This is a rebuttal to the 22nd alleged Bible contradiction

Question 22: Could Christians carry swords?

These are the verses Evans presented to make his claim.

In the 'no' category, we have

Matthew 26:52-53.

In the 'yes' category, we have

Matthew 10:34, Luke 22:36-38

Note: If I find verses to be repetitive or unnecessary, I may decide not
to quote them.

My standard prefacing comments:

God's dealing with Mankind has been chopped up into various dispensations,
starting with that of Adam, then to Noah, then to Abraham, then to Moses,
then to Jesus (who gave us the Church Age), then to the Millennial Reign
of Christ, etc. The moral constraints that God places on the people of the
earth are primarily dictated by the dispensation the individuals were born
within and their undefiled consciences.
The Bible reveals the big doctrines of God progressively over time,
such as heaven, hell, angels, devils, salvation, the Messiah, etc. As a
consequence, the verses in the back of the Bible (i.e., the Gospels on)
tend to be more authoritative than those in the beginning of the Bible.
As a corollary to this, often part of the revelation given to the prophet
will not make any sense to the prophet or even to the people of his own
generation. In my novels I refer to these verses as 'praega talleas' or
hidden gems, not capable of being appreciated or even understood until
centuries or even millenia later.
Not all verses are equally authoritative. What Jesus said trumps every
other writing in the Bible.
Not all people are equally equal. Jesus Christ is not just another man
among the billions of people. Jesus, not you or me, is God in the flesh.
In the Church Age, the true followers of Jesus, by the grace of God, are
partakers of the divine nature [2 Peter 1:4], but they are not themselves
divine. See also Galatians 5:16.
Just because a certain action or claim is recorded about someone in the
Bible, doesn't mean that God approved of it. They may even be sincere
and still get it wrong. Remember Job's friends who came to Job to
commiserate with him and later to advise him on righteousness and the
nature of God? They assumed that they were acting as the oracles of God,
but God gave them a stern rebuke for their errors. But even if God did
not approve of some claim or action, that does not mean that the Bible
specifically condemned it in the attending verses.
My favorite way to attempt to resolve controversial doctrines or claims is
to collect all verses on the matter and then consisticize them so as to reduce
the number of apparent contradictions, if there are any. Like it or not, the
Bible has to be interpreted by the Bible.
I am not a Christian apologist. It may take twenty years of hard study
to be good at Christian apologetics, and I'm too old to start education for
that now. I'm just a Christian who has had to deal with some of these
hard questions on my own.
I do not demand that the scriptures are inerrant, though they may have
been in their original forms. The reason I am not going to claim that
they are inerrant is simple practicality: I am not prepared to rigorously
defend that claim. That would take a lot of knowledge that I do not have.
So I leave that claim up to the apologists to defend as they choose to do so.

On the No side:

Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all
they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 53 Thinkest thou that
I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than
twelve legions of angels? -- Matthew 26:52-53

On the Yes side:

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send
peace, but a sword. -- Matthew 10:34,

Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it,
and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment,
and buy one. 37 For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be
accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors:
for the things concerning me have an end. 38 And they said, Lord, behold,
here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough. -- Luke 22:36-38

My answer

Did I not predict that Mr. Evans would somewhere along the way in these
questions mistake a word used figuratively as literally? In the Matthew 10:34
reference, the word "sword" is used figuratively to mean "discord" -- the
opposite of being in harmony, in particular with one's relatives. If Mr. Evans
had merely added the next verse in his reference, that would be clear.

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send
peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against
his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in
law against her mother in law. -- Matthew 10:34-35,

So, why would Jesus tell his eleven disciples to take swords with them to
the Garden of Gethsemane, but when they could use them, He told them
not to? I can think of two reasons. First, let's deal with the phrase "for all
they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." This gets directly to
Purpose 1) A "teaching moment":To me, this is clearly not an absolute rule.
It is not an absolute rule against carrying a sword, particularly if one is an
officer of the law or a soldier -- though they tend to die by the sword on
average more frequently than the average citizen. But if one is a
murderous rebel against the government, one tends to die at even higher
rates than does the typical citizen.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is
no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the
ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves
damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the
evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is
good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the
minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is
evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is
the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that
doeth evil. -- Romans 13:1-4.

Jesus would very soon explain in words to Pilate what His religious
movement was not (and still is not!):

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom
were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should
not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from
hence. -- John 18:36.

Thus ends the "teachable moment" for Jesus's disciples and for everyone
else on this issue.

This brings me to Purpose 2) Will the Son of Man take the easy way out,
even at the last moment?

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and
forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter
came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that
these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is
written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. -- Matthew 4:1-4.

Thus, Jesus would not take the easy way out of His intensional fasting pains.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him
on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the
Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his
angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear
thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt
the Lord thy God. -- Matthew 4:5-7.

Thus, Jesus would not take the easy way to demonstrate His divinity
in having supernatural power over nature, before the right time.

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain,
and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of
them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if
thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him,
Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord
thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. -- Matthew 4:8-10.

Thus, Jesus would not take the easy way to glory and worship due His
divinity, before the right time.

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a
mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they
saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18 And
Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
-- Matthew 28:16-20.

All Jesus had to do to obtain all His due was to stay the course given Him
to accomplish on earth. So, perhaps the Holy Spirit told Jesus to take
some swords with Him to Gethsemane as part of the 'last' temptation,
which He Himself helped to set up, so that He would have to get the
victory over by staying on the course prepared for Him of His Father.
One more time He would be tempted to take the easy way out. So, if the
devil whispered into His ear to use those swords and fight His way out
of arrest, Jesus might well have encouraged Himself by whispering to
Himself, "But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus
it must be?"

But then Peter acted on his own by striking one of the guards. Would
Jesus go with this to take the easy way out of arrest or would He
submit to His destiny?

52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his
place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the
sword. 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father,
and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it
must be? -- Matthew 26:52-54.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your full devotion to the very end to the
Father's will and to the humanity you sought to save. Thank you,
Lord Jesus, for not calling on those twelve legions of angels,
leaving humanity to its desparate fate.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. -- John 3:16.

Question 23: Should Christians do good works in secret?

Remember this: The righteous are mindful of the poor and help them; the wicked do not! (Proverbs 29:7)

You either get control of your lusts and feelings of entitlements or they will get control of you. -- Ilfinor