"Totally Destroy" North Korea??? Or LIBERATE North Korea??? 3 Principles of Just War.

Today, President Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea. While I would support a military effort to LIBERATE North Korea from its evil dictator and his regime, destroying a country full of many innocent citizens is outrageous. It is true that government has a responsibility to protect its citizens. But there are also rules for conducting just and necessary warfare. The President said our cause is a "righteous" cause. If that is so, then we must conduct ourselves Righteous-LY. Here are 3 Principles of Righteous, or Just warfare:  

1. Offer Terms of Peace

When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you and serve you.

The ancient world consisted of city-states, which were like individual kingdoms. God's army, Israel, was not allowed to attack without first offering terms of peace. If the city laid down their arms and surrendered, they would become like a territory, paying tribute to Israel, but also receiving the protection and blessings of the Kingdom. There was peace, protection and prosperity in the surrender.

It is appropriate to offer North Korea terms of peace that include surrender, require the immediate end of its nuclear program and surrender of all ballistic missiles, nuclear devices and technology. But it is also important to offer mutually beneficial trade, like the peace and prosperity which are frequently mentioned in Scripture with regard to foreign relations. This includes food, goods and services and most importantly religious freedom and protection for its own citizens and for missionaries and foreigners within their borders.

2. Do Not Harm Innocents

The rules of Holy War were for ancient Israel only, not modern America or any other nation for that matter. We should never even use the term Holy War, because our nation is not Israel and because it incenses radical Islamists, who we do not need to provoke. But there are aspects of God's righteousness displayed through these rules that we can learn from.

If they refused to surrender and war was fought, all the men of the city would have been considered its fighting force--army--not innocents. But the women, children and even livestock were never allowed to be harmed. They would have become part of the nation of Israel and became their responsibility to take care of. Going to war against a nation's leadership means that we become responsible for the citizens of that nation. We have neither mandate nor permission to kill every single member of an enemies army as Israel did. The world lives under a different covenant. But I believe we are justified in going to war against them when necessary. And we DO have a clear Biblical mandate to protect the innocent. This means that dropping a nuclear bomb on a city or country with innocents present is absolutely wrong, completely out of bounds and never an option. Surgical strikes to take out military targets, weapons and tech are highly advisable and if peaceful options fail, the deaths of North Korean soldiers, while sad and tragic, fall within the boundaries of justifiable warfare. We also have the option of offering terms of peace on multiple occasions, even after hostilities begin and we should pursue these options to the fullest extent possible.

3. Don't Destroy The Land

When you besiege a city(state) for a long time while making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them if you can eat of them. Do not cut them down to use in the siege, for the tree of the field is MAN'S FOOD.

We should avoid warfare that destroys land and food or prevents people from returning to a good and peaceful life when the war is over. We have read about not destroying cattle and not destroying fruit trees. Again, this speaks to caring about the well-being of our fellow man and for those who will live there after war has ended. Nuclear destruction and fall out violates this principle. The New Testament calls on us to feed our enemies. This goes beyond the Old Testament mandate to simply not destroy something and calls on us to do better in our treatment of other human beings. When we go to war with a nation's leadership or army, we become responsible for its innocent citizens.

Conclusions

We must have compassion on the citizens of every nation. War is destructive and all peaceful means of resolution should be pursued first. Just war seeks to preserve peace by putting a stop to evil. The ultimate goal is not to display power, but to protect human life. My sincere hope is that if we show mercy, compassion and genuine human concern for the well-being of the citizens of North Korea who are suffering under the regime of this tyrant, perhaps hardened hearts may be softened and wisdom will prevail.

Our goal should be to keep America and allies under threat from North Korea safe while providing food, safety, religious freedom, protection and the hope of a better life for the citizens of North Korea.

In the meantime, let us Pray:

I urge that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people--for kings and ALL those in authority, that we may live peaceful/tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

------------------------------------------

Here is a link to my previous post on this subject which covers the same 3 principles of warfare, but elaborates on the differing roles of church and state, citizens and government in dealing with such problems:

http://thetrustworthyword.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-biblical-role-of-goverment-in.html

WE CRY OUT: What Does It Mean To "Call Upon The Name Of The Lord?"

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. -Romans 10:13

When I was a kid, there was one rule that everyone in the neighborhood abided by: If Mom calls, you better come running. We were free to ride bikes and play baseball and explore the woods, but we needed to stay within earshot of home. When Mom called, we were expected to answer.

The type of calling in this verse is a different type of calling. The phrase call on the name in Greek, is epikaleomai onoma. Kaleo means to cry out. It means to appeal to someone. It is a cry for help that requires humility and submission. There is a respect, reverence and recognition of authority in this type of calling.

Imagine if one of us kids got hurt while playing in the woods and needed help. If we were within earshot, then we could cry out for help and Mom, or Dad if he was home from work, would have come running. But what if we were up to something we shouldn't have been and were afraid of getting caught, but really needed help? Like, the time a certain principal's son accidentally set the woods on fire. We might have been afraid of the consequences if we had done something wrong, but help was only coming from one place, our loving parents.

We have a Father in heaven who is always within earshot of our cries for help and he already knows what we've done and the trouble we've gotten ourselves into. In fact, it's as if He is already calling our name to come home, holding out a helping hand toward us, ready to pick us up. God is ready to forgive and earnestly desires to help. But make no mistake, God expects an answer and a refusal to respond will result in punishment. The Bible tells us that God is calling all people everywhere to repent and that if we hear His voice, we shouldn't harden our hearts and ignore him, we should answer. (Acts 17:30, Romans 10:21, Hebrews 3:15)

All of us have gotten into trouble in this life. At some point, we are all spiritually sick, beaten down, sinful and in need of help. Calling upon the name of the Lord is our response to His call out to us. The word epikaleomai means to receive and invite his name. When we cry out to God we are asking, desperately appealing, to be called by his name, willingly choosing to become His child and to be saved and received as His own. Calling on the name of Jesus is our way of admitting we need help and receiving Him as our Savior. Our action is the crying out. His action is the rescuing.

This passage is about our initial salvation experience, where we place our trust and faith in Jesus to save and forgive us, heal and cleanse us and call us His own. To "call on the name of the Lord," Epikaleomai Onoma Kurios means to humble ourselves and CRY OUT to Jesus, APPEALING to Him for help, INVITING him into our lives, RECEIVING Him as our Savior. It means to call upon His NAME and everything it implies which includes surrendering to His AUTHORITY and honoring Him, His Word and His ways. It means that we are not only permitting ourselves to be called by His name, but are practically begging for it. Once we willingly choose to cry out to God, to receive His salvation and be called by His name, we are His child forever. He will always be there when we need Him. We can always cry out to Him.

Here is a link to another article I wrote on why we ask Jesus into our hearts: http://thetrustworthyword.blogspot.com/2017/07/why-do-we-ask-jesus-to-come-into-our.html

Finding the 10 "Lost" Tribes of Israel

Some racist cults claim to be descended from the 10 "Lost" tribes of Israel and that these tribes were white, Caucasian, Anglo-Saxon people. The BIBLE disagrees. The tribes of Israel were never lost, we know exactly who they were and where they went.

Cults such as the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, Church of Israel, KKK and alt-right claim that the 10 so-called "Lost" tribes of Israel migrated to Europe and eventually to America and that they, themselves, are the lily-white pure-blood descendants of these people. They also claim that people with dark skin pigment are descended from Ham and are cursed and they consider themselves to be the "pureblood" descendants of Abraham, and his forefather Shem. They claim to be God's chosen people through bloodline and descent and are known for being anti-semitic, they hate Jews as much as they hate people of African descent. I've already debunked the "Curse of Ham" myth in my previous posts. Let's see what the Word of God has to say about their other theories:

Diluting The "Pure Blood" Myth
Beyond the fact that every scholar in the world knows the Hebrews were olive-skinned people and not "white," these claims would be hilariously ironic if they weren't so disgusting. Genesis 46:8-26 records the family tree of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. Joseph's wife, Asenath, was the daughter of an Egyptian priest, a descendant of HAM. So much for their bloodline theory. The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, named after Joseph's two sons, are descendants of Ham. Geographically, a majority of the Northern Kingdom was occupied by Manasseh and Ephraim.

I have established in previous posts that Judah's first wife was a descendant of Ham, as was Tamar, who he also had a child with. Simeon had a son with a Canaanite woman as well, a descendant of Ham.

Since the whole nation began with Jacob's 12 sons and their families, 70 people in total, who went down to Egypt and intermarried for over 400 years and since tribes frequently intermarried after the Exodus, it is absolutely ludicrous to think that the Israelites were some type "purebred" holy bloodline of white people, descended from Shem, in the way that these cults claim. God made a covenant with Abraham's family, not on the basis of some sort of mythological pure bloodline, but on the basis of faith.

Finding the 10 "Lost" Tribes of Israel
The claim that 10 of the tribes of Israel were "Lost," basically all except Judah and Benjamin, is equally ludicrous. They were never lost, we know exactly where they went. On 2 occasions, the Assyrians invaded Israel, ultimately conquering the tribes of the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. 1st and 2nd Kings is the history of the Northern Kingdom. 2 Kings 15:29 tells us precisely what happened to them.

In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.


In the first invasion, Tiglath-pileser, King of Assyria captured 8 regions of Israel including Galilee and all of the tribal region of Naphtali. He captured the cities of Hazor, Kedesh and Ijon. This shows us that he penetrated into the northernmost tribes of Israel, including the city-state of Dan (which had never conquered its original allotment down south) and then into Zebulun, Naphtali, Asher and possibly Issachar. It also tells us that he conquered Gilead, which is a term that refers to the area west of the Jordan River where the tribes of East Manasseh, Gad and Reuben resided. Some people from either 7 or 8 tribes of Israel were taken captive and carried off into Assyria. Relocating a conquered people in order to assimilate them into their new culture was common practice in the ancient world. 

2 Kings 17:6 records where the people were taken when Israel was defeated by the Assyrians in a 2nd invasion. 

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.


In 722 B.C., Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, fell to the hand of Shalmaneser, King of Assyria. He finished the job Tilglath-pileser began, relocating the remaining residents of Israel to Assyria, placing them in Halah, and on the Habor River and in the cities of the Medes. The rest of Israel, including Issachar, West Mannaseh and Ephraim was conquered when the capital city was taken.

If you've been counting, you probably only came up with 9 tribes: Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Reuben, Zebulun and Naphtali. That's because, Simeon, located south of Judah was probably absorbed into the lower Kingdom and the tribe of Levi, who were the priests, lived among the other tribes.  

So, what happened to them? Some of them were assimilated into Assyrian culture, or at least adjusted to their new environment, building new lives in their new location. The entire purpose of the relocation was to integrate them into the empire and prevent revolt.

A remnant, however, remained in the land. 2 Chronicles 34 records some of the reforms of King Josiah of Judah. Not only did he rid all of Judah of idols, but he also cleaned out the rest of the promised land. He travelled through the ruins of the Northern Kingdom, to Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon and as far north as Naphtali, tearing down pagan altars and crushing idols into powder. In addition to collecting an offering from the people of Judah and Benjamin, the Levites also collected an offering from the faithful remnant of people still living in Ephraim and Manasseh and throughout the promised land.

Ultimately, Babylon conquered Assyria. They also conquered the Southern Kingdom of Israel, carrying off the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and the Levites to captivity in Babylon. Then Persia conquered Babylon, just as Daniel predicted. King Cyrus of Persia decreed that the Israelites could return home, just as Jeremiah predicted. Cyrus' father was a Persian, but his mother was a Mede. He may very well have grown up around Hebrews living in those Mede cities, or at least gained an appreciation of them from his mother. Either way, Cyrus' decree pertained to the entire Kingdom. While only the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and the Levitical priests are recorded as returning in mass, this makes sense because it had only been 70 years since the Southern Kingdom fell, but it had been nearly 200 years since the Northern Kingdom was conquered. None of them had seen the promised land and their families had lived in their new surroundings for generations. Nevertheless, all believers in the one true God were free to return. The Bible records that people returned from many cities in the Persian empire. Members of the northern tribes could have been among those who were unable to prove their descent from the nation of Israel. (Ezra 2:59) Others remained in their new homes in the Medo-Persian empire. Many of those who were scattered and did not return to the promised land, still maintained their identity as Hebrews. The book of Esther tells part of their story.

We know that some people remained aware of their heritage. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, Paul from the tribe of Benjamin, John the Baptist's father was a priest from the tribe of Levi, and Anna, the prophetess who encountered Jesus in the temple, was from the tribe of Asher. But after the exile, the Jews were viewed more as one people than as individual tribes.

The northern tribes of Israel were never lost. We know exactly who they were descended from and what happened to them due to the careful, accurate and faithful history which has been preserved for us in the Bible. After Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the Jews were scattered in what is known as the diaspora, but they still maintained their ethnic, cultural and religious identity through the centuries, right up until the promised land was restored to them in 1948. Today, the descendants of Israel live all over the world, and are well aware of their heritage.

More importantly, we know that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith, regardless of who their ancestors were.

Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:7)

It is just as the Scripture says: “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:11-13)

-----------------------------------------
Here are links to the other 2 posts in this series:
http://thetrustworthyword.blogspot.com/2017/08/debunking-curse-of-ham-myth_5.html

http://thetrustworthyword.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-mark-of-cain.html
-----------------------------
Here is a map of the tribal allotments. Sorry for the glare over Reuben, just underneath Gad: