Well, folks, just on Palm Sunday, March 29, Pope Leo XIV said that Jesus, the King of Peace, rejects war and does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war. He quoted from Isaiah 1:15: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.”

Now, as we teach the Word here, we need to say clearly: true believers should not be listening to these words from the Pope. The Roman Catholic system has added many traditions of men to the pure Word of God. The Pope does not speak for born-again Christians who take the Bible as their final authority. Our hope must rest in the Scriptures alone, not in any man in Rome.

Let’s look at the whole counsel of God. Yes, Isaiah 1:15 is true. God does reject hypocritical prayers when people live in unrepentant sin and violence. Their religion becomes empty. But the Pope stretched this verse so broadly that it sounds like God automatically rejects anyone involved in any war. That simply is not what the Bible teaches.

Think about Joshua. God commanded him to take the Promised Land. The Lord fought for Israel and even made the sun stand still in the battle (Joshua 10). Joshua was obedient to the Word of the Lord.

What about King David? The Bible calls him a man after God’s own heart. Yet David was a warrior. He wrote in Psalm 144:1: “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle.”

God Himself trained David’s hands for battle against the enemies of God’s people.

And what about all the judges, Gideon with his three hundred, Deborah, Samson, and the rest? When Israel cried out under cruel oppression, the Lord raised up these deliverers and gave them victory in war. These were not men acting in their own flesh. God was with them.

In the New Testament, Paul tells us in Romans 13:4 that the governing authority “does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” God has given the government the responsibility to restrain evil in this fallen world.

Jesus is indeed the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). One day, He will put an end to all war. But until that day, the Bible does not teach absolute pacifism. There is “a time of war” (Ecclesiastes 3:8).

The Pope’s statement ignores these clear portions of Scripture. A person who truly believes the Bible would see the difference between unjust aggression with hands full of innocent blood and no repentance, and the righteous use of force to protect the innocent and stop oppression.

Right now, we see a serious conflict involving the Iranian regime as it has oppressed its own people for many years, with executions, persecution of Christians, and spreading terror throughout the region. My heart breaks for the Iranian people, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering there. I have written much on this site about Iran and the hope of revival even in hard times.

War always brings suffering, and we grieve over innocent lives lost. Yet we must test everything by the Word of God, not by the voice of any religious leader.

Folks, our hope is not in popes or human traditions. Our hope is in the living Word of God. The Apostle Paul warned that even if an angel from heaven preaches any other gospel, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9). How much more must we test the words of men by the clear teaching of Scripture?

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Let us not put our trust in the words of Pope Leo XIV. Let us put our full hope and confidence in the Word of God.

Let’s pray together:

Lord, we come before You. Please give wisdom to those in authority as they seek to restrain evil. Protect Your church in Iran and throughout the Middle East. Bring many Iranians to know Jesus Christ, the true Prince of Peace. May Your kingdom advance even in the midst of conflict. And remind us daily that the battle is not ours, but Yours.

As it says in 2 Chronicles 20:15 “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

Stand firm on the Rock, dear ones. Keep your eyes on Jesus and your nose in the Book. The Word of God will never fail.

Peter