Violence consumes us....not only physical violence but violence towards the law of God....towards anything that is good....towards conscience...and towards common sense and fairness. The following post is from February of 2014:
"But As The Days Of Noah Were..."
"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood , they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark." This verse is from what is known as the Olivet Discourse in the 24th chapter of Matthew. If you read the corresponding Genesis account in chapter six you will find that what Jesus was referring to wasn't quite as simple as just getting married but rather that men "....took wives for themselves of all whom they chose." In the next verse we see God's response in "And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever....' " A few verses later we read "for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth." And once again a few verses later "....the earth is filled with violence."
We are all aware of the wanton killing that occurs daily in the Middle East. More recently we hear unbelievable stories closer to home in Mexico. Here in Pittsburgh we could have three murders in one day and people watching the news would just shake their head and go on to the next story. As a child I viewed an occasional gunfight on television and there was hardly any gore. Our children today are exposed to digital displays of gruesome human carnage on a daily basis through many mediums.
We are violent in America and violence is encompassing the whole world. Possibly you have seen the ultrasound picture in the news this week of a baby smiling in the womb? Yet the world celebrates the ongoing slaughter of abortion. As for the Biblical verses mentioned above on marriage... have you read the accounts this week that the abducted schoolgirls in Nigeria have been "married off?" Do we not marry whomever we want today irrespective of God's laws?
As I write this, on a Sunday afternoon, we are not overly concerned about violence in America ....unless it is a quarterback's concussion of course? Ponder your own weekend so far. Had America's rebellion against God or His warnings of judgement that are becoming clearer as time goes on even been brought up in your fellowship with Christians or conversation with friends? Were there any warnings emanating from the pulpit? Generally, there is concern but it's kept below the surface because we do not want to appear insecure or lacking in faith.
"But As The Days Of Noah Were..."
"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood , they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark." This verse is from what is known as the Olivet Discourse in the 24th chapter of Matthew. If you read the corresponding Genesis account in chapter six you will find that what Jesus was referring to wasn't quite as simple as just getting married but rather that men "....took wives for themselves of all whom they chose." In the next verse we see God's response in "And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever....' " A few verses later we read "for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth." And once again a few verses later "....the earth is filled with violence."
We are all aware of the wanton killing that occurs daily in the Middle East. More recently we hear unbelievable stories closer to home in Mexico. Here in Pittsburgh we could have three murders in one day and people watching the news would just shake their head and go on to the next story. As a child I viewed an occasional gunfight on television and there was hardly any gore. Our children today are exposed to digital displays of gruesome human carnage on a daily basis through many mediums.
We are violent in America and violence is encompassing the whole world. Possibly you have seen the ultrasound picture in the news this week of a baby smiling in the womb? Yet the world celebrates the ongoing slaughter of abortion. As for the Biblical verses mentioned above on marriage... have you read the accounts this week that the abducted schoolgirls in Nigeria have been "married off?" Do we not marry whomever we want today irrespective of God's laws?
As I write this, on a Sunday afternoon, we are not overly concerned about violence in America ....unless it is a quarterback's concussion of course? Ponder your own weekend so far. Had America's rebellion against God or His warnings of judgement that are becoming clearer as time goes on even been brought up in your fellowship with Christians or conversation with friends? Were there any warnings emanating from the pulpit? Generally, there is concern but it's kept below the surface because we do not want to appear insecure or lacking in faith.
"But as the days of Noah were....," are we as in the days of Noah? Surely it must be possible to know of such a situation or Jesus would not have given us the clue. One last verse from the gospel of Matthew...in speaking of the people in Noah's day, Jesus said "(they) did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."
