Tag Archives: kingdom of heaven

To kill Christian enemies

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Since yesterday’s case study was so much fun, I thought I’d expand on it. Let’s imagine that we are in the midst of a new civil war here in the United States, like what I described yesterday. A Christian soldier learns through intelligence that a large group of enemy soldiers will be meeting for a Christian worship service at a site that is poorly defended. Not a church building, mind you, because everyone knows that killing people is okay, but damaging important buildings is a no-no.

The soldier has the opportunity and means to call in an air strike that will kill all those participating in the worship service. They, like he, are soldiers, military targets. Fellow Christians, but fighting for the other side.

Is there any reason why this soldier wouldn’t call in the strike and kill those gathered for worship?

Are you going to kill me?

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In exploring our allegiance to our Christian nation versus our allegiance to an earthly kingdom, it might help to view a case study. I know that there is a danger in the use of hypothetical situations, but maybe they can help us stretch our thinking a bit.

Last year, Governor Rick Perry of Texas suggested that Texas might be better off seceding from the United States. I doubt that he was serious in the least, but let’s play with that idea a bit. What if Texas seceded from the Union, followed by some of the other southern states? If a civil war broke out, would you advise Christians to participate in that war?

I guess I’d like to know, just for future reference, which of my brothers would choose to kill me under those circumstances. I doubt I’d be a primary target, but I could be “collateral damage” if Dyess Air Force Base were attacked. Would you kill me?

Should Alabama Christians be bearing arms against their California brethren? Would Christians who have locked arms in fellowship now take pot shots against one another?

Which of you plan to kill my son? He’s of military age. Who will kill my nephews? I’ve got one that is in the military. It would help me be better prepared for that time to come if I knew which of my brothers would be willing to pull the trigger on my family. In similar discussions, I’ve been told that it really doesn’t matter if opposing soldiers are Christians or not. So why don’t we get it out in the open beforehand?

It happened before. It could happen again.

It wouldn’t hurt to decide beforehand where our loyalties lie. Which kingdom takes precedence? Which loyalty is greater? Which master will we serve?

Feel free to comment below, choosing one of the two positions:

  • Sure, I’d kill any of my Christian brothers who were on the wrong side.
  • No, my Christian nation is more important to me. No kingdom of this world can tell me to kill my brothers.

A House Divided

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In the last post, we explored a bit the concept of the Kingdom of God as an actual nation. I want to continue to discuss this idea. In a recent post, Patrick Mead discussed some of the implications of rebellion and Christians taking part in such. He wrote: “I cannot imagine a situation in which it would be right for me to call upon my congregation to take up arms and fire upon our own soldiers or policemen.”

As some who commented on the last post pointed out, this same reasoning needs to be applied to our Christian nation. Isn’t it even more inconceivable that members of the same family, the same body, the same holy nation should take up arms against one another? “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another…” unless you find it necessary to shoot one another. Really? Is that what we really believe?

If we understand the fact that we Christians form a single nation, the idea of us taking up arms against one another becomes unthinkable. A house divided against itself cannot stand. We cannot demonstrate love for one another while attempting to kill one another.

Our highest allegiance must be to our true citizenship, to the heavenly nation that we form a part of. The world will never see that as long as we place earthly nationalism above heavenly loyalty. Christians must refuse to place themselves in a situation where they could be called upon to attack fellow Christians.

The Christian Kingdom

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“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

(1 Peter 2:9)

What would change if the Kingdom of God became visible, if we could clearly identify its borders and recognize its citizens? What if the Kingdom were a nation like the other nations of this world, with passports and citizenship and the works?

How would we view our loyalty to that nation compared to other loyalties in our lives? Would our obligations and duties be somehow made more obvious?

The Kingdom of God is a nation, in a very real sense, even if we can’t see it with our physical eyes. Believers are co-citizens of a holy nation. Beyond that, we are members of the same family, part of the same body. The ties that bind Christians go far beyond all other affiliations we may have.

The Letter to Philadelphia: God’s people vs. the earth dwellers

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lettersIn the book of Revelation, a contrast is made between God’s people and “those who live on earth.” In Letters From The Lamb I wrote:

Since the Philadelphians have been faithful, Jesus says that he is going to protect them from a time of trial that is coming on those that live on the earth. While at first glance we might think that all of us “live on the earth,” a survey of Revelation will show us that a distinction is made between those that dwell on the earth and those that dwell in heaven. The first term refers to the worldly people, those that reject God and follow the rebellious worship of the emperor. Those who dwell in heaven, on the other hand, are the citizens of heaven, even those that are still living their lives on this planet. They are in the world, but not of the world. Their passports and driver’s licenses may state an address here, but their actual citizenship is in heaven. So when Jesus brings punishment on those that live on the earth, his people are not included in that punishment.

(Letters From The Lamb, p. 138)

We are part of a kingdom that isn’t of this earth. Our loyalties lie elsewhere. We seek a heavenly city, not the country that we were born in. Living as aliens on this earth is an important part of our identity as Christians.