Again, One Man Makes A Difference

This week the world was shocked at the senseless and brutal slaying of 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech University. It was the deadliest killing spree in United States history and was obviously carried out by a psychopathic madman (not included in the count on purpose).
But the story I want to focus upon is not the madman, but a heroic man. I think that on a larger scale, this was not simply a story of an angry nut; this should be remembered as a story of the tragic story of good vs. evil… again.
While neither I nor anyone else may ever understand the motive of the killer, it is clear that a heroic man named Liviu Librescus’ motives were pure. Librescus was a professor in the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department. The Romanian born, Israeli citizen came to the United States twenty years ago to teach. He knew first hand about the battle between good and evil. You see, Librescus lived through a genocidal slaughter by another madman, Adolf Hitler. Now you know… Librescus was a Holocaust survivor.
Revelation 12:10-12 says, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." Satan is at work in this world! He has lost the war, but he still feels he can win a few wars and he has not quit.
Librescus stood there in the doorway of his classroom and barricaded it so that he might protect his students from this evil in the hallway. AND HE DID! One man stood against evil and made a difference. Yes, 32 were killed, but the students in Librescus’ class know that if not for his bravery, the death toll could have been higher and included them. While the members of that classroom at Virginia Tech can thank a Jewish man for their lives, so too can you. A certain Jewish carpenter from Nazareth gave His life for you and me those many years ago so that Satan could not claim victory over us. Jesus, the Lamb of God, gave His blood so that we might have eternal life. You and I meet evil on a regular basis, be it a wicked tongue of lies and deceit, violence, pride, envy, and others. We are called to stand in the gap. One person can make a difference in this world. No, it may not be as publicized as the bravery of Liviu Librescus, but you will know when you have stood up for Jesus and your faith. That opportunity comes along every so often, so don’t hesitate… it may be a matter of life or death.