Today we received a different point of view regarding "Armed and Dangerous",  
and also see this audio A 92 year woman responds to an armed intruder (2 minutes)
After writing this, we came upon the book "How Shall We Die"  and we HIGHLY recommend it (only 105 pages).  It answers every question you will have in regard to theis subject.

With some minor editing and giving anonymity to the writer, whom we respect, we are posting this in answer to some of the contrary views. Some might ask if I protect my family, wife, and daughter if thre was a threat to them?
My answer is  Absoutely. I would lay down my life for them.

Another reader who asked about Luke 22:36
And he said unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; and he that hath none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword. is also addressed in the PS, near the end.

In this exchange, the email writers words are in black, mine in blue,  scriptures in red.

From:  Writer X

To: rory

Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 8:03 AM

Paul wrote in one of His epistles that certain individuals literally have the authority from God to apply justice and that they "do not carry the sword in vain" and something like they are God's instruments of justice (judgement, wrath) on the evil doers.  

that is correct. 
The governmental authorities have been given that power from God against "evil doers". 
The "beast" applies the sword against those who rebel.
Romans 13:4 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 (servant) of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 
 -so we see this is not an instruction for the Christian to apply the sword (a weapon), it is a reminder to Christians to obey the law and not do evil.

In my opinion I believe the Bible suggests there is a difference between murder (UNJUST KILLING) and justified killing. 
Let me present to you some examples and scenarios, but I must first clarify that a person in each situation must be led by the Spirit of God.  There is a time and a season for everthing and the situation may call for us to be a "lamb to the slaughter" or execute justice within the perameters of the righteousness of God. 
I also agree with you that many Christians have almost created "another gospel" with their excessively political, patriotic laced belief systems. 
 
(1) A police officer may need to use deadly force to save lives.  For example a person has a gun to a woman's head as a hostage and all negotiations have failed, deadly force may be necessary to save the woman's life. Yes, Romans 13:4   
 
(2) A person's daughter may have someone try to abduct, kidnap, rape etc. her and if all other means fail, deadly force may be necessary to stop the evil person.
Psalms 127:1 ...  except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Have you read in Job that the Lord protectively hedged Job about and it was only when God allowed satan to attack his family, that his children perished? 

For us, it is a faith matter. We can put our faith in weapons to protect us, doctors to heal us, lawyers to deliver us, insurance to comfort us, government to provide for us. 
A Godly king said: 2 Chronicles 32:8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. 

and again,  Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

You see, trusting in man's devices cause us to depart from God.
 
(3) WWII and the reign of Hitler was stopped by deadly force of many courageous men who laid down their lives to stop him and his slaughter of the jews (which we know was part of God's judgement, but we are still called to stand in the gap)
I am not sure I understand, are you saying with weapons? 
Where in the Christian scripture are we called to a violent defense?
-as a teacher, I really need to know?  

How might these apply?
2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world

 

Many Christians were killed by professing Christians in WW2.
Many Japanese Christians perished in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 
Those two cities were centers of "Christian" communites in pagan Japan.
We nuked both of them.

The way I discovered this was from a Japanese student who lived with us. We were shocked to hear from her those two cities were know for being Christian enclaves in pagan Japan. 

I also read a fascinating book about a German soldier who was a dedicated Christian and threw away his gun.
He never killed anyone and God miraculously preserved his life for years through terrible battles as he walked in faith for God's protection. 
There were many USA Christians who participated in WW2 without killing. Many became medics in order to help save lives and not to destroy them.  

What did John mean when he told the soldiers   "do violence to no man"?

What did Jesus mean when He said :  Matthew 26:52 ... Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

 

Brother, there is a vast difference between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God. Jesus said so. Have you considered His Words:
John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Whose kingdoms were those armies fighting for in WW2?  Christ's kingdom or kingdoms of this world?
 
(4) The Bible puts a high premium on courage, and part of courage for a man is protecting his family, and if someone broke into my home then I have the obligation by God to protect my family even if it meant deadly force (after exhausting all other means)

In studying the subject from the scriptures, when the Christians were persecuted in their homes, there is no record given for them.  
What is the difference between a criminal and uniformed criminals that commit crimes?  Paul was a religious criminal that committed the very crime of violent persecution.
There is no verse where the church in persecution stayed to fight it out with the authorities:
Acts 8:3   But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison.
the above examples (1-4) would be that of JUSTIFIED KILLING not MURDER.  Any killing that is selfish by nature is evil, but justified killing is authorized under certain circumstances. 

where in the scripture is  "justified killing"  for a Christian? 
What does "do violence to NO man" mean?  Did he make any exceptions?
Please explain and give scripture in order for me to understand:
Please post the verses:  _________

 
Why didn't the men "defend" their wives and children if that is what Christians should do?
Saul was not the government, he was a religious zealot and a transgressor.
Could it be the disciples followed 1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Would I protect my family, wife, and daughter if thre was a threat?
-Absoutely. I would lay down my life for them.

The death penalty was in place in the time of Christ by the Roman empire and Paul even said to an authority in Acts "if I have done something worthy of the death penalty then let me die" (paraphrased) even the thief on the cross said he and his partner deserved to die but Jesus was just and was unjustly condenmed.
Were Christian disciples enforcing the death penalty?
 
The entire Old testament is full of righteous warriors who killed according to the will of God, and although we are under a New covenant , i do not believe that some of the principles are completely out of line.  to sum up I believe there is righteous and unrighteous killing. 

Were they fighting for a physical kingdom or a spiritual kingdom?
Is our Kingdom a physical kingdom or a spiritual kingdom?
Why did Jesus say "my kingdom is not of this world"
What did He mean when He said "if my kingdom was of this world, THEN would my servants fight"

With this being said there are times when God may call someone to be a lamb to the slaughter and not resist. 
It is written: Romans 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
 
In my opinion I believe the wisdom of God (written Word and Holy Spirit) allows for justified killing.  

I did request readers to give those verses:
Please give the scriptures where the Spirit-filled believers said or did so, maybe I missed them.

The Bible says "prove all things" and again "search the scriptures to see whether these things be so". This I would like to observe and when the scriptures are given, I promise to study them.

Brother, I percieve you need to get in touch with God over this and spend time in prayer and His Word in order to know the Will of God concerning this.  In that, I can only point you toward the scriptures and the Lord, for to HIM must we stand to give an answer.

grace and peace to you

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

While looking for some commentary on Luke 22 this morning, i came across this for the first time, not having seen it before:

Here is what David Eells wrote from "How Shall We Die?"

...What did He command in the Sermon on the Mount?
Resist not him that's evil.
That's at the beginning of His ministry.
If any man slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other.
If he takes away your goods, ask them not again. Love your enemies.
Forgive so that you'll be forgiven. That's what He preached there.

You can't forgive somebody and shoot and kill them at the same time, can you?

That's not forgiving or loving, is it?
See, we're a peculiar people. The problem is, God's people don't know what kingdom they belong to.
They think that God's Kingdom is a natural nation like Israel was in the Old Testament.

 

But they were just a parable pointing to a spiritual nation in the New Covenant.
God's people are mixed up concerning what their Kingdom really looks like, what their Kingdom is all about.
They're confused. They think that America is God's Kingdom and that we should fight for America and kill our enemies; but, you see, Jesus forbade that.

 

What covenant are you in?
Do you not believe in obeying what Jesus commanded in our Covenant?
Why do you call yourself a Christian if you submit to your religion but you don't submit to your Lord?

 

That's what Babylon is.  We have to repent; we have to turn back to the Word of God.
When Jesus came, He taught this non-resistance all the way through His ministry to His
disciples.

He gave them a right to flee but He never gave them a right to fight.

He said, I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves (Luk.10:3).
No fighting; no killing.

The very people you are killing, you are sending into eternal damnation.
If you die, you go into eternal life. Is it better to die or is it better to kill?
If you kill, you're a murderer; if you die, you go into eternal life.

Is it better for them to kill you or for you to
kill them? Obviously, we're not supposed to take up the sword.

 

Some may say, “David, if we didn't defend this nation, who would defend it?” The
answer is lots and lots of people who don't believe the Word of God would. They would
defend it.

Lots of Christians who don't believe the Word of God and don't submit to their
covenant, they would defend it. Don't worry about that. But unless God defends it, it
can't be defended; and unless we're on God's side, it can't be defended. (Pro.16:7)
When a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at
peace with him. Our best defense is to be pleasing to the Lord. God is raising up a
beast kingdom because the ways of God's people are not pleasing unto Him. So if we
repent, that's the best defense we can have. Repent and serve the Lord

The Sword of Transgression

But people come back with, “Well, David, that part about taking the sword and perishing
– Jesus is the One Who told them to take the sword!” You know, it's strange that people
will look point blank at a verse like this: “Put up again thy sword into its place: for all
they that take the sword shall perish with the sword,” and they will deny it for another
verse. They don’t understand that we call ourselves Christians because we believe all of
the Bible. They would rather pick and choose.
They will pick something that permits them to continue in whatever they want to do.
The verse that they like to choose is in Luke 22. Let's see how that fits with Matthew 26: 

 

(Luk.22:35) And he said unto them, When I sent you forth without purse,
and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing.

 

We see immediately that Jesus is talking about the fact that, in their weakness, their provision is still sure and that in their inability to save themselves, to provide for themselves, God
was going to do it. We can see that very clearly in this verse.
He sent them out that way on purpose, so that they would learn to depend upon God as their Savior, Provider,
Healer, Deliverer, and so on.
He wanted His disciples to be people of faith; He wanted
His ministers to be ministers of faith.

If a person is not a minister of faith, they’re not qualified. Frankly, that disqualifies an
awful lot of people.
(36) And he said unto them, But now, he that hath a
purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; and he that hath none, let him
sell his cloak, and buy a sword.

This is totally the opposite of everything He has taught all through the Gospels.

 

Why did He say this? Well, let's read on:
(37) For I say unto you, that this which is written must be fulfilled in me, And he was
reckoned with transgressors.
Who is the transgressor here?
Let's go back because He taught this total dependence upon Him all through the Gospels and here He tellsthem just the opposite.
The people with the swords are the transgressors!
The people who provide their own way are the transgressors; the people who depend upon their
own supply are the transgressors.

 

It's very clear there had to be a fulfillment.
We see in Matthew 26:51 that Peter cut off the High Priest's servant's ear and Jesus restored it, rebuking the person who wielded the sword.
(Mat.26:52) Then saith Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

Why? He was a transgressor! Jesus rebuked him.
So now why would somebody use this Luke 22 verse to justify themselves, so that they
can take the sword, the wallet, etc.?

Because they want to do what they want to do.
However, a person who is trying to fit all these verses together, line upon line, here a
little and there a little, can now come to an understanding that's truthful.

.......