Is persecution coming to the Christians in the United States?  In my view, it is highly likely, unless prevailing, overcoming prayer and wise action is taken by a substantial number of God’s people.  Over the past years Christians have been consistently characterized by the media and entertainment industries as idiots, a drag on social progress, and most recently that Bible believing Christians are terrorists or potential terrorists.  Some believe that there’s a definite plan to try to provoke “Christians” into some sort of violent action so that physical reprisals and repressions can be justified against them.  Obviously I don’t know, and we don’t know for sure.  But the Spirit of God seems to be clearly sent that the times are crucial and that intense prayer needs to be made to the living God to prevent an explosion of persecution.

 One of the characteristics of persecution is that it can begins suddenly and with great ferocity.  In recent times the famous “Kristallnacht” in Nazi Germany launched a blistering persecution of the Jews, all backed up by new Nazi laws and a Nazi dominated police apparatus.  Consider also the experience of early Christians…

On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. But devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. Saul, however, was ravaging the church, and he would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.

(Act 8:1-3)

 What to do?  Pray and pray hard that some sort of Antichrist tyranny will not be established over us in our land. It could come either from the right or left. We also need to resensitize ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit… you do not want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and the Holy Spirit will help you not go there.  This is not a time to be careless in our walk.  A recurring theme on this site is to be prepared enough that you don’t have to go out among the panicked or angry masses to try to aquire you need to survive.  I have felt a great urgency in my spirit to to steadily do what we can with the resources you have.  I don’t believe I’m exaggerating by saying you could wake up tomorrow with a collapsed economy or a worthless dollar  or a new and severe envioronment of persecution… too late to make any preparations! Pray…and act.

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I will try to briefly cover the following: Your convictions about firearms, especially using them; Gun laws and other legal issues ( check with your Sheriff or lawyer); Cost, safety and training; Specific choices for home defense; and more… What are your personal convictions about firearms? Do you want them in your home? Would you actually shoot somebody who was threatening you or your family? If you have children, how does their presence effect your situation? Under what specific circumstance would you reach for your firearm. Would you attempt a “show of force” before actually shooting? Do you have the real faith to “trust the Lord Jesus” through a very dangerous situation…with or without a weapon? Questions like these are actually vital. Hesitate too long and guns and ammunition may not be available to you. In an actual threat situation, you must at least start with a very clear understanding of what you will do. I cannot answer these questions for you,but you must find the answers, and soon. Prayer and family discussions with personal reflection will bring you to a good starting point.

Guns are expensive and you must get some kind of training to learn how to use them safely. Self-defense shotguns cost from $300 to $450; A good pistol costs from $300 to $1000 depending on the make and caliber. (You do not want a junk pistol or some weird caliber!) And then there is ammunition…you need to have enough to practice shooting and then have a reserve supply. Enough ammo is critical and presently is in very short supply. Changes in Gun law may make it almost impossible to obtain. Training is important, or at least helps you learn more quickly and safely. Local law enforcement, shooting ranges, NRA courses, or private tutors may be an option for you. If you get or have a gun, you must know how it works and you must know it so well that you don’t fail in a critical situation.

Safety is no small matter and must not only be thought through, but then “the safety plan” must be carried out consistently and with discipline. Words can never express the sorrow of a gun owner who accidentally shoots a family member/ neighbor or whose child finds a guns and shoots them self or a sibling. Only the adults in the situation can work toward eliminating this possibility. All new guns have a safety brochure in the box…they offer good advice, but are geared toward recreational shooting or hunting type users. Intense self-defense environments require that guns be loaded and available and this drastically increases the dangers of accidents. In very dangerous environments I would have the whole family “camp out” in a designated room…all can be quickly accounted for and anyone moving around or in the house is a potential intruder. If you have a family and things get really rough, have family drills and drill till everyone gets the plan right.
Guns Laws are a must know and may change very rapidly. These laws are mostly state and local matters… although the ownership of some types of weapons may violate federal law. Your Police Department or Sheriff’s Office is a good starting point for this critical info. Laws vary from state to state and sometimes by locality. In my state, if you kill an intruder INSIDE your house it is not a crime, but shoot someone in the yard and you may do jail time. If you ever have to shoot at someone, call 911 as soon as possible and report the matter to the Law. In most states you have to have a concealed weapons license/permit to carry a gun on your person off your property or in your car. These are issued by local law enforcement agencies and may require passing a class and/or exam. They may be honored by other states, particularly in the South, but have certain restrictions apply, such as not bring a gun into a public building or place where liquor is served. These permits usually last a year. I recommend you and your wife each have one if you go the gun route.

What kind of gun should I get? (Again, what are your real convictions?) I am only dealing with home/ personal defense, not the best combo for hunting/marksmanship, etc. My advice is subjective, consult others also. Here are some factors to consider: Dependability, “knock-down/ stopping power,” Practical usability; availability of ammunition. Revolvers tend to be more reliable than semi-automatics…they may jam less and are very clear-cut on loading.(Clear-cut and slow!) A 20 or 12 gauge self-defense shotgun with buckshot has the maximum stopping power (But poses the greatest safety threat to a family that is spread out in the house); Shotguns and big caliber pistols (.44, .45, .357 mag) are very noisy (the concussion can actually hurt!) and can seriously jump in your hands when shot and may not be practical for a lady or older youth. Some calibers are very, very difficult to obtain ammo for… recommendations in next article!

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