[b]JamesRaio wrote:[/b] [quote]I do not believe God cares about what is good for governments. Christians did not follow the Emperor Cult, which was bad for Roman stability. Ultimately, this was a contributing factor to the collapse of Rome.[/quote] My point was whether or not it is the place of the government to protect its citizens. [quote] Doing God's bidding by being slaves of Christ is what is important. If God commands us not to defend ourselves and to be patient while the world is warring, then that is what we must do.[/quote] "If" is the key word. [i]Open your mouth, judge righteously, [u]defend the rights of the poor and needy.[/u][/i] -Proverbs 31:9 [i]They have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they [u]do not defend the rights of the needy. [/u][/i] -Jeremiah 5:28 (emphasis added to both) [quote] "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person." (Matthew 5:38-39)[/quote] So, with your interpretation of that verse, any resistance of someone who is evil is sin. So then you resisting the evil antichrists and their doctrines of war and hate is sin. [quote] What specific instance leads to us being devoured by the sword? The Lord has been clear:[/quote] Well... many. It is written that the world will hate us for following Christ. They will persecute and kill us; they will do this whether we have fought with a sword or not. [quote] "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword." (Matthew 26:52) "If anyone slays with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints." (Revelations 13:10)[/quote] Another thing... these verses merely state that those who live by the sword will die by the sword. But these verses don't actually say it is wrong, they just state the consequences.