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How Does God See Our Mass Shootings?


CitySitesUrbanMedia.com

Mass shootings have become commonplace in the United States with more than 163 so far in 2023, the most at this point in the year since at least 2016, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The nonprofit group defines a mass shooting as any in which four or more people are wounded or killed, not including the shooter. ~Reuters News


I have a friend who is very upset about all the shootings, and nothing makes sense to him anymore. Well, that is probably true for most of us. The tragedy of all these shootings is we are getting used to it. They are no longer confined to a geographical area, or just happening in big cities … they are happening in small towns as was witnessed in Dadeville, Alabama, a community of 3,200. Let’s be honest, we should never get complacent about the death of innocent people. We should never be okay with this happening somewhere else because it just might happen in our community.


So, if we were to try to make sense out of it, what would we say? We sort of understand the cruelty of the Nazis because they wanted power and control over people, resources, and ideas. Putin wants to re-establish Russia’s boundaries and take back what he thinks belongs to Russia. There are some reasons we grapple with to come up with why people want war, but it is difficult to understand the need to kill innocent people for no apparent reason. They could probably be classified as hate crimes because people who commit these crimes first hate themselves, and then others are hated because of it. Mental illness is a common explanation for these crimes … people must be deranged and off course in their mental ability to cope. I think most of us would say yes to that, but how can we assess mental illness in our 300-plus million people in America?


There is also another angle that I think we won’t hear discussed in the public square:


Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them [in the presence of God]. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you in great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time [remaining]!


Evil and its proponents are on a short list with God. This wrath that we are seeing in all aspects of society is not just the cause of human failings, there is a source that brings people to the edge of hopelessness and despair. I realize it is easy just to say it's all demonic and let it go at that, but that is not what I am saying. What I am saying is demons are real, Jesus dwelt with them, and they haven't left earth since then. Yet, the greatest deception on earth today is not our politicians, or our educational institutions, or the media. The greatest deception in the land is that demons don't exist. They are not even considered a source of evil intentions anywhere. In fact, some very deceived people think that demons are myths, and religious inventions to explain bad things that people do. Ask a few of your friends what they think about demons, and you will get a variety of answers. Even if people do believe they exist, they have little to no idea of how they interact with people. In essence, we have a force of evil influence, that like mental illness … we just don't know how it all fits into our dilemma of mass shootings.


So, our go-to solution is to ban guns because that's our problem. No guns, no shootings, no deaths, we are now safe. Okay, the guns are now gone, now what? Are we safe? Do we have nothing more to worry about? What happens to the mentally ill, or the demon-inspired evil? They won't go away. They will just invent new ways to bring society back into unsafe conditions. America's problem is spiritual. Again, some would say that's too easy of a solution, yet it is a proper diagnosis. The Apostle Paul outlined the kind of society we will face in the last days:


1 Timothy 4 1Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 2These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.


Then he continues to define what this will look like:


2 Timothy 3 1You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!


This is what is wrong with our society. It is a spiritual problem that is the result of a godless people. It is this godless, evil-inclined generation of people whose desires rule their lives, which gives demons free reign to influence thought and action. There is no respect, no honor, nor any remorse for anything that is said or done.


What does God say about mass shootings? Come back to Me, and I will make it right. Jesus said it best when He says, “Let me teach you.”


Matthew 11 28Then Jesus said, come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.


Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler


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