So this is of course quite a controversial subject, especially in an age where gun-ownership and “Christendom” have more or less become synonymous terms; most often under the guise of the “republican party,” etc. (I’ll have to address the issue of the illusion of a two-party system, in light of quotes from the founding fathers, etc. in another post.)
But can this principle of ‘reaching for our guns’ in times of trouble really hold up to scrutiny? Does it actually reflect sound doctrine, having it’s roots in the Bible? Most assuredly this is a rather complicated issue, and there are many angles which ought be considered.
My Experience
First, I shall start off by explaining a little bit about myself and my experience with guns, lest I be accused of having some sort of bias because I’m “just not comfortable with guns,” “I have no experience with them,” or because I’m “intimidated by them,” etc.
I actually grew up handling/shooting guns and being taught gun safety from an early age. My father was a sheriff and owned many firearms. Not only would he often let us clean his guns for him, he also regularly took us to the range where we shot not only his guns but also many other interesting firearms from the collections of others. So I am most assuredly familiar, personally experienced, and comfortable with guns.
Divine Revelation
Furthermore, I myself in my adult years would become a gun owner when I had my awakening back in 2012. Realizing the extent of the tyranny, and the eventual inevitable market collapse and the subsequent lawlessness which will follow, I had purchased a CZ-75 .40 Caliber Pistol and a 5.56 Smith & Wesson AR-15 for my protection.
Now, this awakening to the state of affairs of this country, (etc.) corresponded with a spiritual awakening, whereby I was given revelation that Jesus was the Christ, the Bible the Word of God, conviction of personal sin, etc. unto salvation; albeit very much a ‘babe’ in the faith at this point (having not grown up in the Christian faith, having no idea what the Bible said, or otherwise growing up in the church; and my parents being totally secular/atheists/agnostics etc.) So, while around this time by circumstances of providence, facts were brought to my attention which led to my conversion, I had yet gotten a chance to actually really read it and thus was spiritually immature and more or less just reacting naturally to the situation in the most appropriate and responsible way I could conceive at the time.
Well suffice it to say, here is where things get interesting, even ‘stranger than fiction.’
During this period of time that my ‘eyes were opened’ all of the sudden I had ‘eyes to see’ another layer, a 4th dimension if you will; namely I could see the spiritual nature behind everything; even things going on in my immediate surroundings that would perhaps otherwise seem innocuous.
So as one could imagine this was a most intense and even somewhat frightening time, as it could be more or less be summarized as a season of ‘signs and wonders;’ Now I’m sure at this point some would be quick to suggest I must have been “suffering some sort of mental illness,” “mental breakdown,” “delusions grandeur,” “hallucinations,” etc. and I can understand why one may be inclined to think that, but I assure you that I very much retained all clarity, critical thinking, sound-mindedness, stability, self-control, reasoning, etc., rather I had acquired supernatural awareness. (I shall elaborate on my awakening and all that took place in a separate post in the future)
So thus began my own ‘exodus’ from spiritual bondage, as well as literally out of the city I was then living. Anyways, within the following weeks I was not only supernaturally led to certain scriptures from the Bible which illustrated that I was not to resort to ‘self-defense’ but I also suddenly had ‘eyes to see’ that the serpentine-dragon images used in the logos (click following links to view symbols) on my S&W AR-15, and Fobus holster for my CZ-75, were actually spiritual manifestations indicating that they were not of God (Revelation 12:9).
Now that spiritual revelation was so powerful it was perfectly evident to me, and I needed no more confirmation, I sold my guns, etc. but let us proceed to reason from the Bible and from history as a whole to really drive this point home.
So, before I reference the certain scriptures the Lord gave me at that time which further reinforced by decision, let me again emphasize that these scriptures came to my attention by divine revelation of God, through happenstance/providence, there was no “google’ing it,” researching the issue, etc. God just directed me to them in the Bible. I reiterate this, because in this day and age it’s so common that people take certain scriptures in order to suite their worldviews, but these was given to me, by God himself, thus I heeded and changed my worldview.
Scriptural Basis
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.”-Romans 13:1-5
Now evidently there are those who claim to be Bible believing Christians, such as Eric Jon Phelps for one, who purport that Romans 13:1-5 doesn’t teach “unlimited submission to political tyranny” but rather teaches that if the “powers that be” aren’t fulfilling the above role then then that is the grounds of replacing them even by force if necessary. They most often base this premise on Jonathan Mayhew’s “A Discourse, Concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-Resistance to the Higher Powers“. But for one thing, As protestants is not the Bible to be our final authority in faith and practice? And why does it take Mayhew a 54 page document to of reading into the simple and plainly stated inspired scriptures, what’s not written, in order to arrive at the “correct” conclusion? Why not just point to a few scriptures? One only has to look up Jonathan Mayhew’s name in google to see the historic paintings of him, where its observable he had long hair, which is certainly contrary to scripture (1 Cor. 11:14). Now is that too “judgmental” or too irrelevant to to make note of? I mean, Christ said “Ye shall know them by their fruits”. Does this not in itself lend credence to the fact that this man doesn’t obey the scriptures in spirit and truth? Furthermore what about when God is using a wicked government in judgement against a wicked people that as a whole has turned its back from God? As far as my knowledge of the scriptures are concerned, when one considers the whole of the Bible, there is only one conclusion that can be arrived at.
David and Saul
God said of David “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will”(Acts 13:22). Now what were David’s convictions when he could have killed the wicked king Saul in the cave, who was certainly not fulfilling his duties of Romans 13, even after only went as far as to cut off part of his robe?
“And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord‘s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul.“-1 Samuel 24:5-7
Now keep in mind, in Romans 15:4 it’s written of the old testament, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning”. So why didn’t David kill Saul when he had the chance? Because David knew to do so would be wicked (v.13) and knew that God would make him king by his sovereignty and providence, in his time, in his own way, without David having to perform it. David trusted God.
Jeremiah
Likewise, Jeremiah the prophet was put in prison by his fellow country men, on account of “treason” specifically for advocating non-resistance to the invading wicked Babylonians because he knew God was judging his people. See Jeremiah 38.
More Scriptural Evidence
“Thou shalt not kill.“-Exodus 20:13
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)“-2 Corinthians 10:3-4
“But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.“-Matthew 5:39
“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight…”-John 18:36
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good“-Romans 12:19-21
“Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.“-Matthew 26:52 (this is the only time in scripture we read of a Christian (here, Apostle Peter) taking up arms and he get’s rebuked by Jesus Himself for it)
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.“-Romans 13:1-2 (and lest it be erroneously argued that this is a reference to government in the church, just see verse 4)
“Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.“-Genesis 9:6
“Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not“-Romans 12:14
“As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.“-Romans 8:36
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest… hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions…“-Galatians 5:19-20
“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience“-James 5:10
So what about Luke 22:36 where Jesus says he who doesn’t have a sword buy one?
Here I shall refer you to the Baptist/Calvinist John Gill’s (1697-1771)“Exposition on the Entire Bible”:
“These words of Christ are not to be understood literally, that he would have his disciples furnish themselves with swords at any rate, since he would never have said, as he afterwards does, that two were sufficient; which could not be enough for eleven men; or have forbid Peter the use of one, as he did in a very little time after this: but his meaning is, that wherever they came, and a door was opened for the preaching of the Gospel, they would have many adversaries, and these powerful, and would be used with great violence, and be followed with rage and persecution; so that they might seem to stand in need of swords to defend them: the phrase is expressive of the danger they would be exposed to, and of their need of protection; and therefore it was wrong in them to be disputing and quarrelling about superiority, or looking out for, and expecting temporal pomp and grandeur, when this would be their forlorn, destitute, and afflicted condition; and they would quickly see the affliction and distress begin in himself.”
W.W.J.D.
“For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I...“-John 13:15
One of the most simple and sure ways when one is unsure about a particular doctrine or course of action is to resort to the old acronym famous when I was growing up in the 90’s, “What Would Jesus Do?” or “WWJD.” If Jesus were living on the earth today, can you picture him picking up a machine gun to mow down his enemies? Of course not. And obviously we know from recorded history, especially that of the Bible, Jesus never resisted or fought back. In fact he prayed for his enemies as they were killing him, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do“-Luke 23:34. If Jesus was 100% innocent and sinless and didn’t fight for his life/liberty, and we are all guilty sinners worthy of God’s wrath, what does that say?
We are in fact called to suffer as Christ and whether or not we do is a mark of our faith:
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake“-Philippians 1:29
“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.“-Luke 14:27
“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”-Romans 8:17
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”-Philippians 3:10
“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us“-2 Timothy 2:12
“And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation“-2 Corinthians 1:7
“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.“-Matthew 10:39
Besides, what’s worth fighting for in this fallen, broken, world anyways? No doubt we shall have joy and peace if we’re living according to the Word and spirit, but we should also be ready to get out of here, and thus lay our lives down (Philippians 1:21, 23) besides this is where the power of our testimony is. Think about what it would say to the world that we are so certain of our faith that we don’t even fight to preserve the temporal. It was also once said, I believe by Ghandi, something to this effect, I paraphrase: “when someone assaults you and you don’t fight back, it has a tendency to kindle a fire in their heart.”
Historical/Etc.
You may rightly say, “but Brother Caleb that’s extreme, and makes no sense, fighting back seems reasonable.”
Well of course, but Christianity is supposed to be radical, it’s what makes us different than the ways of the world every other religion. The Bible also tells us there’s way that seems right in a man’s eyes but it’s end is death, and that the heart is deceitful above all things, and that the ways of God are foolishness to the natural man. (Proverbs 14:12, Jeremiah 17:9, 1 Corinthians 2:14)
Another may also object “well what about the founding fathers of America, Oliver Cromwell, and the others throughout history who fought back with arms against tyranny?”
Well first we must address that just because God allows something to happen, doesn’t mean it was necessarily done in accordance to his Word. Perhaps God decided it was more needful those things be allowed to happen because it would ultimately result in the bearing of more fruit, namely in getting the gospel to the ends of the earth, etc.
Secondly, we must consider that God uses wicked men to rule and oppress his people in judgement when they have turned from Him (Isaiah 45:7, Romans 9:17, 1 Samuel 8, etc.) Countries such as America were founded upon the Bible and the protestant reformation, having turned from these principles and embracing wickedness, lawlessness, and perversity of diverse kinds, we are under the judgment of God, and thus I would argue that interfering would actually be fighting against God himself, whereas the founding fathers had personal righteousness on their sides, and were seeking an environment in which they could worship him, and love him above all else.
Historically speaking we actually have such an example where a man of God, namely Dietrich Bonhoeffer (and others), decided physical action needed to be taken against the wicked Hitler, which God raised up to judge the apostate German Lutherans, which ultimately led to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was by profession a Pastor and Theologian, being taken a prisoner of war, and ultimately being put to death by execution for treason and conspiracy, only weeks before the end of the war. Furthermore we know directly from the testimony of Hitler’s secretary that this failed assassination attempt actually emboldened Hitler to boast and believe that God was most certainly on his side and that what he was doing must therefore be right. See following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iArD6xj2R7k.
Thirdly, we must consider the prophetic time in the history of man in which we are living. The signs of the end of the world are all around us if we compare them to the Word. Indeed Jesus said we shall be able to discern the season (Matthew 24, 2 Timothy 3:1-7). As it turns out the institution of the 7 day week by God, 6 days of work, 1 day of rest, was actually prophetic of 6,000 years of man’s self-rule, 1,000 year Rule of Christ. (2 Peter 3:8, Revelation 20:6, etc.) And it’s well documented that according to the Bible, the age of man’s rule on earth using the genealogies of the Bible it’s roughly 6000 years old. (How old is the earth?) Thus endtime prophecy must be fulfilled that Christ’s kingdom may finally be established, and no man shall prevail against it (Revelation 17:18, Revelation 13:4), and indeed this is where we find ourselves today. And this is okay because it means things are soon to be restored, and thus peace, love, goodness, and equity finally prevail and evil be done away with!
Besides when one really thinks about it”fighting back” against the tyranny and evil isn’t even a logical option, as the beast system has control over the entire military industrial complex with the armies of the world, all its fighter jets, tanks, and other advanced technologies. Not only outnumbered and outgunned, but neither are ‘the People’ organized/unified for such an opposition. Now if ‘the People’ had God on their side, and that was truly His will for us, God could still overcome these odds, but as already expounded on, this is not the case.
In conclusion
So in inclusion we must ask ourselves do we literally believe God? Do we literally believe in his providence, omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence? Do we believe that if we are personally right with God that he can protect us from evil if it’s in his will? Is it possible that those who put faith in their firearms are actually guilty of idolatry, and of consequence may be put in situations where they will ‘get what they wish for.’
Let us also consider the justifying of violence in the name of Christ and religion was the chief cause of inquisitions, crusades, etc. Jesus is Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)- and we are marked by his name (CHRISTian), how then can we ever justify violence as answer? Gun’s and fighting cannot produce peace, the only way is by the spirit and grace of God for man as a whole to refuse to any longer resort to such barbaric and unnecessary ends.
Final Quotes
-“Let the minds clash – but keep the fists down!”-Martin Luther
“The pen is mightier than the sword“-Edward Bulwer-Lytton
“Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.“-Mahatma Gandhi
“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.“-Martin Luther King Jr.
“Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up.” -Mahatma Gandhi
Contending for The Faith 
The commandment in Hebrew means “Thou shalt not murder”, not more broadly “Thou shalt not kill.” This mis-translation probably served to keep King James’ subjects more docile.
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King James merely sponsored or paid for the translation. The actual translating itself was was done and cross checked by a team of over 54 men who were masters of the Hebrew and Greek of the original manuscripts. The object was to preserve the original meaning as it was believed they were commissioned to a divine work and literally translating the Word of God. It had nothing to do with creating a translation to subject the English people, that’s the exact opposite of the objective in light and response to the tyranny and oppression for over 400 years of the papacy, hence why it’s known as the reformation Bible. There have been countless books written on these matters. But, rather than list all of those out right now, to start with I would suggest you re-read the post above in its entirety as it took a comprehensive approach to arrive at the conclusion. So even if that were a “mis-translation” (it’s not) it still does not change the only conclusion that can be arrived at by consulting the whole of scripture. But if you think you can kill a man/woman and remain in good conscience/still be in the will of God, and still obeying Christ who came to be our example (John 13:15) then I guess you will have to answer for that on Judgement day.
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Exo 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
Kill-H7523
רצח
râtsach = to murder
Murder is wrong. This means the premeditated killing of others is wrong. Killing in a fit of emotion is also wrong but:
You are allowed to defend the weak against the Pagans:
Psa 82:3-4 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
Pro 24:10-11 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain
THE HISTORY OF THE WALDENSES
CHAPTER 9
The Great Campaign of 1561
They had been sent back with an order, enjoining on the Vaudois unconditional submission to the church of Rome on pain of extermination. To enforce that order to the uttermost a more numerous army was at that moment being raised. The mass or universal slaughter—such was the alternative now presented to them.
The spirit of the people woke up. Rather than thus disgrace their ancestors, imperil their own souls, and entail a heritage of slavery on their children, they would die a thousand times. Their depression was gone; they were as men who had awakened from heavy sleep; they had found their arms. Their first care was to recall their pastors, their next to raise up their fallen churches, and their third to resume public service in them. Daily their courage grew, and once more joy lighted up their faces.
The Vaudois laboured with the zeal of men who feel that their cause is a great and a righteous one, and are prepared to sacrifice all for it. They erected barricades; they planted ambushes; they appointed signals, to telegraph the movements of the enemy from post to post. “Every house,” says Muston, “became a manufactory of pikes, bullets, and other weapons.” They selected the best marksmen their Valleys could furnish, and formed them into the “Flying Company,” whose duty it was to hasten to the point where the danger pressed the most. To each body of fighting men they attached two pastors, to maintain the morale of their army. The pastors, morning and evening, led the public devotions; they prayed with the soldiers before going into battle; and when the fighting was over, and the Vaudois were chasing the enemy down their great mountains, and through their dark gorges, they exerted themselves to prevent the victory from being stained by any unnecessary effusion of blood.
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Rex, are the scriptures to be the Christian’s final authority, or the traditions the Waldenses? By the way, if we are to consider the history of the Waldenses, let us consider it entirely: What was the end of that people anyway? Did not God allow them in spite of these “justified” defenses to be nearly altogether conquered by the sword? Were not the remnant of them which did survive end up being but compromisers and apostates? Is God sovereign? Is not history HIS-story? Could there perhaps be a valuable lesson in why God allowed not this sect to pass over the river Jordan, requiring them to pass their torch on to others? Why didn’t God come to their defense as He so often promises in His Word? And finally, please tell, where in the new testament is any provision ever given for use of force? Surely if you indeed be a man of the scriptures, you know there are none, and many which condemn the idea.
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You realize that if there were no instances in Scripture and World History (before and after the New Testament) of believers in God defending their faith; which is clearly taught in Scripture against the unrighteous rulers of the ages, that the true Gospel including the Bible and even you or the country you live in would probably not even exist today.
If the Apostles and the early Church taught, obeyed and believed as the false teachers preach their half-interpretation of Romans 13 in this day and age, the Apostles would have obeyed:
( “the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.” ) The Apostles would have stopped spreading the true Gospel, as commanded by their Pagan rulers, while the early church would not have defended, preserved and hid the Holy Scriptures from their Pagan rulers or conquerors..
If you actually read and studied the History of the Waldenses it is stated that the Waldenses had no man-made traditions and believed only in the Holy Scriptures and nothing contrary. They guarded the written Scriptures and copied them for distribution at the cost of their lives for hundreds of years.
You would also know that they were not conquered by the sword and had many victories against their aggressors where God also aided them with various miracles during the conflicts.
Their history states that they were almost wiped out by the Plague introduced into their remote valleys by their enemies. Afterward, they were infiltrated by false teachers during the Reformation just like most churches have been infiltrated and compromised today. The latter younger generations, after the original faithful Waldensian Barbas died, starting following the false teachings of Geneva as quoted here: “ministers hastened from Geneva and other places to the Valleys, lest the old lamp should go out. The services of the Waldensian Churches had hitherto been performed in the Italian tongue, but the new pastors could speak only French. Worship was henceforward conducted in that language, but the Vaudois soon came to understand it,……Another change introduced at this time was the assimilation of their ritual to that of Geneva. And further, the primitive and affectionate name of Barba was dropped, and the modern title substituted, Monsieur le Ministre [Monastier, chap. 18. Muston, pp. 242-3].” But some indeed left the valleys and did not compromise their faith.
We see in Nehemiah 4:14-20, just like the Waldenses, that the people were armed and willing to use their weapons, but they were also trusting in the Lord:
14″Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses…. 20 “At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
Note that these families were armed, with “their swords, their spears, and their bows.” This is a situation where they are willing to apply lethal force to defend themselves and their loved ones.
Also, Christ only taught from the Old Testament as the New Testament did not yet exist, but we know that the New Testament is the Old concealed, the Old is in the New revealed. Thus to understand the word of God fully we must hold all things in the Old Testament as in the New.
As you mentioned in your article:
Luke 22:35-39 And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing.” 36 Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. 37 “For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.” 38 So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
Whatever your interpretation of this passage, as we all realize that Christ was there only to do the will of His Father, there are a few broad-stroke observations we can make about this passage.
Jesus expected them to have swords and anticipated a time when those without swords would need to acquire them.
Among eleven disciples, they did have two swords–in almost a 1:5 ratio.
Jesus expected them to carry the swords on their person as they traveled from the city to the garden prayer meeting.
It is difficult to make absolute claims beyond these observations, but the observations themselves have significance. Namely, among those closest to Christ, some carried personal weapons in His presence, with His consent, at all times even to the last supper and to prayer right up to His arrest in the Garden. Furthermore, Jesus spoke of some time, present or future, when disciples would need to acquire personal weapons for defense, even more urgently than garments.
From the lips of God Himself:
Exodus 22:2 2 “If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed.
Other examples:
Exodus 2: 11-12 Moses killed a Egyptian while defending one of his Hebrew brothers.
David was a man after God’s own heart:
1 Samuel 17 David kills Goliath
Psalm 144:1 Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
Psalm 18:34 He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze
Nehemiah 4:14-21 “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses….
17 Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon. 18 As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me. …20 “At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” 21 So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from dawn until the stars appeared. …. 23 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.
Esther 8:11-12 11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives — to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions…
There are many more verses in Scripture of God’s given rights to man in the bible and there are many scriptures that legitimize self-defense while trusting in God for help and guidance. This US Constitution also mirrors these rights in many ways.
Since you support the teachings of Ellen G. White, I must admit to being ignorant on your religion and that your personal reason for owning firearms could not be scriptural in your eyes.
But we see in the whole account of the Holy Scriptures and throughout all history that possession of weapons and acquiring the skill to use them in self-defense or defense of others against tyranny and oppression by evil is legitimatized by the Scriptures in certain circumstances, but only according to the will and guidance of our Creator.
Take Care and God Bless,
Rex
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Rex, Let me make a couple things clear. This article does not regard self-defense or defense of family as much as it does taking up arms in response to tyranny.
I’m a non-denominational Christian, who looks to the BIble and the Bible alone for his final authority, and that’s my religion. I don’t care what Ellen White says/did any more than I care about what the Waldenses, the so-called early church, or even the founding fathers of America, etc. said or did, when it contradicts the scriptures, being the infallible and complete Word of God.
Romans 13 was written by Paul addressing a common grievance and desire of the Jews, who absolutely despised the roman tyranny, and were seeking any way possible to overthrow it (and were expecting Messiah to do this, for which reason the majority of jews rejected him. This is why for example the pharisees were asking Him if it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar (Mt. 22:17), etc.). It should go without saying that the submission to the powers therein advocated by Paul, is limited to matters which do not contradict the commandments of God (Acts 5:29). So, to argue as you did that Romans 13 must condone overthrowing tyrannical governments because otherwise the believers would have to stop preaching at the host governments request is a Non Sequitur. And I shall, in the following, demonstrate the inevitable erroneous nature of this claim using scriptures.
Show me one example in scripture from the New Testament where the early church or apostles were taking up arms to advance the Kingdom, in response to tyranny (or even in self defense for that matter). The only such case where one took up arms was peter, and he was rebuked for it, “Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword“(Mt. 26:52; see also Revelation 13:10), and hence we know that that Jesus’ Words in Luke 22:35-39, which many like yourself like to use to claim Jesus advocated taking up arms, could be no more literal than when He said, “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed” (John 6:54-58). And hence why most commentators interpreted Lk. 22:35-39 as a figure of speech (which Jesus often employed, as well as hyperbole) indicating the spiritual warfare, opposition, and even martyrdom they were subjecting themselves to by joining themselves to His cause), etc.
Let us consider the righteous Stephen (Acts 6:8-8:3), did he when unjustly assaulted by the wicked hypocrites take up a sword in the name of a just cause? No, he in following His master laid down His life as a witness for the Gospel proclaiming, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” (Acts 7:60). It’s a matter of general historical fact that the earliest of the Christian church did not fight back, but accepted their persecution, were burned alive and fed to lions in the roman coliseums (refer to records of Roman historian Tacitus for instance, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians_in_the_Roman_Empire, etc.). And as it turned out, this was the most effective means of spreading the gospel, which gave rise to the saying, “We multiply whenever we are mown down by you; the blood of Christians is seed.” (Tertullian) and this truth was born out again and again even through the dark ages. Christians are called to lay down their lives for the Gospel, not fight for it (Mt. 16:24-26).
Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Mt. 5:39). This is the exact opposite of what the old testament advocated from which Jesus is quoting (see Exodus 21:23-26). And what does He go on to say in the next several verses? “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” These verses make plain that just as God is perfect in yet blessing the wicked that hate, blaspheme, and persecute His name and people, postponing judgment, to lead men to repentance (Rom. 2:4) so are we to do.
And Christians are called to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). Or in other words, what would Jesus do?) It really only takes common sense, would Jesus be picking up a machine gun, were he walking the earth as a man today? Of course not. Just as Jesus never sought to overthrow tyrannical Rome for his people on account of their supposed rights the first time. Did it ever occur to you that Tyrannical governments are a judgement of God, and thus indeed ordained of Him (being familiar with old testament, you surely know that it was every time Israel apostatized they were given wicked and opressive leaders)? And what did the apostle Paul say, ” For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal…”, the underlying greek for carnal is defined by both Strong’s and Thayer’s as “Temporal” which is the opposite of spiritual, in other word’s it’s saying “For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [they’re spiritual!]”. The scriptures also say, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves…Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:19-21), that we’re to be “harmless as doves” (Mt. 10:16)
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight” (Jn. 18:36). Did God bless the founding fathers of America (and others before, etc.)? Of course, and for a purpose. Does that mean that what they did was in the will of God at that time? Sure. But does that mean that that should serve the example for Christians today? Surely not, seeing as America had to come into existence according to prophecy, and we are now living at the end of world (as the rapidly exponential fulfillment of prophecy proves), and therefore Christians, rather than fighting the new world order to create some new earthly kingdom, should be looking to the Scriptures to see how we are to prepare for His kingdom which is even now upon us. The new world order was literally prophesied in the Bible. It’s something God foretold he was going to allow to take place and that would usher in the end of the world. You fight against it, you are fighting against the will of God my friend.
The Bible, while to be wholly accepted as the Word of God, contains not just instructions, but also historical records, poems, songs, allegories, prophecy, prophetic symbols, etc. Most importantly the Bible is the progressive revelation of God, His will, and His plan being worked out. Some of the records are contained not because of commendation but honesty to fact. A couple examples would include Noah’s Drunkenness and subsequently his sons uncovering his nakedness (Gen 9:20-25), lot’s daughters incest with their father (Genesis 19:30-36), etc. And so likewise, was David a man after God’s heart? Yes. Do the scriptures also record that he committed adultery and murder? Yes. Does that mean it’s okay to commit adultery and murder? Obviously not. So as has been demonstrated, just because something is documented in holy writ doesn’t necessarily mean it’s commendable or the highest will of God.
You made a comment implying that the old testament and new testament are essentially the same. If this is so, then how come the Apostle Paul wrote, “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away (Heb. 8:13). If there is absolutely no difference between the old and new testaments, then Christians would have to form a theocracy (as Israel was, the very opposite of a constitutional republic) violators of the 10 commandments would have to be put to death, according to Christ, even for looking upon others with lust (Mt. 5:28) or being disobedient to parents as this is what the old testament scriptures command (by the way, I’m curious, someone as adamant as quoting the old testament and equating to the new as as you seem to be, are you keeping God’s holy Sabbath commanded in His moral law?), or those suspected of being witches for example would have to be put to death (Ex. 22:18). The Holy Days, sacrifices, and temple services would have to be reestablished. And on and on… The new testament is much more than “the old revealed”, the Apostle paul wrote, “[God] also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth” (2 Cor. 3:6). Aside from including instructions to not observe many of the former customs of the Hebrew dispensation, almost all of Paul’s writings (especially his epistle to the Hebrews) were written to show how the old testament by and large, were types and shadows fulfilled by Christ, and spiritual lessons for the church (goliath represents sin for instance) and not to be taken literally (see for example how Paul interprets the record of Abraham’s wives/children in Galatians 4:21-31). Therefore we see then, the notion that there is no difference whatever between the old and new testaments, is as extreme and incorrect as to say that the old testament is irrelevant and not applicable in any way at all to Christians.
So you can quote examples of the use of force form the old testament all you want to justify your position, but if you’re not putting that in the context of the New Testament writings, and if you’re not interpreting the old testament in the same manner put forth by the Apostles in the New Testament writings, then rest assured you are wresting the scriptures to your destruction (that’s why God saw in His providence that hose epistles and gospels found their way into a whole Bible, which were extant and circulated among the church from the very beginning), and the form of religion which would result (should you be consistent in such a manner of interpretation in all aspects of your theology) would essentially be nothing more than the form of modern messianic orthodox judaism.
If you’ve spent adequate time studying the prophecies for the end times, and were awake to there fulfillment which is occurring all around us at an alarming rate, you would know that there will be no revival (not a real one anyways), the final religious deception is soon to occur, which will culminate in the enforcement of the beast’s mark followed immediately by Jesus’s return at the end of the world. You would see then how any notion of taking up arms to fight off tyranny, beyond being frivolous, is absolutely insane. But you go for it brother, do what you’re bent on doing. Just know that you will definitely be outside of the will of God (who used this unprofitable servant of His to warn you), and therefore probably wont end well (and that’s something I hope you don’t have to find out when it’s to late).
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