The Kingdom of God is Violent

The kingdom of God is fundamentally violent. And so am I. My behavior is not violent, for the most part. I am considered by many to be "against war" (although this isn't so. I just believe in a war that most people neglect to notice).

However I speak against the fundamental roots of "pacifism" and many teachings of christian nonviolence. Jesus' kingdom is fundamentally violent, and the engagement of suffering and slaughter by obedient servants of Christ, is an anticipation of the culmination of Warfare! There will be vindication. There will be retribution. There will be judgment!
One day Jesus will return with an army and execute violent Judgment, at the end of this world-age. (Jude, Enoch)

I also believe that one day I may be involved in the judgment of the nations, and angels (1 Cor. 6:1-3)

I have read in Matt. 11:12 that the Kingdom of God operates in the realm of violence and that the seizure of it is violent in nature...

I read in Ephesians 6 of spiritual warfare, illuminated in Daniel 10:12-14... I read in 1 John that He who is in us is greater than "He who is in the world..."
"He who is in the world" is illuminated by the first three chapters of Job.
2 Chronicles 18 has angelic counsel in it...
1 Chron. 21 has Satan in it...
Genesis 6 has gnarly interracial relations with angels producing a race of giants that pollutes the world and causes an intolerable wickedness to flourish...

What I'm trying to say is that at the heart, I am a believer in some INCREDIBLY VIOLENT things. I actually believe that this stuff is completely real and actual and active today... and I believe that Jesus is coming to reign for a thousand years over a rebellious and unruly mankind. i also believe that after that thousand years, all of the world will try to killl Jesus again. I believe that I stand a chance of being there. In Jerusalem, when they surround it--my eyes may look on the physical manifestation of the righteous judgment and retribution of God on a rebellious and ungrateful humanity. I think these thoughts all day long.

i believe that if I am not there, in that thousand-year "interim Jerusalem", that I will be awaiting the Second Resurrection, and that my actual eyes will look on the destruction of all the wicked sinners who reject God at the Final Judgment--the Second Death.

Until then, we live in a time between times. The violent, jealous, passionate YaHWeH of Holy Writ is the Spirit of Christ, and has come in the Crucified Jesus, who has given us for a time as a testimony of God's violent, jealous, passionate LOVE for a rebellious and perverse humanity.

And in this time between times, it is through suffering injustice while trusting God that we proclaim and herald the ancient kingdom of YaHWeH. His is a kingdom based on covenant, with threats and promises in full play with us. We live in the fear that Grace has taught us. We are subjects, subjected to a Great Force of violence, working out our faith in fear and trembling...

We are under strict commands from God to love our enemies. These commands have been uttered in the gentleness of our Savior, compelling us by love and shed blood to turn away from our own solutions and to join in His suffering. As we obey them, we find actual affection for these enemies, for we were oncelike they are. And we pray for them to yield to the loving offer of reprieve that Christ Crucified extends.

Here:

1 Peter 4:
"Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin."
The Jewish followers of Jesus, during his earthly ministry, considered their enemy to be Rome and the Gentiles. JEsus knew it was SIN. http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

In this passage, we ARM (violent) ourselves with willingness to suffer, and are delivered from our enemy (sin).

Let this permeate your understanding of how to engage worldly evil.

Think about matt. 16, where jesus calls peter "satan". Why does he do that? Mind on the things of man, not of God. So much of this nationalism that has been coming from church leaders has "good things" and "god things" in mind, but they are fundamentally of this world--the things of man.

And the reality of it is that, though we may indeed be marginalized for our "lack of loyalty" to the world's system, we will have done no evil. We will have served God with no regrets. We will have preached the simplicity of the Slain Lamb, whose bleeding hands are extended in invitation to follow Him.

Please understand that this true, Christian understanding of violence leads us to obedience and wisdom in submission to the command of Jesus. We are not non-violent. We have resigned ourselves to the care of God, who is now our Father. We are joining in that blessed fellowship of suffering that the first Apostles commended to us. We are following the example of, no... not just the example of Jesus. We are following Jesus, Himself!

here is a Way that is jesus! Here is something I'd like to equip the Body of Christ to do more clearly and faithfully, every day. Here is something for a pastor to sink his teeth into! Listen to this, all you pastoral types! Get your flocks ready to walk with Jesus, not in zeal for the privileges of nationalism and citizenship, but for the joy of Jesus spoken of in Hebrews 12:

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

...consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin."

What is ironic about all this to me is how very full of sin American churches are reputed to be. Our reputation, whose weight far outweighs the gold we have spent on our facades and buildings, is dirty and bad. Divorce, Adultery, abortion, drugs, promiscuity, pornography, greed, false teaching... it is going on. it is commonplace...

We should have a push to eradicate SIN from our communities of faith. Seriously. Get rid of sin, all you christians! All you people who say you believe that Jesus will return to judge the quick and the dead , like the Apostles' Creed says... Get rid of your sin.
That would be an act of faith. Putting into practice what the Master taught.