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I’ve had a lot of time to sit and think about the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk, a conservative political commentator who made a lot of content for Turning Point USA and who spoke and debated on a lot of college campuses. There are a few reasons why this has caused me so much anger. Yes, it is the murder of an innocent man. That is more than enough reason to feel outrage. However, (1) there are many, many leftists CELEBRATING his murder. The thing is, you don’t have to try to hard to find them. Go to any comment section on any Facebook or TikTok post having anything to do with Kirk and you’ll find them. I mentioned in my previous blog post how incensed I was when I saw a small Facebook reel compilation of people gleeful over his death. This is evil. Indeed, thankfully, these wicked people are getting fired left and right and are crying about it. However, there’s another reason this is angering me, and even causing me to be a little anxious. And that is that it could have easily have been me.

Charlie Kirk was not a politician. He wasn’t a mayor, or a governor, and he sure as heck wasn’t the President. And yet, he was assassinated for speaking his views. When Trump was shot, I was surprised and upset, but not like this. First of all, Trump lived. But second of all, it isn’t unprecedented for governing authorities to have an attempt on their life. It’s happened in this country with past presidents, and it’s happened in other countries with kings, emperors, prime ministers, going back thousands of years. But Kirk had no power. He wasn’t even running for any kind of office. Charlie Kirk was just a guy with opinions. He was just a guy who wanted to debate theological, philosophical, and political ideologies that he thought were false and/or harmful to society. He did public speaking, debates, Q&As with college students. When you start having assassinations on people like this, your mind goes “Oh, that could be me.” Especially if you have a public platform where you likewise voice unpopular opinions.

I am by no means famous, but I do think I am technically a public figure. My face, voice, words, are all public, and I don’t make any of my content under a pseudonym. Although I am less public than I was since I cut back my content to just blogs and books, I do have plans (James 4:15) to do an expositional Bible Podcast a few years in the future after I have done heavy research on the books I plan on teaching through. And I have spoken publicly at events like Defend 2024 and a couple of times at local church events. Although I’m not usually too political insofar as things like the economy, immigration, et. al. Several of my theological beliefs overlap with my political beliefs such as my views on marriage (one man and one woman – Genesis 2:24), gender (Only 2, and it’s biologically determined) and the sanctity of life (Exodus 20:13 – abortion is the murder of the unborn). One could also point to my views on the death penalty (I’m for it) as being theological as well, since I am so on the basis of verses like Genesis 9:6. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image.” By the way, see the article “Capital Punishment and The Bible” by David Miller on the Apologetics Press website for a robust biblical defense of the death penalty.

Who is to say that I couldn’t be speaking at an apologetics conference, at a local church, or something similar, and someone doesn’t like the fact that I believe that a person who has a penis and X/Y chromosomes isn’t a woman, so they decide to put a bullet in my brain? I used to think that the possibility of dying as a martyr for Jesus was astronomically low. After all, I’m an American. Marytrdoms happen in other countries, right? They usually involve terrorist groups like ISIS, right? That couldn’t happen to an American on American Soil, right? That’s the way I used to think. And yet, it is not at all unthinkable for me at this point to think that I might be killed for my faith.

You don’t necessarily have to be a public figure at all, let alone as famous as Kirk. Things are getting bad. Not only do I think martyrdom is now a real possibility, but I think civil war is. The night he was killed, I looked at the inflamed rhetoric on both sides. And yes, there is inflamed rhetoric on both sides. Both sides are getting increasingly pissed at each other. I myself am someone who is quite angry, as I already said. I was hoping that I was out of my head, that it was just my emotions causing me to think illogically, as my emotions very often do. But I have talked to others who expressed their same concerns. Let me be clear; I don’t want Civil War II. I want everyone to come to their damn senses and be able to have civil dialogues on issues in which we disagree. However, the toxic political climate that made me go a-political during the pandemic has only devolved more and more. My fear is that Kirk’s assassination might lead to more political violence. I hope that doesn’t happen, and we can look back on this blog post and laugh about how I failed to predict the future. But things are scary right now in the U.S. However, Jesus is still King no matter how much the powers of darkness rage. He is still sovereign and I will swear my allegiance to Him even if it costs me my life. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (ESV). And Jesus also said “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33). If it comes to that, so be it. I’ll be back. (John 11:26, cf. Daniel 12:2-3).

Intelligent Supernatural Evil is upping their game. I already knew this because of the evil I had to fight in my own personal life, having to deal with a very toxic family member who lives with me, who has been the source of some major temptations that I’ve successfully resisted so far. I’ll leave it at that. But things like Irena Zarutska’s and Charlie Kirk’s murders have shown me that they’re upping their game overall. The days are more evil than they ever have been in my 33-year-old lifetime. Friends, we need to armor up. Satan and his legion are on the move. I know it is kind of long, but I encourage you to read my blog essay “Psalm 91: Your Battle Anthem Against The Devil” It heavily focuses on spiritual warfare. And, God willing, once I get done reading Tremper Longmann’s “The Story Of God Bible Commentary: Genesis”, I plan on writing a blog essay on The Armor of God and how it relates to our individual struggles with spiritual evil as well as The Great Commission. And I’m going to argue that ultimately, the Sword Of The Spirit refers both to scripture as well as to the gospel message in both contexts, and that the Great Commission should be understood as (non-violent) conquest warfare, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense unless you have a Divine Council Worldview.

So that’s it for this blog post. Another short one. I’ll end with a passage from God’s word, the one I just referred to; Ephesians 6:10–18 (ESV)

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” (ESV)

Yahweh, have mercy on us. Yahweh help us. And come, Lord Jesus, come!