Jesus told the apostles to sell whatever they needed to sell and make it a priority to purchase a sword. This was right before he got arrested- he loved the apostles too much to leave them unprepared for what they would face in this brutal world. See Luke 22:36. Most people with whom I share this passage of Scripture are surprised and want to grasp for all kinds of unlikely interpretations.
Remember- Jesus was actively present on the battlefields of the Old Testament. He was the same Lord that gave instructions for waging war against the City of Ai when Joshua and the other men of valor invaded and occupied the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Israelites left no survivors and hung the King of Ai on a tree. See Joshua 8:18 and Chapters 10 and 11 also. The Commander of the Hosts of the Army of the Lord also met Joshua when Joshua was on his way to the Battle of Jericho.
Was the appearance of a man armed with a sword outside of Jericho (he commanded worship from Joshua) a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord?
The Israelite wars against the Canaanites involved aggressive warfare against a people that practiced evil-doing in a fashion that is almost indescribable. God loved the world too much to permit evil to multiply to the point where he would again be forced to destroy the world in the same fashion as he did in Noah's time when violence and sexual perversion had engulfed the World-culture. Sometimes a culture and a society get to the point where the judgment is executed in a way that is almost absolute.
As Christians we do not operate in an offensive manner or commence military operations apart from the appropriate authority of civil government.
Instead we submit to the civil authority; i.e., the magistrate power of the state. But fortunately in the USA our U.S. Constitution provides for the citizens' right to be armed as a defensive measure.
The founding fathers provided for the right to arm ourselves for self-defense so that we can boldly exercise our right to freely speak out. We need to speak out against the wickedness that surrounds us without cowering before the powers and principalities that seek to intimidate and terrorize and silence the truth. There are many reasons that certain interests choose to suppress the truth. Religion is often a cloak that hides evil-doing.
There are also financial and political interests and criminals that love violence for its own sake. Worldwide, journalists are being killed. In Iraq, Christians and journalists are targeted along with anyone that stands up against the dictates of the jihadists. In the Philippines and in Columbia many journalists and magistrates (judges, lawyers, elected officials and members of the military) have been assassinated every year. Russian journalists are also targets for politically motivated assassinations and just last month several Philippine cities were invaded and occupied by Islamic rebels. Many Philippine villages in Mindanoa are preparing to defend themselves.
How can the corruption and terror be halted without first exposing the evil doers? When we choose to be armed we are also enabled to speak the truth. Make sure to be armed with the truth. Even though our battle is with powers and principalities and not with people many people are under the control of Satan. If you don't believe this just see what happens when you start talking to people about Jesus and how He loved us enough to willingly die on a cross. We have to speak gently to people and show the love of Christ.
But we don't know what the future has in store. We cannot gently reason with jihadists or armed mobs. My understanding is that many of the members of our armed forces are rock-ribbed evangelical Christians that volunteered because of their love of Jesus Christ. I don't have any statistics but I am seeking feedback. God bless our fighting men and women whatever their beliefs and, as the Apostle Paul proclaimed, "I pray that they could all believe the way I do!"
Federal law provides for an organized militia and an unorganized militia. See 10 USC 311 (b). Many states have traditionally had laws requiring every able-bodied man between certain ages to have a rifle suitable for military service and a requisite supply of ammunition.
A pistol is a personal weapon that is analogous to a sword. It is the only weapon that is practical in an urban environment because it is concealable. More and more states are providing for concealed carry and 47% of Americans believe a home is safer with a firearm in the house according to a recent Gallup poll. The ranks of armed citizens are actually growing every year.
Getting prepared by competing at a local range or just spending some time and money to purchase a pistol and get trained (or getting familiar with your weapon again if it has been in a drawer some place in your house) is actually a Scriptural duty for those of us who are called.
Only two of the Apostles had swords when Christ updated their instructions. There is no evidence that they used swords later in their ministries (see the Book of Acts). Other than Peter's misguided attempt to prevent the Lord from being arrested. But the history of the Church from roughly the time of Augustine is one of almost constant warfare. Protestants like to think that this was a Catholic "political" thing but the Protestant Reformation is replete with many instances of men of God taking up arms under military circumstances in order to advance the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Reformation probably would not have constituted such a significant force, nor would it have generated so many liberating institutions within civil society, had it not been for men like Oliver Cromwell, John Knox and many others about whom many modern Christians are almost ignorant because of the biases of many historians in favor of "Enlightenment" values.
I hope to stimulate some discussion. Remember the key is that we always submit to the civil authority and Paul admonishes us in the Book of Romans that the magistrate does not bear the sword in vain.
