Tingting Bilong Bible

Waswe, God Appruvim War?

PLANTI taem olketa ruler, general, and olketa bigman bilong church tu announcem or saportim war long nem bilong God! Long 1095, Pope Urban II appruvim datfala First Crusade wea go for tekem bak for Christendom datfala “Holy Taon” Jerusalem. Bat bifor olketa kasem datfala goal, wanfala sekson bilong olketa crusader hia dae long hand bilong olketa from Turkey, wea faith bilong olketa long Allah hem strong olsem faith bilong olketa Crusader long Trinity.

Long August 1914, wanfala young German man raet kam from ples hem stap witim army long World War I: “Sapos God directim samting wea happen long history—and mi barava sure hem olsem—then mifala mas win.” Long sem month, Czar Nicholas II sendem olketa army bilong Russia againstim Germany, witim toktok hia: “Mi sendem bigfala greeting long olketa strongfala soldia bilong mi and olketa nara kantri wea saportim mi. God hem stap witim iumi!”

From planti million soldia kasem kaen encouragement olsem, olketa go long war and barava biliv God saedem olketa. Planti pipol tingse God appruvim wei for faet olsem kost for kasem freedom, and olketa point go long olketa war insaed Hebrew Scripture (wea planti kolem Old Testament) olsem pruv. Waswe, wei wea olketa minim Word bilong God hem stret?

Olketa War Bilong Israel Bifor

Jehovah God givim komand for Israel faet againstim wicked pipol bilong Canaan for aotem olketa from Promis Land. (Leviticus 18:1, 24-28; Deuteronomy 20:16-18) Long sem wei wea God iusim flood long taem bilong Noah for panisim olketa badfala pipol and hem iusim fire long Sodom and Gomorrah, hem iusim nation bilong Israel olsem sword bilong hem for givim panis.—Genesis 6:12, 17; 19:13, 24, 25.

Olsem Bible talem, God directim Israel for faet insaed samfala nara war, planti taem for stopem olketa enemy wea attakim olketa. Taem datfala nation obeyim Jehovah, olketa winim olketa war hia. (Exodus 34:24; 2 Samuel 5:17-25) Bat planti taem Israel lus long war sapos olketa faet nomata Jehovah talem olketa for no faet. Tingim King Jeroboam. Hem no lisin long warning wea profet talem stret long hem, bat hem go ahed sendem bigfala army bilong hem for war againstim Judah. Long end bilong faet, 500,000 soldia bilong Jeroboam dae finis. (2 Chronicles 13:12-18) Wantaem, faithful King Josiah tu join insaed faet wea no bilong hem. From hem no tingting gud bifor hem duim diswan, hem dae insaed datfala faet.—2 Chronicles 35:20-24.

Wanem nao diswan showimaot? God nao man for disaed sapos Israel bae faet or nomoa. (Deuteronomy 32:35, 43) Hem garem olketa reason for pipol bilong hem for faet. Bat, olketa reason hia fulfill longtaem finis. And tu, Jehovah talem profesi hao olketa wea servem hem “long lastfala part bilong olketa day” bae “hammerim sword bilong olketa for kamap hou” and no “lanem war moa.” (Isaiah 2:2-4) Hem klia, olketa war insaed Bible no excuse for olketa war wea kamap distaem, wea God no directim or komandim.

Samting wea Kamaot From Teaching Bilong Christ

Taem hem long earth, Jesus showim hao for changem heit witim love wea no selfish, taem hem givim komand: “Lovem each other olsem mi lovem iufala.” (John 15:12) Hem sei tu: “Hapi nao olketa wea mekem peace kamap.” (Matthew 5:9) So diswan minim mekem peace grow, duim samting for apim gudwill.

Taem olketa kam for arrestim Jesus, aposol Peter trae for defendim hem witim sword. Bat Son bilong God givim strongfala kaonsel long hem taem hem sei: “Putim bak sword bilong iu long ples bilong hem, from olketa wea iusim sword bae dae from sword.” (Matthew 26:52) Hao nao olketa Christian long first-century followim datwan? Lukim olketa toktok hia.

“Taem mifala reviewim evri information wea stap hem [showimaot] hao, go kasem taem bilong Marcus Aurelius [121-180 C.E.], no eni Christian kamap soldia; and no eni soldia wea kamap Christian go ahed for serve insaed army.”—The Rise of Christianity.

“Fasin bilong olketa [firstfala] Christian hem barava difren from pipol bilong Rome. . . . From Christ preachim peace, olketa nating willing for kamap olketa soldia.”—Our World Through the Ages.

From olketa disaepol bilong Christ nating willing for serve insaed army bilong emperor, olketa bilong Rome killim dae staka long olketa. Why nao olketa Christian stand strong long diswan nomata pipol no laekem? Bikos Jesus teachim olketa for mekem peace.

War Distaem

Tingim barava nogud samting wea bae kamap sapos olketa follower bilong Christ faet insaed olketa army wea againstim each other, and trae killim dae each other. Samting olsem barava againstim olketa Christian principle. For tok stret, olketa wea obeyim God bilong Bible bae no spoelem eniwan—nomata enemy bilong olketa.a—Matthew 5:43-45.

Hem klia tumas, God no appruvim olketa war distaem midolwan long olketa man. From olketa tru Christian keepim peace, olketa mekhae long peace wea bae kamap taem Kingdom bilong God hem rul ovarem full world.

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 20]

General Francisco Franco bilong Spain, wea standap witim samfala Catholic bigman

[Credit Line]

U.S. National Archives photo

[Piksa long page 21]

Olketa Greek Orthodox priest blessim olketa soldia bifor olketa go long Kosovo, June 11, 1999

[Credit Line]

AP Photo/Giorgos Nissiotis