Biblical Concept: War

 

Vocabulary forms:  war, warrior, army, sword, battle, Canannite, Amorite, Amalek, Gentile, armor, Topeth, engine, hornet, horse, chariot, bow, missile, helmet, horn, infantry, soldier, axe, shield, javelin, buckler, smite, strike, enemy, overtake, capture, captive, prisoner, invade, adversary, fight, battering rams, stronghold, and fort.

 

Outline:

 

Background, Angelic conflict with mankind

Warrior God

Fighting evil

Fighting for Israel

Second Advent

Peace through strength and war

Politics and War

War until the Second Advent

Only the Second Advent and Millennial rule of Christ will end war

Miscellaneous

 

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Background, Angelic conflict with mankind:  (You cannot hide from war.)

 

P  Genesis 3:15, enmity between the seed of Satan and woman.

P  Job 1:6-22; conflict between God, Satan, man, and evil.

P  Daniel 10:13, 10:20, Angels and nations. See Biblical Concept: The world, subject to angels and Biblical Concept: The Angelic Prince of Persia, the Hidden Source of Evil in the Middle East.

P  2 Corinthians 10:3, Christians battle angelic fortresses.  Also Ephesians 6:10-20, Philippians 2:25, 1 Timothy 1:18, 6:12, 2 Timothy 2:3-4, 4:7, Philemon 1:2, and John 18:36.

P  Ezekiel 18:32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD. "Therefore, repent and live."

 

Warrior God: (An activity of God from His justice, righteousness, and truth dealing with angelic and human sin.)

 

P  Exodus 15:3, “The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.”  See Biblical Concept: Jesus Christ the Warrior.  See Psalm 24:8, Isaiah 42:13, and Deuteronomy 32:42-43.

 

P  Fighting evil:

 

Exodus 17:16, and he said, "The LORD has sworn; the LORD will have war against Amalek from generation to generation."  See 17:14, Deuteronomy 25:17-19, 1 Samuel 15:3, and Cp. Genesis 15:16.

Deuteronomy 20:17, "But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you, 18 in order that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the LORD your God.  Cp. Genesis 15:16, Leviticus 18:21, 1 Kings 21:26, 2 Kings 16:3, 17:7-18, 21:11, 23:10, Ezra 9:1-2, Psalm 106:38, Jeremiah 7:31, 19:13, 32:35, Ezekiel 16:20-21 and Acts 13:19.  See Biblical Concept: Divine Regime Change.

Psalm 9:5, Thou hast rebuked the nations; Thou hast destroyed the wicked; Thou hast blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins, And Thou hast uprooted the cities; The very memory of them has perished.  (God uses war to destroy wicked nations.)  Also Psalm 2:8-9.

 

P  Fighting for Israel:

 

Exodus 14:25, chariot wheels to swerve.

Exodus 23:22, My angel will go before you

Exodus 23:27, terror, confusion, hornets ahead of you.

Deuteronomy 4:34, by signs and wonders and by war.

Joshua 10:11, the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them.

Joshua 24:12, I sent the hornet before you.

1 Samuel 7:10, LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them.

2 Kings 7:6, Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound

of a great army.  (Deception in war.)

1 Chronicles 14:15, the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees.  (Deception in war.)

2 Chronicles 32:21, the LORD sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior

Isaiah 37:7, "Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him

fall by the sword in his own land." (God speaking of Assyrian king Sennacherib. See 37:36-38.)

 

P  Second Advent:

 

Revelation 19:15, And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty (Second Advent).

Jeremiah 25:31, 'A clamor has come to the end of the earth, Because the LORD has a controversy with the nations. He is entering into judgment with all flesh; As for the wicked, He has given them to the sword,' declares the LORD. " (Preparations for Second Advent.)

 

Peace through strength and war:  (Angelic and human sin natures love to war.  See Psalm 120:7 under Miscellaneous.)

 

Deuteronomy 33:29, So your enemies shall cringe before you.

Joshua 23:1, the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies .

Judges 3:1, the sons of Israel might be taught war. Note 2:11-23.

2 Samuel 22:40, For Thou hast girded me with strength for battle; Thou hast subdued under me those who rose up against me.  See 22:3, 43-46.

2 Chronicles 20:29, And the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.

Nehemiah 6:16, all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence.

Psalm 18:39, For Thou hast girded me with strength for battle; Thou hast subdued under me those who rose up against me.

Psalm 66:3, Because of the greatness of Thy power Thine enemies will give feigned obedience to Thee.

Psalm 144:1, {A Psalm of David.} Blessed be the LORD, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle.

 

Politics and War:

 

1 Samuel 8:20, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.  (The relationship between political stupidity and war.  God was fighting for them!)

1 Samuel 14:24, Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had put the people under oath, saying, "Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies." So none of the people tasted food.  (The relationship between political stupidity and war.)

1 Samuel 15:18, and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.'  Also 15:19-26.  (The relationship between political stupidity and war.)

2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."  See 16:7-8.  (The relationship between political stupidity and war.)

2 Kings 20:13, And Hezekiah listened to them, and showed them all his treasure house, the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious oil and the house of his armor and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah did not show them.  See 20:14-18.  (The relationship between political stupidity and war.)

 

War until the Second Advent: (You cannot hide from war.  Rarely can you pick your wars.)

 

Matthew 10:34, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  (First Advent.)

Matthew 24:6, "And 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.

Luke 21:24, and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.  See Biblical Concept: Times of the Gentiles. Hebrews 10:13, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.  Also 2:8.

Daniel 9:26, "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

 

Only the Second Advent and Millennial rule of Christ will end war:  (Until the final post Millennial battle, Rev 20:7-9.)

 

Isaiah 2:4, And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

Psalm 46:9, He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.

Hosea 2:18, "In that day I will also make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, The birds of the sky, And the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, And will make them lie down in safety.

Micah 4:3, And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war.

Zephaniah 1:14, Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly.  (Preparations for Second Advent.)

Zechariah 9:10, And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, And the horse from Jerusalem; And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.

Zechariah 14:18, And if the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths (Millennial rule).

 

Miscellaneous:

 

1 Samuel 16:18, Then one of the young men answered and said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him."

1 Kings 20:28, Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because the Arameans have said," The LORD is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys "; therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'"  See 20:23.

2 Kings 17:5, Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.  (Assyrian captivity for the northern tribe of Israel, 722 BC.)

Jeremiah 39:1, Now it came about when Jerusalem was captured in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it;  (Babylonian captivity for the southern tribe of Judah, 586 BC.).

Ezra 9:7, "Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder and to open shame, as it is this day.  Also 9:8-15.

1 Chronicles 10:9, So they stripped him and took his head and his armor and sent messengers around the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to their idols and to the people.  Also 10:10.  (Brutality for war dead.)

1 Chronicles 12:8, And from the Gadites there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and  they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.  See 12:1-2, 14, 18, 22 and 38.

1 Chronicles 22:8, "But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood, and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me.

Nehemiah 7:2, that I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.  (The necessity of having believers in the military.  Also Matthew 8:9-13, Luke 3:14, and cp. Psalm 33:12.)

Job 38:22, "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 23 Which I have reserved for the time of distress, For the day of war and battle?  (God addresses Job.)

Psalm 20:7, Some boast in chariots, and some in horses; But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.

Psalm 44:9, Yet Thou hast rejected us and brought us to dishonor, And dost not go out with our armies.  Also Psalm 60:10 and 108:11-13.

Psalm 55:21, His speech was smoother than butter, But his heart was war; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.

Psalm 120:7, I am for peace, but when I speak, They are for war.

Psalm 149:6, Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand, 7 To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishment on the peoples;  (Israel, a warrior nation.)

Ecclesiastes 3:8, A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.

Jeremiah 5:12, They have lied about the LORD And said, "Not He; Misfortune will not come on us; And we will not see sword or famine. Also 5:11-19 and 14:12-15.  (Pacifists will be pacified, at best.)

Jeremiah 38:4, Then the officials said to the king, "Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but rather their harm."  (Jeremiah told Jerusalem to surrender to the Babylonians.)

Jeremiah 42:14, saying, "No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war or hear the sound of a trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there";  (Pacifists will be pacified, at best.  Very few generations will not see war.)

Jeremiah 51:20, He says, "You are My war-club, My weapon of war; And with you I shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms.  See 51:21-24.  (God’s use of Babylon.)

Jeremiah 52:11, Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon, and put him in prison until the day of his death.  (Brutality for war prisoners.)

Amos 9:10, "All the sinners of My people will die by the sword, Those who say, ' The calamity will not overtake or confront us.'  (Pacifists will be pacified, at best.  Very few generations will not see war.)

Zechariah 1:19, So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these?" And he answered me," These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. "  See 1:18-21.  (God’s judgment on nations who have sent Israel to captivity.)

Proverbs 20:18, Prepare plans by consultation, And make war by wise guidance.

Proverbs 24:6, For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory.

 

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