TruthInvestigate

“Oh, the unspeakable greatness of that exchange,—the Sinless One is condemned, and he who is guilty goes free; the Blessing bears the curse, and the cursed is brought into blessing; the Life dies, and the dead live; the Glory is whelmed in darkness, and he who knew nothing but confusion of face is clothed with glory.”

My Photo
Name:
Location: Kingsland, Georgia, United States

A person God turned around many times.

Monday, February 24, 2020

What does the Bible say about gun control?


“For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.” (Isa. 9:5).

America has an amazing system of government. The U.S. Constitution is a document like no other for balance of power, disconnection from religion, for rights of the people, for power of government residing in the governed.

The second amendment of the Bill of Rights gives the people the right to bear arms, or to carry a fire-arm. The purpose of this freedom wasn’t for the right to hunt—that was already a right. Much more than today, hunting was a staple in the 1700s. The second amendment was for protecting the people from a run amuck dictatorship government. Everyone had guns in those days, and the right to carry a weapon would create a real discouragement for a dictator to send armies throughout the land. Even today, a dictatorship doesn’t come about in any country until the dictator removes all weapons from the masses. The dictatorship would be entrenched in a stalemate against the people if the people had fire arms and ammunition. But, the second amendment is under fire now, and I suspect one day it will be rescinded. Not too long ago some government department ordered a million rounds of ammunition.

“The Department of Homeland Security has placed yet another solicitation for millions of rounds of ammunition. Late last year we outlined a number of large ammo purchases from DHS, including one for 750 million rounds of high-power ammunition and another large-scale procurement of 450 million rounds of .40 caliber hollow point ammo from Alliant Techsystems.
The newest bid for ammo requests 10 million .40 caliber 165 Grain, jacketed Hollow point bullets; 10 million 9mm 115 grain, jacketed hollow points; and 1.6 million 9mm ball bullets. That means in the last 10 months, the department of Homeland security has requested over  1.625 billion rounds of ammunition.”

Such a situation shows how a constitutional right can remain in place, yet due to a political maneuver, that right can be essentially nullified.

Should the issue of Constitutional gun rights vs. government undercutting gun rights be of concern to a Christian? Should a person fight for that right who is looking for and hastening the coming of the day of Jesus Christ in power and great glory? Pardon the pun, but this is probably a loaded issue full of incendiary filibusters.

Nevertheless, the Bible has much counsel for this subject.

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: 
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” (1Pet. 2:9-11).

Before we look more closely at this text, just as an aside, might the phrase, “shew forth the praises of Him” hark back to 2Chron. 20:15,17? “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s…. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.”

So what did Jehoshaphat do? With great comfort and confidence from the words of Jehovah’s prophet, he did an astonishing thing. He put singers, instead of archers, in front of the armies of Israel.

“And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. 
And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high. 
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper. 
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for His mercy endureth for ever.” (2Chron. 20:18-21).

What else does Peter say that might steer the Christian away from gun use? Wouldn’t “a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” give the strong impression that we have been called out of darkness to function as priests, holy and different from the rest of the common world?

I’ve had this discussion with a friend and he objected with Luke 22, verses 36 and 38.

“Then said He [Jesus] unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one(G3162)
For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in Me, And He was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning Me have an end. 
And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swordsG3162. And He said unto them, It is enough.” (Luke 22:36-38).

I am surprised to find that the swords Jesus apparently approved of were the same size weapon that the Roman soldiers carried as they policed the whole empire.

“For he [the ruler/magistrate] is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the swordG3162 in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” (Rom. 13:4).

But, my question about Luke 22:36 is, Why then did Jesus say in Luke 22:35 that when He sent the disciples out during His ministry, they were not to take a sword? Did a sword misrepresent His mission as the Holy One/ Messiah? Would carrying swords have given the wrong impression to a nation that had long been chomping at the bit to rise up against the Roman soldiers and to overthrow the empire?

“At the time of the birth of Christ the nation was chafing under the rule of her foreign masters, and racked with internal strife. The Jews had been permitted to maintain the form of a separate government; but nothing could disguise the fact that they were under the Roman yoke, or reconcile them to the restriction of their power.” Desire of Ages, p. 30.

Wouldn’t swords have forced the Roman military to suspect a rising sedition and to promptly end Christ’s ministry? Howbeit, Christ never needed a sword for His work, and never resorted to earthly weapons. His weapons of war were not “carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2Cor. 10:4,5).

Neither did Jesus “wrestle … against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:12).

Given all of the above, swords need to be out of the question during Christ’s ministry to reconcile the hallowed Father and the unholy human race. When one looks at the grand theme of redemption from Genesis to Revelation and takes in the scope of a heavenly sanctuary for the dispensation of the Spirit of God for our rebirth, where does an earthly toy have a place in the continuing work of the Messiah, the God of His grand universe, and the great controversy between Christ and Satan?

From heaven’s perspective, what changed between Christ’s two ministries, His 3 ½ year earthly ministry and His 2,000 year heavenly ministry since He ascended to the heavenly sanctuary? Should earth’s perspective of warfare enter into the equation? If Jesus taught His disciples that he who saves his life shall lose his life, then, after Jesus left the earth, should His disciples have renounced that lesson, and donned swords?

“Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.” (Matt. 16:24,25).

Should the above principles cease to be central to the gospel?

“Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.” (Matt. 27:41,42). What if Jesus had saved Himself? Would there be any hope for the human race? No. He could not save Himself because His single greatest desire was to save us from our sins.

Jesus could have called on 12 legions of angels, none bearing their swords in vain. But that would have ended the plan of salvation and given Satan the victory over the human race.

Then, why did Jesus, the God of the Old Testament, authorize Israel to bear a sword.

“They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.” (Neh. 4:17,18).

“Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: my goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and He in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.” (Ps. 144:1,2).

“It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. 
He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places. 
He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.” (Ps. 18:32-24).

But, the next verses shows that David wasn’t a warmonger.

“Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.” (Ps. 18:35).

“Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! 
My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. 
I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.” (Ps. 120:5-7).

Joab couldn’t conceive of such an army of war and peace, of deterrence being the motive for war. He was a warmonger and thrived on killing, finally ending his long career as destroyer by an early death. See 1Kings 2:30-34.

Solomon knew his father, and the mixture of truth and grace in his father’s heart that enabled David to make correct international policy and right decisions in state and religion matters.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:... 
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;…
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;…
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (Ecc. 3:1,2,3,5,8).

Yet, even with Solomons balance of justice and mercy, there was an extra leaning to the side of mercy. Being that we have all been children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) and all naturally tending to vengeance, we would all do well to adhere to this bit of wisdom:

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” (Prov. 16:32).

Sword bearing was seen in godly men such as the judges of Israel, even by Samuel when Saul lost the ability to render due justice upon the malicious Amalekites.

“Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.” (1Sam. 15:32,33).

But, is Samuel’s use of justice and vengeance different from the cry we hear today of a potential future run a muck dictator that would require a need for the second amendment? Is today’s defense of the second amendment along the same lines of the work that Oliver Cromwell did in England to free his Protestant nation from popish rule? Samuel’s dispensing of justice was an act of the state, not of an individual. Do you have the qualifications for the act of executing an enemy that Samuel had. How many of the present generation of baby-boomers and gen-Xers have his qualifications? Our Protestant nation is fearfully corrupted and weakened, and swaying, soon to fall over drunken.

True, the U.S. Constitution is already in the throes of being overthrown. We have already lost half of the Bill of Rights, haven’t we? Should we take up arms, take over the government, and clean up our society and government actions in Cromwell style, who said, “Keep your faith in God, but keep your powder dry”?

Should we turn our farm implements into weapons and bring on Armageddon?

Would that really fix our problems as happened for the early judges and King David, or would we end up worse off than the later Israel did under the supposed holy Maccabean Revolt—with a Roman crackdown such as we have never seen?

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home