More Regarding Military Service

The testimonies in the June issue of Skjulte Skatter, regarding the position of the saints on military service, appear to have caused quite a commotion in different places. However, not a single one of them has come up with a clear and straightforward explanation of their position on this matter. This is, no doubt, because they have nothing of any substance on which to base their rebuttal. Even Det Gode Budskap, from which you would expect better, has revealed its ignorance on this topic in its column “Day by Day.”

The problem is that within these free assemblies, people are working hand in glove with lawlessness. Their liberty has stretched so far that it has even crossed the line into the flesh. People are breathing in socialism at their place of work—in factories and other places. Then they attend their religious meetings and pollute them with the same spirit. The police and military serve as a restraint for those who are lawless. That is why such an effort is being made to eliminate these authorities, so that the Antichrist can more easily come to the fore. People within the free assemblies believe that they are working for God by being yoked together with this spirit of antichrist. But they hate the cross, and therefore God has given them over to a debased mind. We need truth in our time. People have allowed themselves to be deceived long enough by religious comedians who gratify their own flesh with their audience’s laughter and applause. Their far-fetched tales are rotten; we have heard them all too often. We need food that has salt. We need something we can live by. Yet, they serve salt that has lost its flavor, which is good for neither the land nor the dunghill. That is why people are drifting around aimlessly like religious shipwrecks, without any goal or purpose for their faith. They have all skipped over into Romans 8 and have been liberated from the law and the cross. They drift around in outer space like wandering stars, calling the laws of the Spirit “bondage.” Their freedom would be impaired if they were to simply do their duty and comply with the laws of the land regarding military service. They kiss the Bible in front of the multitudes to show how much they love it, and then, in direct contradiction to what the Bible teaches, they preach disobedience to the laws of the land. From what I read, Romans 13 says: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. . . . For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.”

The same God who says that all who take the sword will perish by the sword also says that the authorities do not bear the sword in vain. We can be thankful that they do not bear the sword in vain. Otherwise, we would be plundered and chased out of house and home by all these greedy people who strive to gain freedom for their flesh. The police and military are the only forces restraining them from their lawless deeds. These people are afraid of the sword, so it’s no wonder they rage against it. Therefore, we do not hesitate for a second to present ourselves as God’s servants in obedience to the authorities, whenever and wherever necessary.

The police carry swords and batons. Should we get rid of them too? It amazes me that people who preach to others can be so blind and shortsighted; undoubtedly because they have forgotten a long time ago that they were cleansed from their former sins. 2 Pet. 1:9.

People turn a blind eye when it comes to hating or judging their brother, even though these are just another form of murder. People surround themselves with as many worldly luxuries and as much worldly splendor as possible, and they don’t see anything wrong with it. At the same time, they point at and speak evil of things they have not understood, and apparently are unable to understand.

In the Old Testament it is written, “You shall not murder.” Matt. 5:21; Ex. 20:13. Nevertheless, the Lord says to Saul, “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

Some people say, “Yes, but in the Old Testament they were allowed to murder.” No, they were not! The commandment said, “You shall not murder.” Nevertheless, the same God commanded them to destroy the Amalekites. Perhaps some of these people, who have so much confidence in their own authority and who publicly kiss the Bible, will explain this more clearly to me.

I believe that the free assemblies in Norway have already headed to Babylon long ago. None of this makes sense to them, and confusion has set in. They preach death and live in luxury. They preach contempt for worldly education, and they scramble to ensure that their sons get ahead in the world.

Get rid of such theories—they cannot withstand the light. Keep shooting your arrows into the darkness, but never attack the light with your arrows. It will only be to your detriment.

When someone wrongs us according to the flesh, we should turn the other cheek and not seek to avenge ourselves. But what does that have to do with war? We bear no personal hatred against those we are fighting against. And isn’t my body just as much in harm’s way as my opponent’s? Or perhaps some people think that all the corruption that unfolds during peacetime is more of a blessing than war. The Lord has many measures He can make use of to punish nations. Don’t be so foolish as to think that you can take these measures out of His hands.

Chastisement brings wisdom, and tribulation brings patience. Lawless freedom, however, makes people cast off restraint. It is precisely such unrestrained people that need to be confined to a straitjacket.

The truth makes us sound in faith, and the cross teaches us to be law-abiding. Even Christ, in obedience to the authorities, took up His cross and carried it to His crucifixion. All flesh must be subject to the authorities, and if someone defiled by the spirit of socialist ideology is infuriated by the restraints put on the flesh, that doesn’t nullify God’s commandments.

If the authorities were to forbid us to preach Christ, that would be a completely different matter. In such cases, we must obey God rather than man. There was a brother who refused to serve in the military for religious reasons, but later his conscience bothered him about it, so he reported for duty. Some people return from basic training after spending several days in detention, and then attend the meetings acting like martyrs and heroes for their activities as conscientious objectors. It does not take a lot of light to recognize that many of them have been gratifying their own flesh and their lust for honor.

I must say these preachers are doing a fine job. They have already reaped much fruit from their labors; in fact, it seems that it has become very fashionable in the free assemblies to refuse to serve in the military, at the same time as it has become fashionable within socialism. We understand the origins of their faith and their works.

Come out from among them my people, and do not touch what is unclean. Babylon will not allow herself to be healed. Jer. 51:9. “The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting, they have remained in their strongholds; their might has failed. They became like women . . . .” Jer. 51:30.

That is what happens to Babylon’s mighty men. They end up in a stronghold or in a mansion; they lose their power and become like women.

Paul was rescued by soldiers on two occasions. The mob wanted to kill him, but the soldiers carried him away. Acts 21:35. Two hundred warriors, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen saved Paul from forty men who had sworn they would not eat or drink until they had killed him. Acts 23:23.

Here the soldiers acted as servants of God. We should thank God for what these soldiers did. If they had all been conscientious objectors, there are probably several of Paul’s letters that we wouldn’t have today.

I don’t want to glorify war, but neither do I want to condemn the men who serve in the military. I believe that in eternity I will meet many fallen soldiers whose glory far outshines those who preached lawlessness and false liberty.