Honest Question for Christian Preppers

Waterwerx

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I am just curious and have always wondered about the mindset of a Christian prepper. Now I get being ready for a small disaster, maybe a few weeks of food supply or so bags with needed supplies ready to go. However how can you biblically justify spending large quantities of time and money prepping for a disaster? It seems to me Jesus did really tell us to prepare like that. I've always viewed serious prepping as holding too tightly to this life. Maybe I'm wrong.

I'm not trying to start an argument. I'm just curious on your Biblical reasoning for prepping.

Well you generally have 2 camps, pre-trib & post-trib folks. The latter will stress more upon prepping due to a belief that we will go through the tribulation period while the former will see it as unnecessary since they believe that we will be removed from the earth prior to the tribulation.

Being prepared never hurts and should be encouraged, but in my opinion, there is no way to be fully prepared for the tribulation anything short of being on a different earth-like planet. Entire nations are going to be destroyed and the earth's geography is going to be dramatically altered. The only thing I would be prepped for is a move to Jerusalem.
 
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to simply buy food on a whim using a very precarious delivery system would mean that I am enslaved. I do not have the freedom to do what I want, when I want..if I have to go to the store every few days for supplies that I can simply store at home.

It depends. It's easy to put faith in material provision over God, while at the same time God created us as physical beings and knows what we need. Jesus talked about a willingness to drop everything at a moments notice. Anyone putting their faith in material provisions is likely to miss such a message. I definitely don't think it's wrong to prep, store food, etc but I think it takes a pretty sensitive self examination to get the right balance.

I live in the country and find those who do not have supplies of food and other "prep"s to be odd and selfish. Selfish because during emergencies those without preps strain the emergency reserves of the area.

I think you make a good point. It's a difficult situation, because it's frustrating to have to cater for people who were too lazy/ignorant/selfish/whatever to watch and be ready as Jesus taught, but at the same time we're called on to pour out our lives, to long suffer, and to remember that God knows what we need. I think the only way to navigate through the various difficulties and the best way to be prepared is to listen to God moment by moment.
 
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SavedByGrace3

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" It's easy to put faith in material provision over God..."
You do not have to be a prepper to do this.
Wait until the day after the stuff hits the fan... you will see a lot of people who preach this showing their true colors as the rush to the supermarket to scrape up whatever they can that is left.
We do not need a voice from within or without to do what God told us to do in his Word.
1 Read the signs of the times,
2 love our families, and
3 do what we have to do to provide for them.

You are worse than a heathen if you do not do this.
 
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yeshuaslavejeff

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4x4toy

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Did Joseph prep when he interpreted 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine ? Can we not read the signs of the times and prepare for the worst .
Proverbs 6:7-8 Some folks run and spend on foolishness , I do too but there's nothing unwise about being prepared somewhat ..
 
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yeshuaslavejeff

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Do what Yhwh says to do. That is what Jesus told His disciples,
and what Moses told Yhwh's people. And Yhwh always did what He said He would do.

Exodus 16Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Bread from Heaven
16 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings against the Lord. For what are we, that you murmur against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening flesh to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your murmurings which you murmur against him—what are we? Your murmurings are not against us but against the Lord.”

9 And Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your murmurings.’” 10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”a]">[a] For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, every man of you, as much as he can eat; you shall take an omer apiece, according to the number of the persons whom each of you has in his tent.’” 17 And the people of Israel did so; they gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; each gathered according to what he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers apiece; and when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay by to be kept till the morning.’” 24 So they laid it by till the morning, as Moses bade them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is a sabbath, there will be none.” 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, and they found none. 28 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See! The Lord has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days; remain every man of you in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 And Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord, to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony, to be kept. 35 And the people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land; they ate the manna, till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)

Footnotes:
  1. Exodus 16:15 Or “It is manna.” Heb man hu
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
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You do not have to be a prepper to do this.

That's true. I realize the context is prepping, but I wasn't singling out preppers as though they have some special problem others do not.

We do not need a voice from within or without to do what God told us to do in his Word.

There are a variety of ways to hear from God. The teachings of Jesus (God's word, as you've suggested). Also, direct revelation, the conscience, Godly counsel, circumstances, coincidences, personal desires and miracles. Some ways are more important or relevant than others, depending on the circumstances and context but I don't think there's ever a time when it is healthy or productive to say, "we do not need" any of these other ways to hear from God.

When you say, "a voice from within" what do you mean? The conscience? The holy spirit? Introspection? Doubt?

1 Read the signs of the times,
2 love our families, and
3 do what we have to do to provide for them.

You are worse than a heathen if you do not do this.

What I've been suggesting is that real preparedness isn't and shouldn't be just about physical preparedness. Our best protection is a willingness to hear from God and do what he tells us to do. Family does not come first. Listening to God comes first. If God tells us to stock pile food and hide out with our families then we should listen and obey. If God tells us to up and leave at a moments notice, despite all the food we've stockpiled, then we should do that, too. If God tells us to forsake our families or lay our lives down, then we should do that, too. God is also not a heathen, that he will neglect to care for his loved ones even when he tells us to walk into the fiery furnace.
 
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Do what Yhwh says to do. That is what Jesus told His disciples,
and what Moses told Yhwh's people. And Yhwh always did what He said He would do. [i.e. he provided for his children]

Excellent post.
 
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pat34lee

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Excellent post.

yeshuaslavejeff said: ↑

Do what Yhwh says to do. That is what Jesus told His disciples,
and what Moses told Yhwh's people. And Yhwh always did what He said He would do. [i.e. he provided for his children]


I don't see that last statement in Jeff's post. Did you add it or did he edit it out?

It is wrong in either case when his people are under judgment or not living right.
He will keep a remnant, but many may die of starvation, disease and war.

edit:
In other words, his provision is conditional to us serving him.
 
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Endtime Survivors

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yeshuaslavejeff said: ↑

Do what Yhwh says to do. That is what Jesus told His disciples,
and what Moses told Yhwh's people. And Yhwh always did what He said He would do. [i.e. he provided for his children]


I don't see that last statement in Jeff's post. Did you add it or did he edit it out?

It is wrong in either case when his people are under judgment or not living right.
He will keep a remnant, but many may die of starvation, disease and war.

Hi Pat. It's the first paragraph in post number #46
 
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KarlX

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I am just curious and have always wondered about the mindset of a Christian prepper. Now I get being ready for a small disaster, maybe a few weeks of food supply or so bags with needed supplies ready to go. However how can you biblically justify spending large quantities of time and money prepping for a disaster? It seems to me Jesus did really tell us to prepare like that. I've always viewed serious prepping as holding too tightly to this life. Maybe I'm wrong.

I'm not trying to start an argument. I'm just curious on your Biblical reasoning for prepping.


Christian or not I see nothing wrong with being prepared for what might or could happen.

Murphy's law
"things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance,"



There are several variations of this Law .
The way I see it with all the epic things in the world that could happen sooner or later one of them must happen.


Now as to the biblical justification ,I get the idea of trust that is a certainly a great argument but on the other hand there is nothing wrong with watching out for yourself and even more important other people. :)
 
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FreeinChrist

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As a reminder folks, the
Statement of Purpose Christian Preppers Statement of Purpose

includes this:

The purpose of the Christian Preppers forum is to inform and encourage other believers to consider prepping. Prepping is the act of preparing for catastrophic events (war, terrorist attacks), natural disasters (earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, extended drought), and tribulations - Biblical or non-Biblical. The hope is, that in real life, Christian believers would then share their efforts and work towards building local communities of Christian Preppers who will help each other, and help the needy in the event that trouble comes. It is also to encourage Christians to be good stewards and learn self-reliance from government or corporate help in regards to daily life (i.e. power, food, water). This can include ways to make or do things yourself - DIY.

This is not the place to discourage prepping.
 
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cyberlizard

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I've just read this post again and an idea that crops up here and there is that prepping is somehow opposed to living by faith....

let me ask, in the parable of the ten virgins with the oil lamps, which ones were commended... the preppers or the un-prepared.


Steve
 
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Prepping can be Idolatry if you come to rest on the tinned goods rather than the God who provided them. Having treasure that does not rust does not mean avoiding precautions for living in the world. It just means that you are willing in the blink of an eye to turn your back on your MRIs and AR15 ammo if God calls you to do so.
 
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SavedByGrace3

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Prepping can be Idolatry if you come to rest on the tinned goods rather than the God who provided them. Having treasure that does not rust does not mean avoiding precautions for living in the world. It just means that you are willing in the blink of an eye to turn your back on your MRIs and AR15 ammo if God calls you to do so.
True about anyone... prepper or not.
We have no MRIs or AR15s.
God has not called us to forsake the needs of our families, and never will. He says that those who fail to provide for their families (assuming they have the resources to do so) are worse than infidels. Hate to be on the wrong side of that equation. Not much gold in heaven for those who can save their children but refuse to do so out of religious silliness.
Common sense prevails.
 
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jeager016

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I tend to prep.
I have guns and ammo galore.
That IS NOT prepping however.
I have guns and ammo because I do some hunting and a lot of shooting.
I have NO INTENTIONS of shooting people in a crises.
I do tend to have food on hand for about 3 months.
This is more than sufficient in a natural disaster.
Anything more than that is an UNnatural disaster like a complete breakdown of our
infrastructure.
In such a case the guns and ammo might be necessary.
As a Christian I would rather help than hurt people.
But! Christian I am, stupid I'm not. There are wolves among the sheep and wolves
kill.
I WILL defend my, mine, you and yours.
I know how to garden, harvest game, fish, and trap critters.
What I need to do is stock up more in meds and first aid goods.
There are tons of articles on the web about what to store and how.
Water is foremost then food.
All essentials are..........................well, essential.
If I had to depend on hunting to eat I'd starve.
Keep in mind every idiot with a firearm will think they are ol' dan'l boon and will
quickly decimate wild game.
I don't want to run into some armed red neck jerk in the woods by my self.
I'd hate to shoot someone.
I'm also diabetic and would likely die without meds sooner or later so I intend
to stay alive long enough to teach my kids/grand kids, loved ones, to shoot, hunt, fish, garden,
survive.
IF I can watch my diet carefully that might extend my life a bit.
The MOST essential of essentials is FAITH IN GOD!
If starving innocents came to me for scarce food resources I'd just have to share.
A Bible and prayer is the MOST essential of essentials.
 
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SavedByGrace3

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Thanks for sharing J.

I tend to prep.
I have guns and ammo galore.
That IS NOT prepping however.
I have guns and ammo because I do some hunting and a lot of shooting.
I have NO INTENTIONS of shooting people in a crises.
I do tend to have food on hand for about 3 months.
This is more than sufficient in a natural disaster.
Anything more than that is an UNnatural disaster like a complete breakdown of our
infrastructure.
In such a case the guns and ammo might be necessary.
As a Christian I would rather help than hurt people.
But! Christian I am, stupid I'm not. There are wolves among the sheep and wolves
kill.
I WILL defend my, mine, you and yours.
I know how to garden, harvest game, fish, and trap critters.
What I need to do is stock up more in meds and first aid goods.
There are tons of articles on the web about what to store and how.
Water is foremost then food.
All essentials are..........................well, essential.
If I had to depend on hunting to eat I'd starve.
Keep in mind every idiot with a firearm will think they are ol' dan'l boon and will
quickly decimate wild game.
I don't want to run into some armed red neck jerk in the woods by my self.
I'd hate to shoot someone.
I'm also diabetic and would likely die without meds sooner or later so I intend
to stay alive long enough to teach my kids/grand kids, loved ones, to shoot, hunt, fish, garden,
survive.
IF I can watch my diet carefully that might extend my life a bit.
The MOST essential of essentials is FAITH IN GOD!
If starving innocents came to me for scarce food resources I'd just have to share.
A Bible and prayer is the MOST essential of essentials.
 
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jeager016

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Welcome.
I take the screen name for a good reason.
I own a .58 caliber "jeager" style muzzle loading rifle built by Kieth Lysle of
southern Ohio.
He's gone to God's hands now.
He only built 106 rifles in his life, all hand made, thus my Jeager style, flintlock
is # 106.
jeager means hunter.
I mistakenly signed on as 016 instead of 106.
opppps.
 
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