-------Orlando Shooting-------

During the weekend of June 11th and 12th, a man went into a nightclub that caters to the homosexual lifestyle and started shooting. A few hours later, 50 people were confirmed dead, including the shooter. Many others were wounded. This turned out to be the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States. It is very likely that this will happen again sometime in the future and there does not seem to be an answer to this madness.

The saddest part of this story is not that people were killed, but the likelihood that any of those people that were killed were prepared for eternity. It is very likely that all 49 of the victims were practicing the homosexual lifestyle. There is no indication they had allowed the forgiveness of Jesus to enter their lives. This means they would have died in their sins, forever separated from God.

I believe one of the biggest mysteries of this life is the fact that every adult knows we will die at some point in our lives, yet never considers the question of what happens after death. People read about the deaths of others on a daily basis, but are quite shocked when it actually happens to them. The Bible gives clear answers on what happens after death and how to guarantee an entry into heaven after death. It also gives a clear warning on what happens after death if you do not follow the only path it provides to heaven. Yet, the majority of the world rejects this book or never reads it, so the majority of the world will remain lost in their sin when they die. That is what is so heart breaking about the victims of the Orlando shooting.

Is homosexuality a sin? The Old Testament says this about homosexuality, "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." This passage was addressed to the Israelites when God was directing those people to be a light unto the world, but those same people also rejected God's word and have been paying dearly for thousands of years. People today may think that no longer applies to our generation as it was an Old Testament command addressed to the Israelites.

The New Testament says this about homosexuality, "24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them." Romans Chapter 1

Let's be clear. The warning against homosexuality by God is not because God hates the person who practices that sin. All of us have sinned. It is God telling that person that practicing that lifestyle will only lead to death and eternal death. The death from practicing that lifestyle is usually from diseases like AIDS, not from someone murdering them. In the American culture of today (other cultures despise this sin), saying anything against this sin can be interpreted as a hate crime because we are not "tolerant". Our culture is trying to force this issue down our throats in a vain effort to make it "acceptable". God will allow this to continue for a season. He did so with Sodom and Gomorrah. Finally, those two cities were completely destroyed by God because their sin was so great. Men who practice the sin of homosexuality are called "Sodomites" for a reason. A thorough study of Romans Chapter 1 indicates that people who suppress the truth of God bring on God's wrath but not the same kind of wrath we saw with Sodom and Gomorrah.

The wrath of God in this case is God withdrawing from that person and allowing that person to pile one sin upon another on themselves until their lives are completely ruined by their own sinful choices. Homosexuality is not the only sin addressed in this chapter.

The guy who did the killing was a practicing Muslim who believed he was doing his god a favor by killing all of these people. The bible of the Islamic faith actually commands the death of homosexuals as well as Christians and Jews. The killer was just following his book. He was acting out of self righteousness which is spiritually more dangerous than the ones caught up in the sin of homosexuality. The Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus's day were self righteous, and Jesus called them snakes and vipers. The man who did these killings said in an online post that our nation was wicked but he used a different word. The killing of 49 people is no less wicked than the sexual perversions of the American people. Self righteousness is very deceptive and will always lead to evil acts. People are always quick to point out the sins of others while ignoring their own. This is just the sinful human nature at work.

What the people who practice the religion of Islam, who hope they can get into heaven by their deeds, fail to realize is that their so called good works mean nothing to God. Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away." Trying to get into heaven on our own merits is a satanic deception that affects multitudes of people.

The religion of Islam teaches that the only guarantee of heaven is to die a martyr's death in Jihad (holy war). This is a complete contradiction to what the Bible teaches and must be rejected as a falsehood. Thou Shalt Not Kill (murder) is one of the ten commandments. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself so going into a bar and killing a bunch of people would not qualify.

In June of 2015, the government of the United States broke a long standing covenant made by God in the book of Genesis. God established who should get married in that book. Genesis 2:24 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." God created man. God made woman out of man to be a companion for man. The supreme court of the USA broke that covenant. This year, in June, the anniversary of the month our government broke God's covenant by legalizing gay marriage, the worst mass shooting in US history takes place and it happens to be a gay bar.

Could this be a warning from God? There have been many mass shootings in our country in the last few years and this is fulfilling a last days prophecy which states, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:" Timothy 3:1 The reasons for the perilous times are given in verse 2, "2 For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, 3 [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good," (Amplified Version).

God is a covenant God. Another name for the New Testament is the New Covenant. The covenant is simple. Trust in the sacrifice the sinless man (Jesus) made on the cross to wash away your sin and receive eternal life. Reject the cross and receive eternal damnation. Jesus could do this because He was God who became a man. He is the only man who ever lived that did not sin and willingly died on the cross to take my place and yours so we could have eternal life. He rose from the dead to prove it.

The United States of America broke God's marriage covenant when they legalized gay marriage in June of 2015. I believe America died that day. God's hand of protection has been removed from this country. God has always used man to carry out his judgments and I fear that the Orlando shooting may be a minor skirmish to what may be coming. This nation's only hope is to repent of its evil deeds and turn back to God. Sadly, I have little hope of this happening.

Copyright 2016 by Gary Goodworth