What does the Bible say about war?

War is the natural consequence of sin being in the world, and of men and nations coveting what belongs to others (James 4:1-3). The main wars recorded in Scripture are, however, different: they are Israel's wars in taking possession of Canaan for the LORD as the LORD's host, and in holding their place in His land, for which they had divine instruction. Their warfare is a picture of the Christian's conflict against rulers, authorities, the cosmic powers over this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12).

How wonderful to think of the Lord as a Man of war! Think of His fighting against people! Some find it very hard to take in — how could a good Being act in such a character? But the difficulty arises mainly from failing to distinguish between the different dispensations. It was just as consistent with the character of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to fight against His enemies as it is with the character of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive them.

The governing principle here, as elsewhere, is confidence in the LORD, the God who had taken His people, brought them out of Egypt into relationship with Himself, and was now placing them in His own land. It would be beneath the honour of God that anyone should be forced to fight His battles… It was not a question of soldiers or strategy, of force or skill or trickery, but of the LORD their God.

No doubt it is thoroughly wrong for the church of God to go to war. No one can read the New Testament with an unbiased mind and not see this. We are positively commanded to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who mistreat us. "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword."… Our Lord says to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting" — it would be perfectly consistent for them to do so — "But my kingdom is not from the world" — and therefore it would be wholly out of character for them to fight.

That a Christian should hesitate whether he ought to obey or not, I understand: I respect his conscience. But that he should let himself be carried away by what is called patriotism — that is not of heaven. "My kingdom," said Jesus, "is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting." It is the spirit of the world under an honourable and attractive form; but wars come from passions "at war within you."

In the New Testament we are reminded that the earthly authority "does not bear the sword in vain" (Rom. 13:4), which shows that the coming of grace in Christ has not cancelled what was established regarding government on the earth. Authorised government takes its course, but murder is strictly forbidden.

He speaks of wars and commotions as the beginning of sorrows… "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains." These beginnings of sorrows continue until the time of tribulation ends them… And the tribulation is in turn ended by His own personal appearing, and by nothing else — not, therefore, by the spread of Christian principles among the nations of Europe or anywhere else on the globe.

War is always a cruel thing, hateful to all who love God, and hateful also to Him who said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matt. 5:9)… His children are told to pray for kings and all who rule in this world, so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way (1 Tim. 2:2). But when the world rejected the only One who could make wars cease (Ps. 46:9), it drove the possibility of peace from the earth, until the appointed time of His intervention in power, when He will "scatter the peoples who delight in war" (Ps. 68:30) and bring in a reign of peace.