Soul... What if Joshua's actions took place yesterday?

[Associated Duress Article, March 22nd, 2009:]

In a brutal act of hostility and violence, the leader of the large group of militant religious followers known simply as "Joshua" ended his week-long siege on the peaceful city of Jericho by somehow causing the walls of the great city to tumble to the ground. This horrific event was followed by unprovoked bloodshed by Joshua and his guerilla warriors upon thousands of innocent people, including women and children. There are unconfirmed reports that one family may have been taken hostage by the invaders, but at this point there is no indication that anyone else survived what appears to have been unmitigated religous genocide upon the citizens of Jericho.

In addition to the massive carnage, it appears that all of Jericho's rich culture of art, entertainment, and sexual freedom may now be lost forever.

The fanatics, whose numbers are estimated to be in the millions, have so far managed to somehow survive long periods in the harsh desert environments of the region, and are reported to be marching into lush green valleys overflowing with resources such as milk, honey, and grapes large enough to be carried on poles between two men. Hysteria over their invasion is on the rise, and religious leaders world-wide have called upon Joshua to halt his horrible reign of violence and tyranny. Unabashed, Joshus has stated that he is "following God's commands ... to destroy all those who now possess the land promised to God's 'chosen people', the 'children of Israel'."

Leaders of many Christian churches in American have distanced themselves from Joshua and his remarks, noting that their god loves everyone and would never harshly judge people who are innocently living out their chosen lifestyles, thus depriving them of their free will to choose eternal salvation.

[(Joshua chapters 2 and 6)]

[Follow-up Note: I got to worrying after I posted this that some readers might misunderstand my perspective as encouragement to break God's commands (such as to not murder) "because God told them so" or even for the sake of God's other commands. My intent was not to address such complexities, but rather just to make us think about Who God really is, what His sovereignty really means, and how He views sin.]