Once again, tragedy has come to our nation in the form of mass murder. Robert A. Hawkins opened fire with a rifle at the Von Maur department store in Omaha, Nebraska, killing eight people before taking his own life. Five more people were wounded, two critically.

Hawkins was a very troubled young man. He had recently split from his girlfriend, and had been fired from a job at McDonald's. He had a criminal record, and had been kicked out of his parents' house.

This shooting is very personal for me because I live just down the street from the mall. I've been there dozens of times, and I find it bizarre to have such a major national event so close to where I live.

I first learned of the shooting while watching FOX News. I instantly recognized the mall and knew something regrettable was about to be revealed. For the first hour, reporters were uncertain about what had happened. Eventually, the news of the eight dead, plus the shooter's suicide, swept over all the news wires. The four local news stations went into continuous coverage for about a day and a half.

Three weeks ago, I wrote an article about how tropical storms have increased at an exponential rate. I even included a timeline to show the sudden spike in deadly storms around the world. It now looks like I need put together a timeline showing the equally disturbing rise in mass murder shootings.

One of the most noted mass killing events in history is the 1929 St. Valentine's Day massacre. Al Capone gunned down seven members of the rival Bugsy Moran gang. The nation was in total shock over the deaths, and the uproar eventually lead to Capone's downfall.

It took 20 years for another mass murder to surpass the Valentine's Day massacre. In 1949, Howard Unruh massacred 13 people in Camden, New Jersey . Armed with a Luger, he randomly opened fire inside several shops.

Several lists of non-political killings are on the net. All of them show a progressive increase in the number of massacres. For the last two decades, there has not been a single year when a gunman has not gone on a rampage. We are now at the point that there are multiple killings each year. Just look at 2007:

Trolley Square shooting - Salt Lake City, Utah , Sulejman Taloviæ entered a shopping mall and shot five people dead as well as wounding four others before being fatally shot by police.

Virginia Tech massacre - Blacksburg, Virginia , Gunman Seung-Hui Cho opened fire in a Virginia Tech university dormitory and classroom building, killing and wounding many, then committed suicide. At 33 (including gunman's suicide), this is the largest shooting incident of its type in US history to date.

Homecoming Massacre - Crandon, Wisconsin , Forest County Deputy Sheriff Tyler Peterson opened fire with an AR-15 assault rifle during a homecoming party, killing six people--including his ex-girlfriend--and wounding one before committing suicide.

Jokela school shooting - In Jokela, Tuusula, Finland, 18-year-old upper secondary school student Pekka-Eric Auvinen shot five boys, one girl, the school nurse, and the principal. He also opened fire against police officers. Auvinen was hospitalized with a head injury after an unsuccessful suicide attempt, and died later that night.

Omaha Mall shooting - Robert Hawkins opened fire from the customer service area on the third floor of the upscale Von Maur specialty department store in the Westroads Mall, killing eight and wounding five others--some critically--before committing suicide.

Just like with the tropical storms, the question is where is this trend headed? I'm afraid we are going to see more carnage in the years to come. Jesus said the tribulation hour would be preceded by birth pangs, and we are certainly seeing them.

God is slowly lifting his hand of protection from this world. As the process continues, Satan is allowed to inspire more horrific acts of violence. Of course, this means there is worse to come.

In the near future, I strongly believe that we will see a mass casualty event of a historic scale. A terrorist or disturbed individual will use chemical weapons to kill hundreds, if not thousands of people.

It is very easy to make these types of weapons. The shielding hand of God is the only explanation I can come up with for why we have not already seen a major chemical attack. We believers need to shout, "Come, Lord Jesus" because that barrier of protection has been worn thin by man's sin and stubbornness.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).