Concerning the polarization of the “OT God” versus the “NT God”, do you wanna know what one of the oddest ironies in Scripture is?
Well, let me tell you.
Quite contrary to the stereotypical and misinformed Christian opinion on the topic, it is NOT the so-called “Old Testament God” who promotes the idea of “convert or die“.
Nope.
It’s actually the opposite.
It is in the New Testament in the Book of Revelations where we are told that Yeshua will lead his followers in a Holy War to stake his claim over not just some small piece of real estate in the Middle East…but the WHOLE WORLD.
You may have hear about this Holy War via the term “Armageddon“.
During THIS war, it will be a “convert or die” scenario for the entire planet, not just the land of Canaan.
There will be nowhere for anyone who is against HASHEM and His Chosen Ones to escape during this epic and final battle that will be the war to end all wars.
This is quite a different situation from what we’re reading about here in Deuteronomy which deals with God’s people battling for an earthly kingdom located in a specific place.
Interestingly, the leaders of both of these battles have the exact same name.
Joshua (YE-HO-SHUA in Hebrew) and Yeshua (YE-HO-SHUA in Hebrew).
At the moment, we believers have been instructed by Yeshua to lay down our spears and swords and fight a “spiritual battle” using the weapons of our faith and HASHEM’s powerful Word.
Yet at Yeshua’s second coming, he and his followers will be leading what will probably be the bloodiest and most destructive war mankind has ever seen.
Yeshua will fight a physical war…
….just as Moses and Joshua were instructed to do…
…which is why it’s so important we study this Torah…
….because it gives us the wisdom and strength to fight the battles HASHEM has commissioned us to fight.
Onward.
Next, I need to go into the proper definition of what a HOLY WAR really is per the Torah.
It’s important to clarify this because it’s misunderstanding on this subject that has been the root cause of why the Torah has been so maligned by the gentile church.
The first thing you need to understand is that a true Holy War is NOT led in the name of God.
Nope, a true Holy War is led by God Himself.
The Torah makes it clear that it is HASHEM who goes ahead of Israel to defeat her enemies.
That’s right.
God delivers the enemy into Israel’s hands and all Israel has to do is go in and pick up the scattered remains.
In a real Holy War, it is HASHEM Himself who is the commander in chief.
In addition, a true holy war is a battle waged per God’s sovereign decision.
Neither Moses nor Israel have any choice in the matter.
Finally, you need to know that a real Holy War is fought in accordance with the HOLINESS principles we learned in the Torah.
And one of those key principles is the “Law of Herem“.
I first talked about this Torah principle in this article.
Let’s have a quick review because this is such a foundational Torah teaching that unfortunately I can pretty much guarantee you will never learn in a Christian church or any seminary for that matter.
Okay, here’s what you’ve got to understand about this principle.
If the Lord is the Supreme commander of the Israeli military, then ALL the spoils of war belong to Him.
After the battle, the destruction of the booty is the same thing as offering up a sacrifice to HASHEM.
Hence, a true Holy War in the Biblical sense is not about acquiring wealth.
Nor is it about enslaving the defeated.
And it is NOT about religious conversion.
A true Holy War is a war led by God with the outcome already decided.
There is no fighting to determine which side is stronger.
If you are fighting a war with HASHEM on your side, rest assured, the result has already been decided.
Hence, based on this definition, obviously Islamic Jihad is NOT a holy war.
And neither were the Christian Crusades nor the Inquisition holy wars.
Excellent article. I wholly agree and enjoyed reading this – I have been called to see salvation to glorification because I came to Jesus ( Yeshua HaMashiach) and ask Him to forgive me of all my sins, repented and have been walking in His righteousness since 2008. Glory to YHWH – Father, Son & Holy Spirit, amein.
Amen!