Lesson 17: You Are Not Alone in Battle
722 AD northern Spain in a cave an outlaw and his men sit, and wait upon their would be overlords and pagan invaders. Pelayo, or Peligeos if you use his Latin title, had faced the Moors before. Today he sat on the last vestiges of the Visogoth kingdoms in Spain. His relative King Roberto had been slain and the Kingdom conquered. Christianity was being squeezed from existence just as had been done in all the North African kingdoms that had once held to the Cross and the Almighty.
The Asturias Mountains were now in open revolt, but the Moorish overlords were back from their failed campaign in France against Charlemagne. They were looking for blood and plunder to offset their stinging defeat. So the whole might of the Caliphate was falling upon the last holdout of Christendom on the Iberian peninsula. Coming to this little cave where a hermit had given Pelayo a cross, and told him it was the symbol of victory. A thought that must have seemed far from possible to the belligerent Visigoths and Asurians, the future Spanish and Portuguese, after seeing their entire Kingdom collapse to their enemy with hardly a fight, and their hopeless outnumbered position. They were ragged, dirty, and their enemy was coming for them. No one was coming to their aid. No one but God the Almighty the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.”
But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.”
And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.
And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?”
And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”
And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.”
So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.
2 Kings 6:8-18
Here Elisha is in an even more dire situation than Pelayo. He sits with no men to aid him. No one, but his servant who has already given himself up for death. Yet, just as Pelayo knew and would soon have his faith rewarded, Elisha knew who had prepared for this battle on his behalf. Christ goes out before us. God’s armies are with us. Sometimes that means with the invisible Armies of Heaven God plans on dominating the spiritual war around us so thoroughly that we don’t have to raise a sword or fire a shot. Other times he expects us to enact his Holy Vengeance against those who have transgressed against him.
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
“Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”
So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD’s vengeance on Midian.
You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.”
So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.
They warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every male.
Numbers 31:1-7
Regardless, Heaven’s armies march with us, and God the Almighty is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and his son Jesus Christ who has broken Death and the old Red Dragon himself rides ahead of them (Revelations 19:11-15). Our enemy is terrible, and at times as physical as they are spiritual, but they face the God of gods. They face their spurned father and master. They face death as any man dies as we see in Psalms.
A Psalm of Asaph.
God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
“How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
I said, “You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, like men you shall die,
and fall like any prince.”
Arise, O God, judge the earth;
for you shall inherit all the nations!
Psalms 82
Just like Elisha, David, or Abraham we too can tap into the power of Heaven’s armies, and God’s strong hand. Pelayo then was in a position that many will face in the coming turmoils on the horizon. Forced submission to his pagan invader who will crush his people, and through time destroy all vestiges of his people’s tie to their creator or death. Will he give into the doubt and the fear as he sees the array of professional moorish fighters who had killed his King and many of his family members, or will he trust in his savior?
Before the Battle of Covadonga commences one of Pelaya’s relatives who had already capitulated, and become a traitorous collaborator to the invader is sent to convince him to surrender. To join the rest of the betraying false nobles who have given into the invader to maintain their lands and titles in exchange for their souls. All of them who fought were destroyed. The rest sat in all the luxury and wealth that the new empire could give them. They chose to betray their Savior who died on the cross in agony and harrowed the legions of Hell for our salvation for money, titles, and what the world could offer. What rots, rusts, and falls away. Pelayo was different. He refused the invader and thus was made an outlaw in a cave living in poverty with ragged men in the hills. Much like King David himself while being hunted. Much like the man after God’s own heart the crowned king of Asturias would find God’s blessings even while hunted in the desert.
Pelaya refuses his relative’s offer and condemns him for giving in to his pagan overlords. Now the dye is caste. The invader is sure of their victory. After all, they are just a few stubborn outlaws in a cave. That day just a few men in a cave slaughtered an entire army and began the Reconquista of Spain and Portugal.
It’s said that a miracle came when the Moors shot their slings and arrows at the ragged crusaders, though the term had not been coined yet, the projectiles flew back into the faces of the Moors causing confusion in their ranks. Taking advantage of this Pelayo and his men charged, but that wasn’t all. Pelayo also had men hidden in the hills and crags around the cave who struck with arrows, stones, and sent trees sent carringing down the mountain side into the overconfident invading ranks.
Of David.
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.
Psalms 144:1-2
We should be dependent on God’s aid, and hear his voice even when his will seems to make no tactical sense like when Gideon sent the majority of his forces home before his ambush (Judges 7:1-3), but we aren’t to abandon the art of war. Pelayo depended on the Almighty, but he did everything he could to ensure victory. God’s armies fought with him winning a kingdom that would eventually take back all of Spain and Portugal.
In this day and age young men, you will see an invader come in the millions destroying your people and cultures sure in their victory over you. They are backed by massive empires and spiritual evil beyond your imagination, but they are nothing when faced with the creator they spurned. Put your faith in God. Learn the Art of War because war comes to the men of God whether he would live in peace or not. Do not fear the enemy because Heaven’s Armies march with you, and like Pelayo, no matter how great the odds or how many centuries it takes, if you are faithful to God he will revive your people and lands.
There will be a day when the whole Earth turns on God, and in wrath the savior of mankind will return with a sword in his mouth and the armies arrayed for vengeance and judgment, but it’s not today. Sure, the world order is shifting, but things aren’t over yet. The Almighty has plans for you and your descendants so trust in him. Do not fear the enemies at your door, and oil your rifle because the Devil and his freaks are coming. They will offer you wealth in exchange for your children’s futures as you’ve seen your Boomer grandparents give into. Spurn them, and they will come to take what they will by force and destroy you. So fight bravely, fight wisely and God will be on your side. Just remember as Paul says fight.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Ephesians 6:10-18
Question 1: Have you ever heard the story of Palayo and the beginning of the Reconquista? Why do you think the Church ignores these stories of Pagan aggression on Christianity and how God chose to defend his children?
Question 2: How many times have you heard about the various World Wars, and their various war stories there? Why do modern Christians make an exception for a war fought against fellow Christians rather than wars fought against the express enemies of Christ?
Question 3: Why might modern Christians and the corrupt elite of our time be so obsessed with verses that seem to suggest revenge and vengeance is evil and a sin, and ignore verses like Numbers 31 where God’s Children are commanded to enact God’s vengeance on earth? Might they be afraid of what that vengeance would mean?
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