Women are developing a taste for violence in their entertainment. Less and less are women put off by violence in their novels and movies. According to a frontpage article in today's Wall Street Journal, women are increasingly drawn to thriller novels where the hero is an assassin or a revenge killer. Women now make up 60% of the audience for the gory "CSI" television franchise that has three different series. Movie houses are also noticing that women make up an increasing percentage of the viewers at recent horror/terror films. Women are losing their squeamish nature when it comes to violence. One of the signs of the days of Noah was that "the earth was filled with violence" (Genesis 6:11). Jesus told us that "as it was in the days of Noe [Noah], so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man" (Luke 17:26).
In Genesis 3:15, God refers to the seed of the serpent. Many Bible-believing students have seen this as a reference to the antichrist who, in imitation of the virgin birth, will have a miraculous birth. Modern movies have played on the theme of the devil's seed. But the real seed of the serpent will be accepted as the true "Christ" and his birth will be heralded as a wondrous proof of his divine heritage. This viewpoint is seen in ancient myths. According to "The Virgin Birth" by Robert Gromacki (p.212): "Alexander the Great made the priests say that he was a son of Zeus. He denied that he was the son of Philip and affirmed that he was begotten by a serpent cohabiting with his mother. Later, the Roman Caesar Augustus wanted the story spread that his mother, asleep in the temple of Apollo, was visited by the god in the form of a serpent. Conceived, he was later born in the tenth month." As the Bible tells us, "there is no new thing under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
Today's Wall Street Journal reports some of the recent actions of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 2004, the Presbyterian Church decided "to initiate a process of phased, selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel." That is, they decided to boycott Israel. On the other hand, the pro-Palestinian stance of the Presbyterian leadership has been astounding. In the fall of 2004, senior church leaders met with and praised Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist organization responsible for the death of thousands, some of them Americans. The church funds pro-Palestinian committees and wrote "congratulatory letters to the terrorist leaders of Hamas on their recent election victory." Further, they verbally attack Israel and "blame the U.S. and capitalism in general for most of the world's catastrophes." God told Abraham four thousand years ago concerning him and his descendants: "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee" (Genesis 12:3). Is it any wonder that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is suffering from "declining membership and dwindling financial support?"
An editorial in today's Wall Street Journal reports on the growth of Anti-Semitism (hatred toward the Jewish people) in the Western world. It should come as no surprise that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the leader of Iran, calls for the "destruction of Israel." But such hatred is getting much closer to home. The Nowegian writer Jostein Gaarder declared in Aftenpost, Norway's leading newspaper, "There is no turning back. It is time to learn a new lesson: We do no longer recognize the state of Israel... The time of trouble shall soon be over... The state of Israel does not exist."
Mathematics can be quite complex, yet one of the most basic divisions of mathematics is called arithmetic. You may better grasp what I am talking about when I say that the most basic operations of arithmetic are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. A grasp of these basic operations is a necessity for anyone who desires to grasp any of the more complex divisions of mathematics. Interestingly enough, the same things hold true for the Christian life. It can be quite complex, but at the same time we could break it down to the simplicity of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Genesis 43:32 states, "And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination...
