Norway. It’s a peace-loving country. But today it is grieving and shaken by the terrorist attacks of a man who admits to killing more than 75 people in cold blood—but taking “no criminal responsibility.” He says what he did was “atrocious but necessary.”
The first attack came as a car bomb explosion in the executive government quarter of Oslo on July 22, 2011. The blast killed eight people and wounded many others. About an hour-and-a-half later on the island of Utoya, where a youth camp organized by the Labour Party was being held, a gunman disguised as a police officer opened fire on the many young adults in attendance, killing 69. The average age of those who died was 18.
Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old nationalist extremist, was captured and admitted to the acts of violence and murder. His ideas, laid out in an online manifesto, are ultranationalist and contain a variety of bizarre political views. He is clearly anti-Islamic and believes in restoring a “Christian Europe.” There is much debate over his supposed connection to Christianity. (To be clear, he states in his manifesto that he does not have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.)
Could anyone, no matter who they are, claim a connection with the Bible and yet walk around and kill people, as one eyewitness explained, “Like it was no big deal.” What kind of hatred could drive a person to shoot teens as young as 14 at point blank? Is this any way to change the Norwegian society for the better? The evil of a man who would disguise himself in a police uniform and gather the youth around him to make an announcement about the bombing … and then begin shooting them is horrendous. One news reporter exclaimed, “The depth of tragedy here is nearly impossible to fathom.”
Our world is not getting better. The Bible tells us that at the end of time, “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). The coldness of Breivik is apparent when he went around checking his victims to make sure they were not “playing dead.” And if they were playing dead, he shot them in the head. He certainly ignored not only the laws of his land, but the laws of God. The Bible says, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).
Paul warned Timothy of the evil of the last days. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1). What follows is a list of evil traits, many of which describe the Norway shootings, things like: boasters, proud, unloving, unforgiving, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, headstrong, haughty. Paul says, “From such people turn away!” (v. 5).
How can we make sense of the Norway shootings—an act that seems so utterly senseless? There is obviously evil in our world and without a bigger picture of the cosmic conflict happening on our planet, we might think this is just another sad incident. But there is an answer found in the Bible to help us see that Christ is coming soon and that the ultimate one responsible for prompting such madness will soon be held responsible. If you would like to learn more about what the Bible predicts about the end of time and a final judgment, visit one of our seminars on our website.
Finally, we grieve with our friends in Norway. We pray for God’s healing touch on the deep pain many are experiencing. And we encourage all who are saddened and confused by this nightmare to turn to Jesus Christ, who was murdered in cold blood while He was demonstrating God’s great love for you and me. Our Lord stood before the terrorist of our planet and took a hit in order that we can go free.