At some point, you’ve likely read Ephesians 6, where the armor of God is described. 

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

– Ephesians 6:10-18

These few verses in Ephesians should make it very clear that as Christians, we are not supposed to run or back down when faced with opposition. The word stand alone is mentioned several times.

I love going to renaissance fairs, and if I had unlimited funds, I would buy myself a suit of armor to wear. My fun flowy dress is awesome, but a suit of armor would be really cool, too. The breastplate that is historically accurate for this time did not include anything to protect the back – just the front.

This further emphasizes that we are meant to stand, not back away or run from spiritual wickedness and darkness. Our faith should be what we use to shield us from the enemy. After all, God made the world and everything in it. He made us. He gave his life to save ours, and in turn, we surrendered our life to His. Our faith in Christ should be ample enough to make us stand and not run. 

Look at George Washington as an example of a Patriot who fully trusted in Christ to protect him (1):

In the French and Indian War, George Washington was an aide-de-camp to General Edward Braddock, and he delivered messages through enemy gunfire across the battlefields. During the Battle of Monongahela, every officer on horseback was killed – except for a young man named George Washington. Two of his horses were killed from underneath him, there was shrapnel in his hair, and he had multiple bullet holes in his coat…but George Washington walked away unscathed. 

Years later, an American Indian found him and confirmed that he had shot at young George 17 times and ordered his compatriots to do the same. But he eventually told his men not to waste ammunition on him, as not a single one found their mark. He told George Washington he had to meet the one who was protected from above. George Washington’s faith in God is evident in his work and in his writings. 

Look at another example – Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (2,3):

In the First Battle of Manassas, the Confederates were suffering a major loss. When General Bernard Bee exclaimed to Jackson: “They are beating us back! They are beating us back!” Jackson replied, “Then, sir, we will give them the bayonet.” General Jackson raised his left hand, which his men knew was an entreaty to God, and his hand was struck. But General Jackson did not retreat. Instead, he did quite the opposite, which earned him his nickname. The Confederates won that battle, as General Bee exclaimed a variation of: “Look, men, there stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally ‘round the Virginians!”

Captain John Imboden asked Stonewall Jackson how he was able to “appear so utterly insensible to danger in such a storm of shells and bullets as rained about your head when your hand was hit?”

Stonewall Jackson responded: “Captain, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God fixed a time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. Captain, that is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave.”

Jackson’s answer is filled with words that we should all live by, and words that have biblical evidence to support them. God created us in our mother’s womb and knew us before we were born (Isaiah 44:2, Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 49:1, among many others).

Now, we’re going to dive into a bit of language arts. Hebrews 9:17 states:

“And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement:”

That word appointed comes from the Greek word ἀπόκειταί which means “to be reserved” or “to be stored up” or “to be laid up”. There are only two occurrences of this word in the Bible (4), Hebrews 9:17 and 2 Timothy 4:8 (“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”).

The word once comes from the Greek word ἅπαξ which means “one single time” or “conclusively”(5). 1 Peter 3:18 is another example of this word: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” 

The Greek root words re-emphasize the meaning of Hebrews 9:17. We all have an appointment to die, and after that, we will face God. I believe the Bible is very clear that God has set a time for us to die – when, how, why, we don’t know, but I believe that when God is ready, and when the reserved time comes, we will die. 

Now, I don’t believe in predestination, as God gives us free will (Romans 10:9-10). We are all given a choice to accept God’s gift of Salvation or not. But I think of it like a book, in a way. We are writing our own book – we get to choose our own adventure. But God already knows how it is going to end. He’s not making it end that way, but he knows when and how it ends. 

Now, to Charlie Kirk. I fully believe that he was meant to die that day. Nothing surprises God, and nothing can circumvent God’s plan for our lives. God could have fully saved him from that bullet, but He didn’t – not because He didn’t care – but because Charlie’s time on this earth was over.

I also believe that I have a set day that I’m going to die. Might be next week, might be in 80 years. God knows how it’s going to end, and I should not live a life of fear because I’m afraid that someone may disagree with my viewpoint and kill me. God has it all under control – my life is in His hands – and I know He won’t let anything happen to me that He hasn’t already planned. 

A life of fear and a response from fear is no way to live – as I’ve hopefully demonstrated over the last few articles – it’s not a Patriotic response, and it is certainly not a Christian response.

As I wrap up today’s article, think over Stonewall Jackson’s answer to Captain Imboden. Is that how you’re living your life?

If you are not 100% sure that you’ll go to Heaven when you die, now is the time to repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you have any questions or doubts about your salvation, click here to learn how you can be saved!

Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions below or you can contact me here! I love hearing from you!

All Scripture from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

 Sources: 

1. https://www.1hope4america.com/my-postc3d69b13
2. https://www.logcollegepress.com/blog/tag/Mary+Anna+Jackson
3. Crocker, H.W. (2008) The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War.
4. https://biblehub.com/greek/apokeitai_606.htm
5. https://biblehub.com/greek/530.htm