Warfare, Warriors, and Weapons

We are born into a very dangerous world, a world where history shows us that conflict and violence, if not a present reality, always seem to be just on the horizon. In fact, a researcher has noted that in all of recorded history there have only been 268 years of peace.

An example of this conflict was the Battle of Pydna, June 22, 168 BC, between Macedonian and Roman armies fought on the plains below Mount Olympus. The Macedonians led by King Perseus had around 44k warriors and the invading Romans were led by Aemilius Paullus with 38k warriors. The reason we are sure of the date is that an eclipse of the moon the night before was an omen considered favorable by the Romans and caused dismay among the Macedonians. There is a spiritual dimension to natural war…even when pagan armies clash.

As we know, the Macedonian phalanx had been used by Alexander to conquer the known world just 150 years prior but now it would be tested by the Roman legion. As the two armies lined up to do battle the Macedonians, with 15% more troops, were facing Mt Olympus, 2 Roman legions at full strength, and 22 war elephants. The Romans, with their backs to Mt Olympus, were facing a wall of ‘pikes’ or spear heads of the feared phalanx.

The Macedonian main weapon was a 22’ spear sometimes called a pike. The basic phalanx was 6 to 8 men deep and 8 to 16 men across with the spear points providing a formidable buffer from hand held enemy weapons. At about 3 PM, as the Macedonians advanced the Romans were initially pushed back, protected by their shields, but unable to reach the enemy with their 22” swords. Now this is a gladius which is Latin for sword and gladiator is Latin for swordsman. Let me just say…I am not a gladiator.

But we can talk as Kingdom Warriors…Our Father God is also a warrior Exodus 15:3, General Jerry Boykin’s ministry title. As sons made in His image we have His DNA. What father would bring sons into a world at war with no capability to fight?

Warriors know this: We must train to fight, so we can fight; we must train the way that we will fight; and we must fight the way we have trained to fight. This is a Genesis Principle. In Genesis 14 Abram takes the 318 trained, initiated , practiced (Hebrew)chaniyk men of his household on a bold, successful, night hostage rescue mission 90 miles distant.

Warriors know this: Vegetius, a Roman military commentator said this “The courage of a soldier is heightened by his knowledge of his profession, and he only wants an opportunity to execute what he is convinced he has been perfectly taught. A handful of men, (repeat) inured to war, proceed to certain victory, while on the contrary, numerous armies of undisciplined troops are but multitudes of men dragged to slaughter.”

Warriors know this: We must become at one with our weapon. When a man becomes as one with a weapon this forms what we call a warrior. A warrior is of value to his authority because the weapon becomes an extension of the warrior…his eyes, his hands, his thoughts and therefore an extension of the authority he represents. The Samurai say, If you place 2 swords on a peasant farmer it does not make the farmer a Samurai. I say, if you put a Bible in the hands of a new, or undiscipled, convert to Christ it does not make him a spiritual warrior.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 tells us that the weapons of our warfare are mighty to the pulling down, or I like the translation, demolishing strongholds. Our tendency is to read this and say “YEAH!” I could also say “the weapons of SEAL Team 2 are mighty to demolishing terrorist strongholds”, and we could all say “YEAH!”, but what does that have to do with our capability with those weapons?

Warriors know this: Creating enemy casualties, while operating under authority, is an honor of the warrior’s calling. (See Psalm 149:9) This is a term you have probably not heard of around church. However, about 1/3 of Jesus’ recorded ministry had to do with deliverance of one type or another…Jesus created a lot of enemy casualties, a whole legion in one operation, Mark 5:13. In fact, Check out 1 John 3:8 (destroy)

Warriors know this: The skillful and effective use of their weapon is a perishable skill. Now at one time I was qualified to and have supported SEAL Team 2…insertions, cover, extractions as a Navy Seawolf gunship pilot in Vietnam. Is that a perishable skill? YES! his same principle applies to spiritual warfare. Warriors can always look back on great victories, in natural or spiritual warfare, and it is good to do this. However, the enemies that we face today will not be impressed by our resume’…only by our skill in battle.

The Latin term for Roman Army is Romanorum Exercitus…they named their army ‘exercise’. They trained every day young and old no exceptions. To make hand to hand combat training as realistic as practical they often trained with wooden swords to the point of shedding ‘serious’ blood. This practice is carried forth today in military and law enforcement training.

Experienced warriors know the following maximum but let me emphasize this to you men, my brothers, this morning…“No plan hardly ever survives what we call first contact with the enemy”. Instinct and training often take over the simple and rational conscious mind responses. This is why Jesus said “make disciples”, and Paul instructed Timothy (2 Tim 2:4;15) to “study” and to only commit to “faithful or reliable men”. Our wives are not the enemy but many Christian marriages are lost because our men get lost in the fog with their rigid-single-threat-vector(RSTV) mentality. Let’s see how that worked out for our Macedonian pals.

As the Romans were pushed back the uneven terrain presented a serious problem for the rigid-single-threat-vector- phalanx (RSTV) and they were unable to maintain unit integrity. Paullis seeing the gaps quickly ordered the more flexible, better trained, disciplined legionnaires to exploit the changing battle conditions. Exploit is a tactical term for the astute spiritual warrior’s tool box…pack it in!

The Macedonians soon found themselves in what we call “the fog of war”. I imagine corporal Atilicles elbowed his pal Hermacles and said something like “I told ya we should have joined the navy.” Roman calvary, charging war elephants, well trained infantry made short work of the Macedonians. In about 1 hour’s time the Macedonians had 20,000 troops killed and 11,000 captured or over 70% and by all accounts the Romans has less than 1000 killed or less than 3%.

After the Battle of Pydna the gladius enforced the Pax Romana, the Peace of Rome, for 700 years throughout most of the known world. Some 200 years later the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use the gladius, the ultimate military weapon of that era, as a metaphor to describe the Word of God.

The very familiar passage in Ephesians 6, the imagery of a battle ready Roman warrior, lists the Sword as the last piece of spiritual weaponry to pick up and calls the “Sword of the Spirit” the Word of God; Hebrews 4:12 refers to the Word of God being sharper than any two edged sword. The spiritual gladius is the weapon we have been given to bring the Pax Christo, the Peace of Christ to all the world.

With this perspective in mind rethink your position as a Believer in Christ and as a “son” of God. Consider that evil is a reality and that it opposes all that is good. There was a time at Pydna when the Romans were being pushed back but they used their rectangular shields (of faith) for protection. At a point the Macedonian tactic of “RSTV” was flawed and the Roman shields were then used to push back and the enemy came within range of the 22” gladius. As you read Psalm 149: 6-9 ask God to show you how to do in the Spirit what the Romans did in the shadow of Mt. Olympus on that June afternoon in 168 BC.

Developed by:

John R. “Barney” Barnes