More wishful thinking and a nice complement to damnation for bothersome people. I also note that the statement is logically consistent for all those not using the sword also dying by the sword

JESUS!!

Later on in the bible of fairy tales he comes back to earth with a sword coming out of his mouth and he starts killing lots of people. SHOUT GLORY!!

Now is not the time to talk about sword control.

And from the OT: "for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

I believe a lot of these "pacifist" passages reflect the early Christian cult of martyrdom against the Roman Empire. Of course, once it became the Church of the Empire these ideas were dampened: "render unto Caesar." I remember a quote from some Roman governor/emperor along the lines of "these Christian Jews are mad - they desire nothing but death."

OMFG! Did the Stranger actually post something about mental illness between Goldy's hyperventilating on firearms?

It's a nice sentiment, but who knows what Jesus said? Just because somebody says he said it doesn't make it so. And besides, clearly people who call themselves Christian don't care, so why would I?

Sean Connery: "I'll take Swords for $400 Alex."

Alex Trebek: "That's S-Words, not Swords."

SLAAAYERRRRR!!!!!!

@5: the Old Testament predates the Romans, and especially the Christians.

I thought it was "He who lives by the schlong shall die by the schlong." Live and learn.

Seems like it is only the Amish that still live out this passage, and even they have their crazies.

I seem to recall that Alexander the Great used the sword an awful lot and then went and died of disease. Take that, Jesus!

@10: Indeed they do - I referring to the Matthew's passage (just dropped in the Isaiah cause I enjoy it) . Also bear in mind that prior to the actual emergence of Christianity, Jewish centers throughout the Middle East had been in a state of Messianic ferment for nearly a century, with a number of mythologically-similar Christ figures emerging. The path between Judaism in the late Roman empire and early Christianity is difficult to draw and involved many false starts. A bit like the emergence of early humans!