As more information emerges from the school shooting yesterday outside Denver, Christians grapple with the strange spiritual details that may have motivated the attack.
Two people entered the STEM Highlands Ranch School, about 25 miles outside Denver, yesterday. One student died, while eight more were injured. Some sources report one of the shooters is transgender. Other sources report the identified shooter, Devon Erickson, owned a car with multiple satanic symbols spray-painted on the body, including 666 and a pentagram.
"At the time, the individuals we believed were in custody were two males," Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock says. "It wasn't until we got to this office that we were able to determine that one of the suspects [the juvenile] was a female."
Erickson reportedly hated Christians and President Donald Trump.
"You know what I hate? All these Christians who hate gays, yet in the bible, it says in Deuteronomy 17:12-13, if someone doesn't do what their priest tells them to do, they are supposed to die," Erickson reportedly posted to Facebook. "It has plenty of crazy stuff like that. But all they get out of it is 'ewwwwww gays.'"
These strange details have some Christians looking beyond the physical realm for the answers to critical questions like motivation.
"This Colorado shooting is another heartbreaking tragedy, and I invite all of us to unite in prayer for those impacted at this time. Let us also pray for the authorities investigating the matter," says Larry Tomczak, a Christian commentator and author. "Seduction and fascination with the demonic realm may be integral to the shooters' involvement. Pastors and parents must seize this opportunity to give biblically informed insights on steering clear of these dangerous areas while at the same time guiding those we influence to Jesus, who triumphed over Satan and his minions."
Another Christian commentator offered a similar perspective.
"What else can we expect when we've kicked God out of our schools and streets, public squares, courts, and our legislative and judicial process?" Bert Farias says. "All the rhetoric and politically correct talk is useless and just adds to the confusion. Darkness and death will continue to spread in our land until people humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Gender identity is part of the confusion that comes on a culture void of the presence of the living God and true gospel preaching," Farias continued. "And as for true Christians hating gays, this again is empty rhetoric shaped by a culture that continually separates Christianity from the Bible. Truth sounds like hate to those who hate biblical truth."
Writer John Burton says, "I don't remember anything close to the level of violence that we are seeing on a regular basis today 30 or 40 years ago when I was in school. Yet, today we've almost become desensitized to the terror on the streets and in our schools. It's horrifying and the church must respond."
He offered these solutions:
- The light and the darkness are only going to get more distinct as we draw nearer to the end. We have yet to even imagine the level of evil that will be unleashed in the world, and we shouldn't be surprised. Satan is raging. The world is definitely not getting better and better as some might suggest, but the church's most glorious hour is now! We must exhibit the unmistakable power of God. Yes, we must love. The world needs to see that, without question. However, so many have gone all in on love as the sole solution that they have dismissed something else—God's unmatched power. This brings me to the second reality we need to consider:
- Revival. When the power, love, majesty and supernatural invasion of God into our natural world manifest, countless people just like the school shooters will have an unparalleled opportunity to fall madly in love with Jesus. They will meet him and will be undone for eternity. Simply sharing the gospel, as critical as that is, is no match to the manifest glory of God that overtakes the culture in the midst of revival. The gender-confused will see their delusions dissipate in seconds. Strongholds of homosexuality, witchcraft, the occult, hatred, perversion and other terrible experiences that are squeezing the life out of so many people will be eradicated. We need revival. Only then will our identity in Christ supplant our lesser attempts at discovering our identity in the world. Yes, it's time to pray like never before, and we must see the glory and power of God flood into our churches, our streets, our schools and our nation.
Charisma News will continue to update this story as more details come to light.
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