What Colour is a Midnight Oil Revolution?

Ancient olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem. Press. Send.

I've been thinking of late as to what degree and when legitimate force may be used by Christians, and in whose eyes is that legitimacy. I realise such a post might be monitored by intelligence agencies under the auspices of rightwing terrorism, it is no longer ridiculous, yet this I welcome for I am unashamed of what I hope is biblical thought inspiring right conduct, mindful of the State's perspective but forever with an eye on the main game.

The episode in particular that has spurred this piece is the dreadful murder of Queensland police and a neighbour by three people purported to be inspired by apocalyptic text in Revelation. The motive was foolishly claimed by the Deputy Police Commissioner no less. I am in complete agreement with brothers in Christ who have rightly condemned the violent cult action as well as the lame response by the copper.

Where I differ or at least would've liked fuller treatment, is exactly when Christians are called to use force to resist evil. Martyn Iles recently commented, 'Scripture condemns all premeditated violence.'

Bill Muehlenburg said, 'That some nutters and extremists can use certain teachings on the end times – or anything else for that matter – and twist them to justify actual cultic and violent beliefs and behaviours can happen anytime, anywhere. But to smear the entire Christian community over the actions of three whackos is a case of unfair anti-Christian bigotry and blatant vilification.'

And Pastor Bob Cotton stated, 'Christianity is never advanced or defended by the tip of a sword or the barrel of a gun, that sort of behaviour could only be referred to as “jihad” and that simply does not exist in the teaching of Jesus Christ or the Apostles.'

This isn't a comprehensive response but could broadly categorise standard commonly held views by not just Christians but almost all society on the abhorrence of such violence. And all pretty much par for the course. What I am reacting to is the stereotype of turning the other cheek becoming extreme pacifism in every circumstance, which is just patent nonsense. This hasn't been said specifically by the commentariat, not wanting to put words in people's mouths, but can appear amongst wider social media posters.

For instance, Christians serve in the military and the police and do so with a clear conscience to exercise State sanctioned violence in the pursuit of peace and civil order. Many a Christian husband father brother son would use violence to protect family according to capabilities and situation. Non-believers are justifiably in the forces and have identical views on protecting loved ones.

As always, I resist secular arguments for the primacy of contemporary law as the ultimate arbiter and go to the Lord for instruction and precedent.

The pacifist go-to text is of course Jesus' rebuke to Peter on drawing the sword [Mat 26:52], though enigmatically perhaps ultimately metaphorically to illustrate his teaching moments later, Jesus did instruct the disciples [Luke 22:36] to equip themselves with not ploughshares but swords. All we know is they took it literally, the command came in the Garden of Gethsemane to hold fire, and the over-riding theme of the New Testament is that this Kingdom is not advanced through unauthorised violence, for as Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.' [John 18:36]

And there are many such texts along this line. Being Scripture, I am in complete agreement and submisssion. What I would like to do is explore where armed resistance to evil has occurred and under what circumstance.

The Old Testament is full of such examples and brothers will rightly argue this approach was superceded through our Lord's teaching. True. Yet capital punishment for our flesh remains for every human being as a consequence of our sin, so serious is our parlous state. Secondly there are individual examples where the Holy Spirit uses disciples to exact both corporal and capital punishment on the rebellious.

In Acts 5:1-11 Peter confronts Ananias over his deceit and the Holy Spirit executes him on the spot, Ananias falling down dead. Peter was almost certainly unaware of Ananias' fate when he questioned the liar. However, the same cannot be said later when the wife Sapphira enters. This time when Peter speaks he knows he is announcing her sentence of death. It was intended as a sobering moment in the embryonic life of the early Church, that God cannot be mocked and is Holy, and would save life by the example set.

Some time thereafter we have Paul rebuking and disciplining the sorcerer Elymas, and he was made blind for a time. Note though only 'for a time'. Perhaps Paul, cognisant of his own earlier experience being temporarily blinded by the brilliance of the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, tempered his justice with compassion.

Corporal punishment is in mind too from the writer of Hebrews, saying 'No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.' [Heb 12:11] The home and schooling were once environments where this was commonplace.

Finally there is the cataclysmic justice wrought by the Lord as described in Revelation. The second coming of the Lord is not as gentle lamb but the Lion of Judah, a warrior King in every respect.

We then have the more difficult examples from subsequent Church history where brothers have gone to war. Only the Lord knows what was in each man's heart, the context and prayers, careless bloodlust, righteous battlefield conduct, only the Lord can and will say. It is suffice for me to say that John Bunyan fought in the Parliamentary army when younger with clear conscience. And the surviving documents from Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans testify to godly men genuinely believing their actions were designed to ultimately bring glory to God.

C.S.Lewis fought and from memory was wounded in the Great War and continued serving out of uniform in the Second World War. On the other side, Dietrich Bonhoeffer initially served as a German officer before becoming involved in the plot to kill Hitler, for which he was eventually executed by the Nazis. There can be no doubt I think of either man's living faith in Christ.

We are slowly moving from seemingly open but constrained democracy through authoritarianism to something far more sinister to the non-compliant. It is being done incrementally, steadily and surely. There is much on public record circulating via alternative media clearly indicating the direction, next steps, legislative enforcement. the lot.

If the last paragraph seems far-fetched or speculative, remember the authority of Scripture revealing what is to come some time in human history,

'He [the Beast out of the Earth] also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.' [Revelation 13:16-17]

We won't be able to economically survive without becoming godless apostates eternally forfeiting our salvation. There is still a brief window of opportunity to act now, and I think that requires considered prayerful peaceful effective resistance in every instance to the ungodly encroachments of the State where it clearly is acting as a vehicle for darkness rather than light.

'There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.' O live by the light of the Lord.