When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When Yahuwah your Elohim delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder Yahuwah your Elohim gives you from your enemies. Deuteronomy 20:10-14
Once again a law which scandalizes many people even among the elected, the christians. And most of them see in it the manifestation of what they are commonly calling the “cruel and vengeful God of the Old Testament.”
Today, for those of us who are under Grace in Christ, these words are really not about attacking and killing our enemies, not even by self-defense
However, fights are still going on today more than ever, but not against flesh and blood anymore
For us believers, spiritual battles are ongoing against external and internal attacks. Most often, the heavenly ones fight for us, our Lord and his angelic armies are protecting us, but there are situations where we must consciously confess the promises of Yahuwah and command foreign spirits to leave in the name of Yahushua since they have no right over us anymore.
Against these foreign powers, there is no mercy, no humanism, we must beat and destroy them with no mercy. Victory, however, always brings the spoil of war: primarily the blessing of freedom, but also many other blessings.
And in the case when we face these alien spirits through people, then the situation is different and the strategy changes.
We see that this law of the Messiah commands us to offer peace – Shalom first!
It is necessary to separate the person carrying sin and waiting for salvation from the sin itself.
When we are talking to someone, bringing him the Gospel. If the sinner, in his uncircumcision, listens to the basic rules that every man received in his heart when he was conceived, then there is a chance that he will recognize the sin and get rid of it by accepting our help and ministry our Shalom. And if you lead him to the Messiah, that’s a main victory that will have countless fruits also in your own life. As soldiers of Yahushua, we must help our Master killing the old men of our neighbours so that they become New Creations in the Messiah. However, in this case, the newly born brethren will no longer be your servant, as we read in the commandment above, but as you and me, he/she is also going to be the servant of the Messiah. But as we can read it, you are also going to enjoy the plunder coming from this victory. You’ll enjoy all the fruits of a victorious ministry by being blessed with new brothers and sisters in the Messiah who may become your companions in the ministry.
That’s how you are going to store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
And if he doesn’t listen, shall we kill him? Of course not. Not the way we think. Here again, the judgment is entirely in the hands of the Messiah. If the person resists you, he rebels against Yahushua. And if the person consciously surrenders to the foreign spirits that keeps him captive and forces him to sin, sooner or later the judgment of the Messiah will catch up with that person and can lead him to everlasting death.
Yahushua also repeats this command when he sends his disciples out in Luke 9 and 10:
He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” Luke 9:3-5
We must adhere to this last commandment, we do not kill anyone physically, we only shake the dust off our feet. If they reject the peace we offer them, they declare themselves enemies of our Lord. At this moment we have to hand them over to the Supreme Court with this sign of cleaning the dust from our feet. Then, if they keep at resisting to the end, the Messiah himself will execute the judgment upon them according to the previous and original Commandment quoted above.
In conclusion, the original Old Testament commandment is in effect. But it’s not us and not now, but it is the Messiah who is the only Judge. But still being in the period of Grace, He himself is offering everyone the execution of our old men at the level of our spirits so that we may receive Eternal Life. But as soon as the Messiah returns, these death penalty laws will also be fulfilled at the physical level according to the original judgment required by the Old Testament in the case of all those who did not live and accept this Grace and thus will die twice and for ever.
Again, a Commandment, which had been raised to perfection by our Redeemer: when combined with Grace, it was fulfilled at the level of the Spirit.
Also read: The Acts of the Disciples
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