Don’t Tread on Us

Seven years ago, I woke up to news reports covering the worst ever terrorist attack to occur on American soil. Thousands were murdered that day in the name of Allah, thousands for whom vengeance has yet to come.

It’s seven years later. May we never forget.

The fight was brought to our shores. May Yahweh have mercy on the souls of all those who have treaded upon this giant which we call America, and may the blood of all those responsible for 9/11 be spilt, just as they have spilt the blood of thousands. (The Noahic Covenant demands it.)

Don't Tread on Me
Don’t Tread on Me

7 thoughts on “Don’t Tread on Us”

  1. Rick,

    While I absolutely support the idea that certain horrors should not be forgotten in the hope that we remember the misery they caused, and so do all that can be done so that they never happen again, it takes me by surprise to hear you support the concept of vengeance.
    Though I don’ t pretend to know or understand Scripture as thoroughly as you do, it seems inconsistent with the “what would Jesus do” paradigm.
    I’m not personally averse to the “an eye for an eye” mentality towards those responsible, particularly in this context, but I wouldn’t have expected you be a proponent. Maybe I’ve misunderstood?
    What is the Noahic Covenant? I have never seen those words anywhere.

  2. christine: The Noahic Covenant refers to the promises made by God to Noah after the flood subsided.

    Among the terms of that covenant were things such as He would never again destroy the world by flood, man may eat meat for food, and that if any man should kill another man, that murder is to be put to death.

    I’ve always found it interesting that in the same breath as God allowed the consumption of animals, He forbade the murder of humans — a huge kick in the pants to liberals who promote strict veganism while in the same breath allowing infanticide through abortion.

    In any event, the sanctity of human life is affirmed in Genesis in numerous places, and He makes it clear that if someone murders, that person forfeits their right to life. Paul affirms that it is the government’s responsibility to punish the wicked with “the sword.”

    I can forgive personal trespasses against myself, as Jesus taught, but Jesus is Justice and is the Judge of the wicked. Because I believe that, I must desire justice.

    The worst part of it all is that the American government has screwed up so thoroughly in finding those responsible, and it managed to get itself embroiled in an unrelated war in the meantime.

    I doubt I’ve explained myself well, here — thinking straight is one of the first things to go down the tubes when working goofy shifts with irregular sleeping schedules… — so if you have any more questions, just ask, Christine. :)

  3. Whiskey Bravo: My answer to the “What Would Jesus Do” thing is usually that He would have those who refuse His rule brought before Him and slain.

    That’s a side of Jesus far too few people know and even fewer love. As you said, W.B., He is perfect in anger and perfect in love, and we must love Him as He is lest we adore an idol.

    “No, I think it was one of the Fetuccinis…”

  4. The “what would Jesus do” question that is often asked in an attempt to guide our situational ethics is a highly flawed question and not a good guideline for us to use–no matter how popular it has become.

    First of all, few see Jesus in his true form. When asking that question, we never think of him casting out the money-changers from the temple (twice) with a whip, while overturning their stalls. We always think of Jesus as the nonviolent type, with love, and puppies, and fluffy clouds. I’m not being sarcastic, but simply making a point that we do not “see” Jesus as He really is: God’s Son–perfect in anger and perfect in love. Just read Psalms 2 if you have any doubt about that (then there is always Revelations, too). This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to have a PERSONAL relationship with the Lord and not just a knowledge of Him. God wants relationship so that we can understand Him better and know His ways. Many simply offer up prayers in the “hope” that they will be answered–we pray “at” the Lord instead of “with” Him. And there is a difference. This is why the Bible repeatedly points out that there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it is death. Only with that personal relationship with God, can we see the intricacies and nuances that are involved in God’s plan for us in this life. It cannot be “figured out” it must be obtained from a closeness with Him.

    Such a relationship allows us to do what is right, not what “appears” right. Deut. 29:29 and Amos 3:7 are the starting points for walking in such a relationship with God. Few do, but that is no excuse not to try.

    From a Christian perspective, vengeance is forbidden on a personal level–thus the Lord’s statement of “Vengeance is mine says the Lord”. But on a national level? No, it is not only permissible, it is often how God judges other nations (both Old and New Testament). While there is a lot more on this subject of vengeance and when is the use of force acceptable to God, I’m out of space and time….so I’ll leave it at that for now.

  5. Jesus said “Believe my word and accept me as ruler or I will be justified and right to kill you”?
    Is that true, Rick ? He said that? Somehow, I had thought of him as very pacific. I think I equated him with Ghandi.

  6. christine: Perhaps the most famous passage of the Scriptures — or at the very least one of the most quoted — is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

    It’s a very positive statement: If you believe in Jesus Christ, you will be saved and will not perish.

    However, for that to be true, the inverse must also be, as Jesus goes on to explain in verse 18: “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

    Due to the nature of God and of His son — that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one can come to the Father but by Him — then yes, it can be said that those who do not believe in Him will be destroyed.

    Jesus brings this to a head by way of parable when He says, “But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me” (Luke 19:27).

    It all unfolds at the close of Revelation 20, just before the unveiling of the New Heaven and the New Earth.

    I’m not sure when the image of the “pacifist Jesus” became prevalent — and it really is — but Jesus is He who rained down fire on Sodom, He who flooded the Earth sparing only Noah, He who cursed Pharaoh in saving the Israelites..

    He is a conquering warrior, as Revelation 19 depicts so beautifully.

Leave a Reply to Whiskey Bravo Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Use your Gravatar-enabled email address while commenting to automatically enhance your comment with some of Gravatar's open profile data.

Comments must be made in accordance with the comment policy. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam; learn how your comment data is processed.

You may use Markdown to format your comments; additionally, these HTML tags and attributes may be used: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

the Rick Beckman archive
Scroll to Top