Why Did The Las Vegas Shooting Happen?

Stephen Paddock opened fire on people attending a concert. 59 are dead, 527 are injured. One news agency interviewed a man on the scene of the shooting. He said, “ We thought it was fireworks, then my buddy said that he was hit. We got one guy in my truck and rushed him to the nearest ambulance but in the transfer he passed away in my arms.”

Whenever tragedy strikes the first question out of people’s mouths and in people’s hearts is “why would a good God allow this to happen?” Here are three points to why this happened and I will close with why God must exist in order for us to begin to make sense out of this.

1. This world is a fallen, broken place; a shadow of its former glory

Whenever we see these gut-wrenching videos of this event we need to be reminded that we are living in a broken world. Looking at scripture we see that in Genesis 3:5-6 “For God knows that when you eat from it {the tree of Life} your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Here we see the catastrophic fall of man. This affects every single person that has lived, is living, and will live. We can’t escape it – only rightly understand it- when it flares up and affects countless people in times like these. The media will try to find someone still alive to blame; however, there will probably be none. Stephen Paddock was a poor lost soul that did the unthinkable. Could this have been prevented?

    2. Man is a benefactor of brokenness and it shows

No gun laws passed are going to stop situations like this. Why? Because it is the heart behind the gun that has to change. Man is a benefactor of the bitter fruit of sin and we do not live in a safe world. Can more be done to prevent things like this? Yes; nevertheless, it will never be totally eradicated until every heart is conquered by Jesus and submitting to His Lordship. Until then hug each other, comfort the hurting, and share the truth. If you are dealing with grief please let us be a listening ear and a voice of counsel. We love you because Christ first loved us. Please call (919)307-7446 after the devotional leave a message. Jesus Christ has come to conquer sin once and for all.

3. We need a deliverer and it is found in Jesus

We need one that can come and comfort the ones with the bloodstains on their clothes from their friends. Jesus is the only one that can comfort. He is the one who overcame death and hell. John 16:33 says “these things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” He suffered. He was buried. He came out of the grave. Death can no longer hold Him; therefore, those who believe in Him, although they may die once, the second death has no effect on them. We don’t know when we are going to die, we only know that we will. None of the 59 people who died that night had any idea when they put their clothes on that morning that any of this would happen. If you don’t know Jesus, may a tragedy like this cause you to evaluate your life and where you stand with your Creator.

If a good God does not exist then we cannot begin to say what happened in Las Vegas is wrong.

If a good God does not exist then we cannot begin to say what happened in Las Vegas is wrong. When you first read the previous line you may think this is completely false. I don’t need a God to tell me a man killing 59 people while they attend a concert is evil. Here is where the mistake is made in the thought process. There is an assumption in the statement. What is it? That man -alone- has the ability, apart from God, to say this is bad.

Detached from God it is all subjective and personal preference. How many T.V. shows have you watched and movies that you have rented where the actors say, “follow your heart.” According to popular culture this guys was simply doing what made him feel complete and gave meaning to his life. This is crazy right? Not according to popular opinion. This is where they will step in and try to rescue the idea of following what makes you feel good.

There is no rescue- the popular opinion of doing what makes you feel good- it dies a thousand deaths when logically carried to its conclusion. God has given us a standard to live by, and when evil acts like this happen, we are reminded we need God to make sense of this. Doing what makes you happy blows up in the face of all who hold to the belief.  And when the smoke clears, there is a Righteous Judge who is going to hold Stephen Paddock accountable for his actions. And, not just Stephen, but everyone who does not have Jesus as their Savior. Repent and believe the Gospel today.

If you need more information, go to our contact page and we would love to talk with you personally. This loss is tragic and is something that we can help you begin to understand and help you process through. Call (919) 307-7446 after the devotional please leave your message.