Observations From the Present Terrorism
David Hill

The morning of September 11, 2001 will be a morning that will forever be burned in my memory. I, like most Americans, can tell exactly where I was when first news broke of the American Airlines Flight 11 aircraft crashing into the World Trade Center north tower. Millions will remember the terrible images from New York, Washington, and southern Pennsylvania. Never did I envision such an attack happening in my lifetime and furthermore on live television. What happened that day will be remembered in history as one of the world’s most clever surprise attacks. The terrorists committed mass murder by using all our technology and freedom against us (U.S.). The news and history record will document much more than I would be able to say or space would allow here, but we can learn much from observing the activities of that dark day and subsequent days.

First, a lesson learned by many families is that life is fleeting. Arrogant pride leads us to believe that we will live forever on this earth and if not forever at least a very long life. But James asked the question, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away”(4:14). We are literally here today and gone tomorrow. Yet, how many really regard life so seriously? Even those who occupy the pew next to you and me in worship are often more interested in the things of this world rather than the things spiritual and eternal. It has been observed that what is really on the minds of Christians can be heard in the vestibule before, during, and after services. Perhaps this is true, but life with its activities and money spent declare the nature of an individual. Jesus said, “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt. 7:20). Some very wealthy folks were killed on September 11 as well as some very healthy individuals many considered at the top of their game, but what did that worldly acclaim do for them? Not one thing. There have been a lot of individuals worried about the attacks on America who have since died in car wrecks going about their daily routine. You see, it was not war or terrorism that killed them but normal activities of life. So, we observe that our lives are fleeting and all have an appointment to keep (Heb. 9:27). There is one much greater that will execute a final everlasting judgment (Matt. 10:28); Jesus said to fear Him.

Next, we must observe that evil has personality. The planes were hijacked by suicidal murderers (people) that were followers of the Koran and an individual leader named Osama bin Laden. You see, the evil deeds had personality in the form of men willing to promote their false doctrine and philosophy. Several observations can be made from this for spiritual application. One clear thing is the devil must have agents on the earth. Evil is in the world but is perpetrated by the agency of evil men and women. Evil is not some mysterious fog that lives of its own, but is promoted by a living being – the devil, Beelzebub, that old serpent, etc. (I Pet. 5:8).

Did you notice how quickly names and pictures surfaced related to the terrorists? The law enforcement agencies were quick to identify people who had carried out this great crime and even their accomplices. What would even our liberal friends have said if the CIA said “now we don’t want to call names,” or “let’s leave personalities out of this and address the issues and not personalities.” Those are two very common statements heard in the church today related to false teachers and their false teaching. But how will anyone be warned if names and personalities are left out of the picture? The government and law enforcement officials understand how to mark wrongdoers. They put out pictures, run newspaper articles and give lists of names in order to save the masses. Yet, preachers, elders and deacons refer to individuals in the church who mark false teachers and wrongdoers as extremists, mean-spirited, unloving and radical. Someone needs to quickly inform the FBI of the above terms related to their work, and even the President needs to know just how bad he is for calling names and telling the world that the individuals were evil. Further, doesn’t the government know that when they tell about the criminals involved they are “airing our dirty laundry to the whole world”? What are they thinking? It really is facetious when one starts down this line of thought. The serious thing about it is God has told Christians to mark false teachers (Rom. 16:17-18), to withdraw from unruly brethren (I Cor. 5:11; Eph. 5:11) and to have nothing to do with them (I Cor. 5:11; II John 9-11). It is just as facetious to step over the clear teaching of the New Testament on dealing with rebellious members of the church as to suggest that the government not call the names of criminals, etc. So we observe that evil has personality and that it must be marked and dealt with in an open, straight-forward way to save the masses.

Finally, I offer an observation that should encourage every Christian. As the terrorist attack accounts have been told by individual victims and family members, how many times did the mention of God, prayer, good, right and evil take place? Almost every account from victims of September 11 that I have heard has made reference to one or all of the above mentioned. People said they were praying as the buildings fell. Sadly, one man felt that the simple reciting of the model prayer (Matt. 6:9-13) made peace between him and God, but the fact is he was attempting to pray. Several public schools did the unthinkable; they called a school-wide public assembly and prayed for the victims. Many people said they called on God to save them, and many folks talked of how evil the deeds were and that right must prevail. The Congress of the U.S. met on the front steps of the Capital and sang “God Bless America.” How should this encourage the Christian? We’re on the right side, and even alien sinners know it when death and disaster are before them. In fact, it seems to be a time when people are reexamining religion and wanting to know more about God. Bible sales are reported to be at record highs! What a tremendous time for Christians to evangelize while our friends and neighbors are willing to talk and study. Yes, we as Christians should rejoice that we have an advocate with the Father (I John 2:1).
It also may be observed that most in this country still do recognize some form of an objective moral standard. Without a standard how could anyone say a thing is right or wrong? Now, I’ll grant that many if not most using these terms may not realize or carry them to the logical conclusion, but that’s where Christians come into the picture. It is the Christian’s job to teach and help the world to see that God is in control, and He has put an objective moral standard into place. Jesus said truth can be known (John 8:32). That statement demands several necessary conclusions: (1) There is objective truth; (2) If there is objective truth then there must be absolute falsehood; (3) The truth can be known meaning that we are not left in a sea of subjectivism. What makes sin a sin and therefore wrong? Because God said it was so from the beginning. It is not in man to decide such a standard (Jer. 10:23). God has defined the standard and sin (James 4:17) with many examples given (Gal. 5:19-21, I Pet. 4:3-5; etc.). Ultimately, most people realize a standard to live by, though they may choose to reject parts or through ignorance they are simply unaware. Now is a time for the people of God to assert the Word of God while many are willing to listen.

“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (I Cor. 16:13).

Editorial
Malcolm L. Hill

God set up three divine institutions. He first gave us the home (Gen. 2). He next gave us the civil government. This can be seen throughout all the Old Testament and is directly confirmed in Romans 13:1-7. Last of all God gave us the church (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47). The church was in the mind of God from eternity (Eph. 3:10-11). Each of these divine institutions has its own unique purpose with some overlapping with each other.

Some have held to the view that the civil government belongs to the devil’s crew and therefore the Christian should have nothing to do with it. Are we to assume that God is the originator of the civil government whose work is evil in some cases? It would seem to me that this view of the civil government and a good God is self-contradictory and very obviously self-contradictory at that. Civil government is ordained of God, and God has never ordained any organization that was evil (Rom. 13:1-7).

Has the civil government ever been wrong in its activities? Of course it has. Has God approved of all the evil done in civil government? Surely not. God has never approved of any evil and sin done by civil government. God set up the home, but He has never approved of the abuses of home and family. God set up the church, but He has never approved of the wrong and sin within the church.

Has God approved of the civil government taking the life of a human being when that person has been guilty of murder? The Bible says so. “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man” (Gen. 9:6). God is here saying that it is a serious matter for any person to take the life of an innocent person. He gives a clear warning by saying whoever does this will pay with his own blood. God demanded the death penalty under the law of Moses for murder (Exod. 21:12). God demanded the death penalty under the law of Moses for breaking the Sabbath (Exod. 35:2). God demanded the death penalty under the law of Moses for cursing parents (Lev. 20:9). God demanded the death penalty under the law of Moses for homosexuality and lesbianism (Lev. 20:13). God demanded the death penalty under the law of Moses for bestiality (Lev. 20:15-16). God demanded the death penalty under the law of Moses for false prophesying (Deut. 18:20). God demanded the death penalty under the law of Moses for idolatry (Deut. 17:2-7). God demanded the death penalty under the law of Moses for a rebellious child (Deut. 21:18-21). God demanded the death penalty under the law of Moses for rape (Deut. 22:25). On and on this list goes. Who could read clear passages such as these and conclude that God is opposed to the death penalty when one does deeds worthy of death?

Some are quick to say these passages are in the Old Testament. This is very true. Are we therefore to conclude that God did evil in the Old Testament? If it is wrong to take the life of those worthy of death today, then it would have been wrong in the Old Testament days. Someone is quick to say: “What would Jesus do?” Are we to conclude from this that God would do something that Jesus would not do? I have always taught that God and Christ are inseparable (John 17:20-21). If we have seen the Son we have seen the Father (John 14:9). Jesus said He and the Father are one (John 14:9). Jesus was with God the Father in the Old Testament (John 1:1-3, 14). God the Father and Christ the Son gave the Old Testament law through the Holy Spirit (II Pet. 1:21). Please notice that the Holy Spirit gave the law of the Old Testament; thus He approved of capital punishment in that period of time. But what would Jesus do now? Jesus would do now what He approves of in the New Testament if He so wished. The last will and testament of Jesus Christ says that men who are worthy of death can be put to death by the civil authorities (Rom. 13:1-7). Paul knew that the civil law had the right to put people to death who were worthy of such (Acts 25:11).

Some oppose capital punishment because they say we sometimes take the lives of the innocent. This may be so but it is very unusual. To take this view would mean that we could never punish anyone for anything because we might misjudge and punish the innocent. Children could not be punished. Bank robbers could not be punished. Liars could not be punished. Unjust employees could not be punished. Unjust employers could not be punished. A nation without just laws being enforced is exactly what has existed in Afghanistan for years. What a mutilating mess they have had and a world of injustice.
Can a Christian go to war? Yes, if the war is a just war. Each Christian must exercise his biblical judgment about fighting in wars. Every Christian should do his best to help appoint good and righteous men for offices in civil government. Those who refuse to do so are derelict in their responsibility to God and their fellow man.

May A Christian Fight For His Nation?
Glenn B. Ramsey

Whether or not a Christian may enlist in military service and then fight in carnal combat for his nation has been an issue among Christians for many generations. There have been, and still are, conscientious people who have opposed such enlistment. There have been, and still are, equally conscientious people who have argued that such may be done – some even suggesting that such should be done!
While recognizing that there is an area of liberty of opinion in such matters, we seek to establish a basis for our beliefs on this issue. Certainly, if a man believes it to be sinful to enlist in any sort of military service, he cannot do so without violating his conscience. It is a terribly dangerous thing to sin against one’s conscience. There is, however, a big difference in one conscientiously objecting to military service by Christians and that same person saying that such would be sin for anyone else!

We begin our discussion by asking some fair questions. First, “May a Christian fight to protect his own person?” Is there an inherent right for a child of God to defend himself personally from bodily harm? We answer in the affirmative.

Second, “May a Christian fight to protect his wife and children?” What about a man who does not properly care for his own and especially those of his own household (I Tim. 5:8)? Again, we would surely agree that a man may engage in physical combat to protect his wife and family.

Third, “May a Christian fight for his community?” If a local community of fifty homes is being attacked by an enemy, is it wrong for the Christian men of that community to come to the aid of their community? This writer doubts that any would object to this.

In each of the above cases we are assuming that the cause of fighting, whether individually or collectively, is a just cause. The Christian is not one who can take personal vengeance as the motive for fighting – whether in regard to his own person, the persons of his family or his community! Vengeance does have its place in the overall scheme of things. Vengeance belongs to God (Rom. 12:19). There is a difference between personal and individual vengeance and an effort by the individual to protect himself from an enemy. It should be noted that the governments of nations are for the purpose of exacting God’s vengeance on evildoers. A study of Romans 13 well establishes this fact.
Now, “Can a Christian fight for his nation?” The answer is, “Yes, a Christian may fight for his nation in a just cause.” A just cause is a cause that seeks to punish evildoers and reward those who do good. The national government is empowered by God to bring evildoers to justice and to bless those who do good (Rom. 13:3-4). When a nation goes to war to protect its people, it acts according to God’s provisions.
A Christian who fights in such a war acts as a part of that government and is justified in his endeavor by the same principle that enables the government to exact justice from evildoers and make provision to encourage those who do good.
Some will object along this line: “But the Christian is ‘not of this world’ and is a citizen of a spiritual kingdom – and as such is not to fight in a physical kingdom!” Jesus Himself said that His kingdom was not of this world else would His servants fight (John 18:36). Some read this and assume that this says that a servant of Christ should not fight! Indeed a child of God does not fight with carnal weapons when in a spiritual conflict. The weapons used in the spiritual battle include the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17). But a child of God is also a citizen of a material kingdom. As a citizen of that kingdom the child of God may enlist in the defence of that kingdom – even using the weapons which are the weapons of that kingdom!

Is Carnal Warfare Right?
Kerry Duke

In answering “yes” to the question above, I am not contending that waging war for any reason is right. Obviously, wars of aggression such as those instigated by Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan were unjustified attacks. But it is equally extreme to say that war cannot be justified under any circumstances, even in response to the recent barbaric attacks on this country. If such attacks were wrong, then our retaliation is right.

That men may, in just defense of their country, go to war against other nations is clear from the Old Testament. The book of Numbers is the sum of “all that are able to go forth to war in Israel” (Num. 1:3). These soldiers were given direct command from God to fight and take the lives of their enemies. When they took Jericho, the Israelites “utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword” (Josh. 6:21). God even gave instructions for the ambush of Ai, which the Israelites also “utterly destroyed” (Josh. 8:1-26). In the book of Joshua, the Israelites were commanded to wage war and were rewarded for their battles. In Judges, God raised up judges who delivered Israel through war. In the period of the kings, God’s people often fought and killed their enemies at the directive of God. Saul, David, and other kings of Israel led the nation in wars against the heathen nations. God commanded Saul, “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not” (I Sam. 15:3). God thus often commanded the Israelites to go to war.

If God commanded the Israelites to go to war, then their going to war was morally right. Had they disobeyed this command, their actions would have been wrong. God was right in ordering the Israelites to battle their enemies; how could the Israelites be wrong in carrying out what God had ordered them to do? God at times directly took the life of the guilty (e.g., Uzzah, Nadab and Abihu, etc.). At other times, He used men as the instruments for the execution of His wrath, as in the case of the Israelite wars against the wicked Canaanites. In either case, God is just, and if God gave order to the Israelites to go to war, then war cannot be in itself and under all circumstances sinful.

God has delegated to civil government the right to bear the sword (Rom. 13:4), which is explained as the right to “execute wrath upon him that doeth evil,” that is, to put the evildoer to death. This authority has been delegated by God to man in every age (Gen. 9:6; Lev. 18-20; Rom. 13:1-7; I Pet. 2:13-14). The “sword” stands for the power and right to put to death evildoers; this “sword” authorizes the ancient sword and scabbard, the gun of a policeman, the electric chair of a penitentiary, and the cruise missiles of our armed forces. All these means of defense are authorized in the “sword” of Romans 13:4. The force which policemen must use is essentially no different from that which soldiers exert in war against a foreign nation. What policemen do is as much a war as fighting on foreign soil; one war is within our national borders and the other is without.

“But we are not under the Old Testament, so you cannot cite God’s command for the Israelites to go to war as proof that we can go to war today with His approval.” This objection ignores a very critical question: Was it morally right for the Israelites to go to war? It certainly was, and we must note that basic moral truths do not change. They are the same in any dispensation. For instance, lying was wrong in the Old Testament and it is wrong today. Lying goes against the nature of God (Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:17-18), and God’s nature does not change (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17). As we have already observed, the legitimate use of the “sword” has been authorized in every dispensation. Thus, if the Israelites were right in going to war to defend themselves against, for example, the Philistines, then we are right today in going to war under circumstances that are essentially the same.

The fact that Israel was a theocracy does not mean we are unjustified in using the Old Testament to prove that a just war is authorized today. It is true that God directly commanded both the civil and the religious life of Israel. But God gave no commandment to Israel that was against His moral nature. If the principle of just war was right for them, then it is right for us. This conclusion is not altered by the fact that God spoke directly to the Israelites. The authority contained in the “sword” of Romans 13:4 is as binding as the audible voice of God in ancient Israel.

God did not leave individuals and nations without the right to protect themselves. He did not leave us in the brutal and merciless hands of evil people without the right to protect ourselves. As a nation we have the divinely given moral right to defend law-abiding, innocent citizens from the violence of evil citizens within or from the aggression of nations without. To deny this right is to strike against the very nature of justice.

The Slaying of the Amalekites and God’s Goodness
Holger W. Neubauer

Skeptics who have carefully sifted through the bib-lical record for inconsistencies think they have found one in the account of I Samuel 15. Unbelievers have utilized this account to attempt to show an arbitrary brutality concerning the God who presents Himself through the Bible. They accuse the God of the Bible of wrongdoing when he commanded the Amalekites to be destroyed. I Samuel 15:3 records these words: “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and sheep, camel and ass.”

Argument is made that a good God would not command the complete annihilation of an entire people. The skeptics also point out that here even innocent children were commanded to be killed along with the animals. Several things need to be noted about the destruction of the Amalekites which included children and beasts.

First, the Amalekites were commanded to be totally destroyed by a God who is neither capricious nor arbitrary. God is constant and does not change (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17). God’s legal justice system has always been based upon a secure law regarding moral conduct. God promised to spare the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah if ten righteous souls could be found (Gen. 18:32). God’s longsuffering waited 120 years before the wicked generation of Noah was eradicated (Gen. 6:3). Only after wickedness reached a level so hideous and unconscionable that God’s goodness and justice could not longer forbear did such judgments come forth. Jesus told the wicked and adulterous generation that rejected His own person, “Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers” (Matt. 23:32). That generation had followed their father’s evil ways and their wickedness had filled up the measure. Paul pointed out that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse” (II Tim. 3:13). Yet God would not punish the Amorites because their iniquity was “not yet full” (Gen. 15:16). The good God in heaven only punishes and executes his judgment when His very nature demands such to be done. This point needs to be fully realized in this discussion.

Second, the execution of the adults of Amalek was due to their own pernicious sin. The Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). All men and women who sin deserve physical and spiritual death. The degree to which sin is practiced in turn hastens the impending judgment of God. Although the kinds of sins Amalek committed are not mentioned specifically in the text, we do have an extensive list of sins that the people of Canaan were guilty of. In Leviticus 18, many sins of a sexual nature are condemned. These sins included incest (vv. 7-8), homosexuality (v. 22), and bestiality (v. 23). To these sins Moses warned, “Defile not yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants” (Lev. 18:24-25). The sins of these types so saturate and erode the morality of a society that those practicing these sins swiftly pass the point of no return. Paul mentioned that some of the Gentiles during Old Testament times “who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness” (Eph. 4:19). When men and women have sin deeply ingrained in their practice, they can easily arrive at the point that God gives them “over to reprobate mind” (Rom. 1:28). At this point they become unsaveable because they can no longer feel compunction of conscience (I Tim. 4:3). These Amalekites had reached this point and immorality and debauchery were so deep among them that their destruction was inevitable and just.

Third, the children who were killed were themselves in a safe condition. Isaiah spoke of a time before the child knew to “refuse evil” or “choose good” (Isa. 7:16). Therefore upon their deaths they were all ushered into paradise. Too, if these children were subject to incest, which they were, they would have been terribly affected by the immorality perpetrated upon their young minds and bodies. Children who are terribly abused at an early age are far more likely to continue the ungodly cycle of abuse. For children to die and then mature in paradise is a better way than to live in gross immorality with the scars of abuse and incest. Just as a loving parent would prefer death for their children rather than to be kidnapped and then repeatedly raped and beaten by twisted sodomites, so God also saw eternity before Him and the decision for the children to die was in their best interest.

Fourth, our attention turns toward the beasts. Why should they have to be killed also? Perhaps sexual disease had spread not only among the human population, but to the beasts themselves (Lev. 18:23). The beasts would then have been carriers of communicable disease and extermination would have been the needful course of action. Too, animals do not have an immortal soul (Eccles. 3:21); therefore, the killing of animals is not wrong within itself. Animals can be utilized for their skins so that human beings can be clothed (Gen. 3:21) and for food (I Tim. 4:3). So no moral argument can be formulated against the killing of animals.

Finally, when God chooses to put an end to a society or generation of people He has made in His own image, it is with deep regret (Gen. 6:6). God wills all to be saved (I Tim. 2:4), and when His outstretched hand of grace and mercy has been rejected for the devil’s deceitful embrace, it is only then that God issues forth judgment.

What Causes Carnal Warfare?
Ronald D. Gilbert

Very early in the Bible we read about war. War seems to be a part of human history. The Bible speaks of two kinds of warfare: physical and spiritual. The forces of right are engaged in a great warfare with the forces of evil. Christians are often likened to soldiers in the New Testament (I Tim. 1:18; II Tim. 2:3-4).

In this article we wish to focus on carnal warfare. “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:1-2). The context of James 3 and 4 shows a contrast between peace and war or conflict. The brethren James addresses were at conflict with each other. This was not carnal warfare; however, there are many similarities between brethren fighting each other and nations fighting each other.

In James 4:1 James charged that the disputes among brethren partly due to their lusts. The apostle Peter wrote, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (I Pet. 2:11). The apostle Paul also shows the consequences of lust. “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). Lust and greed have led men to seek to conquer the world. Little men seeking great power have tried throughout history to rule the world. Some have been more successful than others, but lust and greed seem to have motivated many of these men. Sin is at the root of the problem. When men think right about themselves and others many of these problems can be avoided. As long as men are motivated by the lust of the flesh, wars will continue.

False religions have also played a part in many carnal wars. Jesus did not declare carnal war against false religions. He did, however, stand against them and try helping them see the truth of God’s Word. It is sad that many in the world and even some in the church do not see the dangers of false religions and misapplications of the Bible. Since September 11, how many television preachers have you heard tell Americans “we had better get behind Israel and support her if we want God’s blessings.” Then they will quote from the Old Testament where God said of Israel, “I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee.” New Testament Christians today who study their Bibles know that God fulfilled His promise to Israel during Old Testament times. The Jews today are not God’s chosen people. Christians are God’s chosen people today. Think about it: a nation who rejected Christ and killed Him and even today rejects Him as God’s Son is God’s chosen nation!

Think also about the so-called crusades. The Catholics tried to take back the “holy land” from the Muslims. After eight major efforts and much bloodshed, the crusades of the Middle East ceased. While we appreciate the history and even geography of the Bible we understand there is no “holy land” for Christians to conquer. The tragic events in the USA of September 11, 2001 were committed by men who were taught religious error. There are carnal conflicts currently taking place all across the world due to false religions and misapplications of the Bible.

Not all participants of all wars are motivated by lust or false religious views. Romans 13 gives the right for civil governments to exist. There is such a thing as a just war. The USA was brought into World War II when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Our goal was not to conquer the world but to stop evil men such as Hitler from world domination.

What causes carnal warfare? No doubt there are many reasons. We have focused only on a few. Sin is at the root of the problem. As long as men allow sin to dominate their lives there will be those who will produce war.