HOW TO BE PREPARED FOR THE JUDGMENT AMERICA DESERVES
SEE: http://the-trumpet-online.com/prepared-judgment-america-deserves/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Editor’s Note: The most important preparation Christians can make is to watch and pray to be accounted worthy to escape the coming tribulation. The Lord Jesus Christ may come back at any time – the catching away of the saints will be secret and pre-tribulational, but only partial. In any case, it is possible that believers in the United States will begin to go through very hard times before the rapture, and thus we need to be ready.
Dr. Patrick Johnston
August 22, 2015
NewsWithViews.com
“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished” (Prov. 22:3)
Understanding that judgment comes upon nations that behave as ours, we must have a vigilance to be prepared. We cannot naively believe that all will be as it always has been. An awareness for how our nation has defied God’s sovereignty can give us insights in the ways we will be judged and therefore the ways we should be prepared.
Jonadab is a biblical character that sets a good example for us for preparation in times of judgment. You can read about him in Jeremiah 35. As a compatriot of Elijah in the northern kingdom, he heard the prophecies of coming judgment on the nation. In Jeremiah 35 we learn the ways in which Jonadab prepared his children for the doom that was prophesied. Jonadab’s children herded animals instead of tilling the ground. They lived in tents instead of homes with foundations. And they drank no wine, so as to always be sober. What was the purpose of these rules? When the armies of judgment swept down upon the northern kingdom as Elijah prophesied, Jonadab wanted his posterity to survive it. He wanted them to be able to uproot on a moment’s notice and move south, and not fortify homes and defend tilled fields in the false hope that they would survive the judgment. Hence, the posterity of Jonadab survived the destruction of the northern kingdom, and God praised them for it and set them forth as an example.
How will the United States be judged? One of the reasons God gave for Israel’s destruction at the hands of its enemies is that they worshiped idols and shed innocent blood without doing justice. “Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it” (Ezekiel 36:18). It’s not the shedding of innocent blood that brings God’s wrath upon the land – it’s the shedding of innocent blood without justice. Genesis 9:6, Deuteronomy 21 and Numbers 35 reveals the judgment for bloodguilt is abated through justice.
Consider the grave indictment against the United States:
1. 55-60 million preborn children, with beating hearts and measurable brain waves, have been killed by abortion since 1973.
2. Personhood Amendments and abortion bans have failed to pass in many states via legislation and via ballot initiative – Colorado, Mississippi most recently – in large part because of the reluctance of pro-life groups to get behind it.
3. States that have active signature-gathering petitions to end abortion by ballot initiative – Florida, California, and Ohio – have failed to receive the support from pro-life groups necessary to get their bill on the ballot.
4. Most of what is hailed as the best pro-life legislation that has passed over the last four decades are laws that basically say, “Do this, and then you can kill the baby.” Even though these pathetic laws are overturned by the courts, their proponents still believe that states have a duty to comply with lawless judicial decisions.
5. One of the main reasons pro-life leaders prefer to regulation abortion instead of ban it is that they believe the timing is not right for an abortion ban because of the leftward-bent Supreme Court. Their strategy is to do what the courts will allow – even if it means passing laws that justify some abortion. They believe that states have a duty to comply with lawless judicial decisions.
That brings us to another reason God sent judgment on Israel. They “walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel” (2 Kings 17:8). Rather than obey God and protect the innocent within their lawful jurisdiction, states have capitulated to godless and lawless statutes that kill children. Rather than prosecute baby killers, states protected them. And states have done this at the prodding of the church and their leaders.
When pro-lifers permit the shedding of some innocent blood in their pro-life laws, they permit that which God’s law forbids, and they stain our hands with the guilt of innocent blood. The most ominous recurrence in our forty year struggle to end abortion has been the pro-life movement’s passage of laws that, in their wording and regulating of the child-killing, kill some children. Add to that the movement’s repeated endorsement of candidates who believe that some children may be sacrificed in cases of rape, incest, maternal health, and you have a movement who has become an accomplice in the Abortion Holocaust. Some pro-life groups have gone further than simple passing corrupt laws; they even actively oppose abortion bans and Personhood Amendments, as has Ohio Right to Life and the Catholic Conference of Ohio.
Another reason given for judgment in the Ezekiel 36:18 passage is the worship of idols. Over the past four decades, courtrooms, schools, and government buildings have being systematically purged of Ten Commandments monuments, the name of Jesus, and every vestige of our Christian heritage. When a godly man like Navy chaplain Gorden Klingenschmitt was discharged for refusing to cease praying in Jesus’ name, and Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore was expelled from the bench for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments monument from the courthouse, Christian leaders were mostly silent. Some dared to condemn them.
Our government has supplanted the worship of the one true God and our Christian heritage from the public square and our nation’s institutions, and states have not resisted. When the judiciary interpreted the First Amendment to mean that they may forbid the “free exercise of religion”, and when they invented a “right to privacy” that justified killing your child, and a “right to equality” that demanded two men have the right to a marriage license, states should have done right within that state’s lawful jurisdiction and resisted them. Instead, states capitulated to these lawless and godless judicial decisions and “walked in the statutes of the heathen” – mostly at the behest of the church and its leaders.
Another way in which we have “walked in the statutes of the heathen” has made headlines this year:
1. Homosexuals by the hundreds of thousands march openly in the streets every year celebrating their lust. In some cities such as Columbus, Ohio, they are half a million strong, the women march topless, and the men are lewd and openly vile in the sight of children, police officers, and dozens of churches who line the parade route celebrating with them.
2. The Supreme Court mandated same-sex marriage in 2015 and those state leaders who previously pioneered state laws forbidding the same have now publicly stated that they will enforce this Supreme Court’s unlawful usurpation of state’s rights.
3. Gay couples have been legally allowed to adopt children.
4. Bakers and photographers have been forced to act contrary to conscience in providing services to these celebrations of abomination, upon pain of fine or prison.
The book of Jude sets forth the example of Sodom and Gomorrah as to what happens to nations that do what we have done. Sudden, massive, catastrophic overthrow and chaos. That’s what we have coming.
Another way in which we have “walked in the statutes of the heathen” is by way of our “unjust weights and measures” via our corrupt monetary system and welfare system. Most are unaware of what the government has done with its subterfuge with the dollar and our nanny state. Our wealth redistribution and corporate welfare is an abomination to God. The Bible says the debtor is a slave to the lender, and our nation has so much debt that we can never repay it. We have bartered away our children’s freedom for our government perks, our Social Security and Medicaid checks, our corporate welfare, our unemployment benefits, our government-controlled healthcare system. The dollar is doomed. We cannot afford our debt. And too much of our people are dependent upon the government for sustenance. This lawlessness foreshadows the way in which God will judge our nation.
Jesus called His church the “salt of the earth”; but rather than preserve divine standards of righteousness and justice in the culture and in government as God calls His church to do, we have “walked in the statutes of the heathen.” Jesus said if the salt lost its saltiness, we would be “be cast out and trodden under the foot of men” (Matthew 5:13). That’s what is going to happen to the salt in the United States.
The larger cities are where most of these abominations are most evident, whether it is gay pride wickedness, abortion clinics, persecution of public proclamations of the Christian faith, or heretical Christian denominations that celebrate sodomy and justify abortion. If the dollar collapses, and the eighteen wheelers stop rolling for a bit, it won’t take long until the most of the population of our cities are starving. How much food does the average family have in their home? Our college students and riot when their teams wins and when their stomachs are full. African American groups in our inner cities loot stores owned by blacks when a black criminal is shot by a white officer. Inner city folks riot when a hurricane comes into town and causes flooding. What are they going to do when their stomachs are empty and they blame the government? When the stores are looted clean and the welfare checks have halted and policemen have retreated for the sake of their own protection, how will people survive?
Violence. “Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you” (Ezekiel 35:6).
In order to be prepared, prayerfully do the following asap:
1. Every family needs at least a year of food. To ensure that it does not go bad, store non-perishable foods like rice, beans, and pasta in mylar bags in five gallon buckets with two oxygen absorbers and a couple bay leaves. Iron the mylar bags to seal them before sealing the lid on the bucket. Put some bottled bullion or seasoned salt or spice in each bag. That will keep for decades. Canned goods with a two-year-shelf life are also good, as long as you’re cycling through it so that none of it goes bad.
2. Since cities may be filled with anarchy, have a get-away place where you can go with your family away from the cities, preferably with two or three other likeminded Christian families. Keep in mind that even small towns are filled with dependence on the state, and people may riot, loot, or steal if times get tough. Get away from the cities and towns.
3. Have enough fuel for your vehicles to reach your destination and back. Make sure you can reach that secluded place without accessing highways or going through cities, which may be chaotic and impassable.
4. Since electricity may not be available, have the means to access clean water at your get-away-place. Generators would only last a couple weeks, and most wells require electricity to pump. An accessible water supply is critical. Solar powered or alternative forms of energy would be a plus if affordable.
5. Rifles, handguns, ammunition, and most importantly, proficiency in shooting them safely. All the preparation in the world does you no good if you cannot defend yourself and your family. Don’t assume you can dial 911 when violence comes knocking close to home. Coordinate with your get-away team so that you all have the same calibers. I recommend, in order of importance:a. 22 subsonic ammo for rifles/pistols for hunting quietly (no sonic boom as the projectile does not break the speed of sound). Although it is not a good defensive round, it can still kill or injure at close range. Moreover, most of the time a gun is used to stop a crime, it’s not even fired. Just having a gun – even a pellet pistol, or a paintball gun with the orange tip spray-painted black – protects you and your family, for the violent tends to prey on those who cannot defend themselves.
b. 9 mm hollowpoint ammunition in Glock handguns for close range defense.
c. 223 caliber AR-15s for longer range defense.
d. 308 caliber rifle for the person rotating through your “lookout” 24/7 to watch for intruders.6. Several vacuum packed non-hybrid seeds for planting in the spring in the view of your “lookout” (so that intruding animals may be shot with pellet rifle or 22 caliber subsonic rifle).
7. A box trailer or some means of transporting supplies to your get-away location.
8. History shows that some are overly anxious at false alarms, and others are naively hopeful that the crisis won’t precipitate even as it begins, and so means of coordinating and communicating (and powering that communication) with your get-away team are a must. CB’s or Ham radios, for example, with an agreed upon time and channel for communicating at the beginning of a crisis, would be helpful.
9. A radio that can operate without electricity would be useful to keep in touch with the outside.
The most important preparation is spiritual. Many abandon their faith when judgment comes on the land. Suffering has a way of separating the wheat from the chaff. Prepare your children to suffer for the kingdom of God. Study the Bible and pray together. Read the martyrs of the ages past, those who suffered and died in nations that were judged as ours will be.
Prepare them to one day lead their communities and their people back to God. If you survive the initial waves of judgment as the children of Jonadab did, then when the dust settles and the Lord so leads, venture back into your communities preparing to lead in establishing law and justice though following God’s Word. There may be vacuums of authority in our cities, and we don’t want to retreat to our hideaways forever. The salt is not designed for the salt shaker. We want to recriminalize abortion and these abominations that bring God’s wrath upon our nation, and rebuild on a foundation that God will bless. If God’s people will establish godly government as the opportunity allows, God may preserve us the tyranny that will surely sweep in anarchy’s wake.
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A Suggested Survival List by Chuck Baldwin
SEE: http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/Articles/tabid/109/ID/3354/A-Suggested-Survival-List.aspx; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
I fully realize that most of us Americans cannot fathom a world in which food cannot be obtained from the supermarket or fuel cannot be obtained from the corner gas station or that the power grid could be offline for more than a few hours. Hardly anyone in the national media will even entertain the idea that anything catastrophic could ever happen in this country that would disrupt our lives for more than a few days.
Additionally, the vast majority of pastors and churches refuse to deal with any of these issues and do their best to keep people comfortably sedated. I also know that when you try to discuss these issues with church leaders, you hear such things as, “This is America--it can’t happen here,” or “God won’t let that happen,” or “The Rapture will take place first,” and other such expressions of denial. Each time I write my Suggested Survival column, I receive a plethora of correspondence from Christian people chastising me for my “lack of faith.”
Yet, I remind readers that the Old Testament story of Joseph was written “for our learning.” (Rom. 15:4) I also remind readers that the tribulations, which American Christians keep saying can’t happen to them, have been happening to Christians throughout the world for decades. I guess God must not love those poor folks as much as He loves us fat, lazy Christians in America, huh?
Most sensible people know that America’s economic outlook is bleak, the current phony surge in the stock market notwithstanding. For all intents and purposes, the U.S. is bankrupt. We are living on borrowed money and on borrowed time. Every honest economist knows this is true and is making personal preparations for the inevitable. And, by the way, so are many federal law enforcement officers. Many of you would be shocked to discover just how much “prepping” is being done by in-the-know federal agents and military personnel.
Regardless of the ostriches among us, the fact is, there are millions of people across the country that are already preparing for the “seven years of famine.” I would even dare say that God is NOW relocating much of His remnant in a way that hasn’t been seen since the Pilgrims fled Europe for the new world in America. I know, because I see it every day here in Montana; and this State is not the only place experiencing a surge of pilgrims.
I believe that the next “big event” is going to make 9/11 look like a walk in the park by comparison. A future nuclear war with Russia or China--or both--is a definite possibility. If it happens, about a dozen large American cities, which contain strategic military targets, will be flattened--as well as our key military installations and nuclear missile silos. Woe to those of us who live within a couple hundred miles of those cities and those who live directly eastward of any of these targets.
Even if my concern regarding nuclear war never materializes (I would love to be wrong about this), how long before another terrorist attack similar to 9/11 takes place? How long before there is another Hurricane Katrina or Los Angeles riot? How long before an EMP takes out the power grid? How long before major water dams dry up? How long before a major drought disrupts the food supply? How long before America’s tattered and fragile economy spawns hyper-inflation? The possible eventualities that might spark a serious national catastrophe are so numerous, it is virtually impossible to count them all.
Am I fear-mongering? Absolutely not! Anyone who knows me or who has listened to my speeches and messages knows I am constantly proclaiming, “Fear not.” It is the federal government and its puppets in the national media who are constantly trying to instill fear in the hearts of people, in order to scare us into accepting their Nanny State and Police State. They know people will surrender liberties they would not ordinarily surrender if they are frightened enough.
No, I am not living in fear, nor am I trying to instill fear in others. But I am advocating readiness. Only foolish people would sit back and do nothing to try and protect their families and loved ones in the face of danger. Twice the Scriptures say, “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” (Proverbs 22:3; 27:12 KJV) I remind my Christian brethren: when it rains, it rains on the just and the unjust alike. (Matthew 5:45)
Accordingly, people from virtually every walk of life have asked my thoughts on how they should prepare. Therefore, I will, again, attempt to share with my readers some of the counsel I have given these folks.
First, a disclaimer: I am not an economist; I am not a survival expert; I am not a firearms expert; I am not an attorney; and I am not a physician. For several years, however, I have tried to learn from others. I am an avid reader. My work has allowed me to travel extensively. In fact, I have logged nearly 300,000 miles crisscrossing this great country over the last few years. I have had the privilege of sitting at the feet of--and learning from--many of America’s most learned, most trained, and most qualified experts in a variety of fields. What I write today, I have learned from others. I’ve formed my own opinions and priorities, of course, but everything I’m sharing has been said or written about before. But if I can share something in today’s column that will help someone be better prepared for the days to come, then my goal will have been achieved.
Location:
Analyze your living conditions. Where do you live? Do you live in an urban or rural environment? Is it a big city or small town? Do you live in an apartment or condominium? How close are your neighbors? Do you even know your neighbors? Would you trust them if the electricity was off and they were hungry? How easily could you secure your home? If you live in a cold weather environment, how long could you stay warm without electricity? These are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself now.
Over the past several decades, masses of people have migrated into large metropolitan areas. More people currently live in urban areas than at any time in American history. While this may be well and good for times of prosperity, it is an absolute nightmare during any kind of disaster. Needless to say, any inner-city environment could become a powder keg almost instantaneously given the right (or wrong) circumstances. And the bigger the city, the bigger the potential problems.
Plus, as I have already noted, if you live downwind of a major military installation during a nuclear attack, you are in an extremely jeopardous situation. And, no, don’t fool yourself: not every area of the country is as vulnerable to fallout during a nuclear attack as others. I strongly encourage readers to purchase Joel Skousen’s excellent book on strategic relocation to see an in-depth, analytical review of nuclear target and fallout areas--along with other helpful information. Go here:
If you live in the inner city, I suggest you consider moving to a more rural location. If you can afford it, now is a great time to buy a “safe house” outside the city. If you are fortunate enough to have family or some trusted friends nearby, you may want to put your heads--and some resources--together in preparation for serious upheaval. Obviously, a team of prepared people is much better than being alone.
If you must stay in your urban location, have some common sense plans in hand in the event of a major disaster. Get to know your neighbors: find out whom you can trust and whom you can’t. Keep some extra gasoline on hand, in case you need to get in your car quickly and leave. Have several exit routes planned ahead of time in case roads are blocked. Have a “bug-out” bag containing essential ingredients to live on for at least three or four days. If leaving is not an option, have a plan to secure your home as best you can. You’ll need to think about things such as food, water, medicine, warmth, self-defense, etc. But at this point, to do nothing is absolute lunacy.
Most readers probably know that my entire family and I made the decision back in 2010 to move 2,600 miles from our home of 35 years in the Florida panhandle to the Flathead Valley of Montana, which is located about 75 miles south of the Canadian border in the Rocky Mountains. And I can tell readers without equivocation or hesitation that we are so glad we made this move. For me personally, I absolutely love it here.
If readers want to learn more about what prompted our move to Montana, please peruse the information on this web page:
Just a word of caution at this point: making a move to a rural State such as Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska, etc., is not for the faint-hearted. I would be dishonest if I told you that such a move is easy. It is not. It is extremely difficult and challenging. If you are not absolutely serious about such a move--and prepared to deal with the hardships that will certainly follow--don’t even think about it. And if you are squeamish about cold weather, don’t even think about it. Such a move is not only a change of location; it is a change of lifestyle. If you’re not prepared for that, don’t even think about it.
Provisions:
During a major disaster, food will quickly disappear. Living for over three decades on the Gulf Coast, I can tell you with absolute certainty that whenever disaster strikes (usually an approaching hurricane, for those folks), food and provisions at the store completely sell out in a matter of a few hours. People panic, and within hours you cannot find food, bottled water, ice, generators, batteries, candles, etc. In a matter of hours, every gas station in the area will be completely out of gas. Not days. Hours!
Furthermore, almost all disasters include a complete loss of electricity. The water supply is also compromised. At that point, clean water will become absolutely priceless. Dehydration becomes a very real and present danger. I remember witnessing a man give an ice vendor $100 for an extra bag of ice after Hurricane Ivan. My wife and I went 14 days without electricity in the aftermath of that hurricane. Believe me, I got a taste of just how precious bottled water, ice, batteries, generators, fuel, etc., can become.
I suggest you have a supply of food and water to last at least three months. Many survival experts insist that a six-month supply is the minimum. Personally, I can live a long time on tuna fish or peanut butter. You can purchase MREs from a variety of sources, as well as camp-style packaged food from many sporting goods stores. Of course, bottled water is available everywhere during normal times. Stock up! Distilled water will store longer than spring water. Plus, I suggest you have some water purification tablets or a Katadyn water filter on hand. And, if you are able, prepare to grow your own food. In cold weather climates such as we have here in Montana, people quickly learn how to construct and utilize greenhouses in which to grow food. Canning food is another very helpful hedge against deprivation. If your parents and grandparents lived through the Great Depression as mine did, this was standard operating procedure.
Get a generator. Keep a supply of fuel on hand. Stay stocked up on batteries, candles, portable lights, first aid supplies, and toiletries--especially toilet paper and toothpaste. I also suggest you never run out of lighters or matches. You never know when you’ll need to build a fire. If you live in a cold weather climate, you probably already have some sort of wood stove or fireplace.
Gas masks, Geiger counters, plastic sheets for doors and windows, and iodine tablets are an absolute necessity in any kind of radiation emergency. And don’t overlook the benefits of a good knife. Plus, you can NEVER have too much duct tape.
Obviously, you need to take stock of your clothing. Do you have clothes suitable for extended outdoor activity? What about boots? During a disaster, you would trade your best suit from Neiman Marcus for a good pair of boots. Do you have gloves? Insulated underwear? What about camouflage clothing? These could become essential outerwear in the right conditions. Plus, any “bug-out” bag will need to include spare clothing. And as most folks here in Montana know, “cotton kills.” For extended outdoor wear in cold weather, wool is the only way to go.
Communication and medical provisions are also a high priority in any kind of emergency. How will you communicate with your loved ones when the phones (including cell phones) go down? Portable ham radios are a very valuable resource. But the time to buy (and train to use) one is NOW! A preordained rally point (or safe house) might be something to think about. And what about medical supplies? Do you have enough medical supplies to take care of routine (and not-so-routine) emergencies? What about your prescription drugs? How long could you function if you were cut off from your druggist for any length of time? Also, seriously consider learning about natural, herbal medicines. Those plants growing in your “back forty” might just cure a headache, stop bleeding, or even save your life. Think about it now.
And one more suggestion while we’re on this subject: the best resources in the world are of little use if one is physically incapable of making good use of them. In other words, GET IN SHAPE. During any kind of emergency situation, physical exertion and stamina become immensely important. Plus, good health will keep the need for medical treatment and prescription drugs at bay.
Commodities:
I suggest you have at least some cash on hand. Just about any and all disasters will result in banks being closed for extended periods of time. That also means credit card purchases being suspended. You need to have enough cash to be able to purchase essential goods (if they are even available) for an undetermined amount of time.
Of course, some survival gurus insist that during any cataclysmic climate, precious metals will become the only reliable currency. A little gold and silver could go a long way in a prolonged emergency. And right now is a great time to buy gold and silver. Current spot prices are extremely deflated and won’t stay this low forever.
In fact, in a disaster, what is considered a valuable commodity can change rather quickly, as the barter system takes a life of its own. What is valuable is determined by what you need and how badly you need it. In a prolonged disaster, simple things such as toilet paper, canned goods, ammunition, and clothing could become extremely valuable; while cars, video games, televisions, etc., could be reduced to junk status. In antiquity, wars were fought over things such as salt. You might be surprised to learn that there are already active barter groups in your area. I suggest you establish a relationship with these people now.
Speaking of cars, remember that during a prolonged national emergency that might involve some sort of nuclear attack or widespread civil unrest, an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) might be employed; in which case, most every late model vehicle would be completely inoperable. Accordingly, if one can keep an older, pre-computer-age vehicle in good working order, he or she might be driving the only non-government vehicle capable of going anywhere. Of course, you might not want to drive it to town, if that is the case.
Self-Defense:
Needless to say, during any kind of disaster, your safety and protection will be completely up to you. If you really think that the police are going to be able to protect you during an upheaval, you are living in a dream world.
In the New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Ferguson emergencies, many people found that police protection was non-existent. Lawless gangs quickly took control of the streets, and people were left to either defend themselves or swiftly become the helpless prey of violent marauders. In fact, in New Orleans, some of the policemen actually abandoned their oaths to uphold the law and joined with the criminals, turning their weapons against the public.
Face it, folks: in any kind of disaster, you must be able to defend yourself or you and your family will be meat for these animals of society that will quickly descend without mercy upon the unprepared, unsuspecting souls around them. This requires that you be armed. It also requires that you be skilled enough to be able to efficiently use your arms. Therefore, I strongly suggest that you purchase firearms sufficient to keep you and your family safe, and also that you practice sufficiently to know how to use them.
Now, when it comes to a discussion of which firearms are preferable for self-defense, the suggestions are as varied as the people who proffer them. These are my suggestions:
I believe every man (along with his wife and children of adequate age) should be proficient with the following firearms: a handgun in .38 caliber or above, a .22 rifle, a centerfire, bolt-action hunting rifle, a semi-automatic battle rifle, and a shotgun.
My personal preference for a self-defense handgun is a Glock pistol in either .40 or .45 caliber (models 22 and 23 in .40 caliber and models 21 and 30 in .45 caliber). Of course, the 1911 .45 ACP (I prefer Colt or Springfield Armory) is also proven to be very effective. I will also admit to sometimes carrying a 9mm Glock (models 19 and 22) or a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver. My two favorites in this caliber are the Model 66 with a 2 ½-inch barrel and the Model 586 with a 4-inch barrel. My wife prefers to carry a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver in the snub-nose, J-frame configuration. But this is primarily due to the reduced weight of these weapons for carry purposes. If needed, she could make a good accounting of herself with the Glock 19.
If you are someone who has never owned and seldom fired a handgun, I recommend you buy a Glock. They are as simple as revolvers to operate, reliable, and almost indestructible. Plus, they provide increased magazine capacity, and are safe. They are also very easy to disassemble and clean. And, yes, I will admit that for some people a revolver might be the preferred handgun. It has no external magazine to worry about losing; it is very dependable and reliable; it is easy to clean; and it is simple to operate. In a revolver, my suggestion would be either Smith and Wesson or Ruger.
Of course, in dangerous game territory, you will need the power of a 10mm (the Glock 20 shines here), .45 Long Colt, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, or even a .454 Casull. These calibers are not for the limp-wristed, but when one is facing a brown bear, it is what one will need to survive. Plus, when your life is on the line, you’ll never feel the recoil.
For a .22 rifle, I really like the Ruger 10/22. A Marlin tube-fed .22 is also very effective. The CZ bolt-action .22 just might be the most accurate factory .22 on the market. For a hunting rifle, my suggestion is either a .270 or .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle. I prefer the Remington Model 700 BDL or Browning X-Bolt, but there are several fine weapons in this configuration and caliber by numerous manufacturers. In dangerous game territory, a Marlin .45-70 could be a lifesaver. For a battle rifle, I suggest an AR-15-style firearm in 5.56 caliber or a .308 Springfield M1A. For a shotgun, I suggest a 12-gauge pump or semi-automatic. In a pump shotgun, I prefer a Winchester Model 1300, which is not made anymore. So, you’ll probably have to choose between Mossberg and Remington. In the semi-auto configuration, Mossberg is currently making some fine shotguns. For ladies, however, a 20-gauge shotgun is probably a better choice, and at “bad breath” range (where a shotgun shines, anyway), it is just as lethal.
Whatever you choose, practice with it to the point that you are able to use it proficiently. And be sure you stock up on ammunition (good luck finding .22). A gun without ammo is reduced to being either an expensive club or a cumbersome paperweight.
Go to your local independent sporting goods store (I don’t recommend the large national chain stores to do your firearms shopping) and get to know your hometown firearms dealer. Most of these people are kind and helpful folks who will be more than happy to assist you in finding exactly what type of firearm is suitable for you and your family.
Spiritual Power:
I firmly believe that man is created to have fellowship with his Creator-God. I really don’t know how people can face an uncertain future without the spiritual knowledge, wisdom, comfort, and power that is made available through Jesus Christ. I believe the maxim is true: “Wise men still seek Him.” I strongly suggest that you seek to possess a personal relationship with God’s only begotten Son. In truth, spiritual preparation is far and away the most important preparation of all. Accordingly, be sure to pack a copy of God’s Word in your survival gear.
And if you have not been able to find a local church where the pastor isn’t afraid to deal with the kind of issues like I am dealing with in this column, I invite you to worship online with us at Liberty Fellowship. People all over America who are tired of these 501c3, establishment churches--that have no clue as to what is going on and who wouldn’t take a stand if they did--are tuning in to hear my messages at Liberty Fellowship every Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm Mountain Time. We also archive all of my messages online. Here is the website:
Plus, we recently launched the Liberty Church Project, through which we are helping pastors and churches break free from the 501c3 government church status and revive the independent patriot pulpit and liberty church once again. If you seriously want to help launch a non-501c3 church where you live, please go our website and fill out the online application. Go here:
That we are facing challenging days is a certainty. Exactly what that means is yet to be determined. I trust that some of my suggestions will help you be better prepared for what lies before us. Plus, here is an excellent website chock-full of great suggestions and resources for all things survival. Check it out:
I am sure that I have left out several items that others more qualified than I would include. I welcome their suggestions, as I am always desirous to learn from those who are wiser and more experienced. In the meantime, remember your Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared.”
