Jesus did not command the Hebrews to kill criminals and combatants. He commanded Moses, Joshua, and the Judges to do it. They were not hardened and unbelieving. Jesus didn't speak directly to the Hebrews. He spoke through Moses, Joshua, and the Judges. Not once did Jesus explain to Moses, Joshua, and the Judges it wasn't His plan to deploy the Hebrews to kill criminals and combatants. Nor did He ever tell them not to. Plus Jesus never sent hornets.

Many think that the fires of heaven are the only effort God made to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, but that is not true. If it were true the argument could be made that God withdrew His presence and revealed His Glory to the plains and this destroyed the wicked, but scripture and the Testimonies disagree with that idea.

Read this account. There are many things like this recorded in the book "the Truth about angels", a compendium of angelic Testimonial.

"The angels revealed to Lot the object of their mission: “We will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.” The strangers whom Lot had endeavored to protect, now promised to protect him, and to save also all the members of his family who would flee with him from the wicked city.... Lot went out to warn his children. He repeated the words of the angels, “Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city.” But he seemed to them as one that mocked.... {TA 76.1}
Lot returned sorrowfully to his home, and told the story of his failure. Then the angels bade him arise, and take his wife and two daughters who were yet in his house, and leave the city.... Stupified with sorrow, he lingered, loath to depart. But for the angels of God, they would all have perished in the ruin of Sodom. The heavenly messengers took him and his wife and daughters by the hand, and led them out of the city. {TA 76.2}
Here the angels left them, and turned back to Sodom to accomplish their work of destruction....." {TA 76.3}

It was the angels of God who accomplished the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

"A single angel destroyed all the first-born of the Egyptians, and filled the land with mourning. When David offended against God by numbering the people, one angel caused that terrible destruction by which his sin was punished. The same destructive power exercised by holy angels when God commands, will be exercised by evil angels when he permits." {GC88 614.2}

"As the curtain was lifted and I was shown the corruption of this age, my heart sickened, my spirit nearly fainted within me. I saw that the inhabitants of the earth were filling up the measure of the cup of their iniquity. God’s anger is kindled and will be no more appeased until the sinners are destroyed out of the earth. Satan is Christ’s personal enemy. He is the originator and leader of every species of rebellion in heaven and earth." {1T 302.1}

Does God punish? Absolutely.

"The death of Christ was to be the convincing, everlasting argument that the law of God is as unchangeable as His throne. The agonies of the Garden of Gethsemane, the insult, the mockery, and abuse heaped upon God’s dear Son, the horrors and ignominy of the crucifixion, furnish sufficient and thrilling demonstration that God’s justice, when it punishes, does the work thoroughly. The fact that His own Son, the Surety for man, was not spared, is an argument that will stand to all eternity before saint and sinner, before the universe of God, to testify that He will not excuse the transgressor of His law. Every offense against God’s law, however minute, is set down in the reckoning, and when the sword of justice is taken in hand, it will do the work for impenitent transgressors that was done to the divine Sufferer. Justice will strike; for God’s hatred of sin is intense and overwhelming (Manuscript 58, 1897). {3BC 1166.3}

APL should be careful not to attribute what God did to Satan...

"The command must have wrung with anguish that father’s heart: “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, ... and offer him there for a burnt offering.” Isaac was the light of his home, the solace of his old age, the inheritor of the promised blessing; but he was commanded to shed the blood of that son with his own hand. It seemed a fearful impossibility. {EP 91.5}
Satan was at hand to suggest that he must be deceived, for the divine law commands, “Thou shalt not kill.” God would not require what He had forbidden. {EP 92.1}

God gave Moses rules for polygamy and divorce, something God HATES. In giving the rules, this in no way proves that this is what GOD desires. It was God's permissive will, to reach the people where they were, because of the hardness of their hearts, the stiffness of their necks. John 1:17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. As EGW says, God never desired that the people would fight. Please reread #159163.

The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan's deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God's government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world's dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, "with healing in His wings." Malachi 4:2. {DA 22.1}

God could have destroyed Satan and his sympathizers as easily as one can cast a pebble to the earth; but He did not do this. Rebellion was not to be overcome by force. Compelling power is found only under Satan's government. The Lord's principles are not of this order. His authority rests upon goodness, mercy, and love; and the presentation of these principles is the means to be used. God's government is moral, and truth and love are to be the prevailing power. {DA 759.1}

Prophecy has plainly stated the nature of Christ's kingdom. He planned a government which would use no force; his subjects would know no oppression. The symbols of earthly governments are wild beasts, but in the kingdom of Christ, men are called upon to behold, not a ferocious beast, but the Lamb of God. Not as a fierce tyrant did he come, but as the Son of man; not to conquer the nations by his iron power, but "to preach good tidings unto the meek;" "to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;" "to comfort all that mourn." He came as the divine Restorer, bringing to oppressed and downtrodden humanity the rich and abundant grace of Heaven, that by the power of his righteousness, man, fallen and degraded though he was, might be a partaker of divinity. {RH, August 18, 1896 par. 3}

Because their understanding was darkened by selfish prejudice, they could not harmonize the power of Christ's convicting words with the humility of His life. They did not appreciate the fact that real greatness can dispense with outward show. This Man's poverty seemed wholly inconsistent with His claim to be the Messiah. They questioned, If He was what He claimed to be, why was He so unpretending? If He was satisfied to be without the force of arms, what would become of their nation? How could the power and glory so long anticipated bring the nations as subjects to the city of the Jews? Had not the priests taught that Israel was to bear rule over all the earth? and could it be possible that the great religious teachers were in error? {DA 242.3}

Where in the Bible did Jesus command Moses to kill criminals and combatants?

#159163

Leviticus 20:2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him.

The Sabbath-Breaker Put to Death

Numbers 15:32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34 and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” 36 So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.


Numbers 35:17 Or if anyone is holding a stone and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death.