The Way of the Sword in the Old Testament; Has it Ended?

We are speaking of God asking us for a holy war, and the scripture relating Christ and a sword is not a scripture asking us to have a holy war, as God asked that the Amorites be done away with.

You want me to give comment?

OK,

These verses support a separation of church and state.

“Separation of church and state, frees a church and its members from the coercive power of the state so that the exercise of religion is unimpeded” (What’s the Catholic View on Church and State). The church should not be manipulated to promote and execute the wills of the government and the government should not interfere with a person’s religious beliefs and practices. Many of the fighters that signed up to fight in the crusades did so as a result of the persuasive speech by Pope Urban II, fearing going to hell if they did not. Emperor Alexius I imposed his desires for the State onto the Church by urging the Pope to help him fight the Muslims, overtaking so much land, so that he would have his other interests met. The results of all of the crusades proved to be violent and disastrous. The Muslims killed the Jews, the Christians killed the Muslims, the Muslims killed the Christians and it continued for over 200 years, all in the name of religion.
https://www.cram.com/essay/The-Crusades-Of-Pope-Urban-II/F3Y4VY9UREEX

On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II makes perhaps the most influential speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the Crusades by calling all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land, with a cry of “Deus vult!” or “God wills it!”
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pope-urban-ii-orders-first-crusade

Oh, ok you were referring to separation of Church and State. Sorry, I'm not a mind reader.
Question: Is your body separate from your spirit?

Christians are those who are one with Christ. If Christ was on earth to send a sword so too are Christians. War doesn't always mean bloodshed. Wars of attrition are an example of war without bloodshed. The question comes back to what is meant by "sword"?

Spiritually a sword can do us no good. We are also not under a theocracy where God demands us to take the promise land which God did prepare by the sword as the Ottoman Empire fell, Hitler was stopped and this prepared for God's people to reclaim land that they had lost.

So until Jesus returns, we will see war, crime, and injustice. It is part of life. For evil to prevail, it is when good men do nothing. God often called out to His people on why they let evil prevail and even asking where are those who will stand against it?

The physical sword of the old Testament foreshadows our spiritual warfare today. So many physical/material things of the OT act as symbols for NT spiritual things. Another fine example is the material prosperity of OT men of God.

God has authority over the governments and uses them for his purposes.

But the promised land is no longer Israel. The promised land is the church. The church is where the promise land is now. The promised land is in the spiritual realm now.

God's people are those who are in Christ Jesus. The Jews are not God's people unless they call on the name of the Lord and that name is Jesus Christ.



And for this purpose God establishes governmental authorities. It is these governmental authorities that bare the sword and serves justice and order. I believe a christian does has freedom to serve the government as a police officer or soldier. But that christian does not bare arms in the name of Christ. He bares arms in the name of the municipality he is police officer in to keep peace and order. Or he bares arms in the name of the country he serves to keep peace and order.

We are not to bare arms and draw the sword in the name of Christ or in the name of God. Christ said, "No more of this!" We are not to bring forth christianity by the sword.

But the promised land is no longer Israel. The promised land is the church. The church is where the promise land is now. The promised land is in the spiritual realm now.

God's people are those who are in Christ Jesus. The Jews are not God's people

We are not to bare arms and draw the sword in the name of Christ or in the name of God. Christ said, "No more of this!" We are not to bring forth christianity by the sword.

The temple was a literal stone temple in the OT but became a spiritual temple in the NT with Jesus being the cornerstone. Jesus is not a literal cornerstone obviously, but a spiritual cornerstone.
And just like the temple the literal promised land has also moved into the spiritual realm. The promised land is now the church.
But many evangelicals want to revert back to a literal promised land in Israel and a literal stone temple in Jerusalem. And they want to combine the church with the American government to fight with literal swords for it.

And they want to combine the church with the American government to fight with literal swords for it.

Yes but God's chosen race still has God's hand on them.


Romans 11:1-2
New International Version
The Remnant of Israel
11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel:

God did not reject Israel. But many of them rejected God and His Savior.
God shows no partiallity toward or against the Jews. This is false teaching to promote Catholism by another name. The Pope gave special attention to Israel and ordered for four crusades to obtain it.

Romans 10:11-13
11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[a] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Acts 10:34-35
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

GOD SHOWS NO PARTIALITY

Could you explain this above in more detail.

He leaves a remnant, not all have rejected their Messiah.

Put on the whole armor of God.
Paul in Ephesians 6 Paul clarifies that the battle is not against flesh and blood, but a spiritual battle against the evil spiritual forces. Paul then goes on to elaborate on the armor but it is apparent at this point that we are NOT to put on a literal suit of armor and do earthly battle. Instead we are to put on the armor of the Word and Faith and of the Spirit and do spiritual battle.
There are several defensive pieces of armor and only one offensive piece of armor - the sword. The sword comes last. I interpret this as being the last piece to use. Once you have the rest of the armor on you can then, and only then, go on the offensive.

In revelation 19 Jesus had a sword come out of his mouth. Normally a warrior would draw hiss sword come from his sheath, but Jesus has the sword coming out of his mouth - which is strange and needs to considered.
Since Jesus's Kingdom is not of this world, Then perhaps this sword from his mouth represents spiritual power and victory.

What do you mean their Messiah? He is my Messiah!!!

Please provide verse or verses on this remnant.

Evangelical Christians have a high opinion not just of the Jewish state but of Jews as people. That Jewish voters are overwhelmingly liberal doesn’t seem to bother evangelicals, despite their own conservative politics. Yet Jews don’t return the favor: in one Pew survey, 42 percent of Jewish respondents expressed hostility to evangelicals and fundamentalists.

The reason that conservative Christians—opposed to abortion and gay marriage and critical of political liberalism—can feel kindly toward Jewish liberals and support Israel so fervently is rooted in theology. One finds among fundamentalist Protestants a doctrine called dispensationalism. The dispensationalist outlook, which began in early-nineteenth-century England,
https://www.city-journal.org/html/why-don’t-jews-christians-who-them-13068.html

No need for snarkiness with the mind reader comment.
Please share you thoughts then.

But yes, the flesh and the spirit are in conflict with each other.

Conquer the Land by the Sword.
Leviticus 26:7-8
7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

David Takes Jerusalem by the Sword
1 Chronicles 11:1-6
4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5 The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 6 David said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief.


Peter Goes the Way of the Sword, but He Is Corrected.
John 18:3-11
3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.”[a] Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus[b] said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Jesus Takes Jerusalem Without Sword and Says, "No More of This!"
Luke 22:47-51
47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him.

Jesus Conquers His Kingdom Not with the Sword
John 18:36
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”


Jesus Conquers His Kingdom with Love.
Matthew 5:43-44
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you


Luke 10:1-3
Jesus Sends Out His Disciples to Conquer with Plowshares
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

Isaiah 2:2-5
Isaiah Foretells Jesus Will Conquer; That the Way of the Sword Will End
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and rebuke many people;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.

Jesus is both Messiah to Israel and the Gentile nations.

As for remnants-

Romans 11
New International Version
The Remnant of Israel
11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

It is based on faith. Those seven thousand had faith in God and thus did not worship Baal. those seven thousand were a remnant based on their faith.

So sure there is a remnant in every generation, but that remnant must have faith in God, which is Jesus Christ. For Christ brings grace.

But what you are suggesting is different. You are suggesting that the ethnic Jew is a remnant regardless of faith. I say this is wrong.

Not according to Deuteronomy 4:40.