Has God released the Black Horse of Death and that is why we are seeing all this death and destruction taking place around us?
So many people are saying that they must protect themselves. We must ask, “Who is the enemy?” Who is it that so many are afraid of that they must have all these destructive weapons? We hear it being said, “I need to have my right to bear arms protected so that I can exercise my constitutional rights to own and bear arms.”
Most of the time, it is argued that the Constitution allows for the citizens to maintain weapons for the protection and defense of the nation. I don’t believe anyone would argue with that, or the notion that we all have the right of self defense.
The Constitution allows for the ownership of weapons as part of a “well-regulated militia.” The question then becomes, what is a well-regulated militia? If there is to be a militia, then it should have some form of structure. There should be some form of discipline, and there should be a way to call this militia to arms in defense of the government. It should maintain weapons under control and only bring them out to confront the enemy, and only when the enemy has come forward to present a threat.
During the days when these words were penned and became part of what the founders wanted in the Constitution, it was to provide what the newly established nation needed. The inclusion of the right to own and bear arms in the Constitution ensured that the nation would be at the ready if some foreign enemy attempted to overthrow the government.
Once the United States raised a standing military, the well-regulated militia of the Second Amendment was no longer needed. So why are we beholden to the idea that individual citizens need to own and bear arms?
Could it be that we see the enemy not as some foreign nation, but as the U.S. government, and it needs to be overthrown, similar to one of the reasons they fought the civil war?
Could it be because many view the progress of minorities in the nation as advancing at too quick a pace, and their advancement needs to be stopped? Therefore, it may be believed that if enough minorities are killed, it will cause them to rise to defend themselves and give justification to the killing of as many of them as possible, in the name of self-defense.
Could it be that those individuals whose sexual orientation is different from others pose a threat? So it becomes necessary to take up arms against them simply because their lifestyle is different.
Who is heading up this militia, giving the order to go forward and destroy the enemy, not because they are coming with arms to overthrow the government, but because they want to live their lives differently?
Let’s consider where these right-to-bear-arms individuals are going to attack the enemy whom they are afraid is mounting an imminent attack. There was a group of them spotted in a church in South Carolina that needed to be destroyed. They found a pocket of them at a grocery store in New York and it became necessary to break up what could appear to be a planning session. There was also a cell of young children at an elementary school in Texas who had to be broken up. There was an even larger group found at a shopping mall, also in Texas, that had to be destroyed. There was this group of 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds in an elementary school that had to be taken down in Connecticut, so the right to bear arms could stand.
So who is the enemy? Do you attend a church, synagogue, mosque or temple? Then you could be the enemy. Do you go shopping at a mall, grocery store or attend a movie occasionally? Then consider yourself as a possible enemy. Do you attend a parade or perhaps sit in your home with your family? Then you too could be the enemy.
There is no longer a need for a well-regulated militia. Since the need for a militia no longer exists, then the need to have such powerful weapons in the hands of the nation’s citizens should no longer exist.
While serving in the military, we were all issued an M-16 at every location they assigned us to, while in the United States or overseas. Each of us had a weapon that became ours until they reassigned us to another location. The M-16 was a fine piece of equipment similar to the AR-15.
I often thought how nice it would be to have such a weapon. Then I considered what would I do with such a powerful weapon.
While serving as soldiers, we only had the weapon in our possession when training at a range, on field exercises, or on the battlefield when confronting the enemy. During all other times, the M-16 weapon was properly stored and secured.
As nice as the M-16 is, the thought of owning it soon disappeared because there was no longer a need for me as a citizen to own such a weapon that was developed for war. The responsibility of using that powerful weapon fell to another group of trained individuals, serving in the military, who were willing to take up arms against those who would seek to overthrow our government.
Who is the enemy, who are you afraid of, and who are you trying to save yourself from? Who is telling you that children going to school, worshippers going to religious services, or people shopping, going to movies or in their own homes are the enemy?
Let God speak to your heart, and I don’t believe he will tell you that your fellow citizens, your brother and sister, are your enemy. For we are instructed by God to “love our enemy.”
