Why? What is wrong? Why so much hate in the world? This world today is preoccupied with hate, rebellion, and violence. Television is filled with lawlessness, crime, and murder. In the past “Westerns" glamorized outlaws and “shoot-em-ups” are among the most popular television programs for all ages.
Frustrations mount, tempers flare, tensions increase, and lawlessness and violence spread like a sick, sick contagion!
The greatest mass-murders in all history were perpetrated during World War II. But again – Why? How could one-man, Adolf Hitler, arouse such hate and passion in the minds of his followers that they could calmly murder hundreds or thousands – millions?
This world still wonders. People still ask why. But Hitler knew some demoniacal quirks of human nature. He knew of the seething violence just underneath many a human mind. He understood, he knew hate will get one a bigger following than love. Violence will attract more attention than peace. Intrigue makes a more exciting news headline than harmony; suspicion will attract more interest than confidence.
And, in a sense, entertainers, actors, producers, script-writers, and sponsors also recognize these pulls of human nature. And they use those pulls to their own financial advantage.
Hate, violence, illicit sex and perversion make “good” newspaper copy, “good” television script, and “good” movie plots. Good? Well, no, not actually; but these evil attributes, actions or implied actions draw more public attention.
And it’s because all of it is so much like human nature. It’s time you understood the truth about human nature, what it is, how it works and why the eruption of violence around the world is due to unguided; misdirected, human nature let loose on a rampage!
The Bible prophesied worldwide hatred and bigotry would grip the minds of men during this time! More than ever before, people seem prone, today, to bestial acts of violence!
Paul was inspired to look beyond his time, down into ours. He portrayed the hostile, venomous attitudes of our peoples when he said, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves (selfish, self-centered, as never before!), covetous, (lusting, coveting, envious of the things of others), boasters, proud, blasphemers (and a curse is always ready on the lips of almost everyone, today, even popular entertainment figures, and government leaders!), disobedient to parents, fierce, despisers of those that are good” (II Tim. 3:1-3).
What a picture! You read of worldwide violence constantly! You hear of depraved acts, humans tormenting, butchering, bludgeoning, stabbing, and murdering one another, public figures accusing one another, husbands and wives hating each other! Don’t delude yourself into believing it’s no worse than before – it is!
Speaking of those hate-filled days, Jesus Christ said, “All these (the wars, famines, disease epidemics even now stalking this sin-sick world) are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you (you who are real Christians!) up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended. (become angry) and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another” (Matt. 24:8-10).
Think for a moment! You live in a world of tensions, a world fraught with fear, and a world of desperate living! It is a time of insatiable desire to escape for most people, a time when most want to forget the frightening realities of our time! How do they forget? By drifting off into ready-made fantasies; movie land madness; television terrorism; paper-back perversity; newspapers nausea!
Whether in Scandinavia, Japan, Europe, South Africa, pleasure seekers gulp their daily diet of intrigue, suspicion, murder, divorce, robbery, rape, perversion, lust, arson, jealousy, violence and hatred! And remember! When you’re relaxed before your television set, or settled down to read your novel you just bought, your guard is down. You want to relax to escape the realities and complexities of daily life for a time, to enjoy your moments of make-believe. The result? It’s all around you.
Like it or not crime runs rampant in this country. But hatred is not confined to the teen-age heart. It’s a disease of the human mind. It is in your very nature to hate!
One psychiatrist said, before a group of fellow psychiatrists, “We all became interested in psychiatry because we knew we ourselves had some mental problems !"
Paul was inspired to write: “The carnal mind (the natural mind of every person) is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7)!
Today, if you feel you’re basically a “Christian” kind of person, you probably feel Christ really was the promised Messiah. You feel, whether or not you are a really zealous Christian, that Jesus Christ probably really was genuine. At least, if you are like most people, you couldn’t call Christ a guilty evil-doer could you?
But what about those who lived right with Jesus Christ? Who saw His miracles with their own eyes? What about those who lived in Jerusalem during the time of Christ’s merciless beating, His terrible night of kicks, curses, spitting, hatred, venomous accusations? What about those who had a part in it?
What about the hate-filled mob that screamed out their animalistic bestiality – “kill Him! Crucify Him! Butcher Him!”? God tells you not to bear them any malice, not to hate them even as Christ Himself said, from His tree of death “Father forgive them they know not what they do!”
But do you understand the reason they acted as they did? Do you recognize the exact, same identical nature in yourself? It’s there, recognized or not. Many of those same participants in the illegal crucifixion of Jesus Christ took their hatred, their firm belief they had rid the world of a terrible person to their graves with them.
They somehow convinced themselves they should be terrible, indignantly, “righteously” angry at Christ! They convinced themselves He was a fake! They thought they “knew” they were uncovering, exposing, and punishing some great evil! Today, you know better! But most of them never did!
And remember, Jesus predicted this evil disease of hatred would grow worse and worse, heightening in intensity until blind rage would characterize our day.
The apostle Paul wrote: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind (a deceitful, hateful, degenerate mind), to do those things which are not right: being filled with all unrighteousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, (delighting in scandal, in filth, evil, rumor), backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventor of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers (not true to their word), without natural affection (never willing to give the other fellow the benefit of the doubt), implacable (their minds unwilling to change, to admit new light, to see new facts, or accept the truth!) unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Rom. 1:28-32).
This world is literally filled with human beings who fit this very description! And why not? It’s a description of human nature in the raw, human nature just the way it is!
Christ warned: “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He prayed to His Father, “I have given them (His disciples and true followers in any age) thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world (they’re living different lives, lives that have been changed to conform to the life Christ led. (And remember, He was accused of being a winebibber, and a gluttonous man) even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14).
Christ had said earlier, “If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).
Yes, we’re a world of cheats. A world of murderers, thieves, deviates, queers, pornographers, racists, bigots, liars, pretenders, alcoholics, dope addicts, pleasure-mad thrill seekers and religious nuts. Society is sick!
Violence threatens to spill over like a flood and bathe our cities knee-deep in rivers of blood! Berserk frenzy, madness, mayhem are continuing fear to millions. Terror lurks and prowls in city parks, along city streets and in the alleys. What can you do about it?
First of all, you need to have more of the attitude of God’s righteous servants of old, who “sighed and cried” because of the horrible atrocities, the terrible abominations that occurred around them daily! Read in Ezekiel chapter 9, of those who, because of their attitude of abhorrence of the evils of this modern era, are to be spared from the apocalyptic destruction soon to befall this world! Read about righteous Lot who was vexed every single day because of the “filthy conduct of the wicked” and the “unlawful deeds” of the average citizen around him (II Peter 2:7-9). You need to develop more of the attitude Jesus Christ illustrated when He said His true servants would be praying “Thy Kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10)! In other words, you need to begin to view this world as God views it, and not as you have always carelessly taken it for granted.
Next, you need to become very personally critical about the way you spend your leisure time. You need to become highly selective about the motion pictures you view! Let’s face it, you know, and know that you know, that most motion pictures today are filled with pure slop, swill, violence, ghoulish insanity, murder, robbery, triangles, licentiousness, perversion, and every form of vile evil!
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