffer for it and for him rather than to respond to violence with violence.

War is a curse. It will not prevail in the end.

War (Heb. milhama) and peace (Heb. shalom). Peace (shalom) and war (milhama). Both will be replaced by peace (shalom) alone.

The day is coming when the title of this thread will be changed. No more “Peace and”; only “Shalom”.

Maranatha. (Come, lord Messiah!)

 

[Jude Thaddeus]

Biden's morals are in the gutter, but he stands against an evil empire.
Trump has good morals, but he likes dictators.
I'm glad to be Canadian, but our prime minister is a liberal pansy.
Maranatha!

 

[Matthias]

“A sermon is not a lecture. It is not absorbing trivia. It is a heart-shaking assault on darkness and the very gates of hell, trumpeted forth so that sinners tremble and saints quake in wonder.” - Michael Reeves

Peace (shalom) is light. War (milhama) is darkness.

The gospel of the kingdom, also called the gospel of peace in scripture.

Hear Jesus preaching the gospel.

 

[Behold]

Hear Jesus preaching the gospel.

Paul's Gospel.

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to MY Gospel.” – Romans 2:16


“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to = MY Gospel..., and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began…” – Romans 16:25

Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to= My Gospel :” – 2 Timothy 2:8


“If ye have heard of .....The dispensation of the Grace of God that is given to ME....(GOSPEL)... to you-ward…to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:” – Ephesian 3:2-9

 

[Matthias]

Paul's Gospel.

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to MY Gospel.” – Romans 2:16


“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to = MY Gospel..., and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began…” – Romans 16:25

Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to= My Gospel :” – 2 Timothy 2:8


“If ye have heard of .....The dispensation of the Grace of God that is given to ME....(GOSPEL)... to you-ward…to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:” – Ephesian 3:2-9

The gospel of God, the gospel that Jesus preached, the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel of peace, is the gospel that Paul (and all of the other Apostles) preached.

 

[Behold]

The gospel of God, the gospel that Jesus preached, the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel of peace, is the gospel that Paul (and all of the other Apostles) preached.

If you read all the words of Jesus, notice that He never told anyone that "Im going to die on The Cross, and this will be your Salvation"..

Paul told you that.. so, once you realize this, you'll understand that Paul's Gospel, is "the Preaching of the Cross", and Jesus never shared this message, as He was not DEAD, when He was here, dealing with the Jews. There was no Jesus on the Cross, when Jesus was here, until the end of his Life?
Do you see?
He never "preached" the message of The Cross, to Jews, because He had not died on it yet.
Once He did, they still didnt know it, And after He was in Heaven....>>He CALLED PAUL... and gave Paul.. "the Gospel"., and that is not Acts 2:38.

Paul said.>>>"no man taught me this Gospel, as i received this from JESUS"... , and the other 11 apostles didnt., which proves that Paul's Gospel, was not known to them...

But in Acts 15, they all met Paul, and He helped them understand that "The Gospel of the Grace of God' is "My Gospel"...that Paul showed you, in those verses i posted. @Matthias .

Paul's Gospel, says that EVERYONE can believe in Jesus, because Jesus died on the CROSS for EVERYONE....

If you read Acts 10... that is 10 Yrs after "Pentecost", and Jesus is in Heaven for a DECADE... you will discover that PETER didn't even know that GENTILES could be saved..... he didn't know that Gentiles could become a part of the Body of Christ.

In Acts 15, Paul explained to Peter and the other apostles The GOSPEL..., which is what God began to show Peter in Acts 10.

 

[Matthias]

If you read all the words of Jesus, notice that He never told anyone that "Im going to die on The Cross, and this will be your Salvation"..

Paul told you that.. so, once you realize this, you'll understand that Paul's Gospel, is "the Preaching of the Cross", and Jesus never shared this message, as He was not DEAD, when He was here, dealing with the Jews. There was no Jesus on the Cross, when Jesus was here, until the end of his Life?
Do you see?
He never "preached" the message of The Cross, to Jews, because He had not died on it yet.
Once He did, they still didnt know it, And after He was in Heaven....>>He CALLED PAUL... and gave Paul.. "the Gospel"., and that is not Acts 2:38.

Paul said.>>>"no man taught me this Gospel, as i received this from JESUS"... , and the other 11 apostles didnt., which proves that Paul's Gospel, was not known to them...

But in Acts 15, they all met Paul, and He helped them understand that "The Gospel of the Grace of God' is "My Gospel"...that Paul showed you, in those verses i posted. @Matthias .

Paul's Gospel, says that EVERYONE can believe in Jesus, because Jesus died on the CROSS for EVERYONE....

If you read Acts 10... that is 10 Yrs after "Pentecost", and Jesus is in Heaven for a DECADE... you will discover that PETER didn't even know that GENTILES could be saved..... he didn't know that Gentiles could become a part of the Body of Christ.

In Acts 15, Paul explained to Peter and the other apostles The GOSPEL..., which is what God began to show Peter in Acts 10.

Listening to Paul preach is listening to
Jesus preach in Paul, is listening to God preach in Jesus.

“Don’t listen to Jesus preach” -> the devil whispering in our ears.

 

[Matthias]

A message to Muslims / Islam (“The religion of peace”) from Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Son of the living God; in me:

“Treat others as you would have others treat you.”

If you love Jesus, listen to Jesus preach.

 

[Matthias]

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Enemies who are killed are people who are then rendered unable to repent. Don’t kill your enemy. Love your enemy. Pray for him. Pray for her. Pray for them.

Do not repay evil with evil. Repay evil with good.

 

[Matthias]

“Yahweh will fight for you, and you shall be still.”

(Exodus 14:14, WEB)

Trust and obey Yahweh.

 

[Matthias]

“Anyone who fights for the future, lives in it today.” - Ayn Rand

Some do this with weapons of the world, for a kingdom of the world.

I do it (and call for others to do it) with spiritual weapons - not with the weapons of this world, nor for a kingdom that is of this world system - for the kingdom that is not of this world system; the coming kingdom of God.

 

[Matthias]

“The idea that one might be willing to die at the hands of someone filled with hatred to be a living and breathing testimony to the love of Christ and the power of cruciform love has become unthinkable for many in our churches today. While the soil of the early church was watered by the blood of Christian martyrs who knew the saving power of love and would rather die than engage in violent retaliation, martyrdom has become completely unthinkable in most Western churches today. …

The problem is that most Christians find the way of the crucified Messiah unthinkable. … I know this is a hard message to hear, and to say that Jesus’ plea, ‘Come and die,’ is ‘good news’ just seems nuts. But there it is, and that is why it is easier to talk about gun control than the logic of the gospel, which is not ‘Take up your Glock and follow mw,’ but ‘Take up your cross and follow me.’

This Gospel runs contrary to our very nature. This Gospel strikes a deep cord of fear in our hearts. This is one reason why Jesus says, ‘Do not be afraid.’ He knew that once we really got what being a Christian is all about that it would terrify us. Most people want Jesus to save them from sin and hell, but they have no interest in following him to Golgotha. They want access to the power of God to secure their own existence, without a life structured by self-sacrificial love. …

… I am not recommending that we seek out martyrdom. The early Christians would have found this odd, because for them martyrdom is not something that we chose for ourselves, but a special calling with a special grace to witness to God’s love in a special circumstance that are in certain ways beyond our control. I certainly do not want to glorify suffering; human suffering is always heartbreaking, even when it is redeemed by God and yields unexpected good. Like most human beings, I naturally want to defend myself and repay evil with evil. But I also want the voice of Jesus to penetrate my fear so I can clearly hear the truth, no matter how difficult it might be for me to accept. I want to have the courage, strength, and hope to follow his way, no matter what the cost. I want to grow so that my faith might shine as bright as the Christian martyrs both in the past and in the present, both at home and abroad. What would it be like to have that kind of faith? How would life be different if we were to fully trust God not only with our lives but also our deaths? What would it be like to drop our defenses and be so filled with love that we no longer fear death? Now that would be real power! … May we aspire to have that kind of faith!”

Take Up Your Glock and Follow Me: Whatever Happened to Martyrdom?

Jesus does not say, “Take up your Glock and follow me,” but “Take up your cross and follow me.”

revmarkreynolds.com

 

[Matthias]

“This, after all, is what came with the terms of your call, because the Messiah, too, suffered on your behalf, leaving behind a pattern for you so that you should follow the way he walked.”

(1 Peter 2:21, NTFE)

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me.”

(Psalm 23:4)

The Messiah knew well the Hebrew Bible. He walked through the valley (without being armed with any of the weapons of the world) that his disciples do and he didn’t fear evil, because he knew that the God of Israel was with him.

He is our example. That is the pattern of the walk for his followers in this age.

 

[Matthias]

Jesus is our peace.

 

[Matthias]

“Christian, it may be helpful to pause and remind yourself that loving your enemy is a priority.” - Jeremy Howard

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Is it? If it is, let’s do it.

Is it a dangerous priority? Perhaps.

What then shall we say?

”If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

What then shall we do?

***

”When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Refrain

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

Refrain

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favour He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Refrain

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet.
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way.
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Refrain”

(John H. Sammis)

 

[Matthias]

“for shoes on your feet, ready for battle, the gospel of peace. “

(Ephesians 6:15, NTE)

”and being firm-footed on the gospel of peace.”

(ISV)

”and wear on your feet the readiness that comes from the Good News of shalom.”

(CJB)

“And on your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong.”

(ICB)

 

[Matthias]

“Beware those Christian leaders who are eager to give you permission to hate, who encourage your compulsions towards wrath, violence, or malice.

Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Blessed are the peacemakers. This is our message.” - Griffin Gulledge

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[Matthias]

“Before I argue for my position, I want to first acknowledge that there are dozens of different brands of ‘pacifism,’ most of which I disagree with. In fact, I don’t like the term ‘pacifism‘ and I rarely use it to describe my position, largely because the term is so often misunderstood. When most people hear the term ‘pacifism,’ they think of ‘passiveness;’ they imagine people standing around with their fingers interlocked behind their backs as they self-righteously watch evil run rampant. This may depict a brand of pacifism, but it is not the brand I endorse.

I also find non-Christocentric versions of pacifism, or non-violence, to be ethically and theologically anemic. If Jesus does not walk out of a grave and sit at the right hand of the Father, then we have no business loving our enemies. Unless Christ defeats evil by submitting to violence - by dying rather than killing - and rises from the dead to tell the tale, I will most certainly destroy my enemy before he destroys me. Without the death and resurrection of Jesus, all forms of non-violence, I believe, are uncompelling.

To be clear, I believe in Christian - or more explicitly, Christocentric - nonviolence. Christocentric nonviolence says that we should fight against evil, we should wage war against injustice, and we should defend the orphan, the widow, the marginalized, and oppressed. And we should do so aggressively. But we should do so nonviolently.

In other words, Christocentric nonviolence does not dispute whether Christians should fight against evil. It only disputes the means by which we do fight.”

A Case for Christocentric Nonviolence - Theology in the raw

*The following is the complete manuscript of my paper I presented last Thursday at the annual Evangelical Theological Society’s annual meeting. I was one of four participants who presented on “Just War in an Age of Terrorism.” Two of the panelists were Just War theorists, and I was one of two...

theologyintheraw.com

 

[Matthias]

“Jesus replied, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from the world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’”

(John 18:36, NET)

Christians did not kill in order to deliver the Messiah from the hands of his enemies. Many Christians today would kill fellow Christians (and non-Christians) for nations that are from this world.

The Messiah is pleased with his disciples killing one another in service to nations of this world?

 

[Matthias]

The military doesn’t teach soldiers to love their enemies. The military teaches soldiers to kill their enemies.

The military doesn’t teach soldiers Jesus’ way. The military teaches soldiers the world’s way.