I don't know what's happening in your neck of the woods, but here, we are pulling out our Survival Guides, starting to learn from Bear Grylls and Fat Guys in the Woods. We are beginning to dig in, rallying with friends and family, gathering supplies and ammo for when the world is turned on its nose and all of the signs building toward The End finally rear their heads.
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven... Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people" - Luke 21
Now, I'm not even close to being a firearms expert. Even though I've dreamed of being Robin Hood and I've read World War Z and several blogs on guns, it's not my forte (It's not even my twen-te). But, one thing I know is, when I'm choosing a defense system, I'm looking for maximum stopping power.
Stopping power, or the ability to incapacitate, mainly depends on your enemy. According to Max Brooks', "Zombie Survival Guide," a zombie feels no pain. To them, pepper spray might as well be water to the face, and an RPG or assault rifle is too loud and inaccurate to be of much use. You need precision in the form of a silenced rifle and/or a machete, along with the skill to use them effectively.
In most situations against a human (fully possessed of his faculties), an imposing threat of pain has all of the stopping power that you should need. However, we may very well face foes that aren't deterred by mankind's normal sense of self-preservation, and so we must make extra precautions.
Advanced Military Personnel, or for the sake of brevity, "AMPs," are able to infiltrate, overpower, capture and/or kill all but perhaps 4.7% of American Citizens at will, regardless of their level preparation. Unless you've been training for most of your entire life, you're in the 95th percentile.
Even if AMPs aren't initially a threat, we may face the abstract enemies brought on by various levels of economic collapse. Along with looters, these foes include, hunger, thirst, and the elements themselves. So we train with the Fat Guys in the Woods (FGWs?). Yet, when only equipped the level of society that they could personally bring to bear, more initial American colonies failed than succeeded. So, how will we, the self-inflated, educationally-cushioned elite of the world, survive when our chairs are pulled out from under us?
Let's imagine this guy, for example:
Let's say he came to your home, with four other guys, armed with handguns, bent on stealing your food with or without your consent, fully prepared to, and even banking on, taking it over your dead body.
What's your best bet for greatest stopping power?
Traps? Snipers? Assault Rifles?
What if, instead of four guys, it was this guy?
HA-ha, just kidding. But look at Luke 8:
"For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)"
So, my question is, which of these two has the greatest stopping power?
- A high- powered assault rifle, or a command from Jesus Christ?
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven"
In John 18, though the mob was coming to take Jesus to his death, he rebuked his follower's offer of protection, instead healing the wound that Peter had dealt.
In Matthew 5:39, Jesus says "But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well."
To be clear, I'm not against arming yourself. Apparently, there is a time and place for it, too. However, let's consider who we follow, or at least who we claim to follow.
In our preparations for the end of life as we know it, are we also preparing our daily, personal relationship with "EL Shaddai," the "All-Mighty" so that when Emperor Palpatine comes knocking, we know how to face him?
Do we walk with Jesus closely enough or hear Him clearly enough to know when to be bold, when to show compassion, and when to defend the helpless through force of arms? We are told not to be conformed to this world (or the view of our favorite pundit), and we sure as anything can't trust our own opinion. Yet we are guaranteed the opportunity to rejoice at the glory of sharing in Christ's suffering.
So, when we encounter trials of various kinds,
"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast [to the truth] under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." - James 1:12
Be strong and of good courage. Set your feet on The Firm Foundation, fall into step behind The Way, the Truth, and the Life of the Narrow Path.
