Guns

[SavedByGrace3]

Some time ago we bought an AR-15 and 200 rounds of ammo.
I opened the box and just sort of looked it over. Have not even put on the sights yet or taken the magazine out of the wrapper. I just do not feel motivated to mess with it. I am not unfamiliar with guns. Dad got us a 22 when I was 10. I went through basic training and qualified with the M-16. I was a codes currier, so I had to qualify for and carry a .38 on every mission. Still, I am hesitant.

On the one hand we have a scripture that says that he who lives by the sword must be killed by the sword.

Matthew 26:52
52. 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.

Revelation 13:10
10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

On the other hand, I am also driven to protect my family. Who knows what is going to come in the days ahead? I find it hard to kill a snake that crept into my back yard. I am doing my best to be wise and do the right thing here.

I am also praying about the meaning of that phrase:
"Here is the patience and the faith of the saints"

We are preppers and have been working at it for over 10 years. This is the only sticking point I have with many of my fellow preppers.
It is a problem.

 

[Benam]

If you're gonna keep guns, make sure you know how to use the ones you've got. They are not all the same and if you ever have to use one in a hurry you don't want to find out that there's a "trick" to inserting a particular type of magazine, or that your shotgun only loads two shells because it came with a dowel insert to limit the load due to hunting regulations or whatever. Take them to a range or any safe and legal area and practice with them.

And probably more likely than for defense is the likelihood that you may need to use them for feeding your family if/when there's nothing left on grocery store shelves.

If you can only afford one gun, get a 12 gauge shotgun and a variety of shells. You can use this for home defense to hunting everything from small game (squirrels/rabbits) to birds (duck/geese/turkey) to large game (deer/moose)

An AR-15 is a nice gun but in common 5.56 chambering it's a little over-the-top for hunting small game, useless for anything in the air, and not a great option for bigger game (it'll work but it isn't gonna drop a large animal as easily as a 12 gauge slug or a .30 caliber hunting rifle)

Personally I have several .22LR firearms for inexpensive practice/training/plinking, a 12 gauge pump for all purposes, and a .308 hunting rifle for reaching out at a distance. I will likely be adding another 12 gauge (because they are so darn versatile) and something in 5.56 NATO/.223 REM (because the ammo is so ubiquitous).

And speaking of ammo... 200 rounds isn't much. I always have several thousand rounds of .22LR on hand (it's cheap), a variety of 12GA shells in shot sizes ranging from target loads (also works great for squirrels and rabbits without vaporizing them and it's relatively cheap) up to slugs, and as much 7.62 NATO/.380 WIN as I can afford (not so cheap but occasionally I find good deals).

My focus is more on the possibility of having to hunt to survive one day but any and all of them are useful for defense to one degree or another (yes, even .22LR)

And along those lines, it would be worth it to learn some skills like tracking, field dressing, skinning, butchering various animals.

And having them doesn't mean you have to use one for defense purposes. But I'd much rather have them and never need or use them for that, than to one day desperately wish I had one and not.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Some time ago we bought an AR-15 and 200 rounds of ammo.
I opened the box and just sort of looked it over. Have not even put on the sights yet or taken the magazine out of the wrapper. I just do not feel motivated to mess with it. I am not unfamiliar with guns. Dad got us a 22 when I was 10. I went through basic training and qualified with the M-16. I was a codes currier, so I had to qualify for and carry a .38 on every mission. Still, I am hesitant.

On the one hand we have a scripture that says that he who lives by the sword must be killed by the sword.

Matthew 26:52
52. 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.

Revelation 13:10
10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

On the other hand, I am also driven to protect my family. Who knows what is going to come in the days ahead? I find it hard to kill a snake that crept into my back yard. I am doing my best to be wise and do the right thing here.

I am also praying about the meaning of that phrase:
"Here is the patience and the faith of the saints"

We are preppers and have been working at it for over 10 years. This is the only sticking point I have with many of my fellow preppers.
It is a problem.

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

 

[disciple Clint]

Some time ago we bought an AR-15 and 200 rounds of ammo.
I opened the box and just sort of looked it over. Have not even put on the sights yet or taken the magazine out of the wrapper. I just do not feel motivated to mess with it. I am not unfamiliar with guns. Dad got us a 22 when I was 10. I went through basic training and qualified with the M-16. I was a codes currier, so I had to qualify for and carry a .38 on every mission. Still, I am hesitant.

On the one hand we have a scripture that says that he who lives by the sword must be killed by the sword.

Matthew 26:52
52. 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.

Revelation 13:10
10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

On the other hand, I am also driven to protect my family. Who knows what is going to come in the days ahead? I find it hard to kill a snake that crept into my back yard. I am doing my best to be wise and do the right thing here.

I am also praying about the meaning of that phrase:
"Here is the patience and the faith of the saints"

We are preppers and have been working at it for over 10 years. This is the only sticking point I have with many of my fellow preppers.
It is a problem.

Take it to the range practice with it, if you do not want to do that sell it, it cannot help you if it is in a box and not broken in properly, right out of the box it is less than dependable, it needs to have some use.

 

[Junkyarder]

I've never been to a Christian monestary of any denomination. I've heard they store food for bad times and hand it out before it goes bad.

Do these monks and friars also lay away guns for hunting or defending themselves?

Or do they depend on their faith? I know in the Orthodox tradition there is a story of a monastery that is attacked by Muslims.

Almost everyone was evacuated except a small girl and 2 monks. There were all brutally executed. And made saints. It begs the question, if they had been armed with guns would they have fought back?

 

[Christopher0121]

Some time ago we bought an AR-15 and 200 rounds of ammo.
I opened the box and just sort of looked it over. Have not even put on the sights yet or taken the magazine out of the wrapper. I just do not feel motivated to mess with it. I am not unfamiliar with guns. Dad got us a 22 when I was 10. I went through basic training and qualified with the M-16. I was a codes currier, so I had to qualify for and carry a .38 on every mission. Still, I am hesitant.

On the one hand we have a scripture that says that he who lives by the sword must be killed by the sword.

Matthew 26:52
52. 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.

Revelation 13:10
10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

On the other hand, I am also driven to protect my family. Who knows what is going to come in the days ahead? I find it hard to kill a snake that crept into my back yard. I am doing my best to be wise and do the right thing here.

I am also praying about the meaning of that phrase:
"Here is the patience and the faith of the saints"

We are preppers and have been working at it for over 10 years. This is the only sticking point I have with many of my fellow preppers.
It is a problem.

You will probably find many different opinions among devout Christians on self-defense. You cited two texts I want to take a look at before delving deeper.

Matthew 26:52
52. 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.​

Revelation 13:10
10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.​

The first text is taken from Matthew and is hyperbole, but it makes an important point. Those who put their trust and base their lives on the sword run a serious risk of perishing in such a lifestyle. Soldiers, law enforcement, para-military types, along with the criminal elements, run a serious risk of perishing at the hands of an armed enemy or authority.

The second text is debatable. I'm assuming you're looking at this from a Futurist perspective. Most commentaries I've read interpreted this as meaning the saints put their patience and faith in the reality that the Beast and his servants who lead others into captivity and kills with the sword will one day be killed with the sword and led into captivity by the one whose sword protrudes out from His mouth, the King of Kings. The believer rests knowing that Christ Jesus will indeed reward the Beast and his servants by having them ultimately reap what they have sown.

But let's draw our attention to the concept of "self-defense". The Law of Moses states...

Exodus 22:1-2a
New Catholic Bible
“1 If a thief is surprised while he is breaking in and is struck and dies, then there is no bloodguilt for the striker. 2 But if the sun has already risen on him, there would be bloodguilt for the striker."​

At night a homeowner cannot tell whether an intruder is a thief or a murderer. In daytime he could discern the person’s intention if it was to murder. An individual could kill a murderer at any time. He could not kill a thief to protect property; there is no parallel between a person and property. Moses laid down laws for the limited use of self-defense (Exodus 21:12-22:3). Exodus 22:2-3 explicitly permits defense of self by lethal force (however, not in every situation). This being said, if you face an attacker you certainly have a right to use lethal force to defend your life. However, you do not have the right to use lethal force to protect property and material goods. Perhaps a case could be made as it relates to lethal force if one was attempting to steal any food, water, or medical supplies that were absolutely necessary for survival in a given circumstance.

In John 18:11 Jesus rebuked Peter for his misuse of the sword, but He did not reject the use of the sword in general. Luke 22:36 allows for a legitimate use of the sword for self-defense. In preparing Jesus’ disciples for His departure from earth, He warned them to defend themselves (Luke 22:36-38). The disciples said, “Here are two swords.” Jesus said, “It is enough.” When traveling from city to city, people carried swords to defend themselves from robbers. Clearly a two man security team for the 12 was seen as adequate. So, by implication, Jesus essentially told His disciples to defend themselves when necessary.

So, the above should provide a balanced interpretation regarding the issue of using lethal force in self-defense.

Another poster posted some practical advice I agree with. Familiarize yourself with any firearm you own. It's far better to be familiar with any firearm and know how to use it should the need arise.

 

[Michael S. Blanchard]

I have read all the posts. #1 If someone buys merchandise, for whatever reason, he/she should know how to use it. Jesus, and God the Eternals' message is for the Life after death, not for the temporal existence we perceive. I know that it might be hard to accept that premise, but it is the life after death that is the message. We are the sheep, destined for slaughter. Only, our flock has a spirit that lives after. We are BORN AGAIN, into God's world. We are ruled by our Husband Jesus Christ. We will be after we die, The brides of Christ. Follow the commandments, study God the Eternals covenants, they do not change, and God does not go back on his word. Christ said, ( you'll read it in the bible in the new testament in the red print), " I have come to do the work of my Father". Jesus came so we could all inherit Gods Kingdom, which is,(now think) Our world and the universe. We are going to populate the universe. Keep reading the bible, God will show you the truth. Old Testament, and New Testament. Pray to Jesus to come quickly. Peace brothers, be not of this world, (I find that very hard to achieve). God knows when you try.

 

[UsernamedNamedUser]

Time and place matter. It was Jesus' time but Peter resisted. Instead of living by wisdom and understanding that it was Jesus' time, Peter lived by the sword and acted irrationally. Living by such standards will eventually make you fall on the sword you stab. You will be your own downfall.

Same with the Revelations verse. If it is your time one should go; for that is the hallmark of the followers of Jesus. When God called Him he went obediently, just so when God calls us we should go obediently.

But what if it isn't your time. Is resistance justified? Well since it is not your time then it comes unjustly, and it is not wrong to resist it since it isn't God's call. Jesus did not let the people take him before his time, so you should not let people take you before your time.

As for how to know whether it is time or not or how to resist such occurrences, that takes discernment obtained through faith in God.

 

[Michael S. Blanchard]

Have faith in God, like all the beasts of the earth, (I know it is hard to live by that premise), but that is the message. God will provide if you believe. If you die for God, that's all the better! Separate this existence from the "real one that will come". The message is not for this world, but the next, when we will be Born Again into the spirit world of the Creator.