The massacre by one man from the 32nd floor of a hotel in Las Vegas was pure evil.
One psychopath rained terror with multiple fire arms on thousands of concert goers at a country music festival on Sunday night October 1, 2017.
59 dead. Over 500 wounded.
The worst mass shooting in U.S. history left civil and uncivil folks baffled.
How do you explain pure evil by a guy who had plenty of money and freedom?
Evil is not passive
The ugly mark on Stephen Paddock before this shooting was a lawsuit he lost to a casino.
Think he carried a grudge or two?
Numerous firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition in a hotel room.
He was mad at somebody.
And yet the shooter had every reason to be a peaceful human since he was . . .
- a retired accountant
- financially independent
- living in a nice house on a cul-de-sac
But, evil overcame him before it overcame the victims.
Every man who is at war with himself is at war with others.
Evil is our enemy
You and I are in a battle with evil everywhere.
And the next time we face it could be anywhere like a favorite restaurant or a stop sign.
Coming home from the office on a Wednesday, I approached the stop sign at the block of my all American neighborhood.
Squad cars blocked the entrance and the swat team mobilized just four houses away from mine!
So much for peace and freedom at home.
Evil is born in the heart
Long before the 9/11 tragedy played out on our TV screens, military planners worried about the future of evil.
“The next real war we fight is likely to be on American soil. The natural state of man is war. I think that peace is an interval for preparation.” Thomas Ricks, Making the Corps
“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9
Victory over evil in the heart comes by waging a war of love on all of society.
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.” John Donne
Victory over evildoers
First responders were heroic in the Las Vegas tragedy.
Smoke alarms triggered by gunfire led police to the killer’s door.
Many of these cops are Ex-Marines. But, don’t call them that.
Once a Marine always a Marine.
Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from their “core values” statement.
Honor. Courage. Commitment.
And we can certainly use the Corps’ motto, “semper fidelis,” always faithful.
God is faithful to a world marred by evil
God is faithful to a world he made with free-will which led to the inclusion of evil.
Get rid of evil and you get rid of free-will.
So, He freely came as a human being and suffered all of the horrible loss and pain and death that you and I witness on the news, in our neighborhoods and in our lives.
“He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.” Isaiah 53: 3-5
What are your thoughts about evil and this massacre?
Great read and perspective. Evil is a corruption of something good, not a stand alone idea.
Franklin,
Thanks for sharing!
Steve, while I disagree with prejudgement, I do agree that senseless unprovoked killing is most likely motivated by “evil”. However, the crucial question is how do we define evil? I think everyone has an individual perception of what evil is. Throughout history different societies have determined that their misfortune is the manifestation of some sort of evil. Then we reinforce that thought with prayer to ask God to correct or defeat whatever our current misfortune is. One scripture says, if we resist the devil or “evil” he must flee. James 4:7. This indicates that even the devil is commanded to obey God’s word. I can list several scriptures that will validate that truth.
But, if I may be so bold to suggest that one man’s evil is another man’s religious responsibility. I would say that we as a people have not come to one common meaning to identify “evil”. We as a people may erroneously apply the definition of “evil” and may overlay our personal beliefs and experiences on top of every illegal or immoral act as defined by our individual society which is natural for some Christians, as we need to believe that all “bad things”, are motivated by the “evil one” and all things that bring us comfort are from God. Think about it, to resist means to withstand, strive against, or oppose in some manner. Resistance can be a defensive maneuver on our part, such as resisting or withstanding the temptation to sin. Or it can be an action we take to use the only offensive weapon in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-18), the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Using the Scriptures to expose Satan’s lies and temptations is the most effective way to strive against and defeat them.
It is important to read the whole verse: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Resisting the devil must be accompanied by submitting to God. A disobedient or unsubmissive believer (society, nation, community or family) will not see victory. So, the crucial question again is, are the senseless acts of violence in our society thrust upon us by the “evil one” or are they the result of an unsubmissive Christian people? I apologize for the long comment.
Thank you for your long comment Aaron! Big subject! Important subject! Evil. Right in our face in Las Vegas. Future blog posts on evil are needed and I will do so as ugly events like this occur. Here are three quick thoughts about your question of where or how these senseless acts of violence are “thrust upon us.” 1. Theism, whether we are referring to Christianity or not, holds that God is good and he created good creatures with a good power called free will. Unfortunately, they use this good power to bring evil into the universe by rebelling against their Creator and their fellow man. God produces the fact of free choice but each human performs the act of free choice. So I would say that senseless acts of violence are choices any man or woman makes. 2. Evil is not a substance itself, but a corruption of a good substance that God made. Evil is like rust on a car or rot on a tree. Evil is like a wound in the head which sadly happened over and over in Las Vegas. To say that evil is not a thing but a lack in things is not to say that it is not real. Evil is corruption and in many cases massive corruption in good things. 3. Yes I believe in the reality of supernatural evil and the evidence for this logically is the universal, powerful and persistent nature of the temptation to do evil at all levels. What else accounts for heinous senseless crimes? The universal temptation to sin is best explained by sustained personal attack. Please see the earlier comment in this post to Rita. Also, the proliferation of deception worldwide in corrupt political power in every government is a strong testament to a great Deceiver. As the 1968 Rolling Stones song goes, “pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name.”
WE SHOULD NOT LET EVIL BE THE FINAL AUTHOR OF THAT NIGHT.
WE SHOULD STEP UP AND CELEBRATE THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO DIED AND THE GOODNESS OF GOD.
WE SHOULD TAKE THIS AS AN AWAKENING TO FIND NEW WAYS TO LOVE EACH OTHER.
WE SHOULD CHANGE SIN CITY INTO A CELEBRATION OF GOD OVER EVIL.
Kent, I think you just gave four affirmations of the gospel which is the reversal of everything that is wrong and ugly in this world! Thanks for your feedback!
The events in las Vegas are absolutely gut-wrenching. Your words help to remind us from a biblical perspective that absolute evil does exist, and regardless of what we do, it always will. How we use our faith to understand these events and face that evil will help define where we can go from here.
Matt, Thanks for pointing out how our faith plays a role in the future of confronting evil. We can’t quit no matter what stage of life we are in! Each of us plays a significant role in the fight against evil. Great to hear from you! Steve
We are a modern day Babylon. Jeremiah 29:7: “Pray for it (USA), because if it prospers, you too will prosper”. We must withhold judgment & hate and LOVE!
Timothy Keller writes “Be so sacrificially loving that the people around you, who don’t believe what you believe, will soon be unable to imagine the place without you”.
Great perspective Steve. Thank you.
Wonderful insight Andy. Thanks for sharing!
You hit the nail on the head. There is a spiritual war going on all over the Earth.
It will not end until the Lord returns and has victory over the evil one. Thanks for tying this truth together with current events and a personal story.
Rita, your thought reminds me of this from the Screwtape Letters, “Our policy for the moment is to conceal ourselves. When the humans disbelieve in our existence we lose all the pleasing results of direct terrorism and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when they believe in us we cannot make them materialists and skeptics.” Thanks for your comment!
Thank you for these important words, perspectives and timely delivery.
Thanks for your support Steve.