Crime and Violence
I think anybody who’s even remotely paying attention today can see that our “civil” society is in crises. Crime and violence have spun out of control. People just don’t feel safe anymore. Yes, there are still those enclaves in our beloved country where kids can walk down the street and play in their neighbors backyard and not become a crime statistic. However, even those places are becoming, by and large, scarce. If you’ve ever watched any of those “who done it” shows the first thing people say is, “I never thought this would happen here.” The sad fact is you’re more prone to become a crime victim now more than ever before. The days of Mayberry R.F.D. are over. Simply put, we are living in the last days. There are “wars and rumors of wars” (see Matt 24:6-13) We have the war in Ukraine, and war brewing in the middle east between Iran and Israel that has the potential to escalate into WWIII. Everyone knows, too, that China’s just waiting to make their move on Taiwan. Both of which will include the U.S. getting involved in some fashion. But let’s turn back to our country for a moment.
Many of our, particularly blue state cities, have become war zones. For example, in 2023 violent crime in Chicago was 11.5% higher than in 2022. There were 30,501 vehicle thefts and car jackings, and 22,569 cases of assault. As a whole, Chicago had 45% more murders than a decade ago. Take a look at these large cities’ statistics per 100,000 residents.
Murder– Baltimore MD, 50. Detroit MI, 49. Memphis TN, 43
Rape-Detroit MI, 114. Columbus OH, 111. Denver CO, 107
Aggravated Assault-Memphis TN, 1942. Detroit MI, 1642. Kansas City MO, 1155
Robbery– Baltimore MD, 556. Memphis TN, 372. Philadelphia, PA, 370
(source, 2024 Crime Rates in U.S. Cities Report, by Rob Gabriele- Managing Editor & Home Security Expert, April 2, 2024)
Just recently, FOX News displayed a chart showing Minneapolis crime stats between 2019 and 2023. Homicides up 50%. Assault offenses up 8%. Motor Vehicle Theft 163%. Robberies up 9.5%. By the way, this was under Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s watch. You know, Kamala Harris’ running mate. Caveat emptor, y’all!
It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious, but many of these same cities are all for defunding the police and have very strict gun laws. Who wants to tell them that criminals don’t follow laws! So these city lawmakers want to reduce the police force and make it nearly impossible for its citizens to arm themselves, all the while criminals are armed to the teeth!
I believe what we’re seeing today is similar to the way it was in the days of Noah. Observe this passage of scripture below.
“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. Gen 6:11-13 NIV
In an article by Olive Tree Ministries, “Why We’re Running Out of Time”, Jan Markell (2024), she writes, “The violence of the Days of Noah is upon us. Criminal prosecutions are soaring-in some areas by 5,000%. Cities are ravaged by crime. Entire towns are closing down a business district due to theft and lawlessness. Society is on the move, relocating to safe cities and states, just to lead a normal life, away from the mayhem. It is though the entire country is the wild west of the 1880s!” In addition, religious persecution is on the rise.
If you have been following the news you can plainly see that Jews and Christians alike are under attack. It’s been estimated that there are 100,000 Christians, world wide, are murdered each year. If you think you’re safe from persecution, well, you’re either naive, ignorant, or both.
Sexual Immorality
Recently, we all just witnessed drag queens doing a sacrilegious portrayal of Leonardo daVinci’s “The Last Supper” mural, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Last year the, “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence”, a drag queen trope, did a mock crucifixion of Christ at a Dodgers baseball game. And we should all know by now, that there are “drag queen story hours” at many public libraries throughout the country. Understand, I don’t mean to be crass, but these scantily clad “performers” have all their male genitalia completely intact.
Time doesn’t permit me to go into such things as, transsexualism, gay pride, child genital mutilation, hormone replacement therapy, boys in women’s locker rooms, bath rooms, and sports. Or pornographic books in many public school libraries; and all the homosexuals on TV, movies, and cartoons full of openly gay characters. It’s almost like they’re specifically targeting our children and grandchildren. (sarcasm)
All this gross, blatant, deviant, immorality today is a sure sign that we’re very close to the rapture of the Church, the Day of the Lord, and the entrance of the Beast upon the world stage. The verse below could be how the may Lord feels about the people of our time as well.
“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Gen 6:5 NIV
We know from reading the account of Sodom and Gomorrah found inGen 19:1-28, that God will judge and destroy the people of the earth once again. Our culture has become completely sex crazed. In my opinion, this preoccupation with sex is the great malaise of society. And it’s the ubiquitous supply of pornography that feeds the beast. What you need to realize is just how big the market is. “Pornography is a 20-billion-dollars-a-year industry world-wide, bringing in some 10 billion in the U.S.. That’s more than what is made by the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball combined.” (As It Was in the Days of NOAH, by Jeff Kinley, p. 101.)
Additionally, check out these facts:
- one in five mobile searches are for porn.
- More than half of all boys and a third of all girls see their porn images before the age of 13, with “sexting” increasing in popularity.
- …more than 50% of pastors regularly view porn.
- (among) Christians 18-24 years old, 76% actively search for porn.
(p.101)
All this pornography has long lasting, deleterious effects upon the human psyche. Much like drugs, the person hooked on porn will need more and more hard core porn to to achieve the same level of satisfaction. Make no mistake, porn ruins marriages, normal relationships and normal sexual relations, just to name a few. And it also fuels pedophilia and child sex trafficing.
Please indulge me while I share with you some sadding facts about child sex trafficking.
- Studies estimate that 83% of child trafficking victims are U.S. are Americans.
- About 50,000 people, primarily from Mexico and the Philippines, are trafficked into the U.S. annually.
- Predators can rent a child for a single sex act for an average of $90. Often, that child is forced to have sex 20 times per day, six days a week.
- Traffickers use social media platforms to recruit and advertise victims of human trafficking, according to anti-trafficking advocates.
(U.S. Is a Top Destination for Child Sex Trafficking, and It’s Happening in Your Community”, Emma Waters, Senior Research Associate, Richard and Helen DeVos Center. July 27, 2023)
Moreover, did you know that the U.S. is the number one exporter of pornography? And to think less than 50 years ago we were known for our evangelistic outreach. “60% of Porn Websites Are Hosted in the United States”, by Felix Richter, Aug, 21, 2013
My question is, where are the churches? Why don’t we ever hear anything about this from the pulpit? It seems to be the 900 lb Gorilla in the room that nobody wants to talk about…including Christians! Yes, it’s a big problem, but we have a big God. Church, it’s time to come to Jesus.
My hope is that by sharing these two parts of Prelude to The Beast that we’ll realize that the time is indeed short. That we need to work while it’s still day. (John 9:4) And keep ourselves unspotted by the world. (James 1:27) Remember, Jesus is coming back for a church “without spot or wrinkle”. (Eph 5:27)
Personal note: if you feel that this blog is of value, please feel free to share it with someone.
Lord Bless, Djzenner