DOES THE BIBLE CONDONE HUMAN WARFARE?

DOES THE BIBLE CONDONE HUMAN WARFARE?

Does God's commanding Israel to destroy the Canaanites justify human warfare today? No, for at least three reasons:

1. No earthly nation today has special favor with God. When the Israelites rejected Jesus as the Messiah, they ceased to represent God in any official capacity - including that of executioners. (Matthew 21:42,43) Jehovah thus held the Israelites to the same standard as other nations(Leviticus18:24-28) From that time on, no earthly nation could rightly claim to have God's backing in warfare.

2. Jehovah no longer assigns his worshippers to any specific land or geographic region. Rather, his servants can be found in "all nations and tribes" of the earth. - Revelation 7:9; Acts 10:34,35.

3. Jesus clearly indicated that his followers would not engage in warfare. When warning of an impending attack on Jerusalem, he instructed his disciples not to stay and fight but, rather, to flee, which they did. (Matthew 24:15,16) Instead of taking up arms, true Christians put their complete trust in God's Kingdom, which will soon remove all wickedness from this earth. - Daniel 2:44; John 18:36.