Friday, August 29, 2025
This week our nation saw yet another mass shooting at the hands of a deranged killer hell-bent on the destruction of human life created in the image of God. The killer was transgender, a man pretending to be a woman and murdered two children and wounded seventeen others. No sooner did this get reported than many Democrats on the liberal Left blamed lack of gun control. Some Obama/Biden liberals even went on a rant against prayer. I want to say to every person reading this: senseless and murderous acts like this one or any other is not about guns or the lack of gun control, but instead it’s about the naturally wicked human heart, Jer. 17:9, given over to serving the ungodly schemes of Satan! And parents who coddle a wanna-be-transgender child as did the mom of this man, bear responsibility for withholding the truth in love from their child. But this man’s mom literally “applied for her son to legally change his name, writing in 2019, ‘minor identifies as female and wants her name to reflect the identification.’” (Source) And now the mom feels the weight of her responsibility because she’s hired a criminal defense attorney!
Murders committed with guns is not about the lack of gun control, but the uncontrolled heart, mind, spirit and soul rejecting the transformative power of the Holy Spirit unto salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Hence, the need for preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ! But unrepentant evil doers do not believe or understand that reality. Their minds and hearts are foolishly darkened, Rom. 1:21. And any Christian pastors or Bible teachers who advocate for gun control as a result of the murderous actions by the spiritually lost and wicked, should have their credentials revoked until they themselves come to the truth of this matter. Yet, there now are and will be many pastors and Bible teachers who join with the unbelieving world to advocate for gun control because they are afraid of the wicked world, afraid to stand against its cultural dictates, because they fear man more than God! Ancient Israel often did the same.
If the ungodly want to murder, they will find ways, be it a gun, a stone, a baseball bat, a car, a knife, or any other instrument that can be used to murder people. The Bible doesn’t say what Cain used to kill his brother Abel, but some say he used a stone. From that day to this, wicked unbelievers hell-bent on killing and murder have found many ways in which to carry out their evil deeds. The United States has even stooped so low as to use nuclear warheads to murder hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese people, and to this very day there are still many professing Christians who glory in that ungodly event! Let no true believers be so spiritually naïve as to blame weapons for murder and killing of people. Otherwise, in good conscience they would have to stop using cars, baseball bats, pest control poisons, garden tools, kitchen knives, hammers, mechanic’s wrenches, wood-working and iron-working tools and much more. Anyone with a shred of spiritual discernment knows that guns don’t kill people any more than a kitchen table knife kills people, but a person’s evil heart who uses instruments for killing is the problem, not the instruments themselves used in the crime. But many are devoid of discernment.
God warns that “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15). [My bold emphasis] And God’s Holy Spirit also said concerning the Judgment Day to come: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8). Again, this is why preaching and teaching the uncompromised word of God is so vital from Christian pulpits and teaching lecterns. The heart and life that’s not been made righteous and forgiven by grace through true faith in Jesus Christ, of such a one the Lord said “Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 22:13). The Truth reminds us that “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14). That’s sobering.
Now, for today’s reality. Violence against true and perceived Christians and conservatives will, from now until Jesus Christ returns, grow exponentially worse. Are you prepared for that? Are we prepared for the increasing violence that will come against us just because we are believers of the Lord Jesus? In the depths of their spirit but unknown to their own minds unbelievers hate us, but Jesus reminded us saying that “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20). It is now becoming increasingly discernible who belongs to the Lord Jesus and who does not. Jesus said “by their fruits you will know them” (Matt. 7:20). Many good people not born again can appear as a believer, but the closer we get to the seven-year tribulation and especially once we are in the tribulation, it will be increasingly apparent who does and who does not belong to the redeemed house of the Lord Jesus Christ. Persecution will be the divisional proving ground.
I have often said that I firmly believe the Church will go out of this world just as it came into this world in the First Century AD, under much persecution. And for that we must be prepared for we will not be rescued by a secret pre-trib rapture. Just the idea of a secret pre-trib rapture defies the very character of God! What God did in the past for His people He did very publically. Nothing God ever did was done in a corner. And it will be no different at the end of this present age, but we must ensure that we walk by faith and in obedience to the word of the Lord Jesus to the very best of our ability. We are not called to appease the world and its culture. God said “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Cor. 10:3–6). If heeded, Christ’s truths will guide us through the dark days ahead.
Let’s raise our children and families in the fear of the Lord and knowledge of His word. If we do that, Christ said “whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matt. 7:24–27). In all sincerity let’s each ask this of ourselves: “Is my spiritual house built on the solid Rock of faith in Christ, or the sinking sands of culture?” It’s still not too late to make a decision of grace through faith in Jesus Christ and be counted as one of “the elect” of whom Christ gathers to Himself “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31). The truth and knowledge of God’s word will guide us each through the tribulation.
My second book “ON EAGLES’ WINGS” explains in detail how to know Christ and find God’s Bozrah sheepfold of safety and place of provision for the last 1,260 days of the great tribulation.
Marlin J. Yoder
