Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!sun-barr!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: ccicpg!keith@uunet.uu.net (Keith McIntyre) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: War in the Persian Gulf Against Iraq to Free Kuwait Message-ID: Date: 26 Jan 91 04:36:21 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: ICL, Irvine, CA. Lines: 41 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article , dragon!cms@gatech.edu writes: > > Tonight, during my Bible study class at Church, we were discussing > the war in the Persian Gulf against Iraq to free Kuwait. During the > course of the discussion, I asked the following question: Jesus said, > "Turn the other cheek," yet there are instances when Jesus Himself did > not turn the other cheek, such as the incident in the Temple, when He > physically drove out the money changers with a whip made of cords. He > didn't turn the other cheek then. Yet Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Before anyone jumps to conclusions on the following statements, none of what is said means I support any specific action or side in the war. Personally I am unsure of God's will on this war and am praying for His will to be done. Deuteronomy 12:29-32 states pretty clearly that God was destroying the previous inhabitants of Canaan for their sin. He was also warning the Israelites not to do the same thing. Jeremiah contains multiple warnings from God that He would destroy the Israelites by the means of another nation. He also states that any nation that turns from Him will be brought down (sorry I don't have my concordance handy so I can't quote chapter/verse in Jeremiah). The Babylonians were used by God to destroy Israel and take them into captivity the first time. Hebrews states the God is the same yesterday, today and always. Many people believe that the actions of God in the OT were just that, OT and not New Testament. Luke 19:41-44 quotes Jesus Himself saying that Israel would be destroyed in a horrible fashion because they refused to recognize Jesus. This did happen (and is documented by Josephus) around 70 A.D. or well into the New Testament period. The Romans were the chosen instrument of destruction that time. Personally I am most concerned about the country I live in, not Iraq or Kuwait or whoever. I believe that it is "a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31) Modern American Christianity chooses to ignore the wrathful aspects of God even though they are very plain in the Scriptures. God could be using the Allies as a tool of destruction against Iraq or He might not be. Our concern as a nation is to make sure God does not use an instrument of destruction against us because we did not recognize Jesus.