To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven, including a time of war and a time of peace. In human affairs, sometimes war equals peace, as seen in the reality of life's meandering course of highs and lows. Governments and politicians often fail to recognize this, becoming bogged down in problems and persisting in direct paths that lead to ambush and redirection. In the present Israeli-Palestinian conflict, peace has only been achieved when Israel has soundly defeated the Palestinians and their Arab allies on the battlefield. God allowed ancient Israel to engage in wars of conquest to live in the land promised to Abraham's descendants, though this was not His first choice of means. Despite witnessing the LORD fight for them at the Red Sea, Israel frequently chose war, sometimes with God's sanction and sometimes without it. A time is coming when the armies of heaven, with Christ at their head, will wage war on the nations as a necessary step to bring peace, righteousness, and prosperity to the earth, as there is no other workable solution to the world's evil. Among carnal human beings, total war may be the harsh but only way to establish peace, as history proves with constant irritations, tense truces, acts of terror, uprisings, and periodic open wars. Among godless humanity, might at times does make right, enforcing a kind of peace and security that most can live with, despite the problems it brings.

Isaiah envisions a future where peace reigns, proclaiming that nations 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. This promise of a world without war brings hope, erasing the fear of mothers losing sons and children losing fathers to conflict. Throughout history, the devastation of war has been acknowledged as a horrendous waste, destroying lives and fostering hatreds that endure for generations. God abhors war and the death, maiming, and hatred it produces, for He is love and desires no warfare among His people. Yet, the world today burns with conflicts in places like Rwanda, Mexico, Chechnya, and Afghanistan, drawing even uninvolved nations into the vortex of pain and destruction that war creates. As Christians, we are engaged in a spiritual war against the devil and his demons, who seek to destroy God's plan and His people. Their sneak attacks have caused divisions in doctrine and church administration, splintering the church into small groups worldwide. This fragmentation brings satisfaction to the forces of evil, as the world and sometimes even God's people fail to recognize the great spiritual conflict raging. The shattering of the church has led to anger, hatred, and judgmental attitudes among some, with satan exploiting these divisions to fuel sheep wars and unrighteous behaviors. If not vigilant, we can be pulled into this whirlpool of hatred and self-righteousness, opening our minds to the arch-deceiver who seeks to consume us with evil attitudes. We must resist these influences, focusing on God's purpose and leadership to avoid becoming entangled in the destructive vortex of conflict.

God alone has the right to take human life, as He is the Giver of life. He owns all lives and has the authority to determine their fate. When nations or individuals take human life on their own initiative, they commit sin, stealing what belongs to God and breaking His Commandments. Even suicide is considered murder, as it takes a life that belongs to God. God has declared it a fundamental sin for humans to engage in war, promising to handle conflicts supernaturally Himself. Therefore, any nation choosing to wage war, and any individual joining its military, commits sin. Israel, through faithlessness and disobedience, became a war-waging nation, rejecting God as their protector. Though God allowed this sin and even used Israel to fulfill His purposes by determining the outcome of wars, their choice to fight was a deliberate rebellion against His way. The penalty for this sin still applied, despite God's mercy in allowing it for His greater plan. David, though called a man after God's own heart, was a warrior who shed much blood, starting with Goliath. His war-waging and killing were not deemed right by God, who held him accountable for this blood-guiltiness. Due to the influence of his war-waging nation from youth, God mercifully gave David time to repent, though he suffered consequences like a violent family life and divine punishment. David was deemed unfit to build the Temple due to the blood he shed in war, as God required a man of peace for such a sacred task. This reflects how precious human life is to God, intending the Temple builder to symbolize One who saves lives, not destroys them, as the Prince of Peace. God allows wars to occur as part of His purpose to develop righteous character in humans through free moral agency. He offers a way to prevent war and achieve peace through His spiritual law, but human nature, driven by pride, greed, and self-centeredness, rebels against this law, leading to conflict. This rebelliousness is sin and the root cause of wars. When individuals enter military service, they align with the world's ways, becoming enemies of God. War originates within individuals as lust and pride, manifesting outwardly on personal and national levels. This stems from rejecting God's law, as Israel did when they chose to become a war-waging nation. If all nations obeyed God's command against killing, there would be no wars worldwide. God promises supernatural protection to any nation or individual who trusts and obeys Him, as He did with the freed Israelite slaves who accepted His offer to be His nation. Ancient Israel sinned by not trusting God to fight their battles, deciding instead to be a war-waging nation. This premeditated willingness to kill broke the spirit of God's law against murder, even before entering battle. Whether God commanded them to fight or not, their sinful state of mind—akin to premeditated murder—already violated the spiritual intent of the law. If they fought without God's command, both the physical and spiritual responsibility for killing fell on them. Human beings often refuse to trust God for protection, choosing instead to compete, fight, and wage war to secure their desires. No nation truly relies on God's supernatural protection during conflict, spending vast resources and lives on self-defense. War breeds a spirit of violence and murder in entire populations, teaching millions to become killers. Even hating enemies breaks the spirit of God's law against killing, as Jesus Christ taught that harboring hate is akin to murder. Jesus Christ magnified God's law, showing its spiritual intent, declaring that anger and disdain toward others violate the spirit of the commandment against murder. He taught that His followers do not fight, as His Kingdom is not of this world. True Christians, as spiritual citizens of God's Kingdom, do not participate in war or military service, acting instead as ambassadors for Christ, loyal to earthly laws but prioritizing obedience to God. Wa