WHAT IS IT MORE IMPORTANT IN THE KING
OF THE ETERNAL?
Jesus
didn’t emphasize the prohibition of being politician, policeman, etc. to His
followers for a simple reason: because all Holy Scripture is important and must
be fulfilled. And as I said before, there is no way to teach everything at
once.
Let's
think about how secular learning happens: the student starts in Elementary
school, then moves on to Middle school, High school, college. The Eternal
begins by ministering the basic teachings and then gradually improves the
individual.
Let's
think differently: if an athlete wants to be a champion in the Olympics, it is
logical that when he starts to train, the coach will not put a weight of five
hundred pounds for him to lift. He is probably going to start with a pound,
move on to two, up to five hundred pounds or more. However, from the outset he
should already keep in mind that if he really wants to reach the grand prize,
he will have to get there. If he is not willing to do this, then it is better
not to start training:
·
“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my
disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth
not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he
have [ sufficient ] to finish [ it ]? Lest haply,
after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish [ it ], all that behold [ it ] begin to mock him, saying, This
man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war
against another king, sitteth not down
first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten
thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else,
while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an
ambassage, and desireth
conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh
not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14.27-33).
Likewise,
in the Kingdom of the Eternal, each one must, in advance, know where he must
arrive in order not to get involved with that which does not please the
Eternal, and then to be difficult to leave.
For
example, suppose an individual enters the military career, and when he manages
to become a general or even a marshal, he is obliged to renounce everything to
follow Jesus (he
receives Jesus’ call). Imagine another individual being able to
build a large law firm and suddenly receive the invitation of Jesus "come
and follow me" (as was
the case with the apostles - see Matthew 8:22; 9:9; 19:21).
And
you can be sure: this day will come! And when this happens, will we be ready to
leave all that we have gained behind (as did Ruth - Ruth 1:16)?
I
usually say to people: rather than make a mistake and then ask Jesus to fix the
boob we've done, is to start everything right. The soldiers and publicans of
the time of Jesus did not have the privilege that we have to have access to the
whole truth. Today we can know the truth, remain in it and thus avoid much
suffering for ourselves and those around us.
After
all, evil is always evil, regardless of who practices it and why. For you to
understand what I say, observe the order given to the Eternal to all creation:
·
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed,
[ and ] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his
kind, whose seed [ is ] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the
earth brought forth grass, [ and ] herb yielding seed after
his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed [ was ] in itself, after
his kind: and God saw that [ it was ] good.” (Genesis 1.11,12).
·
“And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after
their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that [
it was ] good.” (Genesis 1.21).
·
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after
his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his
kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind,
and cattle after their kind, and every thing
that creepeth upon the earth after his kind:
and God saw that [ it was ] good.” (Genesis 1.24,25).
Note
that all creation (whether
plants or animals) has a definite identity. It is only the human being
who, because of sin, has lost his identity. Today he behaves one way, tomorrow
another. In the office he is, for example, a doctor; Out of there only the
Eternal to know what he is. This is why even many cannot see the blessing of
the Eternal in their lives. After all, how can one know what is good for himself
if he does not know who he is and what he is doing in this world?
Whether
we like it or not, we have to accept: each can only bear fruit according to its
kind. So, what kind are we, who believe in Jesus? What kind of fruit should we
give?
·
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no
law.” (Galatians
5.22,23).
Can
you really see a way for someone to be a police officer, a judge, a lawyer, a
prosecutor, a politician, etc., dealing with all sorts of criminals and still
retaining all these characteristics?
Remember
that each tree bears fruit after its kind. It is impossible to gather sweet
fruit from a tree of scarlet eggplant, jurubeba or
lemon (see
James 3:10-12).
·
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither [ can ] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into
the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7.15-20).
Therefore,
evil is always evil, and from it nothing can come but evil (Matthew 12:34-35).
·
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but
he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap
life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we
shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6.7-9).
Sin
has no justification. Shall we surrender our precious gifts and talents from
the Eternal to do evil against someone whom Jesus loved so much that He died
for them? Think: as father, how would you feel if you saw someone raising their
hand against one of your children (even though he or she is wrong)? Likewise, what do you
think the Eternal will do, seeing us doing something against His children? Look:
·
“For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his
tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil,
and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord [ are ] over the righteous, and his ears [ are open ] unto
their prayers: but the face of the Lord [ is ] against them that do evil..” (1Peter 3.10-12).
Also,
think: is there anyone who is good and righteous enough to have the right to
"throw the first stone"? See the answer:
·
“And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in
adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master,
this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law
commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest
thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But
Jesus stooped down, and with [ his ] finger wrote on
the ground, [ as though he heard them not ]. So when they continued asking him,
he lifted up himself, and said unto them, he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a
stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which
heard [ it ], being convicted by [ their own ]
conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, [ even ] unto the
last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus
had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman,
where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man,
Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn
thee: go, and sin no more.” (John 8.3-11).
Are
we better than others to the point where we are immune from the law or have the
right to accuse, judge, and condemn someone (see Matthew 7:1-5)? We are worth of this (Revelation 4.11;
5.9,12,13; 7.10,12; 19.1)? See below who, unfortunately, we are:
·
“What then? are we better [ than they ]?
No, in no wise: for we have before proved both
Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh
after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat [ is ] an open sepulchre; with their
tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [ is ] under their lips:
Whose mouth [ is ] full of cursing and bitterness: their feet [ are ] swift to
shed blood: destruction and misery [ are ] in their ways: and the way of peace
have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3.9-18).
Look
at the consequences of trying to justify ourselves (and, consequently, condemn others) on
the basis of law:
·
“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest
another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them
which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O
man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and
forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and
impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who
will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient
continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour
and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not
obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew
first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour,
and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew
first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God.” (Romans 2.1-11).
When
we judge the other, we are already acting as badly as the one we are judging.
And this principle can be extended: every time a judge convicts the offender
and the police executes the sentence, both are committing the same offense. This is what represents
the law given
by Moses:
·
“And if [ any ] mischief follow, then thou
shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for
foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” (Exodus 21.23-25).
What
the Eternal wanted is for everyone to realize that by doing evil against
others, we are descending to their level.
Moreover,
if the evil of the other is an excuse for us to do evil, then we are doomed (or condemning others, i.e., the
authorities constituted by the system that rules this world) to
always desire and do evil against our neighbor (and, of course, to reap it - Galatians 6:7-9).
After all, only Jesus is good (Matthew
19:17, Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19).
So
which side do we want to stay?
o
On the side of those who receive the good seed
of the gospel of Christ's salvation and in this trust and wait for resting (Psalm 37:7) or
o
on the side of those who only treasure the evil
within themselves to have the pleasure of transmitting it in the lives of whom
they deem worthy of it?
May
Jesus give us the courage to receive and sow only the seed of love and truth,
even when everything does not seem to work. After all, the conviction of an
offender means only a "channel of blessing” unless in our life:
·
“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound
in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree
on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask,
it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18.18-20).
________________________________________________________________________________________
WHAT DID JESUS WANT TO SAY TO THE
SUGGEST THAT THE DISCIPLES BUY SWORD?
To
analyze this argument, let's see the passage:
·
“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [ to have ] you, that he may sift [ you ] as wheat: but I have
prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, Lord,
I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. And he said, I tell
thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice
deny that thou knowest me. And he said unto them,
When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him
take [ it ], and likewise [ his ] scrip: and he
that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is
written must yet be accomplished in me, and he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an
end. And
they said, Lord, behold, here [ are ] two swords. And
he said unto them, It is enough.” (Luke 22.31-38).
When
Jesus said that He came not to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34-36),
what He was saying is that He came to put an end to all false unity, that is to
say, with friendships signed in carnal agreements or covenants aimed at forming
a cartel.
However,
Jesus would never encourage a servant of Him to violence (under no pretext). In
the case of the passage above, consider that Peter was not yet converted at
this time. And considering that for the first time (since Peter became a disciple) he
would see the struggles and persecutions because of the Kingdom of the Eternal,
Jesus then orders Peter to acquire a sword at any cost.
However,
the goal is not for Peter to make use of it, but rather for him, the apostles
and we, to learn some precious lessons:
·
“And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came
they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which
were with Jesus stretched out [ his ] hand, and drew
his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.
Then said Jesus unto him, Put up
again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish
with the sword. Thinkest thou that I
cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve
legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be
fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that
same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come
out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with
you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was
done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the
disciples forsook him, and fled.” (Matthew 26.50-56).
·
“And they laid their hands on him, and took him. And one of them that
stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his
ear. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a
thief, with swords and [ with ] staves to take me? I
was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the
scriptures must be fulfilled.” (Mark 14.46-49).
·
“When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto
him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of
the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and
healed him. Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple,
and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come
out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in
the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power
of darkness.” (Luke
22.49-53).
·
“Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went
forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered
him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am [
he ]. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with
them. As soon
then as he had said unto them, I am [ he ], they went
backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And
they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am [ he ]: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way: that
the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none. Then Simon Peter having a sword
drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The
servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto
Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me,
shall I not drink it?” (John
18.4-11).
First
lesson: no evil will ever befall us without the permission
of the Eternal. Though Jesus had been all the days before His death in the
temple, yet no one laid hands on Him. Even more so: even on this occasion, when
the multitude came to Him to arrest Him, they were only able to arrest Jesus
because He allowed. If He wanted to, they would all stay fallen to the ground
and He would escape without problems.
Not
to mention that He could pray to the Father and receive a help from twelve
legions of angels. However, He made a point of fully fulfilling the Father's
will.
Second
lesson: we must never go armed, lest we should do an evil
that can rob us of our peace, and cost us our lives (all who take the sword will die by the
sword), and even, lead us to deny Jesus (see John 18:26).
Third
lesson: Those who want to follow Jesus must give up their
own sword (Luke
9:23) and let things happen according to the will of the Lord so that they
may be justified. After all, Jesus will not move a finger or utter a word to free us from the fate that the Father has set aside for
us (after all, He did not do
this even for Himself). And woe to us, if we do not drink the cup
that the Father has prepared for us (just as Jesus said that this would come about with James and John -
Matthew 20:23).
Fourth
lesson: when the time comes, no matter how much resources we
may have in hand: if we really want to be saved, we must give our life to the
Eternal as an acceptable sacrifice of sweet savor to Him (as Jesus did - John 10:17,18), rather
than hurting others to try to save us (Matthew 10.39).
In
short, the sword was not to save one's own skin, much less Jesus. Note that
because it was prophesied that Jesus would not lose any of His disciples, they
would not even have to worry, try to defend themselves or escape. No harm would
happen to them (as
indeed it did not). That is to say, what saved the lives of the apostles
was not the sword, but what about them was prophesied in the Holy Scripture.
What
the Eternal wants to, first of all, is that we should be disgusted with every
kind of evil.
·
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
(Exodus 20.16).
·
“[ He that ] backbiteth
not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour,
nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.” (Psalms 15.3).
May
Jesus grant us a heart that grieves and afflicts with every kind of evil, that
will never willingly see the suffering that someone will have to pass so that
evil is not spread in his life or in society (see Proverbs 24:17).
Anyway,
if anyone has to suffer evil, may we, followers of Jesus, never have anything
to do with it. Let alone take pleasure in this. We must face it with sadness (the same sorrow that the Eternal feels
- Ezekiel 33.11), as it happens when we lose one of the members of our
body.
________________________________________________________________________________________
LAW ENFORCEMENT?
Do
you really believe that the solution is to force people to obey laws? If so,
allow me, in all humility, to ask you: why then did the Eternal plant the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the midst of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2.9; 3.3)?
What
is the reason for this world to exist and for the Eternal not to exterminate
evil at once? Why does not the own Eternal, in person, oblige the whole world to
obey Him? After all, no one is as worthy as He is. Even He has all the power
and authority to do this.
Unfortunately we have been conditioned by the system to
believe that the problem in our life is related to external factors. Since Adam
and Eve have been like this: Adam blamed Eve and the Eternal for their sin, and
Eve blamed the serpent. And from there on, the people refuse to admit that,
first and foremost, evil in our lives begins inside us:
·
“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth
the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil
things come from within, and defile the man.” (Marcos 7.20-23).
Also,
have you stopped to think about who is the prince of this world?
·
“Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this
world be cast out.” (John
12.31)
·
“Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this
world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” (John
14.30).
·
“Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” (John 16.11).
The
prince of this world is one who has nothing in Christ, who was judged and cast
out by Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
And
in what consists the system that he established to govern this world?
·
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what [ is ] that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12.2).
·
“[ And ] we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth
in wickedness.” (1John
5.19).
·
“And you [ hath he quickened ], who were dead
in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience:” (Ephesians
2.1,2).
Notice
that it is a system that is supported by the evil one, guided by the same
spirit that operates in the children of disobedience. Hence the order not to be
molded in the form of the system.
If
it is still not clear, see in what exactly consists the system that rules this
world:
·
“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [
will let ], until he be taken out of the way.” (2Thessalonians 2.7).
Realize
that the mystery of injustice will not work only when the antichrist manifests.
Since the time of Paul, he has been operating. Now, I ask you: are we going to
submit to a system based on injustice, to the antichrist system?
You
may question: "But the Holy Scripture commands this”:
·
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power
but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth
the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves
damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt
thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt
have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if
thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of
God, a revenger to [ execute ] wrath upon him that
doeth evil. Wherefore [ ye ] must needs be subject,
not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.” (Romans 13.1-5).
What
this verse is saying is that as long as we are walking according to the flesh (grounding our lives upon laws), we
will be doomed to submit to this wicked system as well as its representatives.
And
do not think that whoever submits to the system based on this verse goes
unpunished. See what Jesus says about Judas Iscariot.
·
“But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth
me [ is ] with me on the table. And truly the Son of man goeth,
as it was determined: but woe
unto that man by whom he is betrayed!” (Luke 22.21,22).
He
was being used to confirm the Holy Scripture, and yet his destiny was to
perdition:
·
“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that
thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost,
but the son
of perdition; that the scripture might be
fulfilled.” (John
17.12).
Therefore,
to do evil, even under the command or even pressure of an authority, implies
only to fall with them:
·
“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest
thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he
answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly
Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind
leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15.12-14).
You
can then question, "If I fight against the system that governs this world
I am wrong because I will be using evilness (although, supposedly, to do something well). If
I submit to the system I am also wrong because I am being an accomplice in its
works of darkness (which
must be condemned by us - Ephesians 5.11). How, then, to be free from
condemnation?
Leaving
this Babylonian System (see
Revelation 18.4).
Fortunately,
Jesus opened the Way (His
grace) that frees us from this curse:
·
“Know ye not, brethren, ( for I speak to them that know the law, ) how that the law hath dominion
over a man as long as he liveth? Wherefore, my
brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to
another, [ even ] to him who is raised from the dead,
that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” (Romans 7.1,4)
·
“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [ in the likeness ] of [ his ] resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [ him
], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is
dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with
him:” (Romans
6.5-8).
When
the Eternal granted the law, what He expected is that we see the beauty of His
holiness in contrast to misery of ours and that of this world, whose
righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The idea was to realize how useless we are
deprived of the glory of the Eternal (Romans 3:11,23) and thus we willingly agreed to die for
ourselves so that Jesus could manifest His life (2 Corinthians 4:10,11) that fulfills the true Law (love) in the life of
others (Romans
8:3,4; 13:8-10).
May
Jesus free us from this cursed system so that we can be guided permanently in
His love and truth in every situation. May Jesus save us, of ourselves, with
His grace and power, so that we never think of resorting to the mystery of
injustice to keep what we think to be our right.
In
short, may Jesus enable us to follow in His footsteps, namely, to live His
righteousness (which
consists in giving up our lives so that he who did evil against us may see
Jesus in us and be saved) instead of resorting to "justice" of
the world (who,
unjustly and without mercy, compels the sinner to pay for a debt he will never be
able to pay - Matthew 18:25,29).
·
“For this [ is ] thankworthy, if a man for
conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory [ is it ], if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take
it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [ for it ], ye take it
patiently, this [ is ] acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called:
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should
follow his steps:” (1Peter
2.19-21).
After
all, in what God we have believed: in Him who through His grace and love is
able to regenerate the sinner, or in one who needs severe and oppressive laws
to cage the beast that insists on living in each one (Romans 7:17-21) ?
Finally,
if we still insist on believing the second hypothesis, let us ask the following
question: Has there ever been, in all of humankind's history, a village that
has been able to be happy and find peace and love only through laws and
punishments? Is there any effective solution that disregards the forgiveness,
grace, and mercy that comes from Jesus on behalf of the bandit?
________________________________________________________________________________________
HOW HINDER THE EVIL IN THE WORLD?
Those
who defend the police, juridical, and political system do so because they
suppose that the cause of the world's problems lies in the manifestation of the
wickedness of Ha-Satan and his ministers.
None
of this, however, would be a problem if the Church would listen and obey the
voice of the Eternal. After all, the grace available to those who believe is
far greater than sin in us and in society. Unfortunately, we refuse to receive
what the Eternal has provided for us and we come to follow solutions that have
nothing to do with Jesus and His gift to us.
Think
of what happened in the Garden of Eden. If Ha-Satan were the real evil in our
lives, then why did the Eternal not warn Adam about him or the serpent? Because
Ha-Satan can only act when there is a breach in our heart.
If
Adam had heeded the call of the Eternal (to bear fruit, multiply, and fill the earth - Genesis 1:28),
Eve's heart would have received the manifestation of the Eternal's love within
itself, and thus there would be no shortage within her.
In
other words, if the Church always behaved as the light of the world (Matthew 5.14-16),
the pillar and bulwark of truth (1 Timothy 3:15), everyone would be able to see the new and
living way that Jesus consecrated through the veil, that is, by His flesh (Hebrews 10:19-21).
The
mission of the Church is not to prevent the evil of this world from spreading,
but to shine heavenly virtues in the midst of this corrupted and perverse
generation (Philippians
2:14,15) so that all who are of the truth see how to leave
this world and pass to live in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). What
all creation expects is not that evil cease to work, but rather that the
children of the Eternal manifest themselves so that they may be delivered from
the bondage of corruption to their freedom of the glory of the God’s son (Romans 8:19-22).
You
may ask: "But then, it means that there should be no police officer,
judge, prosecutor, politician, etc.? What I am saying is that no one who claims
to believe in Jesus must get involved in this, for there is something far more
sublime to manifest to the world through Christ.
Understand:
there are two types of vessels: those of anger and those of honor:
·
“[ What ] if God, willing to shew [ his ] wrath, and to make his power
known, endured with much longsuffering the
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom
he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” (Romans 9.22-24).
Notice
that the Church was created as a vessel of mercy, through which the Eternal can
manifest His glory (presence
and character) and power. This is the focus for the Church and the
true pleasure of the Eternal.
The
only reason to Him to "wish" to show His anger is for all to realize
how bad it is when one departs from Him and His good, pleasing and perfect will
(Romans 12:2).
For this He uses individuals who take pleasure in seeing the evil of others. Hence
they are called vessels of wrath, for they are always becoming angry with
others, as well as irritating them and being annoyed by them (Titus 3: 3), a
true vicious circle.
We
must not forget that he who sows evil harvests evil, regardless of the intention
that led him to sow this evil (Galatians
6:7-9). Even if we have a good excuse and apparently our
actions can result in immediate relief from the nuisance or evil, it will only
make us attach more and more to evil (as our method of salvation) and will remove from us the
possibility of having the perfected character and to be supernaturally used by
Jesus.
Perhaps
you think: "But the Holy Scripture said":
·
“Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy: rid [ them ] out of the
hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on
in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.” (Psalms 82.3-5).
But
the Holy Scripture also says:
·
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1Thessalonians 5.22).
Realize
that it is not for us to move away only from evil, but even from the all appearance
of evil. And the reason for this is simple: apart from the fact that an abyss
calls into another abyss (Psalm
42:7), it must be understood that everything was created by the Eternal for a
certain purpose:
·
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour
and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created.” (Revelation
4.11).
·
“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I
the LORD do all these [ things ].” (Isaiah 45.7).
·
“Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth
the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an
instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.” (Isaiah 54.16).
·
“The LORD hath made all [ things ] for himself:
yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.” (Proverbs 16.4).
·
“Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and
the LORD hath not done [ it ]?” (Amos 3.6).
·
“And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the
beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and
shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in
their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the
beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” (Revelation 17.16,17).
Jesus Himself said:
·
“Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by
whom the offence cometh!” (Matthew 18.7).
In
other words, if the Father has not yet commanded the tares to be torn out of
this world (Matthew 13:28-29), it
is because the Eternal still needs their presence to make Himself known to all.
Take
the case of Pharaoh:
·
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand
before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that
they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine
heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that [ there is ] none
like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my
hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be
cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this [ cause ] have I
raised thee up, for to shew [ in ] thee my power; and that my name may be
declared throughout all the earth.” (Exodus 9.13-16).
Think
about how much Pharaoh explored the Israelites. If we were there, we would
surely think to destroy Pharaoh and all his people to save Israel. But this was
necessary for the name of the Eternal to be feared throughout the land and
thereby strengthen the faith of Israel and save people like Rahab (see Joshua 2:9-11).
In
other words, if we were to attempt evil against Pharaoh (or even against the antichrist, as can
be seen in several apocalyptic films), we would be disrupting the
plans of the Eternal.
You
may question: but do we stand still seeing many people suffering, being
humiliated, mistreated, wronged, etc.?
Of
course not! Our role is to pray in order to seek in the Eternal to discover who
we really are and what we are doing in this world in the midst of all this. Let
us rest and wait in the Eternal (Psalms 37:7) until He shows us what He wants to do through
us and how we should position ourselves in order to be done in us according to
His Word.
May
Jesus never let us be accommodated to all the evil we are brought to witness,
but also free us to act on our own account or strength, and to wait in the
authorities of this world.
Since
only the blessing of the Eternal enriches without bringing pain (Proverbs 10:22),
may Jesus create in us a pure heart, renew in us a righteous spirit and give us
the joy of (and in) His
salvation (Psalms
51:10-12).
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