FAQ – Deuteronomy 21:18-21 – Should We Stone Our Children?

The Biblical Issue of Capital Punishment

(This article serves as the FAQ for all capital punishment related commandments)

When one begins to realize that all of God’s Word is still truth and nothing has been abolished, it is not
long before someone might ask “Should we stone our children?” Anyone with an ounce of knowledge
about the Bible knows that stoning commandments are indeed part of the Bible, and if we are teaching that
all of God’s commandments are still valid then on the surface this appears as a rather logical question.

Some ask this question with genuine concern. Obviously no parent should want to stone their own
children. Anyone examining God’s truth may eventually struggle with this question. The question itself
conjures up a serious emotive response in any loving and caring parent. The believer seeking truth will be
motivated to understand exactly how God wants us to apply and carry out this commandment.

Others on the other hand some desire to not seek out the truth and simply reduce the commandment to a
twisted form of its intent and application. The goal in such a position is to leverage emotion against the
Law of God and truth of His Word. Sometimes it is an atheist or agnostic that approaches this issues in
this way, and unfortunately, sometimes it is even a professing believer in the Word. The question is almost
asked in the spirit of God being absolutely absurd if not downright evil for even offering such
commandments. In fact, it would make the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, actually the largest
joke. Whatever the reason someone might be asking questions related to capital punishment in scripture,
this study is intended to address all concerns and agenda’s and point to what scripture simply teaches.

Unfortunately, many approach God’s Word with a law abolishing theological paradigm so that makes this
issue quite difficult. In this paradigm God supposedly erased certain random commandments that He
previously declared as perfect truth. According to such doctrine, at one time our God was a proponent of
capital punishment for certain offenses and now He has changed and offers a different approach.

In this understanding basically any commandment that is found in the Old Testament is abolished, unless
we can find it directly commanded and taught in a certain interpretation of the New Testament. Even
though the Lord’s Sabbath, feast days, dietary instructions, etc. were all practiced extensively in the book
of Acts by believers such as Paul, Stephen, Peter, etc., these commandments are all supposedly abolished.
What we are told by theologians (not scripture) is that those commandments were being practiced out of
tradition instead of obedience. Many blindly follow such teachings of men and have never questioned and
tested such doctrine to His Word. That is a shame because we are all accountable at the Bema seat
judgment in the end for what we believe, not for what we were taught. Quite often, and contrary to what
we were to learn in Mark 7, it is often our own mainstream doctrines that are caught up in tradition instead
of Biblical obedience.

If we are to believe that all scripture is instructions in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and that not one
jot or tittle of the law has been abolished before Heaven and Earth passes away (Matthew 5:17-19) then we
must believe all commandments are still applicable for God’s people. Capital punishment is part of the
Word of God and is taught out of Moses’ Seat (Matthew 23:1-3). Whether we want to admit it or not, this
also includes the Biblical commandments related to capital punishments.

So when those opposed to God’s truth asks us “do you stone your children when they disobey,” they are
often asking because they are trying to appeal to the emotions of a loving parent, but there is an
uncomfortable logic as the premise of their question. They are effectively stating “surly all of the Bible is
still not true, look at what you would have to do!” The average Christian declares those commandments
abolished and removed from the Law of God. Thus this is less of an emotive issue for such a belief system.
The atheist and agnostic, being a little more intellectually honest in this case, can see the clear contradiction
in such doctrine by actually reading and studying the Bible. They see this as being a barrier to even
believing that the Word is true. They are not satisfied with the typical Christian response, nor should they
be.

Can we address the position of the atheist/agnostic?

Are there scriptural answers for those who currently do, or once did, subscribe to mainstream Christian
doctrine that teaches certain commandments are abolished as it relates to this subject?

How do we approach this subject once we begin to realize that reconciling many often avoided mainstream
doctrinal contradictions about God’s law forces us to realize that the whole Law of God is still very much
left intact as He intended.

Yes, there are answers if one is willing to invest the time understanding what scripture really teaches on
this subject.

There are only two types of people, those with the good seed, producing good fruit that are always trying to
understand the Word of God the best that they can so they can apply it in their lives. There are also those
of the bad seed, producing rotten fruit that does not desire the Word of God but at best desires comfort
doctrine that suits their interest and flesh.

The unfortunate truth is that the latter of the above is catering to the itching ears and turning others away
from the Word. Such a teacher will find they actually have much support because scripture declares that
many long for and seek and heap up such teachers.

2 Timothy 4:2-3 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all
longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according
to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they
will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

This still begs the question, why are there no stonings or other forms of Biblical capital punishment today?

Well, the average Christian does not even bother with trying to understand the question because to most
modern doctrine teaches such commandments are now abolished. Thus, even attempting to understand
how the commandments were to be carried out and who was involved is a seemingly pointless exercise.

But what about the believer who believes the whole Bible to still be true? What if we want to actually do
what 2 Timothy 4:2 commands us to do? What if we do want to “preach the Word?” The “Word” consists
of many commandments that most doctrines have thrown into the trash can. How are capital punishment
commandments to be scripturally addressed?

There are several mistakes that atheist/agnostics or mainstream Christians are often making in the
premise of their emotionally loaded question:

1) The criteria required to Biblically carry out this commandment

2) The process required to Biblically carry out this commandment
3) The structure required to Biblically carry out this commandment
4) This commandment is supposedly bad to begin with.
5) Our emotions and desires can establish what is truth.

The commandment for stoning our children can be found Deuteronomy 21:18-21.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his
father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his
father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his
city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not
obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with
stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.

Immediately we can see that this is more complicated of a commandment than how most think they
understand it.

It is only after the son rebels against his father and/or mother continuously, in the face of consistent
discipline, that the son is brought before the elders.

This is not as if a child simply takes a cookie out of the cookie jar without permission that he should be
Biblically stoned to death. There are parameters and criteria that we need to consider.

It is only when the parents decide that their child is not correctable and continuously refuses to walk in
God’s ways that the situation is elevated to the elders for review and a decision.

What is the established process of the elders?

There is a court system for all capital punishments that exists at the city gates. The Biblical capital
punishment system requires a specific governmental structure founded on Biblical (Torah) based principles
and guidelines. There is not a country currently on planet Earth, including Israel, that is currently
employing the true Biblical structure and process necessary to carry out this commandment.

It is these courts (not us directly) that are commanded to carry out the Biblical capital punishment cases.

As a consequence, all believers are currently subject to the governmental authority of their respective
nation as there is no alternative. The persons Biblically mandated and accountable to the capital
punishment commandments currently do not exist in true commanded form. Thus, there is no group
established to be obedient to these commandments.

The same issue existed in the first century under Roman rule. Capital punishments required the blessing of
both Roman and Sanhedrin authority to carry out such commandments according to scripture because they
were under Roman government. Israel lost their governmental autonomy because of their disobedience.
Several instances of NT capital punishment in scripture were not Biblical and actually violated the
commandments of God. The stoning of Stephen would be an example (Acts 6-7). He was falsely accused
of teaching that Yeshua (Jesus) changed God’s law. Yeshua (Jesus) taught no such thing, thus the
witnesses were false (Acts 6:13). The attempted stoning in John 8 would be another example that did not
employ the Biblical process, they did not seek the council of the elders.

The structure and process of the capital punishment process is rather defined in the Law of God (Torah).

Deuteronomy 16:18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God
gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

The cases are to be presented and judged fairly. Only the Biblically appointed judges subscribing to God’s
Word are permitted to judge on these matters.

Deuteronomy 1:16-17 “Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your
brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him. You shall
not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any
man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’

If there is any reasonable doubt that a person does not meet the criteria for capital punishment then the case
is immediately dismissed.
Exodus 23:7 Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not
justify the wicked.

Deuteronomy 17:11 According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the
judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the
sentence which they pronounce upon you.

In ancient writings we find that if the Sanhedrin stoned more than two people in a seven year period they
are considered a blood thirsty group of judges (Babylonian Talmud). It is actually quite difficult to
Biblically stone a person in capital punishment. It did not happen quite often, and when it did happen it
was always clear cut case of someone thumbing their nose at God and rejecting His ways.

To ensure valid judging on matters a detailed witness system was commanded to be employed.

Witness System

If we are aware of sin, we are commanded to disclose our knowledge of that sin.

Leviticus 5:1 ‘If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or
known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.

An investigation process is employed to prove any accusations beyond any doubt. If there is any doubt that
the accusations could not be true, the case must be dropped as it is against the Law of God to accidently
convict the righteous or innocent (Exodus 23:7). There must be no possible way that the accused is not
guilty.

Deuteronomy 13:14 then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and
certain that such an abomination was committed among you,

All accused are to be treated equally and all witnesses must be a believer in the Word of God. All
witnesses are to stick to the facts and not allow themselves to be influenced in either direction by the
desires of the majority.

Exodus 1:1-3 You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an
unrighteous witness. You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn
aside after many to pervert justice. You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.

The witness system requires two to three witnesses to establish any matter or accusation.

Deuteronomy 19:15 “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he
commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.

Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three
witnesses.

1 Timothy 5:19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.

2 Corinthians 13:1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word shall be established.”

1 Corinthians 14:29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.
1 Corinthians 14:27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and
let one interpret.

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of
them.”

At the very least, it should be rather clear there is much more complexity surrounding the process of capital
punishment than one realizes. The process is reserved for the Biblical judicial system. In reality, carrying
out the capital punishment commandments in our current governmental state would actually be breaking
the commandments of God, not being compliant with them, because we are NOT part of the Biblical
judicial system. Any intellectually honest student of God’s Word will quickly surmise that such an
application of God’s commandments is not “picking and choosing” by any stretch. God picked and chose
in advance who was given those commandments and we are required to respect that.

Just as there are commandments specific for men, for women, for children, for farmers, for elders, for
priests, etc. There are the commandments for the Biblical courts. No one can suddenly declare themselves
High Priest or an elder, etc., and begin practicing their commandments. That is absurd and such is in the
case of capital offences and the judicial process.

This is the heart of the confusion. Most do not realize that those practicing the whole truth of the Bible are
not refraining from capital punishment commandments because they are “picking and choosing” what
commandments to obey and which ones to supposedly ignore. These commandments are for a specific
group of people within the body of the holy nation of Israel that currently do not exist as Biblically
ordained. The precedent set in scripture from the beginning is that we submit to the authority of the
government and nations we are under as long as doing so does not force us to break the commandments of
God.

This is where another doctrinal mistake can manifest. Just because the courts are not established today
does not mean that suddenly the Sabbath, or the Lord’s feast days, or dietary instructions, etc. are to be
ignored and abandoned. We can not abolish the Sabbath commandment any more than we can abolish the
commandment for honesty or refraining from idolatry. Just because the criteria might be lacking for the
court commandments to function as designed offers no Biblical support or precedence that we can start
picking and choosing other commandments to removed or abolish.

For example, when the first temple was destroyed and the Jews were in Babylon, just because the sacrificial
system was forced to be on pause in the absence of a temple did not give them license to profane the
Sabbath, delete the Lord’s feast days, or declare pig and lobster as food. Just because the Biblical court
system is not currently established as it should be is not a valid excuse to randomly nullify parts of God’s
law. All of God’s law still applies, we just need to apply it Biblically.

If anyone actually practiced the capital punishment commandments today they would actually be breaking
the commandments of God, not following them. They would be ignoring and breaking the established
Biblical process given to those who are Biblically accountable to enforce and judge on these matters. We
are commanded to not do that ourselves, as we are not granted such autonomy.

Thus, accusations of “not practicing Biblical capital punishment” as being contradictive to pursuing Torah
(Law of God) obedience are merely the result of not doing one’s due diligence in understanding His
established Word. They become false accusations. So unless someone is actually confusing us as a group
of judicial court elders, the whole premise of the question is simply not Biblical.

Why Does God Institute Capital Punishment?

Capital punishment is designed to teach, govern, and bless us. In scripture, those who refuse to walk in
God’s ways are said to have hearts of stone (i.e. Ezekiel 36:26-27). It is quite the irony is that God chooses
to use stones to address such behavior in His established Judicial system.

One clear purpose of obedience to God’s commandments is to bless us: (Deut 11:26-27)(Ps 112:1)(Ps
119:1-2)(Ps 128:1)(Prov 8:32)(Is 56:2)(Mat 5:6)(Mat 5:10)(Luke 11:28)(Jam 1:25)(1 Pe 3:14)(Rev 22:14)

When others begin practicing ways and traditions against the commandments of God it begins to infect
God’s people with anti-law behavior, or sin. Sin is bondage according to God’s Word and it is God’s
desire that His people are not corrupted and living in sin. It is God’s desire to purge extreme public sin
from His body so that it does not corrupt the rest of the body and place others in bondage. In doing this the
capital punishment system places fear and attention back to God and His ways (i.e. Deut. 21:21) while at
the same time removing individuals who have no desire to love God (i.e. 1 John 5:2-3). God’s ways are so
good and such a blessing for His people that God can not allow one person or a small group of people to
negatively influence the whole body and thus cause them all to turn away from God. This is a case of God
correcting a few to save the whole from traveling the same destructive path.

This process is so effective that as long as leadership remained true to the Biblical application of these
commandments, then Israel as whole body remained to be walking in His ways and stonings were
unbelievably rare. The obvious historical problem is that Israel leadership often abandoned God’s ways
and the system did not work as intended, thus in many instances God’s people still apostatized and were
fractured and scattered.

The athiest or agnostic sees this capital punishment process and can not see the value in its design and
purpose. The reason for this is that such critics see no value in the Lord’s commandments so they fail to
see why God should place such strict and profound measures of enforcement on His people. It is seen as
barbaric, evil, and unjust. Sadly, even many professing believers today fail to see how important God’s law
is for His people.

If God did not believe His law was such a benefit for us then there would have been no discipline and
measures incorporated in His law to help sustain obedience to His law. The very fact that He incorporated
such serious consequences in His law when offenders abandon His law is a testimony to just how important
God feels His law is for us in His love for us! God is not bad for enforcing and giving us His law, He is
good for this!

Here is how scripture defines the law of God:

1. The Law blesses (obey) and curses (disobey).

(Deut 11:26-27)(Ps 112:1)(Ps 119:1-2)(Ps 128:1)(Prov 8:32)(Is 56:2)(Mat 5:6)(Mat 5:10)(Luke
11:28)(Jam 1:25)(1 Pe 3:14)(Rev 22:14)

2. The Law defines sin.

(Jer 44:23)(Ez 18:21)(Dan 9:11)(Ro 3:20)(Ro 7:7)(1 Jo 3:4)

3. The Law is perfect.

(Ps 19:7)(Jam 1:25)

4. The Law is liberty.

(Ps 119:45)(Jam 1:25, 2:12)

5. The Law is the way.

(Ex 18:20)(Deut 10:12)(Josh 22:5)(1 King 2:3)(Ps 119:1)(Prov 6:23)(Is 2:3)(Mal 2:8)(Mark 12:14)(Ac
24:14)
6. The Law is the truth.
(Ps 119:142)(Mal 2:6)(Ro 2:20)(Gal 5:7)(Ps 43:2-4)(Jo 8:31-32)

7. The Law is life.

(Job 33:30)(Ps 36:9)(Prov 6:23)(Rev 22:14)

8. The Law is light.

(Job 24:13)(Job 29:3)(Ps 36:9)(Ps 43:2-4)(Ps 119:105)(Prov 6:23)(Is 2:5) (Is 8:20)(Is 51:4)(2 Cor 6:14)(1
John 1:7)

9. The Law is Jesus, the Word made flesh.

(PERFECT-LIBERTY-WAY-TRUTH-LIFE-LIGHT).
(Ps 27:1)(Jo 1:1-14)(Jo 14:5-11)(1 Jo 1:7)

10. The Law is also for the Gentiles (foreigner/alien) who are grafted in.
(Ex 12:19) (Ex 12:38) (Ex 12:49) (Lev 19:34) (Lev 24:22) (Num 9:14) (Num 15:15-16) (Num 15:29) (ie:
Ruth) (Is 42:6) (Is 60:3) (Mat 5:14) (Eph 2:10-13) (Ac 13:47) (Ro 11:16-27) (Jer31:31-34) (Ez 37) (1 Jo
2:10) (1 Jo 1:7)

11. The Law is God’s instructions on how to love God, how to love others, and how to not love yourself.
(Ex 20:6)(Deut 5:10)(Deut 7:10)(Deut 11:13)(Deut 11:22)(Deut 30:16)(Deut 6:5)(Lev 19:18)(Neh
1:5)(Dan 9:4)(Mat 22:35-37)(Matthew 10:39)(Mat 16:25)(Jo 14:15)(Jo 14:21)(Ro 13:9)(1 Jo 5:2-3)(2 Jo
1:6)

Perhaps now it might be more clear as to why God is so interested us in His people having the opportunity
to know and live in God’s ways. Anything that places such a benefit to God’s people at risk is certainly a
grave and serious matter and requires grave and serious consequences. Anyone that sees God’s law as
unimportant is also going to see God’s discipline on such matters as just too extreme. Thus, the problem is
not God’s established discipline, but our personal or corporate inability to Biblically understand the
awesomeness and grand importance of His law for us.

A Prophetic View of Stoning

In closing, there is at least one more matter to consider on this subject of stoning and capital punishment. If
one reviews all of the commandments that merit the death penalty, one should quickly realize a pattern. All
of the commandments are strongly related to participating serious spiritual adultery. When we sin (break
God’s law) God often equates it to going after other gods. The reason for this is simple, if we obey and
follow other ways that are not from God, there is only one other source of origin for those ways, the table
of men or of devils. If we elevate those ways above God’s ways , then we are in effect declaring with our
heart and behavior (regardless of what our mouth says) that God’s ways are lesser than those ways in our
sin. This is a form of idolatry and thus spiritually fornicating.

This happened to God’s people quite often in Scripture. The continuous pattern of obedience, apostatizing,
and correction in His people is clear to anyone who has invested some time studying His Word. So what
does that mean to us? Well, as we know, “there is nothing new under the sun.” If it is that is the pattern in
scripture from the beginning then that is the same pattern that exists today leading into the end.

Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done…

Patterns in scripture are meant to teach us truth, not to confuse us.

When we examine end times we find that the whole purpose of the Great Tribulation is the lead God’s
people out of Babylonian ways (mystery Babylon)(i.e. Rev. 17-18) and back to God’s ways. Two
witnesses show up to teach us God’s Word to anyone who will listen (Rev. 11). Angels fly overhead and
proclaim the Word to all nations (Rev. 14). Whatever we believe the truth is today, at that time everyone
will have the opportunity to hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth, for those willing to listen. All of
this can be found in the Prophets, Yeshua and Paul’s words, and the book of Revelation. These are all
things one can study and prove for themselves.

Here is the practical understanding as it relates to the issue of stoning. In the Great Tribulation, those who
refuse to repent and turn back to God and His ways, but still love the mixed in Babylonian ways, even after
such blatant correction and instruction, the stoning commandment then becomes once again all too real.

Remember, it takes two witnesses to establish a matter (Rev. 11). The two witnesses arrive and proclaim to
the world that they should change their ways. Many do not and thus the two witnesses have no choice but
to give their testimony to the Judge when they are “caught up” back to heaven after they are murdered and
raised again. They stand as the evidence against the world and those continuing to mix God’s ways with
Babylonian ways. Right now we are afforded grace because we have been deceived. In the end times, the
two witnesses remove the veil of such deceit and what was once accidental sin becomes blatant rebellion to
those who still refuse to repent by turning back to God’s ways. They are in effect committing spiritual
adultery and loving it. What a blessing it is to realize that so many are coming out of it today and sharing
in the blessings of all of God’s ways!

The other more unfortunate reality is that God’s wrath is poured out at some point in the end. There is still
time affording those still in mystery Babylon more chances to repent and turn back to the Law of God and
His Truth. For those who do not turn back, but choose to remain in spiritual adultery, just as God’s law
(Torah) dictates, the punishment is stoning by the “whole city” after the matter has been effectively judged.

This is where it becomes interesting.

For this very reason, the last bowl of wrath in Revelation is when 100 pound hail “stones” rain down from
everyone that has been caught up in the air (the whole city), to crush those who continued to commit
adultery with mystery Babylon. This is effectively defined as the winepress of God’s wrath as these people
are equated to the grapes harvest in Israel. It is God stoning the world according to His own law (Torah).
In order for God to be declared righteous and holy He uses His own standard (Law of God as written down
by Moses) to define righteousness and holiness. If God did not stone the world for adultery then He would
no longer be holy or righteous.

Obviously such good group is not a good group to be in.

Test these things to His Word. Realize that the stoning commandments are not abolished in any capacity.
In fact, the ultimate stoning is still coming right on schedule as just described, because it is still God’s law.
If you are unfamiliar with mystery Babylon, then consider learning about Babylonian ways and how you
might actually be entertaining them in some of your traditions. God asks us to rid ourselves of such ways
and to not worship Him by mixing the devil’s (sun god) ways with God’s ways (i.e. Deut. 12).

This is not intended to install fear into professing believers, but since we are on the topic of stoning, this
reality that is prophetically foretold will indeed happen. It is also a very serious matter. God is love, but He
is also righteous and holy. We need to study to show ourselves approved and work out our salvation with
fear and trembling.

God makes a very valid point in His Word. If we really only love Him, then it is only His ways we should
love, not His enemies. The evidence of our love for Him is evidenced in the ways we follow…

Pro 28:9 "He who turns away his ear from hearing the Law, Even his prayer is an abomination."

Shalom, and we pray that this study has blessed you and your household.
119 Ministries
www.TestEverything.net