The subject of the growing and increasing violence all over the world today is dealt with extensively in Bible prophecy. For example, Paul writes: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” 2 Timothy 3:1–5. Paul continues that evil men and seducers will become worse and worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves.
In reading about the condition of the world in the days of Noah as described in Genesis 6:11, we find that “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”
Jesus described the last days of this world to His disciples, saying, “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, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:37–39. Violence was prevalent all over the world in the days of Noah.
The world also was a violent place during the time of the city of Sodom. The Bible records the following account of sexual assault in the days of Sodom:
“Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, ‘Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.’ And they said, ‘No, but we will spend the night in the open square.’ But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
“Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.’ So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, ‘Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.’ And they said, ‘Stand back!’ Then they said, ‘This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.’ So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.” Genesis 19:1–11.
The next day, God sent fire from heaven and Sodom and Gomorrah were burned to the ground.
Jesus talked about Sodom, too. “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” Luke 17:28–30
The day and age we live in is as violent and sinful as it was before the flood and again at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Statistics show that in 2021, 2.55 million acts of violence were committed in the United States. Let’s look at some of the causes of violence today in America.
Substance abuse—the use of mind-altering drugs—is one of the main causes. There are several reasons why drug use is associated with violent behavior.
First of all, drugs, such as alcohol, have the effect of anesthetizing the higher control centers in the brain, damaging a person’s ability to make calm, rational judgments. Roughly 50 percent of the victims and perpetrators of assault violence are under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is also strongly associated with domestic violence.
A second reason that the use of mind-altering drugs is associated with violence is because addicts commit crimes to obtain money to buy the drugs.
Third, confrontations occur among those who are involved in the manufacture, sale, and distribution of these drugs, because millions or even billions of dollars are involved.
The Bible strictly prohibits the use of mind-altering drugs for pleasure. There are many texts in both the Old and New Testaments that address the use of alcohol and drugs, but let’s look at just two.
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” Proverbs 20:1
“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18
The Greek word asotia, which is the word translated as “excess” or “dissipation,” depending on which version of the Bible a person is reading, means “unsavedness, wastefulness, wantonness, profligacy, or prodigality.”
The King James Version translates asotia as “excess,” but this Greek word has never meant “excess.” The New King James Version translates asotia as “dissipation” and is a much more accurate translation of the word. Paul is saying that if a person drinks wine and other alcoholic beverages, then he can do so to the point of wantonness and becoming utterly corrupted, beyond all hope, beyond saving. Harsh, but true words.
The Greek Lexicon translates the word nepho as “to be sober.” But it also can be translated “not intoxicated” or “to abstain from wine.” People seem to get stuck on the word drunk and in so doing, they excuse themselves from the consequences found in the Bible.
Someone will say, “I don’t intend to get falling-down drunk. I’m not going to commit a mortal sin. I’m just going to get a little buzzed.” The tragic last words, I’m sure, of every man and woman who is now addicted to alcohol and whose lives and those of their families have been ruined. It may be true that one man can drink a couple of drinks and go home. But too many in this world drink until they are unable to function normally.
Alcohol is absorbed very rapidly into the blood stream, so from the very first swallow, you are a little bit drunk, and with each subsequent swallow, you become increasingly drunk. A drinker may only have had two or three sips, but even this limited amount of alcohol consumption will have a damaging effect on the judgment center of the brain, and affect his ability to make sound judgments. Those who choose to drink liberally until they are in a completely drunken state will be unable to think clearly, see clearly, or to control their bodies.
The Bible says that the drunkard will not inherit the kingdom. Drunkard can be translated as “drinker.” It is not necessary for a person to drink to excess to be prohibited from entering the kingdom. Choosing to be a drinker when God has given the admonition not to drink alcoholic beverages, has made drinking no less of an idol to the “casual” drinker than it would be to the drunkard.
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19–21
As with any sin, the first step—that first drink—starts a person down a path that makes it easier to continue to drink. We really have no idea, from one person to the next, how much a person can drink before they are drunk and no longer in control of their faculties and bodies.
If you want to go to heaven, then drinking alcoholic beverages, according to these verses, is a sin that needs to be repented of and forsaken. In heaven, there are no drinking establishments nor liquor stores, and there will be no drunkards. If you are really serious about having eternal life, you will give up those things which the Bible expressly prohibits and ask the Lord to show you the truth and how to live it.
If all the peoples of the world would live as Christ lived, there would be a natural decrease in violence in society.
Another cause of the increase in the violence that we see today is the result of the callous disregard for human life to a degree that we have never before seen. Seemingly normal, sane people are participating in extreme acts of violence. Why?
There is a Bible principle that can clearly explain this tremendous increase in crime, and it is this: It is a law of the human mind that by beholding, by looking at something or allowing something to have a continual influence over our minds, we become changed into the image, into the character likeness, of that which we behold (see Patriarchs and Prophets, 91).
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
But what happens if what we are looking at—consuming, listening to, reading, following—is not the glory of the Lord?
All around us, the world is filled with sinful enticements. The most attractive, alluring forms can be found in the entertainment industry—television, radio, movies, music, social media, internet, to name a few. We see God’s law broken in sinful acts of violence performed in movies and television programs—shootings, stabbings, physical assaults, sexual abuse, kidnapping. Actors and actresses “pretending” to be people and things they are not, using the Lord’s name in vain, smoking, drinking, immodestly dressed, and promoting adultery, fornication, and promiscuity. We cannot hear the voice of the Holy Spirit while listening to music with its rhythm that so disturbs the natural cadence of the body, throwing the central nervous system into chaos as the artist also spews violent words describing murder, bigotry, abuse, drug and alcohol use, promiscuity, and other sinful acts.
Fewer than 15 percent of American homes had a television in 1950. By 1990, 93 percent of American homes had a television set. Within that period, the annual number of murders in America increased from 7,942 to 21,860. The murder rate more than doubled.
Consider what happens to infants and small children who are unable to judge whom they should look to as a role model. Research today shows that watching television, especially violent scenes, is most dangerous to the very young. Infants at 14 months of age will imitate behaviors they see on television.
American children today, ages two to five years, are watching over 27 hours of television per week. Remember, they cannot distinguish between fact and fantasy, even when they are being coached. Television exposure has been demonstrated to significantly increase children’s aggressiveness by 160 percent in two years, according to one study.
A 1982 report found that, as a result of watching television on a regular basis, children “may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others.” It also found that it made the children more fearful of the world around them.
A review performed in 2010 found that youth, ages 12–17, who play video games, exhibited “increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, and decreased empathy and prosocial behavior.”
What, then, does television do to teenagers? Here are the results:
- decreased interest in reading;
- decreased interest in learning;
- development of poor health habits;
- development of poor or immoral attitudes;
- increased sexual activity, with the first sexual encounter occurring at a younger age.
A study done in 2002 regarding the causal link between TV and aggressive behavior found: “Even after making statistical allowances for factors such as psychiatric disorders, economic status, and prior violent acts, … they found that those who watched one to three hours of TV per day were about 60% more likely to get in a serious fight, threaten someone, or use a weapon to commit a crime than those who watched less than an hour a day. More than three hours of TV more than doubled the risk.”
Tragically, extensively watching violence on television, children become numb to the horror of violence. They begin to accept violence as a way to solve problems. They will imitate the violence they see on television and will identify with the television characters. Television has a powerful influence in developing children’s value systems and shaping their behavior.
It has been estimated that the evil effects of television viewing are responsible for half of the current number of homicides, rapes, and assaults in the United States. If we did not have television in our society, we could expect that we would be having at least 10,000 fewer homicides, 70,000 fewer rapes, and 700,000 fewer injurious assaults every year.
A study was conducted from 1977–1979, with 557 participating six to ten-year-old children from five countries. Its purpose was to examine the “longitudinal relationship between early exposure to TV violence and adult aggressive behavior for both males and females.” A follow-up study was conducted in the late 1990s involving 329 of the original participants who were, at that time, between the ages of 20–25. So, what did this study find? When exposed to TV violence in early childhood, aggressive behavior was predicted in both males and females and the test subjects identified with the aggressive TV characters. Research indicates that although exposure to media violence may have short-term effects on adults, its negative impact on children is long-lasting.
The internet and social media are just as addictive as television. Violence and pornography are available 24/7 on the worldwide web. People troll these medias in search of victims on a day-to-day basis, to rape, rob, or kidnap. Child pornography is readily available on the internet.
Games involving war, murder, robbery, as well as games that simply take up your time—time that could be spent in Bible study, witnessing, and prayer—are prevalent.
Sources: washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1993/04/17/is-tv-to-blame-for-violence; apa.org/topics/video-games/violence-harmful-effects; drugabusestatistics.org/drug-related-crime-statistics; aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for Families/FFF-Guide/Children and TV Violence; science.org/content/article/does-tv-make-us-violent; apa.org/pi/prevent-violence/resources/tv-violence
Friend, it is a law of the human mind that by beholding we will be changed. We cannot escape it. Our Creator made us that way. What we behold, what we look at, goes into our minds and is stored in our memory banks. The sum total of what we have been watching becomes part of our characters.
The Bible has a great deal to say about what we should and should not listen to and watch.
“The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: ‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’ He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil: He will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure.” Isaiah 33:14–16
Isaiah is speaking about the last days, the days in which we are living right now. He describes a people who will escape the terrible trouble that is coming upon this world and be saved. Unlike most of the people who will profess to be Christians yet will be breaking God’s law because they still find pleasure in sin, these people will be living a righteous life in harmony with God’s law. (See 1 John 3 and 1 John 5.)
If I am to be delivered in the last days, I must be living a righteous life. This includes removing anything that I might see or hear that would influence me away from this righteous life, anything that would cause me to speak words or do things that would make my profession a lie. God holds me, and you, responsible for what we see, where we go, and what we listen to. We must be as soldiers guarding the avenues to the soul—our eyes, ears, and mouth. We must choose to do what is right at all times. We cannot blame someone else because they have the television or radio on. If we are not vigilant about what we allow ourselves to come into contact with, then we will have to answer to the Lord in the day of judgment for what we have done.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28
“Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.” Psalm 119:133
“I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.” Psalm 101:3, first part
If you are addicted to alcohol, you cannot go to the places where it is sold or even hang out with the people you used to drink with, if you want to remain free from it. In the same way, if you are addicted to television, the internet, or social media, the only way you are going to get free from them is to get that television out of your house, remove access to the internet and social media platforms from your phone and computers.
If you are looking at sin, if you are listening to sin, you will not be found guiltless in the day of judgment.
Philippians 4:8 tells us where our focus should be, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble [uplifting or honorable], whatever things are just [not sinful], whatever things are pure [pure in dress and language], whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
Friend, no one will see Jesus if they lack holiness of character. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14
Many people today spend too much time filling their minds and hearts with the attractions and enticements of this world and so little time in God’s word. And John tells us what will happen to these people when they continue to reject the pleading of the Holy Spirit.
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” John 12:40
He, meaning God, is looking for a people who study His word, obey His commandments, come to Him often in prayer, and who seek a transformation of character that will bring them face to face with Jesus and the Father on a soon-to-dawn morning. But for those who prefer the things of this world, continually rejecting His offer of salvation, He will harden their hearts, and the Spirit will leave them alone with their idols.
What decisions are you making? Each decision that you make right now will determine your eternal destiny. Are you seeking a righteous and holy life, obeying His commandments, keeping your mind pure and holy, filled with His word, and your body free from defilement? Make the right decision today.
Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.