Honestly, I didn't know that. Where is that written for my own edification?
Revelation 16
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
So, the wicked of the world have made martyrs of the people of God for years at this point, and angels turn all the water to blood, and then praise God that THIS was His judgement, that it was fitting because of what the people on Earth had done to the saints during the great tribulation (5th seal, and the mark of the beast), so they deserved it, even though these judgements kill everything in the seas, all the fish, the whales, seals, all marine life is killed, and Angels praise God for doing it.
Revelation 18
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
So those on the Earth mourn the destruction of Babylon
But in heaven..
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
They rejoice because God avenged them.
and Revelation 19
1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great harlot, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
3 And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
I mean we're talking the deaths of millions of people probably, but because they deserved it, God is praised for them all being killed, it is righteous judgement.
Realize that when Jesus comes back.. it involves Jesus treading the winepress of His wrath, killing people, the same Jesus that gave up His life and was nailed to the cross to pay for the sins of you and I, returns to Earth in WRATH, and avenges perhaps you and I being martyred at the hands of those who dwell on the Earth and worship the antichrist.
Read Revelation 14:14-20, Isaiah 63, and Revelation 19:19-21
The Lamb of God is also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and He is still the same Jesus, but He will stain His robes with the blood of His enemies.
It is a side of Jesus that many people I understand are uncomfortable with, but it is Jesus.
Now should we pass judgement and condemnation on other people take the law into our own hands? God forbid. But total 100% pacifism is not what is taught in the bible either.
Instead, he was beaten mercilessly and crucified. I'd probably rather just be thrown off a cliff.
Luke 22:36 is a Scripture that has evoked much debate among biblical scholars and Christians alike. Some believe that Jesus’ command to His disciples to “sell your cloak and buy a sword” entails metaphorical advice to prepare them for the perils of ministry after His crucifixion and ascension; others take this Bible verse literally as divine permission to carry arms and use them.
That being said, Jesus also encourages us in
Matthew 16:24 to pick up our crosses, deny ourselves, and follow Him.
We cannot carry a cross and hold a sword at the same time,
I think this says it best. You can hold your sword (pistol) or your cross but not both.
Jesus was warning the disciples that the perils that await them would not be man-made but rather spirit-induced: in order to protect themselves from evil and penetrate the darkness of a broken world, they would need to have a firm foundation of the Word of God.
www.christianity.com
again
there's a difference in dying to religious persecution and being a Martyr, that is being a witness to Jesus Christ. that's testimony.
Dying in a random carjacking is not testimony, your religious convictions are not even why you're being assaulted. Bearing arms is deterrence mostly, and should not desire to use weapons to defend yourself, but Jesus wasn't just telling people to lay down their lives when they get robbed.
the message was always in response to persecution which is different.
