Page 260 - THE REVELATION OF THE THIRD HEAVEN and THE MEAT OF THE WORD

Caesar’s inscription represented that of a foreign dictator not that of the duly
elected or proper authority governing by consent so Jesus was forbidding, under
the Law, worldy, that of forcible human, violent resistance against an oppressor
(Mat 22:20, Mark 12:16-17). At one level the coin was Caesar’s as was Israel and
Jesus recognises that but this principle is subordinate to the fact that everything
belongs to God as Creator and that in any event all men, including Caesar, are
made in God’s image (Gen 1:26), so obedience to God comes first.

For those under the Law (Rom 10:4, 1 John 3:4), Christ commands that they love
their enemies and that they good to them (Luke 6:35, 1 John 3:4). Failure to do so
represents a breaking of the Law (Deut 28:58, 61, 1 John 3:4). Jesus points out that
saving one’s life far from being an imperative is the opposite of the faith and
patience of the saints (Psalm 34:9 - showing 'saints' is a term that can apply to
those under the Law, Rev 13:10) under the Law (Luke 17:33, 21:19, Rev 13:10).

Jesus commands his disciples to buy, each man, a sword before his arrest (Luke
22:36) but then says that two swords, amongst many disciples, is enough (Luke
22:38) and furthermore then undoes the work of a sword when he heals the ear of
the servant (Luke 22:51). This clearly shows that he was referring to the Word of
God which is a sword (Eph 6:17) which can be ‘bought’ (ref Luke 22:36) as this
message comes to us as a book in the material with a price. Every man needs this
sword (Eph 6:17).

A centurion, Cornelius, is described as ‘righteous’ which is an expression, as is the
word ‘always’ in relation to his seeking after God. Of course a soldier can be a
Christian (Acts 10:7) that does not mean that he should or should not be. A
Christian is a sinner in the flesh (1 John 1:8). Neither this centurion or the
centurion with faith (Mat 8:10, Luke 7:9) are, individually, upbraided in the Word
for being men of potential lethal violence. Neither is the jailer of Paul and Silas
(Acts 16:33). This can not be taken to condone their lifestyle, however as we
know Peter was a sinful man and yet was not upbraided when called (Mat 4:19,
Luke 5:8) nor was Matthew despite the fact that his profession, too, inevitably
involved sinning under the Law (Mat 5:46, 9:9, Mark 2:14). Under the Law it is
wrong to practise lethal force or imprisonment (Rev 13:10). This is further proved
when John the Baptist, speaking to soldiers, says that they must do no violence to
any man (Luke 3:14).

Christ is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), not War, and all war and lethal violence
is of sin under the Law (Jam 4:1-2). Christ revealed this as Melchisedec when
Israel was operating under the Law (Gen 14:18, Heb 7:1-2).