Our Violent Society - Where will it end?
The newspapers, television and radio reports seem to be constantly full of
stories of violence. Whole television programmes are devoted to either
obtaining information to help apprehend those involved or explaining exactly
what those who have been convicted did, and how they were caught. Sadly these
programmes are regarded as peak viewing - in themselves a comment about the age
in which we live.
You may argue that it has always been the case, that man by his very nature is
violent and that it is just that we place more emphasis these days on acceptable
patterns of behaviour. This is not the view however of many professional
observers of society, several of whom have been documenting a spiralling trend,
with sickening results. The question that they cannot answer is where will it
all end?
It was Paul the apostle, who wrote in a letter to a young fellow Christian in
the first century these words:
"But mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days, people will be
lovers of themselves, ....abusive,.....without self control, brutal, not lovers
of the good...."
(2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 - 3 N.I.V.)
We perhaps reflect that Paul could have been talking specifically of our age,
but the important words to note are "in the last days". "The days of what?" you
may well ask..
In the Bible, the phrase "the last days" refers to the period of time just
before the return to the earth of Jesus Christ. You see, the Bible makes it
quite clear that Jesus will return to the earth and will then set up God's
kingdom and in so doing he will "judge the world with justice". (Acts 17:31
N.I.V.)
Whilst they remain concerned about the rising violence, those who trust in Jesus
and await his return, at least know the answer to the experts' question - "Where
will it all end?"
