He said to them, ‘But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.’ — Luke 22:36

Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.’

When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.

From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!’

So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, ‘Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.’ Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water. — Nehemiah 4: 13-21

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. — Matthew 7:15

Here’s what I call a hypocrite: a man who enjoys 24/7 armed guards wherever he goes and dares to criticize those who want a gun to protect themselves or their families. A man who lives in the kind of opulence that most people cannot even imagine, yet complains about the rich not paying their fair share. A man who pays no taxes, but expects the faithful to tithe to support him, while complaining about everyone else not giving enough to the poor. A man who is waited on hand and foot, and will be for life, but who lectures the rest of the world about charity and sacrifice. A man who, despite all this hypocrisy, calls himself the ‘Vicar of Christ.’