Parousia Second Coming of Jesus Christ: Military Service and the Conflict with the Law of God
There is inherently a fundamental conflict with those that are contemplating joining or have joined the military. That is, the military pledge of allegiance conflicts with God’s Word and His unchanging law that commands not to kill another person.
“You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:13
“You shall not murder.” Deuteronomy 5:17
United States Soldiers Creed
I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America, in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.
The training of the soldier involves the bearing of arms and to use those arms for the purpose of taking the life of another human being.
Jose E. McLaughlin writes, “What is the purpose of training with or carrying arms? The purpose of training with or carrying a weapon is to kill another human being…. A weapon is meant to kill….Training with a weapon to take human life is what war is all about—to try to destroy them before they destroy us.”
Barry Bussey writes, because God is the Creator and Sustainer of all life, every human life is precious and carries divine sanctity.
He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness.” Matthew 19:18
In war, blood is shed and people are killed. The Spirit of war is the spirit of Satan. Can one harmonize the Spirit of War and the Spirit of Christ?
The fourth commandment states:
“Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”
Any service in the military will inevitably bring a conflict with God’s commandment to keep the Sabbath holy on a regular basis as God desires. No one can guarantee Sabbaths off. Military action does not rest on Sabbath. In today’s volunteer army, military commanders tend not to be tolerant of religious beliefs. Our service to the state should not lead us to violate the law of God. We have a duty to the state, but our conscience should not be in bondage to those who do not share the same convictions and are indifferent or opposed to the mission of Jesus Christ.
For more information on this topic, a comprehensive resource for this subject is “Adventists and Military Service” by Frank M. Hasel, Barna Magyarosi and Stefan Hoschele, published in 2019, printed in Basel, Switzerland.
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Parousia Second Coming of Jesus Christ: Military Service and the Conflict with the Law of God