“Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood” Isaiah 59:7
Evil was on full display when a gunman entered the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX with a military-style rifle and killed at least 26 people and injured over 20 more. This shooting was the deadliest church shooting in United States history and it comes right on the heels of the Las Vegas City Massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
So many people are perplexed and are looking for answers and motives to these tragic events and can’t seem to find any. However, we are reminded in Scripture that there are real forces in this world today that are not from God and who are at work.
“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelation 12:12.
Satan is walking and operating all around us, and things are only going to get worse. It is very concerning to see this kind of tragedy happening almost weekly. If there is anyone who believes that our world has not descended into a time of unprecedented wickedness, they are in a serious state of denial. As despicable and utterly detestable these mass shootings have become, it is heartbreaking to realize that this is fast becoming the new daily normal in America.
It is a sign that society has hit rock bottom when mass shootings start taking place in houses of worship. The victims in this Texas church massacre ranged between 18 months old and age 72. When the world becomes this mad we know that Jesus is about to return and bring and end to all this sin and suffering.
The age of the American dream is forever gone as we enter a new era called the American nightmare. It is deeply saddening to think that there is no stopping this cycle of violence. Mass shootings, fatal vehicular attacks and suicide bombings are now part of our new culture of death and violence.
Compounding this problem are leaders and politicians who begin politicizing these tragedies. It is inexplicable to see the complete disregard and lack of respect for the dead and dying as opportunists seize this moment to score political points.
Equally troubling is the fact that this nation has no shortage of mentally ill people who will be inspired by these shootings. It makes you wonder when the next deranged, copycat assassin is planning his 15 minutes of fame. There is no shortage of depressed maniacs who would consider taking out as many innocent people as possible in a similar suicide mission. The 24-hour, wall to wall news media coverage helps to inspire these killers.
One final thought that is just as troubling is the fact that we are not looking for a spiritual solution to this mass shooting epidemic. There are serious consequences when you rip apart the moral fabric of any society and replace it with relativism. While some are blaming guns and others blame religion for these shootings, no one seems to recognize that we as a people and nation are morally bankrupt. That is our main problem. We have lost our moral compass and the result is that evil takes over because evil does exist. When we force God out, evil moves in. Evil is real and is increasing on every hand and in all places. Anyone who loses touch with reality and harbors evil and is determined to kill will find a way to do it with guns, fire, knives, vehicles or home-made bombs.
Isaiah prophesied about the loss of morality in great detail:
“Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.” Isaiah 59:7-9.
This is describing a bloody, moral-less, godless generation that is void of peace and justice. God predicted that it would come and He also said that this kind of people shall have “no peace.” And the truth is that God is not unwilling to help save us. He is more than willing to do much more than we ask of Him (Ephesians 3:20). The problem is that we are the ones who are unwilling to turn to Him and seek His grace and favor so that this nightmare of violence can finally end.
“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.” Isaiah 59:1-4.
God has certainly promised that He will speedily come to our aid whenever we turn away from sin and transgression.
“And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.” Isaiah 59:20, 21.
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