Original Entry Date: July 11, 2007
20 So he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. 1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.) Daniel 10:20-21
Recently a friend told me a story about a confrontation he had with a non supporter of war. He placed this situation before him: “It is late at night and two men break into your home. Both have guns and as one robs your house the other strips and begins to rape your wife before your eyes. During the process he drops his gun and it falls at your feet. What do you do?”
Without a second thought the Christian pacifist said, “I’d pray!”
His story drew me in as I pictured my boys screaming in horror and some scum stripped my wife down in front of us, her eyes meeting mine with terror that seemed to say, “Please honey, do something! Save me!”
But all I do is watch, oh yea, and pray.
When I heard the story I must confess that my mind was screaming, “The gun is at your feet! Do something! Pick it up and point it! Save your wife and kids boy!”
I wanted to say to my passive brother, “Have you ever wondered if the gun lying in front of you IS your answer to prayer!”
As we study the word “fight” in Scripture it is unequivocally clear that there has been, and continues to be a vicious war going on in the heavenly realms (Daniel 10:20-21) as well as world history revealing constant fighting on earth.
“The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12).
To believe the earth will ever experience peace is nothing more than the rose colored lenses of our American affluence. This generation has been spoiled by peace, peace mind you, that has come from war and the blood of our American soldiers. To quote Stu Weber, “We live in the age of the soft male.” It is amazing how easy is to say you are anti-war, to hold up anti-war posters on the street corners when there is peace. It is much different, however, when that peace is threatened and it is either fight for your peace or die a passive death.
Let me stop again to say that I will willingly receive persecution even unto death for my faith as God’s highest honor, but I believe it is the Christian duty to fight and defend the weak, powerless and those we are called to protect. A Christian man must reject passivity when it comes to those crucial areas.
