And Yet Again, Another Shooting

It seems the episodes of gun violence are increasing once again. The government feels it must act and do something — anything to quell the bloodshed. There are calls for more gun control, background checks, and help for those recognized as mentally challenged. I believe we are living in the last days. The reasoning for this is the dialogue of men today compared to the men in Noah’s day. Notice that Jesus said in Matthew 24:37 “But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” So, how were the days of Noah? We find in Luke 17:27 “They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.” The people of Noah’s day were doing pretty much what men are doing today; living large while ignoring God. Further evidence is found in the comments from Job 22:15-17 “Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood: Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?” Job lived not long after the Great Flood. Yet in a handful of generations from the sons of Noah to the time of Job men were already rejecting God. Job recites these words in Job 21:13-15 “They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?” Today it is the same. Man, in his ever increasing prosperity, does not see the need for Jesus and His redemption from sin. Man does not see the need to mind spiritual things of the soul, therefore they live earthly and then die. The soul of man is naturally sick and depraved. Carnality has taken over so that the heart of man is evil continually. Same as the days of Noah. In Genesis 6:5 “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Indeed the heart of man is wicked. The Prophet Jeremiah speaks Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Knowing the carnal and depraved nature of man there will always be someone who is troubled enough to react violently. The heart of man is indeed wicked. The devil will capitalize on the depraved condition of the man and prompt him to violence. Remember First Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” Naturally, the devil would devour the believer, but the devil also seeks to destroy the natural man and the unbelievers as well. Until Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom and the 1000 year reign, the earth will see ever more violence. The ramifications of a shooting is certainly sorrow. The depravity of man has been in a downward spiral since Adam and Eve were in the Garden. The only answer for the gun violence lies in the heart of the person with the gun. The United States has millions of responsible gun owners who are mindful of the right to own one according to the Constitution. It’s the individuals who have reached the required low of depravity that they carry out these acts of violence. It’s a spiritual problem that can only be solved by God. See You in Church --- Bro. Louis