Faith in the Promise of Protection

Back to By David C. Pack

The Bible is a book of many distinct promises. Every time a person demonstrates faith in God, it involves a specific promise. It can involve healing, answered prayer, blessings (James. 1:4-8), guidance in a difficult decision and, most importantly, receiving salvation. In every instance, faith involves claiming a specific promise made by God in His Word. Therefore, it is important to search His Word to find what He promises.

Consider! Paul recorded, “Above all, taking the SHIELD of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Eph. 6:16). Now notice this Proverb, inspired by God: “Every word of God is pure: He is a SHIELD unto them that put their trust in Him. Add you not unto His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar” (Prov. 30:5-6).

When put together, these two verses show that God, through faith, becomes a SHIELD to all who trust in exactly what His Word says. To doubt His Word, or to alter it in any way, is to call God A LIAR! That is serious!

When God makes a promise, He keeps it. While human beings may break their promises, God does not! If He tells you that He will do something for you, He will perform His promise—if you meet certain conditions. You have faith as an assurance that He will. Browbeating yourself into faith is silly, because it suggests that there is doubt that God will do His part after you have done yours. Faith is relaxed. It is calm. It is sure. Whereas most people might have great doubt, the person led by faith is confident that God is always guiding the final outcome of matters.

When you claim one of God’s promises, expect Him to carry it out. Do not try to figure out when or how He will do it. I have learned two things about answered prayer. First, God always answers my prayers, if I seek His will. And secondly, Heal most never answers it in the way that I expected. This is why walking by faith cannot include sight (II Cor. 5:7). “Looking” for God to answer prayer in a certain way or in a certain time frame is a waste of energy. Besides, it is far more important that God does answer our prayers and fulfils His promises than HOW He does it.

It takes faith to personally reject the practice of war and national self-defence and rely solely on God. But this is possible (Matt. 19:26). (You may read our booklet What Is Real Faith? to truly understand what faith is.)

You Need Not Be Terrified of Prophecy

In Matthew 24:1-51, Christ warned of a time of “wars and rumours of wars” to intensify just prior to His Return. Paralleling this account, Luke records, for all true Christians living at the time of the end, “But when you shall hear of wars and commotions [extreme and ongoing forms of terrorism is at least a “commotion,” if not a “war”], be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not [yet]. Then said He unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in various places, and famines, and pestilences” (Lk 21:9-11). (Read our booklets The Black Horse – “There Shall Be Famines…” and The Pale Horse – “There Shall Be Pestilences…”to learn more about how these prophecies are beginning to accelerate.)

Those who know the truth and are in harmony with God, His laws and His plan, do not need to worry. They do not need to be “terrified” or frightened of prophesied events. God promises a place of safety to those individuals who humble themselves, and yield to and obey Him. You can escape (Lk 21:36) the far worse calamities and horror that still lie ahead for America, the other modern-day nations of Israel and, eventually, the whole world! (Another vital booklet, Promised Protection – Secret Rapture or Place of Safety?, reveals God’s plan for those who obey Him.)

When War Will Not Be Taught

I grew up in a family filled with Army and Navy officers—some of them senior career officers. Even both of my “girl” cousins married Navy officers. Another step-cousin was an army officer. His brother attended Annapolis, and I was appointed as well, though I declined the appointment because God was calling me into His truth at that time. My uncle (on my mother’s side) has studied the Civil War most of his life and has an enormous Civil War library. My father was an Army officer and pilot in WWII, and his brother was a Navy officer and pilot who was present at Pearl Harbour during the attack. Their father (my grandfather) fought in WWI. I was born on December 7, 1948, and my mother always referred to me as her “Pearl Harbour child.”

In short, I am a classic example of how some grow up hearing and learning much about war.

Understand! People must learn about war. They are not born knowing about it or skilled in it. Of course, this is true of virtually everything in life. Children must learn to walk, talk and ride a bicycle. People learn to feed and dress themselves, master subjects at school, play instruments, drive a car or use a computer. With practice, all of these things can become “second nature.” The same is true of war. While people must first learn it, war has now become second nature to the entire world!

An amazing prophecy is found in two separate places in the Old Testament. It pictures a time when God’s government will have been established over all nations. The “art” of war will no longer be taught, or learned.

“But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of his WAYS, and we will walk in His PATHS: for the LAW shall go forth [all of God’s law, including The Ten Commandments] of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: NATION SHALL NOT LIFT UP A SWORD AGAINST NATION, NEITHER SHALL THEY LEARN WAR ANY MORE. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it” (Micah 4:1-4 and Isa. 2:1-4).

There is coming a time when the entire world will no longer “learn” war. But it has not yet come. Therefore, because men also do not know the way to peace, peace is impossible now.

Today, people are taught, in some cases from the crib, to be constantly suspicious of others, and to hate, in an almost routine fashion! And many are taught anger and revenge as an everyday way of life. Millions more are taught by experts to refine their killing to a cold efficiency.

But this will all soon change!

Eventually, military academies around the world will be closed. There will be no more “boot camps” and no more “GI’s.” Terrorist training camps will be dismantled. All warships, attack aircraft and military vehicles will be converted or scrapped. Every weapon of conventional or mass destruction will be melted down, and either made into something productive or destroyed. And all the weapons manufacturers will either go out of business or manufacture something else. Military bases will all be closed or redesigned—including buildings like the Pentagon. National defense budgets will be apportioned for different and better purposes. All prisoners of war will be released. Every soldier on earth will have to get another job. No more treaties, rules of war or “non-aggression pacts” will ever be necessary. The fear and sadness caused by war will vanish. There will be no more ethnic or religious rivalries and no more enemies. All forms of killing and hatred will be outlawed, because God’s law will be taught around the world!

This extraordinary prophecy of Micah and Isaiah is another towering proof that God opposes war. When His government arrives, all forms of war will disappear and, with them, all of the learned knowledge of how to practice it! When war disappears forever, so will its many destructive and terrible fruits.

What a wonderful future. World peace lies just over the horizon!

Christ is AGAINST War

This final quote comes from the conclusion of Mr. Herbert Armstrong’s previously cited booklet, MILITARY SERVICE and WAR, under the subhead “God’s Government Will End War.” It is an extraordinary summary of a long booklet:

“Jesus Christ came preaching the good news of the government or RULE of God. That rule is based on the Ten Commandments—God’s spiritual Law.

“Jesus magnified that Law and showed its spiritual intent and purpose. He taught that if we even hate our brother, we are spiritually guilty of murder! Jesus taught that men should OBEY the laws of God and prepare for His coming kingdom by yielding themselves to let God’s laws—His character—be placed within them.

“When God’s government does come very soon now to this earth, His LAW will go forth as the standard of conduct of all nations (Micah 4:1-2). At that time, God alone will wage war to punish rebellious nations in perfect wisdom and justice.

“As for the peoples of the world themselves? ‘Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more’ (Mic 4: 3).

“War involves learning to hate and kill! Young men will no longer be forced to LEARN an attitude which is diametrically opposed to the rule of God’s law of love!

“But meanwhile, true Christians must work and pray for God’s kingdom of peace, and we must realize that the spirit of war is the spirit of MURDER—and avoid it with all of our strength.” (From this point, the quote continues under the subhead, “Jesus Christ and War.”)

“Speaking before the League of Nations, Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick put this thought in a very powerful way: ‘We cannot reconcile Jesus Christ and war—that is the essence of the matter. That is the challenge which today should stir the conscience of Christendom. War is the most colossal and ruinous social sin that afflicts mankind; it is utterly and irremediably unchristian; in its total method and effect it means everything that Jesus did not mean and it means nothing that He did mean; it is a more blatant denial of every Christian doctrine about God and man than all the theoretical atheists on earth ever could devise. It would be worthwhile, would it not, to see the Christian Church as her own this greatest moral issue of our time, to see her lift once more as in our father's days, a clear standard against the paganism of this present world and, refusing to hold her conscience at the beck and call of belligerent states, put the kingdom of God above nationalism and call the world to peace? That would not be the denial of patriotism but its apotheosis.’ (Emphasis is Mr. Armstrong’s.)

“The essence of the matter is that Jesus Christ is against the spirit of war in every form. He is against war—and someday He will put an end to it forever!

“He is against all malice and envy and hate. Jesus Christ taught the dignity of man and the sacredness of human life—‘Created in the image of God.’

“And the great Father of Jesus Christ, the Almighty GOD who governs the universe from His throne in heaven, that God thunders at an age of violence and rebellion: ‘Thou shalt not kill.’”