The Christian Letter, Volume One: Chapter 42
“Do not murder.” (Exodus 20:13).
Murder? Often we think of a murderer as the nameless masked man who has come to steal. Yet, who determines what is murder? Who are murderers, and who are accessories to murder? Will we allow our common idea to determine what is true? If we drop the stone, do we encourage murders to continue?
In the movie series Back to the Future, we repeatedly see the profound effect that a simple thing like buying a magazine, or standing up for someone, can have. The future, because of one act, can be filled with confidence and helping thousands of other people, or it can be filled with pain and degradation. While these were fun movies, I have a real story: A woman was pregnant, but there was a problem with the pregnancy. The child had a deformed spine, amongst other complications, so the doctor suggested that she have an abortion. She did not, and her son was in fine health. Like the movies, though, there were repercussions; one of them being this man’s two wonderful children would not exist, nor his grandchildren, and neither would I. When I was young, I had an accident, and if he had not been there, I would have died. … You would not be reading this.
“For You, You possessed my kidneys, You have covered me in my mother’s womb. I give thanks to You, for I am awesomely and wondrously made! Wondrous are Your works, and my being knows it well. My bones was not concealed from You, when I was shaped in a hidden place, knit together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body. And in Your book all of them were written, the days they were formed, while none was among them.” (Psalms 139:13-16).
Is there ever a right time for abortion? I hope and pray, you, nor I, are faced with these questions, but it would be wise to place ourselves, the best that we are able, into the heart of a young woman. Many hospitals can induce menstruation, or use a cream that destroys seamen, in the cases of rape. In most cases, the egg is not fertilized until a full day passes. In many of these cases, the woman does not become pregnant, and many of the eggs of a married woman are indeed fertilized before her monthly menstruation. What if, though, it was a week later, and the daughter was hurting—we are hurting—and the child is from rape, or incest, or is deformed, or there is a problem and the girl or woman will die if there is not an abortion. However, if we educate ourselves, if we remove rapists, if we allow Truth to spread in the fruit of the Spirit, if we allow education, health care, and offer respect to women, I believe these events will become incredibly rare.
However—hear me and let it be known—neither I, nor any sane, endorse the idea that a rape is the will of Yahoweh. Yahoweh does not endorse sin … but He can heal you from it by turning scars into beauty marks. If the woman chooses to raise her child, then may she do as all should do: Train that child up to be a better man or woman than herself. Some women inquire, “Of the three people involved in this rape … why should the baby be the one to die?” I commend such heart, and agree with her thought, but I also understand that, if treated in time, there is no fertilized egg.
This is such a difficult subject to write on. I have no desire to do so, as it is such an awful thing that I do not want to think about it. In addition, times change, and methods of fertility management may one day change for the better. It is my hope that some day women will medically be able to control when they are fertile, and for men to not be able to fertilize except when desired. I also hope that rape will one day soon be altogether gone. With our present laws, though, this is just a fantasy.
I have been asked, “What if the child is to be born blind or mentally disabled?” Indeed, this is no easy matter for parents to face. Still, it must be accepted that the blindness may be so that the power of Yahoweh will be made manifest in him. If the blind man, in John 9:3, had been unwanted by his parents, and thus aborted, he and his family would have missed the Messiah! As for a mental disability being a reason to abort, it is not just unwise, but more foolish on the parent’s choice than the child could ever be. I have listened to testimonies, sermons, and even good Biblical discussion from people with a lower than normal I.Q. One of these men I remember learning a great deal from. He may not have known a lot or been able to even drive … but his parents knew the one thing their son needed to know the most, and that was the Word of Yahoweh. No matter how old or young, wise or foolish, you can always grow in Spirit. Surely, this man is indeed a show of the love of the Messiah. I wonder just how many have been led to the Good News through him?
Some people claim that we should not outlaw abortion because it is a right of others, and we should not push our religion on others, as we would not like it if their religion was pushed on us. That sounds logical, but how does it work? I think a lot of these people who feel we should not push our religion on others, might not like it if you steal from them, and then say in your defense, “Hey, don’t push your religion on me.” Fact of the matter is that pro-choice people are anti-choice, as they are against the choice of their baby, and since the child is silent inside, they feel they can silence him or her forever, and get away with murder. It is sad, that in today’s world, the most dangerous place for babies is in their mother’s womb. Ask your kids if they think you should have ripped them out of the womb and killed them. You are likely to get Yahoweh’s answer and look. It is never a right of anyone to destroy an innocent life.
If it is to save a life, then, to the disdain of many, I am for it. If the doctor came to me, and said, “Your wife is bleeding really bad, and she is going into cardiac arrest, you have a choice, we can do a c-section, and possibly save the child, or we can abort, and save your wife.” Some husbands and wives would choose to save the child. I would choose to save my wife. However, I would hate to have the doctor tell me any of the following: “We could have saved your wife, but abortion is illegal.” “I’m sorry, but your thirteen year old daughter is going to have to carry the rapist’s baby. I know it is her uncle’s, and I know she will suffer horribly, and may even die, due to her age, and I know that her egg is probably not even fertilized yet, but I cannot give you a pill to induce menstruation.” Both sides of this matter, if progress is going to be made, must make at least one step closer to the middle.
This is not solely, nor has it ever been, simply a female’s dilemma, though. When do you think men will start running for their right to choose? A female can kill her child up to a certain stage of the pregnancy, but who set that time? We all know that the time can be moved, and that there have been many cultures that considered abortion a rational institution up until the age, not of two to three months in the womb, but two to three years out of the womb. In these times and cultures, not far from us today, men would throw their born daughters out to the dogs, as they had each chosen, “I will have a son!” Abortion is primarily done for two reasons: Money. Men. From the profit margin of abortion clinics, to men all across the world today who are so weak that they refuse to have a daughter, that they refuse to stay with their partner, and that so many are so mentally and spiritually unstable that they commit rape. Abortion is not nearly as large of a woman’s dilemma, as that of men’s.
From culling out unhealthy slaves so as to bread a nice heard for larger profits, to genocide over a child being a girl rather than a boy, it has all happened here, right here, in America. A man has no more right to kill his teenage son, than a woman does to murder her daughter nestled in her womb. A woman has no more right to kill her four year old son, than a man does to negate life for his child simply because the child has a vulva rather than a penis. Harsh? True! That is still, although becoming increasingly illegal, the most common reason for abortion in many lands.
I shudder to think what a man and woman, who have had completely unnecessary abortions, might say to their child. “Look here, Billy, we’ve already killed two of your sisters and four of your brothers. So you better watch your grades or we’ll take care of you, too.” I shudder! What is that like? Anyone who thinks a person four months old, nestled in the womb, has no right to life—will have no sound reason to think a four year old daughter does either! These people are, in fact, much more dangerous than we allow ourselves to perceive.
Sadly, American Christianity is radically different from Biblical faith. I would love to see an elected body of believers, just as it was during the time of Moses, for cases that have special circumstances. Yahoweh, through His Holy Spirit, through Moses, gave us the footsteps the Messiah would, did, and will walk in. Sometimes, though, life isn’t as pure and simple as we would like, or we are in such a new time, that questions come to be. These men would not be rabbis or people who added laws as we see today, but would judge each case separately, with both fear of His Word, and compassion on those crafted in His image. These elders, this council of sages, would value the hearts of others above that of themselves, and the Heart of Elohim above all.
There is such an intercessor in the Holy Spirit. The only problem is that many believers today would much rather listen to their neighbor than Him. He can guide you in all things. I can only ponder about special situations, but what is not up for debate is that a baby in the womb, a baby out of the womb, a child in school, and an elder living out her final years, has every right to be treated fairly, as fellow heirs to the Kingdom of Yahoweh.
In Genesis 4, the blood of Abel cried up from the ground to Yahoweh. It cried to Him! Can you fathom the haunting chorus of screams and cries of tens of millions of aborted children? Their blood cries from the ground to our Father for justice. We don’t like it, we may even hate it, but we tolerate it. As with Abel before, though, Yahoweh will avenge, and the murderers will be punished, and the accessories to murder will not escape trial.
In 1 Samuel 11, the elders preferred to allow the enemy to gouge out their right eyes, resulting in slavery, rather than have to face them in battle. Saul, in anger, fought back, and so should we. The murdering of children, be it abortion to war, must be battled beforehand with prayer and action.
I often wonder: What other people would we read about, or personally know, had Able not been murdered? The loss of one child is the loss of their future children, and theirs, and theirs. What would be? Yet, is abortion clearly defined as murder in Scripture? We must listen to His Word, after all, not merely the swaying opinions of man or self.
In Exodus 21:22-25, when the woman’s fruit comes out of her, it is in reference to a live birth. The Hebrew word yatsa is used throughout Scriptures in reference to live birth, such as in Genesis 35:11 and 38:28-30. The word for miscarriage is shakol, found in Exodus 23:26 and Hosea 9:14. However, in Exodus 21:22-25 we see that if the child dies by fault of man, then the man must be put to death. Life for a life. Are the unborn important to Yahoweh? Read Genesis 25:23 and Jeremiah 1:5 to see.
While media, hopefully in ignorance, shows kids they can get away with crimes due to their age, certain people that they can cry racism, and certain actors or celebrities that they are almost as immune as the police and judges, but not nearly as immune as government. Almost every newspaper showed us a picture of the twin towers in New York falling on 9/11/01, showing us thousands of friends dying, yet they didn’t mention the thousands of children murdered that day by abortion, nor would they show a picture of an aborted baby. For if they did, the world’s eyes would be opened to the greatest holocaust that has ever been.
Yes, I’m afraid it’s true. Americans have murdered more babies than the number of Jews killed by Hitler. The Nazi’s did not think the Jews were life, because of the racism bred by the indoctrination of the religion of evolution, just as many Americans have also not considered Africans, Indians, Chinese, Japanese, women, and children who do not yet know the scent of a flower or the touch of a kitten, as life. I know I will be hated for saying some of these things, but it is time all Christians started saying things that are true, and not just things that are acceptable. If you feel I am too hard, then open your eyes to Light. I have seen the fetus (Latin for small life), and I know what the pro-life group means when they call pro-death people: child murderers, hired assassins, a death industry, and the likes. I do hope and pray that you will look and see what I mean, because in this case seeing an aborted baby is worth far more than a thousand words. If this does not anger you, then you are dead in love. Walking up behind a child at a playground and shooting him in the back of the head, or beating to death a paralyzed man, is the same as an abortion. You murder a helpless individual. Many school shootings have occurred because of our trading the Truth of Scripture for the dumbest religion I have ever heard of, that of the deceptive mythology of evolution. Deceptive in that this old religion has recently been labeled as something it is not: Science. I do not digress, as these two things are closely related, but, for now, I shall save the subject of the fallacy of the religion of evolution for another time.
The living baby, not yet named, possesses pain receptors, and is aware of his or her own suffering. Unborn children are a life. Abortion is not a method of fertility management—it’s murder. A baby’s heart is beating at eighteen days. How could the heart beat unless the child was alive? And if we stop the heart of a living human, what have we done? Those are hands and feet, and that heart is beating. It’s pro-life, not anti-abortion; it’s pro-death, not pro-choice.
Some are called to minister to doctors, and some are called to pray, while others are called to write night and day, but there is one thing each of us is called to do, and that is to bear fruit. Seek your calling in this, and in all things. For Zion’s sake, do not remain silent! A family member, who is being crafted in the image of Yahoweh, is about to be murdered. Are you being called to get in touch with rescue groups, and work with them as much as you can in the service of the Most High? Have you asked to be?
“And I heard the voice of Yahoweh, saying, ‘Whom do I send, and who would go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8).
Indeed, there are many people, some who can’t have children, who would love to adopt one if you don’t want the baby. An adopted child is as much your child as a child can be. If you do not want children, and still have sex, then there are healthy things you can do to help prevent pregnancy. (Then again, whenever I hear people discussing birth control, I always remember that I was the fifth child.) Do you want a child? Then find an abortion clinic, and with a church group, ask women who have been deceived into wanting to murder their child, if you could adopt him instead. Will you get into trouble for doing this? Yes. Therefore, work with a skilled group.
Perhaps standing outside an abortion clinic is what some are called to do, but most of us are called to reach people long before that. One ought speak meekly to children and adults about Creation, the Messiah, and our call to pray for His Spirit, for His Word shouts without your added volume. If people truly follow the Messiah, then, by His Spirit, they will not have an abortion, and they will raise up their children to know the difference between right and wrong. That value, in and of itself, is tremendous, yet often so foolishly treated as forgotten. There are too many decent moms and dads today who do nothing to raise modest girls who are rightfully called elegantly eloquent ladies, and boys who are rightfully called strong men with gentle hearts. Far too often I see mom and dad pray after sending their girls off with boys they rightfully do not trust, or break bread and welcome in the Sabbath as their boys are in their rooms playing video games and flirting with strangers.
Some claim that there are little to no side affects, but abortion does have side affects, such as many health problems, including hemorrhages, infertility, and possibly even death at that time, or later, after years of nightmares, in suicide.
In Japan, many young children have so much expected of them, socially and scholastically, that death is better than life. In Iran, women burn themselves to death because of the relationships they are forced into, never knowing true love of man or Messiah. In Africa, children are forced to join gangs, and as part of their initiation are forced to kill their parents, or be killed themselves, while the girls are sold as sex slaves, or used for target practice. Are the parents to blame, or is it the society, or does the blame rest on nations of ministers who stay at home, and preach to the choir? Or do we not realize our own problems, and how they are growing? In America, children are being force-fed the lie that they are mere products of random chance, a mistake called evolution, and that there is no Elohim. By being forced to believe this lie, they begin to view their life, and the life of others, as being on par with that of any other animal, or even that of a plant.
Suicide, which is to say: self-murder, is often performed because of severe depression. While some support the idea of drugs that only mask as the answer, legal or illegal, the truth is found in the cancellation of blame, that of others or self, and the reevaluation of self and perception. To find herein the answer, one must set their heart right by loving of the Messiah enough to keep His Laws, and oneself enough to care for others.
According to 1 Corinthians 6:20, the expression “taking your life” is not Biblical. It is not yours to take. A follower must be strong and overcome the pain of this world. The fight does not have to be fought alone though. (Actually, it cannot be, if you want to win the battle; look at John 16:33). The Father is always there to carry you through the bad times, and loves to hear from you in the good times, and the bad. He will never leave you, nor stop loving you or caring about you—He has loved you from the beginning. I know I am repeating myself, but this is very important: “Let your way of life be without the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I shall never leave you nor forsake you,’” (Hebrews 13:5).
Where is Yahoweh when people commit suicide? He is right beside them, grieving for them and their family, wanting them to come to Him. Why does He not stop them from self-murder? Because Yahoweh loves us so much that we are not His puppets, but His completely free children. He wants us to yearn for His Will and live unto Him, as this is the best life we could ever live.
For most, the concept of suicide was brought about by loneliness, loneliness and rejection that bends the mind to the concept of self murder as, not just a means of escape, but because we feel as if we don’t even matter. To combat this problem, we need the knowledge of a Creator, yes, but we also need to love one another. I know, I know, it sounds a lot like loving Yahoweh your Elohim with all your heart, mind, and soul, and loving your neighbor as yourself. I know, because that is exactly what it is—and it is what we must become proficient in.
Seek out those who are isolated, from elders living alone, to children who are sequestered in the country or their apartment. Seek out those in need of friends, and you will find it was you who needed them the most of all.
If you’re thinking about suicide, stop, take a few days and talk to someone, and by all means pray. If you are not going to use your life, then let Yahoweh use it. Consider the pain of the loved ones of today and the future, which will live to feel the agony and loss. Have faith. There is a rainbow after every storm.
Depression, death in the family, relationship troubles, status loss, drugs, guilt, a difficult season, loss of job, and distance from Yahoweh, are reasons given for suicide. Warning signs that show you should act may include previous suicide attempts, statements of suicidal feelings, self-inflicted injuries, such as cuts, burns, or banging their head on things, reckless behaviour, declined interest in activities, un-cleanliness, making out a will, giving away favorite possessions, and saying good-bye in a morbid manner. These are cries for help, and we must answer them with love and help from the Holy Spirit. Listen and communicate with them. Usually the desire for death will pass, but, if not, then more help may be needed from a brother or sister, the Psalms, family, fun activities that involve making a difference in other’s lives, and prayer with the person.
A growing number of deaths from suicide are being caused by the lack of honor in our society, or, as it is known: Bulling. It is certainly a type of murder, taking away a person that would have been; indeed, to sabotage the work of saints, to disparage valiant behaviour, and berate those crafted in the image of Yahoweh, is to rip apart the heart until it is no longer.
Ah, but as I tell my students: The first tenant of Tae Kwon Do is Courtesy, but it is not solely an outward act. No one, not even the bully, likes the bully, and everyone feels bad for the person getting bullied—therefore, let us never do this to ourselves! Be kind to yourself. Don’t accept homework from a bully, just your instructor, and I hope you take this lessons to heart: Build one another up … and they will return the favour.
A Christian is to be strong not rude, kind not weak, bold not a bully, humble not timid, confident not arrogant, and have humor without folly. We have given ourselves a war, brethren … and the whole church has not yet come to it. Let us war against murder with Shalom. Equip yourselves for the spiritual battle with His Word (Ephesians 6:10-24).
“Can someone who has committed suicide still go to Heaven, as they have no more opportunity to repent?” The Bible says the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. We are saved by grace, not solely by confession of our sin (see Matthew 12:31). Yet, the cowardly will not be in the kingdom according to Scripture, “But as for the cowardly, and untrustworthy, and abominable, and murderers, and those who whore, and drug sorcerers, and idolaters, and all the false, their part is in the lake which burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.” (Revelations 21:8). If we are still here, then let us do righteousness with the time we have. Will they be in heaven? I am not the Judge, but if there is enough grace for me, then I continue to hope that there must be enough for them, too.
Ah, but who is it that decides how much time is required in the murder of oneself, in order for it to be either suicide or natural causes? If someone shoots himself, that is suicide. Is it still suicide if someone hangs himself? Of course, it is; yet, is it still suicide if someone takes a bunch of pills and it kills her in six hours? What if it took twelve hours, or sixteen, or if she slowly poisoned herself over a week, would is it still suicide? If you die of lung cancer, it was suicide if you smoked cigarettes for the past umpteen years. If you die of stomach cancer, it was suicide if you ate bacon for the past umpteen years. You have seen the warnings that say, something to the effect of, “You will die from cancer if you smoke this.” on every pack. You know there are carcinogens in pork, and that followers are commanded to abstain. Natural causes? I think not. If a man loses his family, and, in a moment of pain, he puts a gun to his head, and murders himself, his judgment will most likely be light in comparison to the man who spent thirty years to fulfill his self murder through improper eating habits such as consuming dairy and meat, or the detriment of adultery. “Or do you not know that your body is the Dwelling Place of the Set-apart Spirit who is in you, which you have from Elohim, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price, therefore esteem Elohim in your body and in your spirit, which are of Elohim.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Consider this parable: On a gentleman’s birthday, an angel came down without disguise, and, covered in the powerful radiance of Yahoweh, stood before him. Although the angel told him not to bow down … his legs simply could not stand. In a booming voice the angel proclaims, as he points sternly, inches from the gentlemen’s face, “If you continue to eat flesh, and the breast milk of beasts, you will die on your sixty fifth birthday. You will surely die from heart failure, and you will lead a sickly life up to it. If you live a vegan life, you will die on your seventy fifth birthday because Yahoweh will take you. To prove this is true look to the billions of people on earth today.” In a flash, the angel was gone.
Let us, then, consider two scenarios.
Scenario number one: The fifty-five-year-old man continues to eat death, and so on his sixty fifth birthday, in front of his wife, children, and grandchildren … he dies.
When I look back at the last ten years of my life, I become overwhelmed. From marriage to deaths, to getting to know Elohim so much better, I would never want to lose these last ten years, though, I almost did.
Scenario number two: Living a vegan life, the gentleman expounded on his sixty fifth birthday party on how wonderful he felt. Full of life and health. The whole family is there. What a special day. Ten more years and—bam! With a gun to the head, the man fell dead … from suicide. The children scream in terror. And the older children, and wife, just look on in shock—in disbelief. “With ten more years … why? Why did he do this?” … The echo and ringing in their ears is the only answer.
Question: Which scenario was suicide?
Answer: Both. One was just a little slower, and more painful. But painful for whom?
What could be said of a third scenario?
Note: Even if I knew I was going to die in a month, regardless of what I did, I would still eat healthily. Maybe more so. It is enjoyable, and respectful, after all.
While some play the game of Russian roulette, a gamble of suicide, others gamble something far greater. They gamble with their soul. Now many will quickly say they would never do such a thing, but are you really sure about that? Do you take the preacher’s word for what is true salvation? Look to the Word. The preacher tells you that all you need to do is call on the name of Jesus, and you will be saved. Is that His Name? Is that all you do? I encourage you with all my effort to not accept that unless you find it to be true by looking in His Word. And don’t look into His Word to find what you’re looking for. Look in His Word, quietly sit back, and simply allow Yahoweh His great pleasure: the joy of introducing Himself to you. Don’t barge in His Word, and shout, “Hey! Anyone here! I need information. Found it. Never mind helping. I’ve got it, so goodbye.” Read His Word. Pray in His Name. Open the door to your heart. Allow the Father to introduce Himself and share with you what you need … not what you want. Don’t gamble on eternity. Don’t murder your relationship with Love by ignorance. Do not flee, in fear of legalism, from legality into lawlessness.
“For not one of us lives to himself, and not one dies to himself.” (Romans 14:7).
We tend to believe there are very few murderers, until we rule out time, and include the soul as well. From selling cigarettes to pornography, to the industry of whiskey to that of pharmaceuticals, for those that are properly prescribed still kill over a hundred thousand every year. The thousands of deaths caused by drunk driving, or the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by the lack of food that could have been if Christians stopped eating meat—or even less meat! There is, indeed, more than one kind of murder. There is a spiritual side, too, such as ministers not fearing Yahoweh when He tells us that those who preach will have a harder judgment, and yet how many, by the very act of preaching that we need not keep Torah, have told their congregates to not follow the Messiah!
Most drugs used today are, at least an aspect, of the, “drug sorcery,” we read about in Scripture. They cover up one ailment, while causing ten more. Most doctors get kickbacks from the drug companies. Many years ago, before I became vegan, I had some heart problems, and so went to the doctor. Blood work showed that I was very low in potassium. The doctor wanted to prescribe me a blood-thinning drug. I said, “I refuse to take drugs. If I am low in potassium, then give me potassium.” Within an hour of taking potassium, the irregular heart palpitations stopped. The same doctor gave my dad the same drug he had tried to give me. Dad had no need for it either, and it caused him to fall asleep while driving. The accident hurt him so badly that he was in a hospital for six months. We paid. The drug company just got richer.
Regrettably, there are also murders as a byproduct from religious observance. There are the extremes, such as suicide bombers and war, but there are also the lesser-known atrocities, such as refusing a blood transfusion to seeking advice from medians. We must guard against such wickedness without succumbing to folly … for there is a time to kill.
What of a man who murders a person in cold blood? Can the truth of this subject even be whispered today? Can I preach this court ruling in a land where the court has not stood, and said, “We will obey Yahoweh!” … I am on a fine razor’s edge. To walk it is to die, to falter to either side is death, and I cannot stand still. I must say this: There is a time to kill, and there is a time to heal. The Holy Spirit will help you with the rest, but I dare say that killing to save is rare, while healing is so available for us to do.
When should a murderer be killed in this land? Let us say there is a person who is very forgiving, and this individual forgives a person who killed his whole family. I affirm, this man is in the right. Forgiveness, not revenge, is key. However, the real murderer is not only the man who killed the family; the one who lets the murderer live is guilty as well! Now that murderer will take other lives. Some say, “But what if the killer repents?” I ask: What of the murder’s future victims, who no longer have the chance to repent … or live? I am unsure if any of them would agree, from prison guards to other prisoners who die, and it’s not like murderers aren’t usually released after a few years, only in worse mental condition, and with the mindset of not getting caught next time. People, who, beyond a shadow of a doubt, have murdered, ought be killed at that very moment. Rapists, too, are to be killed. Not murdered. Killed. Yes, I said that. We need to be far and away more diligent in raising up a nation of righteous men who would never commit such a crime. This nation, this village, must pull tighter together to achieve this blessing by raising righteous children, and by purging the land of such a gross wickedness.
“But only your blood for your lives I require, from the hand of every beast I require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood is shed, for in the image of Elohim has He made man.” (Genesis 9:5-6).
“But if a man finds the girl who is engaged in the field, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. But you shall do no matter to the girl. The girl has no sin worthy of death—for the matter is like a man who rises against his neighbour and kills him—for he found her in the field, and she cried out, the engaged girl, but without anyone to save her. (Deuteronomy 22:25-27).
I do not want people to die; I would love it if this didn’t even need to be written. Sadly, though, it does. I affirm: It is not peaceful or forgiving to allow murderers the chance to do it again; in fact, to not kill them is no different than helping them, and those who would follow in their footsteps, to murder another, only this time, your hand helps pull the trigger and drag the knife. Don’t be a fool. His Torah is Kind, even when He calls for death.
Killing a person is destroying the image of Yahoweh, yet, is there a time when the image is no longer? Executions were to be done by the city authorities, or in a matter of self-defense the moment the crime occurred. Today, our governing bodies are in favor of some murder, and are not fighting against it, and very little is done about rape. If we take up arms and wage a war with guns and knives, then wouldn’t we be going against Yahoweh and His Commands?
We must fight this battle with something mightier than the sword of man … we must fight it with the Sword of Yahoweh. Dear brothers and sweet sisters in Yahoshuah, I urge you to write congressmen, presidents, judges, hospitals, and to protest with church groups against abortion clinics, share the benefits of veganism, and the Wonderful Messiah, not with violence, but with a peaceful desire to save innocent lives. Friends of Yahoweh, I beseech you, take up your cross and follow the Messiah! We must stand and fight this spiritual battle … not turn our heads with a blind eye facing it, as mentioned earlier. In this life, we are given two swords. Which do you wield? For which will you die? For which will you live?
The Messiah has blessed us with His teaching that came from the Father, saying, “You heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and whoever murders shall be liable to judgment. But I say to you that whoever is wroth with his brother without a cause shall be liable to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raka!’ shall be liable to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to fire of Gehenna.” (Matthew 5:21-22). Let us seek out, not just blood brother, but all humankind whom we have fault with, and, in the company of the Holy Spirit, confront them peacefully, seeking reconciliation. For by doing so, we may, quite unaware, stop a murder.
“You heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those insulting you and persecuting you, so that you become sons of your Father in the heavens. Because He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45). Back up to the beginning of this passage. Is loving your neighbor fulfilled in allowing a murderer to go free, who will murder them? If someone doesn’t like you, be kind to them, and pray for them, and allow the Light within you to shine. Remember this. If someone is going to murder or rape, you have every right to stop them. Remember this, too.
There was a wasp flying about, and a mother was trying to swat it, but her boy put on a thick glove, and held out his hand in front of the wasp. The wasp landed on his palm; the boy gently closed his hand, and then, outside, let the wasp go free. “That was foolish.” said the mother. “Why on earth didn’t you crush the wasp when you had the chance?”
The boy responded, without arrogance or malice, “If I crushed what would have only stung, how much worse than a wasp am I?”
Abortion, murder, suicide, and even the subject of whether we should kill rapists and murders, are all very potent subjects indeed; yet, there is another one: America, with it’s greed induced gluttony, has been a model for other countries now following our ill behaviour, resulting in millions of premature deaths from heart disease.
As I mentioned to you in the Letter, For the Love of Animals , many people die from starvation due to too much grain being fed to animals, rather than people. Also, many people will not go to church because the church either eats unclean meat, or meat altogether. Shouldn’t we care more than this? Are we not aware that our choices, ones as simple as what we eat, can and does affect others? I urge you to please go back and re-read the last two paragraphs of that Letter.
I’m leaving this bad writing in here, because, well: this is a tough, difficult, hard, irritating, and disparaging subject indeed! I hate it. I really do. I’d rather write about stray dogs wondering where George the Jewish Kitten went. I would! I really would.
We sadly do not have the freedoms we think we do in this country. If someone rapes a child, and I punch him in the face for it, then I’ll go to jail, and if I kill him, I’ll go to prison.
When I was studying rape cases in order better understand what works to defend against it, so I can help women better in the self defense classes I host, there were many cases that made me truly sick. I was unable to even eat or sleep, or, for that matter, look up. There are several that stuck with me, and I will share a few, names removed. Amy came home, and, unable to see the man hiding behind a bush, was knocked down and drug into her living room. I will leave the details alone, save that it lasted half an hour—he raped her, sodomized her, cut up her face, and stabbed her repeatedly. When the rapist saw that she was dead, he dropped the knife, and went out the front door. He stood, witnesses report, under the tree, on the sidewalk, basking in the wonderful evening, and listened to the birds sing. Inside, Amy gasped, as she came to. Knowing all that had happed, she grabbed the knife he had dropped, went out the still open front door, and plunged it into the man’s back, killing him. … She was arrested for manslaughter, and was sentenced to twenty years in prison.
There is another case I confirmed; where a girl was raped from the time she could remember, to the age of fourteen. For fourteen years, she was raped by a close relative. Years later, she pressed charges, and came to find out, to her horror, that her siblings were also raped on a nearly daily bases. There was video evidence, testimonies from all sorts of people, and admission of guilt. The man got six months … probation. I once received two years probation for driving a borrowed car that I then found out was not properly insured—this man raped children for years, and got six months!
I personally interviewed people, but one family, for me, stands out. A girl was raped; the doctors testified it was rape, and the girl, badly hurt, pressed charges. He was found innocent, despite her tearing, and his seamen, and the ripped garments. The children at school laughed at her, told her she had it coming, and that she wanted it. Her parents told me the whole ordeal while I sat at their dinning room table. The boy, a popular sportsman, could not possibly be guilty, according to the town. They then took me upstairs, slowly opened a door, and told me a part of the story I did not already know from the papers. “This was her room.” The mom said, as her husband held her tight, unable to even speak himself, “We have left it just the way it was.” It was at that moment, looking at their eyes, that I knew the rest of the story. She told me, as she and her husband looked into the room, “She came home one day, in the middle of school. She was being teased again. She came home and showered, and did up her hair real nice, and put on make up, and wore her pretty dress … then she went down stairs, sat at the table … and shot herself in the head. O God—I found her when I got home! …”
I had known this girl, many years before. I, to this day, do not know how I was able to bear having her parents show me pictures of her, and talk to me for hours about all the hopes she once had. My dear Elohim!—How? I yearn, even as writing this, to cuss and swear the foulest of words—to take up arms to make sure another is not harmed—even killed—by his hands … oh … but it was not him alone, was it? The people who did not believe her, the people who teased her at school, the people who did not show her love and support … are they any less guilty? Am I, or any man, able to judge their hearts fairly?
What is justice?
What is mercy?
Three words. Three words! Elohim wrote three words on a tablet of stone, and I could spend the rest of my life contemplating all that He said.
Statistically, one in four women are raped, but of all the women I know, at least half have confided in me that they were raped. A person might lie about their grades, or what they thought about a film, but very rarely does anyone ever lie about rape. Assure them that you believe them, and that it is the rapist’s fault. Justice, though, can never be Biblical justice unless it is done through a court, through witnesses, and, even though it will offend most Christians and rile up the atheists, I’ll say it: They should then be stoned to death.
Ain’t pretty, I know. Nothing nice about it, but I would rather stone that man to death, than allow him the chance to rape and murder again.
“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Reprove those who are sinning, in the presence of all, so that the rest also might fear. I earnestly witness before Elohim and the Master Yahoshuah Messiah, and the chosen messengers, that you watch over these matters without prejudice, doing none at all with partiality. Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in sins of others. Keep yourself clean.” (1 Timothy 5:19-22).
“At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is to die be put to death. He is not put to death by the mouth of one witness. The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” (Deuteronomy 17:6-7).
Warriors and doctors have a lot in common. A doctor will cut you in order to heal you. A warrior will cut another, in order to save your life.
“Beloved, do not revenge yourselves, but give place to the wrath, for it has been written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I shall repay,’ says Yahoweh.” (Romans 12:19).
No man, woman, or child, should need bear to live under the same sky as one who has dishonored him or her. Repayment of debt is not smiled on by the law that protects the wicked, and that is why the wicked flourish. Men, real men mind you, do not cry for themselves, but they do for others. In the same way, it is the greedy and cowardly who battle for themselves, but the brave who battle for others.
In the cases of rape and murder, I feel it is noble to rise against the oppressor, not for revenge, but to stop the evil from happening to another. This is the warrior’s heart. He or she acts for the honor and safety of others, but not in vengeance.
To take, or harm, a life, there must be a purpose for more than just past grievance. If someone has slapped you, no one is in any real harm, but if someone has raped your wife, then she, or another, may very well be hurt or killed by this attacker or by those who will follow suit if he is not stopped. It is then a benefit to others to rid the land of the evil. If your fists must be drawn, use them, but if matters can be served through the laws of the land, use them instead.
I do not advocate murder, nor do I encourage you to become vigilantes, nor do I feel abortion is an answer, or suicide a viable option. I’ll tell you right now: I hated writing this paper. I hated it, because I know, that no matter what I say, there will be Christians and atheists up in arms about what I have shared. But, then, I do not seek to please men, but Elohim. There is never a time to murder. There is a time to kill, but only if it is to save the life of another. And I, for one, do not feel that any are envious of the man who has no other choice.
Why do we allow wicked men to make laws that protect wicked men? Why do we call those who advocate that we do not destroy these wicked people, holy men? It is not a holy act to allow a man who rapes children to go free! Indeed, it is not a lawful act!
If you kill a rapist, you will suffer more than he would have, even if he rapes a hundred children, so long as he is called a priest. If you kill a murderer, you will suffer more than he would have, even if he murders a thousand children, so long as he is called a doctor. If you hunt down a gang who welcomes this behaviour, you will suffer more than they would have, even if they do these things to millions of people, so long as that gang is political.
There are many places in the Bible that say to kill various people, including adulterers, but, in the same Bible, we see that we have walked away from the Almighty, and committed an adultery by bringing in false traditions. It is not for us, dear brothers and sweet sisters, to hate one another. That is not what I preach. Know this: It is hatred to your neighbor to allow a murderer to go free, and love unto Elohim to forgive a child. It is care unto our very selves, to remember: We will be judged in the same way we judge others. If we judge that the lives of mothers and daughters are not as valuable as a rapist’s life, then so too shall we be judged. If we judge that a child should be struck for poor speech or ill manners, then so too shall we. If we judge that a woman is just a whore, then, O church, your eyes be opened to all of your idolatry … and the payment will be due.
I want to close with two stones. The Messiah once told us to stone to death a whore … that is, of course, if we were without sin. All of us have sin, and so I say to you, all you who are harlots: I drop my stone, and embrace you, not as a man consumed with the rage of lust, but as a friend, filled with tears to share.
When I think of my sin—I am overcome! When we do not act as believers, it is as if we slash our Saviour’s back! When we show hate, instead of love, it is as if we nail our Rabbi’s hands to a cross! When we consider ourselves holier than others, it is as if we place a crown of thorns on Yahoshuah’s head. When we question His program, it is as if we pierce the Messiah’s side. Our whole faith is because of a murder that was transformed into a salvation through the Messiah’s perfection. He was the only One that death could not keep, and it is this anointing that only Yahoshuah has. When we invite Him into our hearts, we have a piece of that perfection that Yahoweh knows as His Son, which He is well pleased in. In turn, through His Son, Yahoweh sees us as His children. Isn’t it time we allowed Him to be the risen Messiah in our lives? Let us stop persecuting Yahoshuah. Let us love the least of these.
Ah, but there is another stone. A well known foreign actor once said the reason he does not believe in the Elohim of the Bible is because He says not to kill murderers. Yet, the Bible does say a murderer is to die. In faulty presentation of self-righteousness, many men have taken away the gift of Salvation. Sometimes, just sometimes, we must, to save another, pick up that stone.
I write out my hopeful prayer, that people who do not follow the Word, because of believers, have yet a chance. Who is the actor? I won’t tell you who he is. I do not need to. Do we need to pray for him? Sure. How? While, yes, we need to pray for everyone, in this situation we need to pray for the people holding him back. We need to pray for ourselves. We, dear church, are the ones who are lost. It is we … the murderers.
“And we know that the Torah is good if one uses it legitimately, knowing this: that Torah is not laid down for a righteous being, but for the lawless and unruly, for the wicked and for sinners, for the wrong-doers and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for those who whore, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and for whatever else that is contrary to sound teaching, according to the esteemed Good News of the blessed Elohim which was entrusted to me. And I thank Messiah Yahoshuah our Master Who empowered me, because He counted me trustworthy, putting me into service, me, although I was formerly a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an insulter. But compassion was shown me because being ignorant I did it in unbelief.” (1 Timothy 1:8-13).
Selah
Be Blessed and be a Blessing
Shalom
-Valentine Thalken Billingsley
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Additional Scripture References:
Leviticus 20:2-5, Numbers 35:33, Deuteronomy 24:16, Ezekiel 35:6, Jonah 4:8, 1 King 19:4, Zechariah 4:10, Psalms 137, Proverbs 6:16-19 24:11, Jeremiah 9:21, Jeremiah 1:5, Matthew 25:36-45, Luke 1:41 18:5 and 23-31, John 8:44, Acts 16:27-34, James 1:27, 2:14-17, and 4:4-7, 1 John 2:15-17, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 John 3:15, Revelation 9:6