How Jesus Answered, “What Must I do to Inherit Eternal Life?”

What Jesus said about inheriting eternal life strikes at the heart of most Christian theology. It is a slap in the face to the doctrine of “just believe” and moves it into the realm of doing the Scripture. 
16 And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what [essentially] good thing shall I do to obtain eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?”17 Jesus answered, “Why are you asking Me about what is [essentially] good? There is only One who is [essentially] good; but if you wish to enter into eternal life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Jesus, “Which commandments?” And Jesus answered, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT GIVE FALSE TESTIMONY; 19 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF” [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others]. 20 The young man said to Him, “I have kept all these things [from my youth]; what do I still lack?” (Matthew 19:16-20 Amplified Bible or AMP)
The rich young ruler asked Jesus, “What must I do to obtain (other translations- “inherit”) eternal life.” (Matthew 19:16) Jesus taught the rich young ruler about the qualifications for obtaining eternal life. His answer is like a loaded cannon! His answer will completely confuse most people because it sounds foreign to their evangelical thinking. It sounds like Jesus was telling the rich young ruler about getting saved by good works. The entire assumption is based on a wrong premise if that is what is seen in Jesus' answer. There is nothing weird or out of place with the comments of Jesus. This was not “law or works thinking” as opposed to grace. If you believe Jesus was “under the law” and Paul was “under grace,” you have been subjected to wrong Biblical interpretation!
Firstly, we should understand that the man Jesus was speaking to, the rich young ruler, was not a Gentile. He was far from it. The rich young ruler was a Jewish man, circumcised the eighth day (as all Jewish boys were), and would have entered covenant responsibility between 12 and 13 years of age. He became responsible for covenant obedience according to the Judaism of his day. He had kept the basic commandments (moral ones) from his youth, or from his entering covenant responsibility, what historically became known later as the Bar-Mitzvah. (1)
Why did the rich young ruler ask Jesus which were the commandments He was referring to in order to obtain or inherit eternal life?
The commandments can be divided for the purposes of Christianity into the moral and judicial guidelines categories, and on the other side were those that addressed ritual activity in the Temple of God, priesthood, animal blood sacrifices, feasts and festivals, Sabbath days, food laws, and so on. For simplicity’s sake, I refer to them as the moral commandments and ceremonial or ritual commandments. That is not an artificial division to the commandments because after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A. D., moral and judicial commandments came to the forefront as the only ones that Jews could continue to observe. (2) All ritual or ceremonial commandments dependent on Temple and priesthood became obsolete and passed away into history.
Judaism was reinvented in the latter part of the 1st century and into the 2nd century without the Temple and priesthood services in Jerusalem. (3) Jewish leaders understood that the 613 commandments of God’s law were reduced to 369 laws when the Temple was destroyed. (4) Other Jewish sources say only 244 commandments or 40% were and are applicable! (5)
Only the moral and judicial laws and commandments were left. Feasts, festivals, and Sabbath observances were reinvented so they could be practiced without animal sacrifices. Even circumcision of a male child on the eighth day was within the framework of the mother offering a sacrifice in the Temple for her purification after childbirth. (6) That was no longer applicable without Temple, priesthood, and animal sacrifices.
Today, Jews continue to practice Sabbaths and the festivals without offering animal sacrifices. According to the apostle Paul’s teaching and the conclusions reached by the Jerusalem church council in Acts 15, Christians converted among the Gentiles were not required to keep Sabbath days, circumcision, or any of the feasts and festivals of Israel. They were required to continue to uphold and keep moral commandments and guidelines.
If you have questions along these lines, and how these historical facts affect your Christian walk today, please see my detailed 62 page PDF by using this link, “Did the Grace of God Cancel Biblical Commandments”. There are many wrong teachings floating among Christians concerning law and grace, and the difference between ritual and moral commandments, and whether we should obey moral commandments or not. Paul was emphatically clear about the subject, but the problem is many have been reading his statements without understanding the historical context. Many have interpreted some verses in ways that Paul never intended while at the same time rejecting some things he wrote about the commandments and the law of Moses. My 62-page mini-book will open your eyes with many Scripture references and a historical background, and it is free of charge!
Let me get back to the words of Jesus to the rich young ruler. Do you mean to tell me that there could be a connection to eternal life and the follower of Jesus keeping God’s moral commandments? Some would be too quick to yell, “NO!” Yes, there is a connection, according to Jesus. Jesus taught it. What you must decide is whether you will believe the words of Jesus or not. Moral commandments are important eternally, but ONLY for those already in a covenant relationship with the Father! Commandments originated in the Father and Jesus ONLY taught what He heard from the Father in Heaven. (John 7:16)
What does the above mean for believers today? After you come to Jesus and receive God’s gift in redemption, you are expected to live a moral life, that is IF you want to hold fast to eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:12, 19) If you sin, you must confess your sin before God and receive forgiveness and cleansing from UN-righteousness. You need to get it right with God and get sin purged out of your life by the Blood of Jesus! (See 1 John 1:7-10, 2:1, 2)
For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Romans 13:9, 10 NKJV)
The love commandment at the end of the statement of Jesus in Matthew 19:19 and Paul's statement above in Romans 13:10 are not a replacement or even a rejection of the other holy moral commandments of God. Jesus nor Paul ever taught that nonsense, though many Christians teach it as the gospel truth! Paul writes that love is a SUMMARY of what it means to live a holy life before God. God’s moral commandments are holy, just, good and spiritual according to Paul in Romans 7:12 and 14. Read the text please and get your theology straight! The commandments of God were NEVER fleshly or carnal or so burdensome that nobody could keep them. That "no one could keep them" is traditional religious baloney! The rich young ruler kept the moral commandments impeccably from his youth, and he did that BEFORE he was a follower of Jesus, and BEFORE the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost! The idea that “God’s commandments were hard to keep” was a Satan-invented lie to get Christian people to live their lives cringing against anything called a commandment and making them feel less responsible for keeping them.
The apostle John taught the exact opposite to the “no one could keep the commandments of God” ignorance, and the “they were too hard to keep” foolishness.
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:2, 3 NKJV)
“Not burdensome” means that God’s Holy guidelines (moral commandments) for living in this world were not a “heavy weight” like a mule carrying a heavy load. No mules here! Commandments are a part of our yoke in Christ, and His yoke is easy, and His burden is light! (See Matthew 11:28-30.) Notice that the love of God is that we keep (obey) His commandments. When you understand that properly, you will get the truth that John was teaching the same thing Paul wrote when he quoted some of God’s moral commandments and stated that all of God’s moral commandments were SUMMED UP in the love commandment.
Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Matthew 19:18-19 NKJV)
None of those moral commandments were burdensome or “hard to keep.” That was and is true, especially for the born again and committed believer. The moral commandments are easy because we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us to live in holiness. He isn’t called the HOLY Spirit for nothing! The Father is a holy God, and Jesus is a holy Lord that empowers His followers to live holy lives before God.
When you first come to Jesus and make Him Lord of your life, He will accept you as you are, but He does not want you to stay that way. Jesus will forgive, cleanse, heal, and deliver you, but the Lord expects transformation out of us as believers. (See Romans 12:1, 2 in the Amplified Bible.)
But I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance. (Acts 26:20 NET)
Good works (deeds) are not how we got saved but they do demonstrate repentance AFTER you receive Jesus. “Performing deeds consistent with repentance” is holiness. The behavior of a Christian should be one that breathes and lives holiness. It is the will of God that we live a holy life. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8.) Holiness is not bondage. Holy behavior is a prerequisite of the Christian life. We serve a holy God and a holy Lord by the power of the HOLY Spirit.
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” (1 Peter 1:14-16 NASB)
Once you begin to follow Jesus, there must be a change of lifestyle. It is never “come to Jesus and then sin all you want because He loves you.” Some have espoused the twisted theology that this is what love does. Did Jesus agree with the idea of “love will overlook my sins as a Christian even if I don’t repent?” Not according to Jesus.
“And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God” (Luke 13:3, 5 New Living Translation).
The message of Jesus was one of repentance, turning from devilish lifestyles, and serving and loving God. Not ONE verse in the Gospels ever insinuates acceptance of sin and darkness, but a rejection of sin and evil ways.
Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11 NKJV). He said to the healed (former) blind man, “Go and sin no more so something worse does not come on you” (John 5:14 NKJV). Continuing in a sinful lifestyle is not an option for the follower of Jesus!
The words of Jesus are filled with living a holy lifestyle in obedience to God, His Word, and commandments.
What did Jesus preach and teach everywhere? Here was a huge part of it.
He (Jesus) said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!” (Mark 1:15 New English Translation)
The Scriptural pattern of the Christian life is also found in the book of Revelation.
10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.” … 17 And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus. (Revelation 12:10-12, 17 New Living Translation)
I quoted a larger portion than verse 17 so that you would see that all who keep the commandments of God and maintain their faith in Jesus are believers in Christ Jesus that serve and obey Him. Note the two-fold description of true believers in Christ. They keep the commandments (moral commandments) of God AND maintain their faith in Jesus. It is not only keeping the commandments, and it is not having faith in Jesus alone. It is both!
Here is [encouragement for] the steadfast endurance of the saints (God’s people), those who habitually keep God’s commandments and their faith in Jesus. (Revelation 14:12 Amplified Bible or AMP)
Who are the real saints or God’s people? Are they those that have a regard for their church dogma or declaration of faith? Are the real believers those that have a mental agreement with the facts about the life and resurrection of Jesus? Are the real people of God those that made a confession of Jesus as their Lord at some point in their life but now habitually live in sin? No, a thousand times no! The real believers are those who habitually keep God’s moral commandments AND their faith in Jesus.
Jesus answered the rich young ruler, “…But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He (the rich young ruler) said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” The rich young ruler answered Jesus that those commandments he kept from his youth, but he knew that something was missing. Watch this closely.
20 The young man said to Him, “I have kept all these things [from my youth]; what do I still lack?” 21 Jesus answered him, “If you wish to be perfect [that is, have the spiritual maturity that accompanies godly character with no moral or ethical deficiencies], go and sell what you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” 22 But when the young man heard this, he left grieving and distressed, for he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God]. (Matthew 19:20-22 AMP)
Do you see it? What the man lacked in his commandment keeping was obedience to God with his giving (because money or “stuff” controlled him), and becoming a true believer by following Jesus. Jesus taught him that commandment keeping was a part of the equation to eternal life, but there was more to it than that. He needed to fully commit to Jesus and follow Him unreservedly. That was the way he was going to be perfect or have the spiritual maturity that accompanied godly character with no moral or ethical deficiencies. Jesus was calling the rich young ruler to discipleship, and possibly, in his case, to apostleship. That man could have replaced Judas Iscariot as the one that handled the money for Jesus and His staff. He missed his call to become a true follower of Jesus. 
Do you see how this meshes perfectly with Revelation 12:17 and 14:12? The true follower of Jesus will obey God’s moral commandments and maintain his or her faith in Jesus. 
To believers, Christians, or followers of Jesus, Paul makes this statement: Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is keeping the commandments of God. (1 Corinthians 7:19 AMP)
He was not making that statement to the ungodly but to born-again, tongue talking Christians. After you come to Jesus and get baptized in the Holy Spirit and begin speaking and praying in tongue, the next step is transformation by becoming a doer of the Word. (See Romans 12:2, and James 1:22.) That means that holiness is now on your radar everyday, and you are a practitioner, doer, or keeper of the moral commandments of God.  
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NOTES:
(1) Although Bar-Mitzvah today is celebrated differently, we know it has ancient roots as recorded in the Talmud. Jesus was examined by the Temple priests and teachers at the age of 12. (Luke 2:41–52) “All who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.” (Luke 2:47) Most likely, that is the oldest record of a “Bar Mitzvah” or when a child's understanding of Scripture is scrutinized and subject to rabbinical approval in order to become a part of the adult community of observant Jews. Do you understand that this in the ONLY event recorded about Jesus’ youth, and that it happened when he was 12 years old? That means that this was an especially important event in His life. Why were Joseph and Mary not there if it was so important? Could this scrutiny among the priests and teachers have started earlier, and they thought it was finished, so they left thinking Jesus was with the other children that went through the same process of scrutiny? They were surprised that Jesus extended His stay because, “He must be about His Father’s business.” He was already taking his adult covenant responsibility VERY seriously. (2) Jews divided commandments by positive and negative ones. There were 248 “do’s, and 365 don’ts. Without Temple or priesthood, of the 248 do’s only 126 are applicable today among religious Jews. Of the 365 don’ts there were left applicable 243. See http://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm , but see article in note 5.(3) Jewish commentaries on the history of Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple teach it this way. As an example see: http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/1362/forgotten-hero-of-tisha-bav-enabled-judaism-to-survive-exile/ ; also look at the following: http://earlyworldhistory.blogspot.com/2012/01/yohanan-ben-zakkai.html ; https://www.jweekly.com/1995/08/04/forgotten-hero-of-tisha-b-av-enabled-judaism-to-survive-exile/ . For more information, see Jacob Neusner, A Life of Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai (1960). (4) Nobody knows this better than the Jews! See: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/541686/jewish/How-Many-ofthe-Torahs-Commandments-Still-Apply.htm (5) “Of the 613 commandments, only 411 don't require the Temple (202, or about a third, do); of these, only 369 commandments are applicable today (42 pertain to slaves, kings, nazirs, etc.); of these, only 270 apply always, regardless of circumstances (99 require special circumstances, e.g., "don’t be late in fulfilling a vow" applies only if you make a vow; likewise, parapet around roof, paying laborer on time, etc.); -of these, only 244 apply outside Israel. (26 apply only in Israel.) So, for most Jews, only 244, or 40%, of the mitzvot apply.” Quoted from the following article: https://images.shulcloud.com/618/uploads/PDFs/Divrei_Torah/150523-the-613-commandments-shavuot.pdf (6) That would seem to be the implication of Luke 2:21-24 and Leviticus 12:1-7. Many believe there was no connection, but the context in both passages may confirm there was a covenant connection. See the following articles for additional insight: https://www.thetorah.com/article/mother-and-child-postpartum-defilement-and-circumcision ; https://www.algemeiner.com/2012/03/30/the-blood-of-menstruation-is-covenantal-blood/ . I only bring this up because if that was the case, once the Temple was destroyed in 70 A. D. (CE), the covenant rite of circumcision also lost important connections to blood sacrifice and Temple worship. After the Temple’s destruction these sacrifices in Leviticus 12:1-7 that were connected to the purification of the woman after childbirth and covenant circumcision, these could no longer be offered.
Listen to the next podcast in the series: Repentance- Part 9. It will answer many questions for you on the difference between righteousness as a gift, and righteousness as the lifestyle of the believer. There is much confusion in the area of righteousness and what the difference is between Romans 3:25, 26; 5:17 (the gift of righteousness) and what John taught in 1 John 2:29 and 3:7, 8, 10 (the righteous lifestyle- See the verses in NKJV or NET.) Don't miss it! If we are righteous in Christ, and that is supposedly an unchangeable status, why do we need to be cleansed from UNrighteousness if we sin (1 John 1:9)? Get answers in this podcast, and never be confused about the subject again. Be blessed!

God is in Control of Everything?

 
 
Many believe that “God is in Control” is the Gospel truth. “Brother Rodriguez, that is what the Bible says!” Is it? If it is, then we are stuck with it. Maybe we should look at that idea a little closer before coming to a conclusion.
Following is a verse interpreted to uphold the theology that God ultimately controls all leaders in human government.
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord like channels of water; he turns it wherever he wants (Proverbs 21:1 NET).
Many assume that verse means that all rulers are like puppets on a string, and God is the master puppeteer. That was never a Biblical view but one that originated in the beliefs about mythical gods and their treatment of mankind. Among these mythical gods, humans were like pawns in a game of otherworldly chess played by them. The gods set human fate according to their will. That same thinking infiltrated Christianity beginning in the second century. We could go into a lengthy discussion of how Greek pagan thought supplanted Jewish Messianic Biblical thought of the 1st century church in Jerusalem. I will spare you the details, but ideas prevalent in paganism about their mythological gods and their relationship with humanity had a deep impact on Christian Biblical interpretation as the church moved further west into pagan territory. Historically, the church to the west by the 3rd and 4th century would have been almost unrecognizable to Jesus, the apostles, and the churches that sprang up among the Jewish believers around Jerusalem and its vicinity. Anybody that has done research into the history of the church between the 1st and 4th century knows this to be true. (1)
The idea that God is like a master puppeteer or a divine chess master in control of all human actions, and that all humans must bow to His will, was a part of heathen or pagan mythology. Pagan gods could force their will upon humans at their every whim. It did not matter if their will was immoral or unrighteous. Human beings had no choice in their fate. Whatever the gods willed was to be done even by unwilling humanity.
That posited idea takes away from human beings all powers of decision and makes them automatons that are forcibly subject to the divine will. If God could do that with kings and government leaders, or any human being for that matter, why not do that with the unsaved on planet earth? Why not force everyone to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, and mandate that everyone to go to heaven? We could start the Millennium tomorrow and get on with eternity if that were the case! That is not the case because human beings can choose their eternal destiny, and they have a choice in this life to serve or disobey God.
The right to choose
From the beginning, God gave people the right to choose, and it has never been rescinded. He commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and that IF they did eat of the forbidden tree, then they would die (Genesis 2:17). God gave them a choice, but they chose the wrong thing and suffered the consequences. It was not God’s plan that they chose evil, but they did, and God respected their choice. If God was sovereign as people think, as in full control of all circumstances, why not rebuke the devil and stop sin in the garden? Why not stop the many millennia of the rule of darkness that perverted His creation and brought it a devastating curse?
Many think that God created man to fail and sin. They believe that God in His sovereignty had some purpose in all this damnation and planetary misery. Really? Step back from religion and theology and hear that nonsense for what it is. “Sovereignty” and “God is in control” as taught in much of Christendom is a perverted and twisted traditional religious idea that makes God into an indiscriminate murderer and destroyer that somehow favors evils to strike mankind for some mysterious purposes. Those ideas make human beings into robotic servants subject to the “control” of the “programmer” (God).
Let us get specific.
Those that think that because of God’s sovereignty, He is control of all human actions, what then do you do with Hitler, Stalin, Mao, ISIS, and all the evil rulers, empires, and terrorist organizations that have plagued the planet? God would have to be worse than all of them if this human cesspool of evil and bondage were of His design and under His total control. The idea is so ludicrous and preposterous that only in churches will people believe that nonsense and utter stupidity. I do not have any nice words to describe the foolishness of the “God is in control of everything” crowd.
God sent Jesus. Those that trust and follow Him (believe) will be saved, and those that do not will be damned (John 3:15-18, 36; 12:48; Mark 16:16, etc.). The choice between life and death, blessing or curses, love and hatred, and obedience or disobedience has always been among men. God has never taken it away, and never will!
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live (Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV- See also Jeremiah 21:8 and ff., and Amos 5:14)
Who has the choice to make? God? God is in control of whether we have life or death, blessing or cursing? No, human beings must choose. What is the problem? Many want it to be God's choice, but God has left it up to us as to what we choose. He does tell us to choose life because He wants us to live, but the ultimate choice is left to us as long as we are on the earth. Granted, once you leave your body, your final fate is set. Eternal life to those that know Jesus and serve God, and eternal damnation for those that rejected the Lord and doing what was right according to His Word. (See Romans 1:16-32 through 2:1-11 for Paul's teaching on the subject.) 
And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15 NKJV)
God does not choose for you whom you will serve? The choice is left up to YOU and ME!
I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me. (Psalms 119:30 NKJV)
The Psalmist said he chose the way of truth. God did not choose it for him. 
Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. (Proverbs 1:29 NKJV)
Who makes the choice here? The person rejecting the knowledge (knowing and doing the Word) of the Lord. Choosing to fear (honor and respect) the Lord is in human hands. It is not in God's hands. It's our choice of whether we revere the Lord or not. 
Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. (Isaiah 7:15 NKJV)
For fun, think about it. Who chose for you that you should eat corn flakes or eggs and biscuits this morning? Was it God? No, you chose what to eat. He calls upon us to fast at times, but it is our choice whether to obey or disobey His instruction. In the same way, we choose between good and evil. God desires we reject the evil and choose the good, but whether we do or not is in our hands. 
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24 NKJV)
Whom we will serve is in our hands. God does not make that choice for us. 
So that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ. (Philippians 1:10 NET).
You decide what is best! Yes, we follow the leading of the Lord and what His Word says to make the right choices, but no one can take away your right to choose. Even martyrs chose Jesus and refused to deny their faith regardless of the deadly end results. 
Here is one more portion of Scripture that blows wrong theology about the life and death of a believer completely out the door. 
But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith. (Philippians 1:22-25 NKJV)
What do you think of that? Do you mean to tell me that Paul had a choice in the matter whether to die and be with the Lord or to stay in the body because the Philippians needed to get more from his ministry? Do mean to tell me we can have a choice? YES!
We can do things to extend our days upon the earth. We can also do things to cut our days short upon the earth. Anyone that has read the first three chapters of the book of Proverbs should know that. See Proverbs 1:32-33; 2:20-22; 3:1-2, 7-8, 13-18, and I dare anyone to refute the clear teaching of the Scripture! A part of God's divine protection is that we be satisfied with a long life (Psalms 91:16). Who or what do you believe? Do you believe God or the traditional idiocy of many sectors of Christendom that think all matters of life and death are in God's hands? The Scriptures above prove the massive errors believed in these areas of choice, even in the areas of life and death.  
How about this often half-quoted verse? These verses tell us one way to extend our days upon the earth.
“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:2, 3; Paul is quoting from Exodus 20:12 -NKJV)
Don't quote the first part without also quoting the second part about living long on the earth.
Here is another portion of Scripture that tells us how we can extend our life upon the earth. The apostle Peter quoted it. 
10 It is written in the psalms, If you love life and want to live a good, long time, then be careful what you say. Don’t tell lies or spread gossip or talk about improper things. 11 Walk away from the evil things in the world—just leave them behind, and do what is right, and always seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the Lord watches over the righteous, and His ears are attuned to their prayers. But His face is set against His enemies; He will punish evildoers. (1Peter 3:10-12 -The Voice translation- a quotation from Psalms 34:12-16)
Let’s get our theology straight! The ONLY way to straighten up our ideas is by looking at Scripture after Scripture like we are doing here, but there are many more that prove the point. 
Again, and for the record, it is an impossibility to trust and obey the Lord or to distrust and disobey Him unless you have a choice, a right to decide. Believing or unbelief is a human choice. God will not force “faith” (faithfulness, trust, obedience) on you any more than He will force unbelief on you.
Does God control all government leaders?
“But isn’t the obvious meaning of Proverbs 21:1 that, because of His sovereignty, He can control everyone whenever He wishes?” No, it does not mean that at all once you take into consideration Hosea 8:4 and Nehemiah 9:17 and a truckload of other verses!
They enthroned kings without my consent! They appointed princes without my approval (Hosea 8:4a NET)!
They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt (Nehemiah 9:17a NKJV).
Some kings and princes (governmental leaders) disobeyed God and refused to do what He said. Have you read the extensive list of kings that disobeyed God in the Old Testament? Most of the kings of Israel and Judah disobeyed and rebelled against the Lord. Most of these rebellious kings usually died off quickly and were replaced by another that would do worse.
There is no way to read First and Second Chronicles and be oblivious to the fact that most kings did not have their hearts in the hand of the Lord. If God could have turned any of the hearts of these kings whenever He wanted, why didn’t He turn any of the hearts of the evil kings?
Obviously, something is wrong with the way we have understood Proverbs 21:1 and many other verses that would seem at first glance to imply that “God is in control” of all human affairs and events. If God is completely in control of human events, then how do we account for the death and destruction flooding this planet over millennia? How can we say God is in control of everything with a straight face and see the evil at work on this planet? Is God in control when women are raped, children are sold into slavery, young women are forced to be sex slaves, and Islamic terrorist organizations murder, rape, maim, behead, and knife to death men, women, and children? Only idiotic, ignoramus, anti-Biblical, religious, traditional BUNK could blind a person to believe that God is in control of all that bad stuff. He is not!
I know I am repeating myself, and maybe belaboring the point though using different words, but this subject of sovereignty and “God’s control” are too important to give a lightweight answer.
In the sense that God’s prophetic words concerning our planet will happen, yes, He is in control of that! The promised return of Jesus to rule and reign on the earth will occur no matter what anybody decides or chooses against it. The Book of Revelation will happen regardless of who is in government and who is not! Some events will transpire no matter what anybody believes or does because God said it, and His Word will accomplish what He wants (Isaiah 55:11). He is sovereign and in control where these events are concerned, but He is not ruling over the human will when people decide to disobey and rebel against Him and follow the devil. As far as humanity and their right to choose, God is not in control of their wrong choices or their corrupt activities.
We must understand that the word sovereign does not mean that God is in control of all human actions. No, it means that as sovereign He is above all. He is the Creator and He is God! He is THE one and only God, and besides Him, there is no other! He is the highest authority and power! If you find a a Bible translation that renders "Most High" as "Sovereign", it is suspect. If they are trying to say that He is in control of everything, they trying to inject the crass errors of Calvinism into the translation. "Most High" is the Hebrew word Elyon as found in Psalms 91:1 and in other verses. It literally means that God is the highest or that He is above all. It does not mean that He is in control of all!
Jesus said that the thief is the one that comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). To believe that evil comes because God is in control means that you believe that God is the thief! Yes, God does allow a lot of evil stuff because many human beings have rejected Him, embraced the darkness and false religions, and they are in Satan’s territory as the “destroyer.” People choose darkness, and they reap destruction and death. The wages of sin are still death (Romans 6:23). When people choose evil and disobedience against God and His holy commandments, He turns them over to their enemies. As one example among many, read Judges 2:7-23. This truth is taught excessively in the Bible from cover to cover!
There were kings and princes ordained by people that were never in God’s plan. They were NOT God's will! People voted them in” without God approval, as we saw from Hosea 8:4.
We have some kings in Scripture that lived during a time in history where God had His Word on the line concerning His people. Sometimes God put a “decision” in their hearts to do something in line with His will and they obeyed. Other times, judgment came against some of them until they obeyed. He can do that whenever necessary!
One prominent example was Nebuchadnezzar. He disobeyed the Lord and was severely judged to wander the earth for seven years with the mind of an animal. When he recognized God and was willing to obey Him, the kingdom was restored to him, and he was reinstated as King of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar was a part of a greater plan that had to do with God’s people. Because of their sin, God turned over the nation of Israel to Nebuchadnezzar. (See the book of Jeremiah.) He took thousands into captivity, and they were to remain in that land for a minimum of seventy years. The prophet Jeremiah spoke the Word of the Lord concerning Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon, and the exile of the sons of Israel. There was a divine Word in place, and events had to line up to fulfill the Word of the Lord. Nebuchadnezzar was a key player in these developments.
Pharaoh continued to oppose the Word of the Lord that Moses proclaimed concerning the release of Israel from Egyptian bondage. He hardened his heart and God agreed, in turn, allowing the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Through ten judgments, Pharaoh complied with the Word of the Lord. Again, a Word was spoken to Abraham and his descendants, and it was necessary for the Lord to bring it to pass (Genesis 15:13, 14).
There are occasions like those, but those are not the usual succession of events in the earth. Kings and all government leaders have a choice to make whether they will serve the Lord, and whether they will be a force for good or evil.
If Proverbs 21:1 were taken to refer to kings in the same predicament as Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar, I could agree on one level. However, this verse makes no mention of supernatural events changing the heart of a king. Supernatural events could be what are necessary to turn the heart and force a leader to obey the Lord. Did it happen often? No. It seems to have been relegated to special events surrounding the deliverance of His people. Other than at those times, nothing happened except the decisions of the individuals, either for good or for evil. 
When the Lord started showing me that the Scripture had much to say on this subject of good or evil human government, this verse in Proverbs 21:1 stared back into my face. At face value, one could hardly help giving it the standard interpretation of “God makes kings obey His will whether they want to or not because God is in control of their hearts.” Something was wrong with that interpretation when I compared this verse with other verses on the same subject. Thank God that the entrance of His Word brings LIGHT. (Psalms 119:130 NKJV) Stick to the Word and light will come regardless of how ignorant (simple) we are. 
The king in Proverbs 21:1
First, who is the king in Proverbs 21:1? If we can get that question answered, then we can start to unravel this verse in our thinking. Was Solomon speaking of a specific king, or was his statement a reference to all world leaders? People want to make this verse applicable to all kings, presidents, and prime ministers. I believe that is a mistake.
Who was this king mentioned by Solomon? I am convinced Solomon was speaking of himself as the king whose heart was in the hand of the Lord. Solomon gave his heart over to the Lord as a young man. He asked God to give him a wise and discerning heart so he could judge the people of Israel in righteousness. God granted his request in a powerful way.
“Therefore, give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “…see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you” (See 1 Kings 3:9-12 NKJV abbreviated).
Solomon’s heart was in the hand of the Lord as the channels of water because he submitted his heart to the Lord and received a wise and discerning heart from Him.
The phrase “heart in the hand of the Lord” speaks of someone who submits his or her life to God to do His will and carry out His plan. Though Solomon deviated from the Lord later in life, for many years, he served the Lord and did His will. Solomon’s heart (life) was in the hands of the Lord, and God could lead him as He wanted.
Often Proverbs gives us “stand-alone” pithy sayings that were spoken in the wisdom of God. Other times we see a few verses discussing the same subject before the subject matter changes. Sometimes certain subjects are grouped together. Proverbs 21:1 has been pulled from its context. It is not referring to a wicked king’s heart as being in the hands of the Lord. This verse speaks of a righteous king as the one whose heart in the hand of the Lord.
Let me give you a few verses before and after Proverbs 21:1 to put it in context.
Proverbs Chapter 20 - A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his eyes. V.8- A wise king sifts out the wicked and brings the threshing wheel over them. V. 26- The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the inner depths of his heart. V. 27- Mercy and truth preserve the king, and by lovingkindness he upholds his throne. The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray head. Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, as do stripes the inner depths of the heart. V. 28-30
Proverbs Chapter 21- The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. V.1- Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts. V.2- To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. V.3
Again, Solomon's subject king in Proverbs 21:1 is a righteous king. Only a righteous king can have his heart in the hand of the Lord.
Unrighteous kings had hearts that were far from the Lord. The exceptions to that are kings that did not know God, but they were willing to obey the Lord in whatever He wanted for His people. Good examples are Cyrus and Artaxerxes (Ezra 1 and Nehemiah 2).
Look at some of these references in connection with the preceding statements: Ezra 6:22, 1 Kings 11:2-9, 15:3, 2 Kings 10:31, see 2 Chron. 6:38, 12:14, 15:12-15, 19:9, 26:16, 32:25, 26, 34:27, 31, 36:13.
NOTES:
(1) If you want a book that explores these truths in much more detail with references for further study, I suggest  you read the book by Marvin Wilson: Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith. You can get it from christianbook.com  and other booksellers. If you want to delve even deeper in historical truth, get the scholarly and classic study published originally in 1960, Hebrew Thought Compared With Greek, by Thorlief Boman. It is very informative at 208 pages plus the bibliography, but I warn you, drink coffee before you read it, or you may snooze. Maybe it was just me when I read it for my university studies back many moons ago. Get it on Amazon. 
I trust that this article has helped you understand a controversial subject. Be blessed in your study of the Word with me in the following podcast: Repentance Part 8!

Self Defense: Is it Scriptural? Part 2

Part 2: A Side of Love and Compassion Rarely Taught in Christianity But it is All Over the Bible
Most of Christianity has a one sided or false idea of the love, mercy, and compassion of God. It has been humanistic, far eastern guru mystified, and it lacks any truth or power. Sometimes love can appear to be harsh, unloving, offensive, unyielding, and downright mean. Sometimes it can be deadly!
If you don't believe that then you haven't read the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the Book of Revelation. In them, you will find Jesus offending many people. In some cases, they were so offended that the hound dogs of religiosity made plans to murder Jesus. Sometimes, they picked up rocks to stone Him, and once they tried to kill Him by pushing Him off a cliff!
Jesus threw family members out of a funeral being held for a little girl. He then raised the girl up from the dead. He had to get out the dead heads of religion before raising the little girl up from the dead!
He made a whip to drive out all the greedy traders in the Temple courtyard! He began to beat them and turn over their tables! He was all sweet, right? No, Jesus was extremely angry in that case and ready to rumble! He raged violently against the evil He saw in the Temple! If He was some weak and sickly looking man like you see in many depictions of Him, He never would have gotten to the second table before being given a memorable beat down by the money changers and animal sellers!
Jesus called religious leaders vipers, children of hell, whited sepulchers, and more harsh things! These were unlovely words, according to the humanistic love many preach and teach. Today, if you say things that don't even approach the intensity or harshness of Jesus' words, many Christians cringe and think you are unloving. They would have hated Jesus when He shifted gears and was tough and intense with His tongue or actions!
When Peter tried to rebuke Him, He called Peter Satan! Was that super nice? No, it wasn’t, but it was love in action. Did you know that?
When most of Jesus’ disciples got up and left because His words were too nasty for their religious sensibilities, He turned to the few left and asked them if they wanted to leave too. There was no compromise with Jesus! He loved people by telling them the truth, regardless of what people thought or whether they received it or not.
Even when Jesus’ own mother and brothers wanted to see Him because they thought He had lost His mind, He refused to see them and rebuked them for not following the Word! Sometimes family needs to be set straight according to the Word when they come knocking at your door with unbelief!
None of the above was done in mousey tones of niceness. Some foolishly think that speaking the truth in love should be sweet at all the times. Wrong! It is stinking thinking!
The book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3 reveals how love (Jesus) rebuked His churches when they were backsliding or dead! It is not all sugar and spice and everything nice. Read the chapters carefully and allow all the falsehoods you have learned about "love language" and "walking in love" to be flushed out of your system! When the Lord says, "I will fight against you with the sword of my mouth", and "I will kill your followers with death and cast you into a sickbed" that is not the sweet talk of humanistic love! I wonder if His face was smiling and relaxed when He said all that or if there was fire in His eyes and voice? That would have been the wrong time for laughter. There was nothing funny about what He told them!
Was Jesus stern and unrelenting? Yes, but then He would call all the kids and lay hands on them and bless them! Tough, stern, AND lovable towards all that came to Him for healing and deliverance. He never turned away the humble that would come to receive!
Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]. (Revelation 3:19 Amplified Bible)
Get your teaching straight. Tender love will rebuke, discipline, show people their faults, instruct people, and call on them to change their sinful behavior!
We serve a mighty warrior King who is also Savior, Healer, and Provider. Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5) and we were put into the new creation IN CHRIST (2 Corinthians 5:17) when we surrendered our lives to the Lord Jesus and began living for Him. We are to be lions with Him, and not little weak lambs! To the world, they may consider us as lambs to the slaughter because of the apparently good and fun side to our compassion, but we are to be more than conquerors, real lions! (Romans 8:36, 37) We are not like the false "roaring" lion that is Satan (1 Peter 5:8), but we are of the conquering lions under the Lion of the tribe of Judah that has already overcome!
The righteous are bold as a lion! (Proverbs 28:1NKJV)
Don't mistake our Christian compassion for the hurting and oppressed as weakness or submission to the enemy. I warn you. If you are sensitive or sissified and the girly beta male type, you will seethe at my comments. You will hate them. They will take away your sleep until you repent and ask for God’s help to get you out of your betahood (an original word) and start becoming a real man. 
Do you know what I mean when I say betahood (my made-up word) or a girly-beta-male? Let me show you with two pictures that were published on Gab social. These explain it much better than I could.
A strong and courageous man compared to a sissified beta male!
 
No, I do not agree with the lying part, but the point is knowing the difference between real men (minus the lying) and pathetic girly beta males.
The bad thought occurs to me from time to time, “Maybe if I slap the crap out of this girly male, maybe “it” will wake up to manhood!" After they cry and roll up in a fetal position on the floor, then you can lay hands on them and cast the devil out of them IF they want help! Then, I would go and wash my hands!
Over the years, I’ve prayed and laid hands on many people to receive healing that had infectious diseases. I’ve never washed my hands after doing that. I believed the greater One was in me as I prayed, and healing was coming through me. These beta dudes, yuk! Bring on the antibacterial soap!
Again, let’s settle it. Our compassion is never weak because it can also be like a mama elephant with her babies. Get too close and suddenly, she goes ballistic! Her compassion for her babies will cause her to squash you like a bug to protect her own whether it’s a real or perceived threat. It makes no difference. It’s clobbering time! It could make you a greasy spot on the ground after you are squashed by the 12-ton mama!
The same can be said of a bear and her cubs! There are many mamas like that today. They are full of love and compassion for their offspring, but try and hurt their babies, and the fight to the death is on. Any threat will be met with extreme violence. It should be.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. (Psalms 103:13 NET)
It's like a father protecting his wife and kids with every instrument available to him, even to the death of his enemies. At least that is how real men of Godly compassion and mercy will react to protect their loved ones, but as we have seen, not all males are real men.
If you are a beta, squishy toy, pushover girly-male afraid of your own shadow, then you should not get married or have children unless you change drastically. Could you imagine the travesty of being a beta girly male that looks like the sissified “it” in the pictures above, and they reproduce? Just having sex with a woman and getting her pregnant with a child does not make you a man. Betahood submissiveness to the world, the devil, the baby butchering Demonrats, and to lying MSM, will make your kids three times the wuss that you are. That is truly bad! Boyish sissified males like that are not worthy to have children upon the earth. They will not contribute any good thing to the development of future manhood. They may be males by birth, but they are not real men. They're more worried about using the right pronouns, LGBTQrstuvwxyz garbage rights, BLM, CRT, self-hatred, toxic manhood, compliance, white rage, worship of the garden gnome Fauci, and living in their mama's basement rent free. I have nothing good to say about those evil creatures!
These pseudo males are the weakling types that wouldn't say or do anything to the thug trying to feel up his wife on the train, airplane, or bus. Real manhood compassion will violently take out the thug quickly by whatever means necessary. No bones about it. No prayer needed at that point. Not much thinking necessary in that scenario. It would be time to act quickly and decisively, full auto, and no holds barred. The idea is to hurt the perpetrator so badly that he won’t be able to get up off the floor!
Some may be thinking it right now, “And you call yourself a Christian?” I know I am a follower of Jesus. I’m not your traditional Christian that tolerates evil pushed upon my family or children. It would be righteous, and it would be a good thing to defend my wife’s honor, and to take a stand against those that would attempt to hurt my kids.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21 NIV)
That verse is immediately found before Romans 13:1, but many never quote it as it was intended, as part of the intro to Romans 13. Chapter or verse divisions were not a part of the original text!
For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. (Romans 13:4)
Don’t be religious and refuse to see another side to this. We are to rule and reign in LIFE now over sin and death, not just in the afterlife! (Romans 5:17; 8:37) We are those in authority over the devil and demon power NOW! (Ephesians 6:12-17, Luke 10:17, Mark 16:17, 18)   
It is not only government or police that can carry a sword or gun, in the same way that we are all commanded to overcome evil with good, whether we are government officials, police officers, military, or civilians! I want you to understand that the command to overcome evil with good is for all believers. It follows then that to carry a sword or weapon to overcome evil with good is not only allowed for all believers, but it is also commanded. This is not a stretch except for the religiously brainwashed mind.
Carrying the sword (or weapon) is not in vain. People that practice evil should be afraid that we carry a weapon for the sake of good! Its purpose is to do what is right and good against evil. Sometimes a weapon is what stands between you and an evil outcome. So, to use a weapon against evil when evil wants to prevail over good would be proper, good, and righteous.
What would compassion do? What would love do? What would mercy do?
Compassion would cause a real man to kill an illegal immigrant perv caught raping his 5 y/o daughter! Remember that story in 2021? The man that beat that pervert to death is a national hero, a real treasure, and an awesome example. He should get a medal and his own parenting show! His main topic: "This is what a real man looks like!"
You have not seen violence until you see what a real man would do to those attempting to hurt his kids. Never come to a real man's door attempting to force the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson or other devil pharma death jabs on him or his family. Big and very permanent mistake for the fools that try that. Compassion in a real man would cause him to "dispatch" the vaccine of death totalitarians trying to force themselves on his family. Forcing a jab is tantamount to at least a rape, and at maximum it is committing murder.
Frankly, in a scenario where we are forced to get a vaccine, guns may have to come out blazing. Civil war or a revolutionary war could happen in the US if we are forbidden to buy, sell, trade, or travel unless we are vaccinated and show our vaccine passports. That all sounds eerily familiar to the mark of the beast in Revelation 13:16-18, and most churches refuse to see any correlation with what is happening worldwide! Read it because it is coming eventually, and we see overwhelming evidence of its encroachment now.
Demons in government in America are starting to push mandatory vaccines. What could happen? The government is playing with the firepower of the American people, and a bloody civil war could happen. I pray that NEVER happens! The truth is that totalitarian thugs will not be able to stop a force of 70 to 80 million strong that rises against them, or the six hundred and fifty million weapons in civilian hands! Totalitarians will wet their pants before their rage and surrender like the cowards they are. We the people will have spoken. We the people are Christians AND non-Christians that are willing to fight for our country and our Constitution. It would be a righteous battle if the necessity ever came for it. We are to control the government according to the Constitution. The government should never control the people. The Constitution is the main governing law of the land. Any law or “mandate” that violates our American constitutional rights should be rejected immediately. Masking, social distancing, the death jabs, vaccine passports, and the rest of the Covid garbage are of the devil and they violate our rights, both human and constitutional!
It is mercy and compassion to fight for our constitutional freedoms, even if the day comes to fight to the death of our enemies. Note how I stated that. Never heard of that side of mercy and compassion? Probably not because the Scripture isn't really studied or taught much in most churches. All you hear in most churches are snippets of the Bible here and there, mostly out of context, severely watered down, or twisted to mean something foreign to the Bible!
Did you know that when God slaughters or commands the slaughter of the enemies of his real and true people that God is demonstrating everlasting mercy and compassion? Ready to get any religious spirit left in you blown away?
To Him Who smote Egypt in their firstborn, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever. (Psalms 136:10 AMP)
The slaughter of all the Egyptian firstborn was an act of God's eternal or everlasting mercy and "loving" kindness! Was God having the firstborn slaughtered show His love? Man, that is hard to swallow if you look at this religiously and watered down by Sunday school at most churches! Yes, it showed to what extent God (who is love, the merciful God) was willing to go to deliver His people. Love allowed the slaughter of the firstborn to get freedom for His family.
Let that sink in. Let it refresh and empower you today. That is the real true God that we serve! He will fight for us and with us to deadly force if necessary!
What else did the God who is love and is merciful do as a demonstration of His eternal kindness?
But shook off and overthrew Pharaoh and his host into the Red Sea, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever. (Psalms 136:15 AMP)
God's love, mercy, and kindness caused Him to drown the enemies of His people in the Red Sea! Death by drowning the enemies of His people was a manifestation of love, mercy, kindness, and just good ole compassion! My God!
More mercy?
To Him Who smote great kings, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; and slew famous kings, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever. (Psalms 136:17, 18 AMP)
God smiting to the death famous and great kings because of His love, mercy, kindness, or to use another word, because of His wonderful compassion, is an awesome Word we need today.
In your great kindness towards all true believers God, I ask you that our evil dictatorial governmental enemies would be slaughtered. May they be struck down with death and/or drowned in the sea. Lord fight against those who fight with us and may they be subjected to affliction or trouble from every side! (Psalms 35:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:6)
That is a good prayer! I am praying according to the Scripture we quoted above and according to the 2 verses in parenthesis, so don't get offended. Have you ever prayed like that? If you don’t pray that way, you should!
Here is something else that should be understood. God also smote or slew the following kings mentioned by name:
Sihon king of the Amorites, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; and Og king of Bashan, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever. (Psalms 136:19, 20 AMP)The context is clear. God slew the kings Sihon and Og, but read the stories in the book of Numbers and note how God used His people to do the slaying. God often uses and backs His own people to fight a battle and kill their enemies. That is also a demonstration of God's love, mercy, kindness, and compassion as He gives His people the victory over the enemy. Diplomacy was applied first. When diplomacy failed, then the sword was unremittingly enforced.
But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border. Instead Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz, and he fought against Israel. (Numbers 21:23 AMP)
Big mistake!
And Israel smote the king of the Amorites with the edge of the sword and possessed his land from the river Arnon to the river Jabbok, as far as the Ammonites, for the boundary of the Ammonites was strong. (Numbers 21:24 AMP)
Psalms 136:19 tells us it was God's love, mercy, and kindness that did it, and notice that God did it through the armed battalions of His people! Weep all you gutless Christians! Your misunderstanding of the love of God is profound.
What about the slaying of King Og as an act of mercy, love, and kindness in Psalms 136:20?
Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. But the Lord said to Moses, Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon. So the Israelites slew Og and his sons and all his people until there was not one left alive, And they possessed his land. (Numbers 21:31-35 AMP)
Not one of Og and his people were left alive, and Psalms 136:20 calls this a love victory! It was a lovefest, a compassion event, a kindness "concert" to kill them all because God gave His people the strength and ability to destroy their enemies.
Space will not allow me to also look at Samson, David, Gideon, and a bunch of others that were empowered by God's love and compassion to annihilate their enemies.
Has God changed? Has He stopped giving His people power and dominion over their enemies in His love, mercy, kindness, and compassion? Of course not.
I am the Lord. I do not change. (Malachi 3:6 ICB)
God doesn’t change, and neither does the Lord Jesus!
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)
Look at these verses to finish this section:
Psalm 18:32-42 (NKJV): 32 It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. 33 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places. 34 He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. 36 You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip. 37 I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. 38 I have wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. 39 For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. 40 You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. 41 They cried out, but there was none to save; Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them. 42 Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.
That, my brother and sister are right thoughts and correct attitudes. It is the right way to trust and believe God, and if you hook in Psalms 91, you have a perfect portrait! It worked for David against the lion, bear, Goliath, and all of David's enemies.
David was a very important ancestor of Jesus. Jesus was called the seed or descendant of David, and the son of David! (John 7:42, Romans 1:3, 2 Timothy 2:8) If Jesus is my brother (Hebrews 2:11), then David is my great great, great, great, great, (and many more “greats”), my grandpa! I will emulate him as well!
Psalm 144:1: Praise the LORD, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.
2 Samuel 22:35: He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Can you see that these are not isolated verses, but the clear teaching of Scripture?
Psalm 44:6-7: I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.
Putting your trust in weapons is foolish at best. Weapons can fail, but God NEVER fails! Yet, that does not mean we don’t own weapons and train, train, and then train some more. The victory comes from the Lord, and that is where we lay our trust. 
Though I point these things out, don't think I am a violent person. I am far from it, and anybody that knows me knows I love peace and peaceful resolutions. Let me bring the truth of the matter out clearly once more. I am totally against violence. I believe in going low, keeping my mouth shut when necessary, and I am a firm believer in de-escalation when confronted with someone expecting a fight. I am a peacemaker. I hate fights and I hate violence. Violence is the LAST thing on my map. If I have to fight, I have already failed at de-escalation and communication. There has never been a greater truth than to harden yourself with training and learn to fight and defeat an enemy so that you never have to fight! It is a deterrent. So many years have passed since I first began training in martial arts. I still train, just to a lesser degree. In all those years, I only used my training a few times, and never because I instigated the violence. I did know how to stop the violence. Thank God! I never look for fights and I don't instigate violence. I have learned the "martial" art of talking my way out of potentially violent encounters. That has served me much better than my fists or a firearm. Just a note for those that may want to misinterpret my words in this article and push violent actions,  and use me as an excuse. Having to resort to violence is a terrible thing. Never forget it, but also let us never forget our responsibilities and our duty to stand firm for the truth.
Patriotic Quotes from America’s Godly Founding Fathers
Let me give you some patriotic quotes from some of America’s godly founding fathers. Take them to heart. They are extremely relevant today in the mess we are facing in America with totalitarian and dictatorial rulers and their cronies.
Most of these quotes are in their original form so spelling differences will be noticed. Some words were spelled differently back then.
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams
That is important info for several reasons. Most of the founding fathers of America were deeply religious, and several of them were Christian ministers.
Following, notice how these godly men refer to the use of weapons and what they thought concerning the right to bear arms as ratified in the Second Amendment. Note how they were vehemently against disarming the people as other countries had done.  
"The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." Thomas Jefferson, Commonplace Book, quoting 18th century criminologist Cesare Beccaria, 1774-1776
"Thus the peaceable part of mankind will be continually overrun by the vile and abandoned, while they neglect the means of self-defense. The supposed quietude of a good man allures the ruffian; while on the other hand, arms, like law, discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside. And while a single nation refuses to lay them down, it is proper that all should keep them up. Horrid mischief would ensue were one-half the world deprived of the use of them; for while avarice and ambition have a place in the heart of man, the weak will become a prey to the strong. The history of every age and nation establishes these truths, and facts need but little arguments when they prove themselves." Thomas Paine, "Thoughts on Defensive War" in Pennsylvania Magazine, July 1775
That entire article should be read. Thomas Paine hits the nail on the head against all pacifism as was practiced by the religious Quakers. He said that Satan and evil people were still on the loose on the planet and we must take up self-defense. I really like it when he says this: “I am thus far a Quaker, that I would gladly agree with all the world to lay aside the use of arms, and settle matters by negotiation; but unless the whole will, the matter ends, and I take up my musket and thank heaven he (God) has put it in my power.”
Do you understand? We want peaceful relations, but when that fails, we have weapons to defend ourselves! Read the updated article here:
https://selfeducatedamerican.com/2013/09/26/thoughts-on-defensive-war-by-thomas-paine 
You can also read the original autograph, but you must scroll down to section XII where the essay is found. http://thomaspainefoundation.com/the-writings-of-thomas-paine-vol-i.html
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
“This difference is ascribed to our superiority in taking aim when we fire; every soldier in our army having been intimate with his gun from his infancy." Thomas Jefferson, letter to Giovanni Fabbroni, June 8, 1778
“The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able might have a gun." Patrick Henry, Speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 5, 1778
I really enjoy reading the words of Thomas Jefferson.
"Give about two of them every day to exercise; for health must not be sacrificed to learning. A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprize, and independance to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks. Never think of taking a book with you. The object of walking is to relax the mind. You should therefore not permit yourself even to think while you walk. But divert your attention by the objects surrounding you. Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far. "Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, August 19, 1785
See it here:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-08-02-0319)
"What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms." Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Stephens Smith, son-in-law of John Adams, December 20, 1787
"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops." Noah Webster, An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, October 10, 1787
"If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is then no resource left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense which is paramount to all positive forms of government, and which against the usurpations of the national rulers, may be exerted with infinitely better prospect of success than against those of the rulers of an individual state. In a single state, if the persons entrusted with supreme power become usurpers, the different parcels, subdivisions, or districts of which it consists, having no distinct government in each, can take no regular measures for defense. The citizens must rush tumultuously to arms, without concert, without system, without resource; except in their courage and despair." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 28, December 26, 1787
This is exactly what is happening today with the Covid impositions and mandates. Government has betrayed the constituents. We are coming to the point where these usurpers, if they don’t back down, we may have to rise and take up arms to defend ourselves. These are not my words, and truthfully, I hope it NEVER comes to that. I am telling you what our godly founding fathers thought about the betrayers in government that are drunk with power over the people.
"To disarm the people... is the most effectual way to enslave them." George Mason, The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, June 14, 1788
Do you see why the Democrat evil dictators want to disarm the public? They want to enslave the American people! Let us never give up our 650 million guns presently in the hands of the civilian population!
"Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of." James Madison, Federalist No. 46, January 29, 1788
"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed ― unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." (The Federalist, No. 46 at 243- 244)
"Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation.... Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." (The Federalist, No. 46)
"It is not certain that with this aid alone [possession of arms], they would not be able to shake off their yokes. But were the people to posses the additional advantages of local governments chosen by themselves, who could collect the national will, and direct the national force; and of officers appointed out of the militia, by these governments and attached both to them and to the militia, it may be affirmed with the greatest assurance, that the throne of every tyranny in Europe would be speedily overturned, in spite of the legions which surround it." (The Federalist, No. 46)
Federalist No. 46 was from January 29, 1788. Link:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-10-02-0261
“A militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves…and include, according to the past and general usage of the states, all men capable of bearing arms… to preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." Richard Henry Lee, Federal Farmer No. XVIII, January 25, 1788
Here is the link to this Federal Farmer essay thought to be written by Richard Henry Lee:
https://leefamilyarchive.org/papers/essays/fedfarmer/18.html
"The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." Samuel Adams, Massachusetts Ratifying Convention, 1788
"If circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form an army of any magnitude, that army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people, while there is a large body of citizens little if at all inferior to them in discipline and the use of arms, who stand ready to defend their own rights and those of their fellow citizens-This appears to me the only substitute that can be devised for a standing army; the best possible security against it, if it should exist." Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 29, January 10, 1788
Go here to read Federalist No. 29:
https://www.consource.org/document/the-federalist-no-29-1788-1-9/
"I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers." George Mason, Address to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 4, 1788
"The right of the people to keep and bear...arms shall not be infringed. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country...." (James Madison, I Annals of Congress 434 [June 8, 1789])
"What, Sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty .... Whenever Governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins." Rep. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, I Annals of Congress 750, August 17, 1789
"As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people before them, may attempt to tyrannize, and as the military forces which must be occasionally raised to defend our country, might pervert their power to the injury of their fellow citizens, the people are confirmed by the article in their right to keep and bear their private arms." Tench Coxe, Philadelphia Federal Gazette, June 18, 1789
Here it is:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-12-02-0144
"A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined." George Washington, First Annual Address, January 8, 1790
This next one will get you in the gut. It did me.
“Our cause is just. Our union is perfect. Our internal resources are great, and, if necessary, foreign assistance is undoubtedly attainable. –We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the Divine favour towards us, that his Providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy, until we were grown up to our present strength, had been previously exercised in warlike operation, and possessed of the means of defending ourselves. With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before God and the world, declare, that, exerting the utmost energy of those powers, which our beneficent Creator hath graciously bestowed upon us, the arms we have been compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverence, employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live slaves. In our own native land, in defence of the freedom that is our birthright, and which we ever enjoyed till the late violation of it – for the protection of our property, acquired solely by the honest industry of our fore-fathers and ourselves, against violence actually offered, we have taken up arms. We shall lay them down when hostilities shall cease on the part of the aggressors, and all danger of their being renewed shall be removed, and not before.” Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms. A declaration by the representatives of the united colonies of north America, now met in congress at Philadelphia, setting forth the causes and necessity of their taking up arms-July 6, 1775  
"The Constitution of most of our states (and of the United States) assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed." Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Cartwright, 5 June 1824
"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them." Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, 1833
Amen to all that!
Let us pray that we can diplomatically, spiritually, judicially, and by our vote stop the tyranny imposed by bad government. There is a lot of work to do, and we have to do it.