originally posted by: chr0naut
a reply to: AutomateThis1
Why would anyone do something like this? Does it promote the goals of BLM? or of their opposition? Nope.
This is just mentally dangerous criminality.
I'm glad that the perpetrators have been arrested. If they are guilty, I hope they are charged with a sentence which suits the seriousness of the
crime.
What Does It All Mean?
If you were to analyze moral standards in recent years, you would see a clear trend. Without a doubt, moral standards are being increasingly
undermined among a growing number of people. What is the real significance of this?
Does it mean, as some individuals claim, that our entire civilization and all mankind are doomed, nearing annihilation? Or are such changes just part
of the normal ebb and flow of history?
The latter is what many people think. They view the moral breakdown of our time as just a trend, one of many that have come and gone throughout
history. They fully expect that the pendulum will eventually swing back and that higher moral standards will return. Are they correct?
“The Last Days”
Let us consider the facts in the light of a book that for centuries was a widely accepted authority on moral issues—God’s Word, the Bible. It is
very enlightening to compare today’s world with the prophetic description that the Bible gives of the most decisive era in human history. This is
the time period it calls “the last days” or “the conclusion of the system of things.” (2 Timothy 3:1; Matthew 24:3) As these expressions
imply, this period is to mark the definite end of an epoch and the beginning of a new one.
God’s Word foretold that the last days would be marked by “critical times hard to deal with.” To help watchful observers to identify the last
days, the Bible gives a number of details that together provide a clear description, or composite sign, of this unique time period. (I won't cover
them all in this comment)
Bad Traits in People
Note one of the features of this sign that is prominent today: ‘Men will have a form of godly devotion but prove false to its power.’ (2 Timothy
3:2, 5) No other period in history has been characterized by such powerful and thorough secularization. God has been widely rejected as the only
authority, and most people do not accept the Bible as the only source of truth. Of course, religions still exist, but many have little influence. They
are only a veneer.
The Bible mentions another feature of the sign: “Men will be . . . without self-control, fierce,” and “because of the increasing of lawlessness
the love of the greater number will cool off.” (2 Timothy 3:2, 3; Matthew 24:12) The Greek word translated “fierce” means, among other things,
“lacking human sympathy and feeling.” Today ever younger children are showing themselves to be “fierce” and are committing increasingly
violent crimes.
A feature especially prevalent in our time is this one: “Men will be . . . lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.” (2 Timothy 3:2, 4) One
example of this is that people want sensual pleasure, but they do not want the responsibility of living with one marriage partner for a lifetime. The
result has been a tidal wave of wrecked family relations, unhappy and rootless children, single parents*, and sexually transmitted diseases. *: as in
this situation with the racist boyfriend who does not love the child of another man.
An Evil Driving Force
The Bible also reveals the existence of a powerful, evil spirit creature, “the one called Devil and Satan,” whose purpose is to lure people away
from true values and pull them down into moral corruption. It says that during the last days, he has come down to the earth, “having great anger,
knowing he has a short period of time.”—Revelation 12:9, 12.
The Devil is described in the Bible as “the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit that now operates in the sons of disobedience.”
(Ephesians 2:2) This implies that the Devil exercises a powerful influence on many humans, usually without their noticing it, just as we sometimes may
not notice an invisible pollutant in the air.
For example, Satan’s influence is seen in many modern means of communication: videos, movies, television, the Internet, advertising, books,
magazines, and newspapers. Much material, especially that focused on unsuspecting youths, is filled with extreme and repugnant trends, such as racism,
occultism, immorality, and sadistic violence.
Many sincere people have been struck by the similarities between the description the Bible gives of the last days and the actual circumstances in the
world of our day. True, there have been some events in history before the 20th century that in lesser ways seemed to fit the Bible’s description.
But it is only during the 20th century, and now the 21st century, that all the elements of the sign can be observed.
The Coming New Epoch
Neither those who believe that mankind will be destroyed nor those who claim that things will continue the way they always have are correct. Instead,
the Bible clearly shows that the present world society dominating the earth will be replaced by something completely new.
After Jesus listed a number of the features of the sign of the last days, he said: “In this way you also, when you see these things occurring, know
that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:31) God’s heavenly Kingdom was the main theme of Jesus’ preaching. (Matthew 6:9, 10) And God
appointed him to be the King of this Kingdom, which is a government that will soon rule over all the earth.—Luke 8:1; Revelation 11:15; 20:1-6.
At the end of the last days, God’s heavenly Kingdom in the hands of Christ is going to eliminate all who are its enemies—the Devil and those who
support him—and replace today’s present morally bankrupt society with a righteous new world. (Daniel 2:44) In this new world, righthearted people
will enjoy eternal life on an earth transformed into a paradise.—Luke 23:43; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:3, 4.
Those who detest today’s moral breakdown and discern that the composite sign of the last days is being fulfilled in current events can look forward
to a magnificent future. For this we can thank Almighty God, who cares about us humans and who has a glorious purpose for his creation, the
earth.—Psalm 37:10, 11, 29; 1 Peter 5:6, 7.
I invite everyone reading this to learn more about our loving Creator and the prospect of life in a morally clean world, which he holds out to all
searching individuals. As the Bible says, “this means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you
sent forth, Jesus Christ.”—John 17:3.
And (or but) beware (as hinted at before):
False Religion is a Snare and a Racket
(playlist)edit on 22-7-2020 by whereislogic because: (no reason given)