The Unstoppable Blood of the Unstoppable Church: The Power of the Blood (2 Kings 3)
The Blood of Jesus Christ
History has in its wardrobe some religions that failed to proliferate across its founding arena or region. There are also religions that are dead and forgotten or little is known about it. The reason is simply because of the unwittingly cycling trend of persecution. It is not easy for a man to welcome a new idea or philosophy that opposes the norm of the time. Consequently, a man wants to quench any idea that is not in line with his reasoning. That is the horror of intolerance which has led to the persecution and death of many people and ideas because of diverse religious affliction.
Many new religions, even witches and occultist, suffered the same fate of persecution and death. Some of them have to go into secrecy so that they can survive the times. Funnily enough, the persecuted often becomes the persecutor because man does not learn from his own pains and sufferings. Therefore, once a man who suffered persecution is accepted and he suddenly gets into the corridors of powers, he becomes the persecutor of others. However, it is good to note that some religions and philosophical movement teach tolerance as their core values. The same people worked secretly to ensure that those who are persecuted are accepted even though they, themselves, are persecuted by those they helped. Only those who truly know God will know who they are because it is said, “God has no religion.” God founded no religion else he becomes a changing God. The current threat to human existence is no longer that fools say that there is no God but that those who believe in God do not truly know him and what he wants. Therefore, they end up making a mockery of one another and themselves. It can be said that virtually all major religion has different sects.
Christianity suffered persecution, just like others, but it overcame it and has obviously come to stay and the church looks unstoppable. The number of Christians is increasing daily and they keep praising and honouring Jesus Christ who was also persecuted and killed. Many have failed to ask; what are the secret behind the success Christianity enjoys today and the glory that Jesus receives today. Why does the Church seem unstoppable?
For us to answer the question, it is important to forget about the church and talk about a biblical story in 2 Kings Chapter 3. There are articles on 2 Kings Chapter 3 that tried to explain what happened in the verse. Some people left a comment to say that God punished Israel because of their sin. Another person said that the Israelite ran away because of what the King of Moab did. That is to say that the Israelites were not defeated because God promised them victory. The main point is that no Christian will want to accept the fact in the story because it will go against their belief in a God that does not accept blood sacrifices or a God that is strong than other gods like the God of the Moabites. Those who know little or nothing about God will always believe that they know God and understand him. How can man understand what has no beginning and ending?
The story in 2King Chapter 3 is that although Elisha did not seem pleased with the King of Israel but regarded Jehoshaphat and prophesied victory as a message from God. The three Kings went to war against the Moabites. They were enjoying victory as the prophecy assured them. They were destroying the Moabites while the King of Moabites was looking for a solution to avoid defeat. The Israelites forced the Moabites away and advanced causing havoc in the land of the Moabites. The King of the Moabites failed in all his attempts to find a solution. However, he did not give up. The bible did not record who gave the Moabite King the option of sacrificing his eldest son who was to reign in his place. But it is obvious that a sacrifice is not made in a vacuum. That is to say, there has to be a priest and others who will preside over the process. That was a great sacrifice the King had to make to save his people from defeat. The bible did not say that the Israelites saw him making the sacrifice. They would have killed him and not stand to watch him complete it.
That singular act of sacrifice turned things around against the Israelites who were promised victory from the beginning and they looked good at achieving it. It is obvious that the Israelites did not understand why the war later went against them but they will definitely hear about the sacrifice after the war as the story will be told. Then, again, who received the sacrifice and turned the war against the Israelites? Did God lie to Elisha before the war or did God change his mind because of the sacrifice or was the God of the Moabites made more powerful by the blood sacrifice? None of the answers will be perfect depending on who is answering the question. Christians believe that the God of the Israelites is the most powerful and true God. However, an unborn child exclaimed in an unpublished work, “If all tribes shall write their stories and turn it into a scripture then we will know that their God is good and powerful.”
Whatever may be the reason behind the turn around after the blood sacrifice is not important compared to the lucid impact of the blood on the war. Let us remember, that in any war blood is definitely shed by both sides. Therefore, the victory of the Moabite is not because of the blood but the value of the blood. That was royal Moabite blood that was sacrificed. The Israelite paid no price for the victory they were enjoying prior to the time of the sacrifice. Consequently, it took something or someone precious to turn things around and against the Israelites. That is why some people claim that the God of the bible like human sacrifice. The important thing is that blood is sacred. That is why those who practice blood sacrifice are not looked well upon. It is also true that those who are involved in ritual consider blood ritual the most effective.
Now if the blood of a Moab can make such an important impact in a war, how much then will the blood of Jesus Christ not be a strong foundation that will not be moved or shaken. This is because most people ignore the fact that the very foundation of Christianity was made with blood. It started with the blood of Jesus Christ to the blood of his disciples. Little wonder the name of Jesus is honoured for the great sacrifice he made and he is promised a kingdom that will last forever.
It is obvious that Islam is also on the rise although it is alleged that they rise by the sword which is also a blood sacrifice. The Church remains unstoppable because of the unstoppable blood of Jesus Christ.