“Then Adonai said to Y’hoshua, “Point the spear in your hand toward ‘Ai, because I will hand it over to you.” Y’hoshua pointed the spear in his hand toward the city.”-Joshua 8:18
In verse 18, we’re told in clear no uncertain terms who is directing the war against the Canaanites.
It is God Himself.
I think a lot of folks cringe when they hear this.
They just can’t stomach the idea that the God of the Bible is more than anything really a divine warrior.
That’s why a lot of Christians will adopt a doctrine that says the ruthless and violent God of the “Old” Testament transformed into the meek and peaceful God of the New Testament with the advent of Yeshua.
I would say this aberrational theology most likely took hold in the 2nd century when the number of gentile believers began to exceed the number of Jewish believers in the early church.
It kind of makes sense because gentiles obviously don’t share in Israel’s long history.
Thus, it was much easier for them to divorce themselves from the foundation of the Jewish Bible and accept false ideas like the God of the Old Testament somehow morphed into some meek and mild figure who would never hurt a fly.
And this even occurred at a time when the “Old” Testament was the only Bible in existence.
It would still be another 100 years or so before some church council (comprised only of gentiles mind you) would sit down and decide which books were “divinely inspired” and should be considered as part of the New Testament canon.
Again, I’ve met a lot folks who simply refuse to entertain the idea that God would order the complete extermination of an entire group of people.
This is a part of the Holy Scriptures they would rather not look at.
That’s why they’re so happy to declare the Torah to be done away with in spite of the fact (and yes it is a fact) that Yeshua declared the Law of Moses to be alive and well and would remain so until the heavens and earth passed away (which obviously hasn’t happened yet).
For all those folks who like to cling to the false idea that the blood thirsty God of the “Old” Testament somehow changed into some maple syrupy God of Love, let me give you all a wake up call, an uncomfortable wakeup call that is.
Sure, the Messiah of Israel may have departed this world like a lamb but he’s coming back as a lion, a very angry lion to be more specific.
Take a look at how Yeshua is depicted in the Book of Revelations.
He’s depicted as nothing less than a divine warrior and one who is going to lead the Saints in a literal (yes, literal not metaphorical or spiritual) holy war that will be the war to finally end all wars.
The church gleefully calls this the Battle of Armageddon (or HAR MEGIDDO in Hebrew).
Folks, let me make this clear.
The Holy War we’re studying about here in the Book of Joshua is just a prophetic preview of the next holy war to come in the future.
It’s just that instead of the nation of Israel led by Joshua conquering only the land of Canaan, it’s going to be the nation of Israel led by Yeshua conquering the whole world.
And I remind you that in Hebrew, Joshua and Yeshua ARE SPELLED EXACTLY THE SAME.
That’s right man.
It’s the same name, so there’s another piece of the prophetic puzzle for you.
Also why do you think we’re supposed to study the Torah and the other Scriptures in such painstaking detail?
It’s because our Father wants to prepare us for the Holy War to come.
We have to know not to touch his holy property and more important why it will be necessary to be absolutely ruthless in eradicating the evil lawlessness in the world today.
You had best believe when the Messiah returns, he won’t be merciful, meek or mild…because when he returns, the time for repentance will have ended.
Just like Joshua and his soldiers were to show no quarter when they killed the inhabitants of Jericho and now Ai…
…and when I say inhabitants I’m talking about every man, woman and child.
That’s right.
When Messiah returns, he is going to personally kill millions upon millions of the enemies of God who stood against Israel and he is going to lead his army of believers to do the same.
Again, pretty much every element of the conquest of Canaan without exception is going to manifest once again possibly in our times but on a global scale.
Heck even the name of the person leading the war is the same: Y’shua.
The Book of Revelations tells us that the amount of blood that will be spilled by the Messiah himself will be so great it will flow furiously along the whole length and breadth of the Jezreel Valley and it will flow as high as a horse’s bridle.
When Yeshua said, “You have seen me, you have seen the Father”, he was darn right.
Our Father in Heaven is both kind and strict and merciful and avenging and so was Yeshua.
This is the divine paradox we must come to terms with.
Yeshua left this planet as a weeping “sacrificial lamb” but he’s coming back as a roaring “warrior lion”.
While on this planet, Yeshua was indeed the “Prince of Peace” but there’s gonna be nothing peaceful about him when he returns.
Christians, this is EXACTLY what your New Testament says.
Richoka,
It is sad indeed that so many that profess to be disciples of Christ do not know the whole Christ, his two missions and what he will do with all who oppose the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth.
I am well convinced many have either created an idol for themselves or have taken on an idolatrous image of Christ that the powers of this world have spoon-fed to so, so many. I say spoon-fed because so many are just babes, babes without maturity or understanding in the Word or the Plan of God.
So many seek not The Truth but their own truth, and are steeped in carnality as they seek confirmation via “feeling good”, endlessly seeking and accepting only positive emotional stimulation while ignoring and subsequently rejecting any unpleasant realities of the Word of God. Yes, the many ignoring such for a very human, self-deceptive and feel-good delusion.
Ever so many will be horrified at our Lord’s return. Many by the very fact of his return, and many others by what will transpire when he does.
As I said above, far more are seeking what they want truth to be, while rejecting the Truth the Word of God reveals.