sopo
December 21st, 2008, 01:29 AM
By all means, protect others, protect your family, protect the word. But I would say running, fleeing to the mountains perhaps, would be a much better route to achieve this. Especially for those alive during the tribulation. Our battle is not with swords or the flesh, but with principles and virtues. We quite obviously would be stopped in our tracks rebelling against the man of lawlessness, or even beforehand, the powers that bring him to his place.
Why I say, run, rather then standing ground and firing, what about the man that just died, serving the military? Was he no better then the one who killed him? Has he been saved? How was Gods love being reflected off His child who just shot this man dead and quite possibly went to hell?
Say a group of militants, following a tyrannous government, broke into my house and things were as bad as they'd get before tribulation, no shots would be fired by me. If they would kill me and my family for being "enemies of the state" (specifially, christian) then so be it. I may try and knock them out, and help my family escape, moreso if any of them wern't saved, but if this be my fate it was in the Lords plan. If they sought to detain us, so be it. Christians can expect persecution, where does it say "Kill those who may persecute you?" Rather, pray for them and endure.
And if I am found unworthy for rapture and live into it, of course I would need to analize my life, seriously, but even at that point, running would be my only recourse. I would be terrofied to pick up a gun and shoot an unbelieving man. (and certainly wouldn't shoot a believing one!)
To die is to gain in the Lord.
I've wrestled with this lately myself. I am from a gun toting, protect what's yours type family. My brother, uncles, grandfather, all have concealed gun permits. I could shoot better than most guys growing up. I even held a drunk guy off at gun point. He was trying to break into our home with rape on his mind. Somehow, God has changed my thinking lately. Since Pat went to be with the Lord, I have a different outlook on many things. This is one of them. Before, I could have easily have shot someone that was a threat to my family or me. Now, I do not think I could. I truly don't feel I could shoot an unsaved man and send him to hell. The way I see it, if he kills me, he is only doing me a favor. I am in the Lord's presence immediately. However, if I killed him then I am ending his chance to repent and find Jesus. If I didn't kill him, there is always the chance of him turning to Jesus before it's too late.
Seriously makes you think about it.
Why I say, run, rather then standing ground and firing, what about the man that just died, serving the military? Was he no better then the one who killed him? Has he been saved? How was Gods love being reflected off His child who just shot this man dead and quite possibly went to hell?
Say a group of militants, following a tyrannous government, broke into my house and things were as bad as they'd get before tribulation, no shots would be fired by me. If they would kill me and my family for being "enemies of the state" (specifially, christian) then so be it. I may try and knock them out, and help my family escape, moreso if any of them wern't saved, but if this be my fate it was in the Lords plan. If they sought to detain us, so be it. Christians can expect persecution, where does it say "Kill those who may persecute you?" Rather, pray for them and endure.
And if I am found unworthy for rapture and live into it, of course I would need to analize my life, seriously, but even at that point, running would be my only recourse. I would be terrofied to pick up a gun and shoot an unbelieving man. (and certainly wouldn't shoot a believing one!)
To die is to gain in the Lord.
I've wrestled with this lately myself. I am from a gun toting, protect what's yours type family. My brother, uncles, grandfather, all have concealed gun permits. I could shoot better than most guys growing up. I even held a drunk guy off at gun point. He was trying to break into our home with rape on his mind. Somehow, God has changed my thinking lately. Since Pat went to be with the Lord, I have a different outlook on many things. This is one of them. Before, I could have easily have shot someone that was a threat to my family or me. Now, I do not think I could. I truly don't feel I could shoot an unsaved man and send him to hell. The way I see it, if he kills me, he is only doing me a favor. I am in the Lord's presence immediately. However, if I killed him then I am ending his chance to repent and find Jesus. If I didn't kill him, there is always the chance of him turning to Jesus before it's too late.
Seriously makes you think about it.