Saturday, May 12, 2012

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood


I was flipping through the channels, saw Televangelist Arnold Murray from the show titled “Shepherd's Chapel” on. He does a Q and A time for the last half hour of the show. The question from Roweena in OR: My nephew has done 3 tours in Iraq, he's out of the army now, but he has so much guilt, he can't sleep, and he has dreams that Jesus hates him for what he has done ... Murray interrupts her there and says:
Jesus loves him for what he has done!

What?

He continues on:

I want you to make a note of Psalms 144, this is extremely important, Psalms 144, it's the soldier's prayer.
I hate it when preachers pass along half-baked ideas that protecting the women and children of this nation is a sin. That's disgusting!!
When we fought up at the reservoir in North Korea and later men fought in Vietnam, we broke the back of Communism … it went down. We can be very proud of that.

Half-baked” ideas about not killing? Mr. Murray, what did your killing Asians in North Korea do to defend the women and children of this country? Or those that killed Asians in Vietnam or Arabs in Iraq? Did any of those countries pose a real threat to America? Of course not! You'd have to be blindly following the puppets' of Satan's kingdoms to seriously consider that. But, you speak of it with pride 50 plus years later on? Mr Murray, that is truly DISGUSTING! You've had well over 50 years to learn the Bible, to see through Satan's schemes that divide and conquer men, to learn the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. The best you can come up with is to say you hate preacher's that say protecting women and children in our country is a sin? Mr Murray, no American women or children have been killed by the North Koreans, or the Vietnamese or the Iraqis, but, hundreds of thousands of their women and children have been killed by Americans, egged on by blood lusting false preachers like you!

If any of you are watching this man spout his false doctrines, I seriously urge you to turn him off, quit sending this man your money and read and reread your bibles until you understand the Prince of Peace really meant it when He said turn the other cheek! Read Matthew 5, read what Jesus says happens to all who pick up the sword (Mat 26:52), read whom Peter (1Pe 5:8) and Paul (Eph 6:12) tell you your true enemy is … hint, you cannot kill him with a sword or a rifle!

Murray, and hundreds of other “pastors” teach that it's OK with the Lord to kill if your “country” says it's OK. He's not the first, nor the last supposed man of God to take part in the violence that is Satan's kingdoms. Satan uses man's natural greed, idolatry as in nationalism, and patriotism, in addition to false interpretations of the Bible to convince millions of self-proclaimed Christians to go to war against each other. Romans 13 is a prime example:

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

I've heard preachers use these scriptures to try and force Christians to fight for the governments of the world. To convince parents to send their children to fight the wars of empire and conquest and natural resources theft, or to simply remain quiet while the slaughter goes on.

Dear brethren, the government is not asking you to defend yours or your neighbor's homes: no, it is asking you to become complicit in the slaughter that goes on daily. The theft, murder and destruction of the innocent, for the benefit of the rich. This is not God's way, He will not love you for it, as Arnold Murray foolishly said to the questioner. No, the soldier who is having the nightmares is in fact being brought to repentance from this evil and abhorrent behavior by the goodness of God! (Rom 2:4)

Not to single out Murray, again, many other so-called pastors teach the same lies. But these lies, which are so wide spread are so easily refuted by Jesus Himself:

Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also …
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

God's children do not kill one another with swords and rifles and bombs, they are peacemakers:

Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

There are analogies in the Bible, and in popular hymns, using military terminology, but do not be deceived, the scriptures are clear:

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Daniel Mark
dmark2012 on Skype

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