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The Mass Murder of Innocent People in Las Vegas

Stephen Paddock, mass murderer

The rather strange photo above has been widely circulated in connection with a horrendous murder rampage in Las Vegas this past Sunday night. The media reports there are now 59 people killed and over 500 wounded. The motive for this killing has yet to be established but is being carefully investigated by authorities.

According to reports this man was found dead when the police broke into the room he was in at the hotel. By his death Stephen Paddock has eluded the judgment of the courts and will not stand trial for his misdeeds. The Bible is clear regarding all humanity including this one; Stephen Paddock will live forever in some location known only to God. In the minds of those who believe in an afterlife the question may now be one of where will Stephen Paddock spend eternity, in heaven or in hell?

Common sense would demand he spend eternity in hell because of his hideous crimes against humanity but is this the way God would look at him. From the divine viewpoint what is the basic charge against Stephen Paddock when he appears before God to be judged? I suggest to you the murder and carnage caused by this man will not be the basic charge against him; it will be something totally different and I believe the Bible makes this very clear.

The Atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ

I published a two-part essay on the subject of personal sin on August 7, 2017 Forgiveness and September 8, 2017 Everything has Changed and presented the Biblical perspective that personal sin had been paid for by the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. The Lord Jesus Christ had died for the sins of the entire world, past present and future and eliminated personal sin as a barrier between God and man; to be specific the Lord Jesus Christ died for the sins of Stephen Paddock including the massacre at Las Vegas.

By his apparent suicide he has escaped judgment by the judicial system; now the only question that Stephen Paddock faces, from an eternal perspective, is did he receive Jesus Christ as Savior and was born again during his mortal life on this earth. While I would quickly agree there is certainly no evidence this ever happened I would add this is the only condition that will determine where he spends eternity.

Why do I mention this now? The full nature of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ is too often misunderstood; when he spoke the words “It is finished” all personal sin was judged at the cross in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for those sins; the debt had been paid in full including mass murder by Stephen Paddock!