It says in Exodus 20:13 "You shall not murder." It says in Genesis 9:6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man."
We have seen in the last few days the report of the death of Osama Bin Laden,who by his own admission was guilty of the murder of people who were not his enemies, but who he chose to declare to be his enemies. He justified his actions by saying that he was doing the will of his god. It is sad the most terrible of murderers are the religious kind. This pattern goes all the way back to Cain in the book of Genesis, who because of his unbelief chose his own religious practice over the truth of God, & ultimately shed the blood of his innocent brother because his religion was more important to him than his brother's life. We see this over & over again throughout history. Saul of Tarsus was the Osama Bin Laden of his day... until he met Jesus, who he persecuted.
Osama was definitely an evil man, just as Hitler & Stalin & Antiochus Epiphenes & others before him have been. These men are typically figureheads who in their satanically inspired ways manipulate the simple & coerce the more sophisticated to follow them. They may be the focus of evil, but just as a powertrain control module in an automobile is able to make the automobile function, it is by itself a paperweight made of metal & plastic & silicon without the rest of the car.
My point is that all men are evil. Not all men are mass murderers or satanic leaders or rapists or child molesters, but "All have sinned & fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).We tend to follow those who lead, & sadly we tend to follow those who are most able to tell us what we want to hear, whether there is any truth in it or not. We tend as people to follow evil men, & not hear the truth when spoken. We see this in Israel in the old testament, when they murdered the prophets God sent but listened to the false prophets.
I thank God for the brave men in the Special Ops who did this. They are brave & amazing men, & very few men make it to that level of discipline or ability or selfless bravery. I am glad that we have governments that are as Paul said in Romans 13:
"1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience."
Osama chose to be a law unto himself. He chose to be god, & as such he was in rebellion against God & the governments God instituted. I am not saying here to worship government, but that government does "not bear the sword for no reason." as it says above.
Having said this, I have noticed among some a rejoicing in the death of Osama. I prayed a long time for the repentance of this man's heart, & that he would ultimately bow the knee to Jesus. It does not appear that he did this. That is sad. It is fine to rejoice in the fact that this man will no longer do evil, & that God has vindicated himself after giving this man years to repent. Let us be mindful, however, of these passages of scripture.
Proverbs 24:17 & 18 "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him."
Ezekiel 33:11 "Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?"
Matthew 5:
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighborh and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you: Love your enemiesi and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Let us show the love of Jesus to these people who are now without a leader, but whose hearts still burn with hatred toward us. Let us pray for them. Let us pray for the middle east, both Jew & Muslim alike. It says in Pslam 122:6 "Shaalu Shalom Yerushalayim" (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem).
Let's do that now, & continue to do that until the day of the return of our "Sar Shalom" (Prince of peace), that being our Lord & savior Jesus Christ. God bless you.
We have seen in the last few days the report of the death of Osama Bin Laden,who by his own admission was guilty of the murder of people who were not his enemies, but who he chose to declare to be his enemies. He justified his actions by saying that he was doing the will of his god. It is sad the most terrible of murderers are the religious kind. This pattern goes all the way back to Cain in the book of Genesis, who because of his unbelief chose his own religious practice over the truth of God, & ultimately shed the blood of his innocent brother because his religion was more important to him than his brother's life. We see this over & over again throughout history. Saul of Tarsus was the Osama Bin Laden of his day... until he met Jesus, who he persecuted.
Osama was definitely an evil man, just as Hitler & Stalin & Antiochus Epiphenes & others before him have been. These men are typically figureheads who in their satanically inspired ways manipulate the simple & coerce the more sophisticated to follow them. They may be the focus of evil, but just as a powertrain control module in an automobile is able to make the automobile function, it is by itself a paperweight made of metal & plastic & silicon without the rest of the car.
My point is that all men are evil. Not all men are mass murderers or satanic leaders or rapists or child molesters, but "All have sinned & fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).We tend to follow those who lead, & sadly we tend to follow those who are most able to tell us what we want to hear, whether there is any truth in it or not. We tend as people to follow evil men, & not hear the truth when spoken. We see this in Israel in the old testament, when they murdered the prophets God sent but listened to the false prophets.
I thank God for the brave men in the Special Ops who did this. They are brave & amazing men, & very few men make it to that level of discipline or ability or selfless bravery. I am glad that we have governments that are as Paul said in Romans 13:
"1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience."
Osama chose to be a law unto himself. He chose to be god, & as such he was in rebellion against God & the governments God instituted. I am not saying here to worship government, but that government does "not bear the sword for no reason." as it says above.
Having said this, I have noticed among some a rejoicing in the death of Osama. I prayed a long time for the repentance of this man's heart, & that he would ultimately bow the knee to Jesus. It does not appear that he did this. That is sad. It is fine to rejoice in the fact that this man will no longer do evil, & that God has vindicated himself after giving this man years to repent. Let us be mindful, however, of these passages of scripture.
Proverbs 24:17 & 18 "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him."
Ezekiel 33:11 "Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?"
Matthew 5:
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighborh and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you: Love your enemiesi and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Let us show the love of Jesus to these people who are now without a leader, but whose hearts still burn with hatred toward us. Let us pray for them. Let us pray for the middle east, both Jew & Muslim alike. It says in Pslam 122:6 "Shaalu Shalom Yerushalayim" (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem).
Let's do that now, & continue to do that until the day of the return of our "Sar Shalom" (Prince of peace), that being our Lord & savior Jesus Christ. God bless you.