Top 7 Bible Verses Related To Or About War

Here are seven Bible verses that are related to or about war.

Ecclesiastes 3:8 “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

Just as there is a time to “cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together” (Eccl 3:5) there is a time to build up and to tear down, a time to kill and a time to heal (Eccl 3:3, 5) but we need to know what time that is. God uses other nations to discipline nations that are evil. He can use nations to do His own disciplining so the wisdom of Solomon is true, there is a time for war and there is a time for peace. Trying to determine which time that is can be difficult apart from having fellowship with God.

Matthew 24:6 “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.”

Jesus is not condoning of war. In this verse, placed within the context of the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus tells His listeners that just before the end of this age, there will be wars and rumors of wars. There is no shortage today of wars and rumors of wars. Does this mean that Jesus’ return is near? I don’t know. I know that we must be ready at all times for no one knows when the Son of God will return because “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matt 24:36). Are you ready?

Jeremiah 51:20 “You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms.”

Jeremiah was speaking for God when he wrote that God uses other nations to be His “hammer and weapon of war” and even though these nations are not God’s people, He can still sovereignly use other pagan nations to do His work and that might include war. In this verse, God is pronouncing judgment on Babylon and promises Israel that they will be dealt justice “For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord of hosts” (Jer 51:5).

Isaiah 2:4 “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

The time is coming when all wars will end but it will take the strong arm of God to end it. All of the former weapons will be turned into useful equipment for the betterment of the nations. Nations will finally stop lifting up the sword against one another and they won’t learn war anymore, indicating that war was something that they had been taught all of their lives. In the coming kingdom of heaven, all wars will end and they will have to “unlearn” all of the old ways.

Deuteronomy 20:1 “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

Notice that God didn’t say “if” you go out to war but “when you go out to war against your enemies” showing that war was a necessity if the nation of Israel was to survive. God said that He would go with them as “the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory” (Duet 20:4) so there is no need so “let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them” (Duet 20:3) because He is going to fight for them and so “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom 8:31b)

Revelation 12:7-8 “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.”

Satan is so deluded that he thinks he can actually fight and win against God. The Devil’s mind was so corrupted by pride that he thought he actually had a chance to overcome God. When a war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels defeated the dragon (Satan) and Satan’s angels (demons) fought back but they were no match God’s forces and as a result, “the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rev 12:9).

Proverbs 24:6 “for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”

There is always safety in the multitude of counselors (Prov 11:14) and “no counsel can avail against the Lord” so it must be godly counsel but when it is determined that there is no other choice, the nation that is obedient to God can rest in the fact that “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD” (Prov 21:31).

Conclusion

In this day and age, war is sometimes a necessary evil; there is a time for war and a time for peace; there will be an escalation of wars prior to Jesus’ return; God will use other nations to punish those who are evil; someday all implements of war will be turned into farming implements; nations who are at war with just cause can rest in the knowledge that God is going with them into the battle; Satan tried to fight God but was soundly defeated; and there must always be godly counsel before any nation enters into a war.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.