[Darris McNeely] America has been rocked in recent days by the tragedy that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, where protesters from two different points of view clashed. A car was driven through a group of protesters and a young lady was tragically killed by an individual representing what has been called the “alt-right” of American political speech. The unfortunate victim, a member of what has been called the “alt-left”. Unfortunately, these situations have continued in America, but the aftermath and the discussion at the highest levels with the American president, President Donald Trump, has continued to keep this in the forefront of a lot of minds, creating a great deal of controversy and concern.

When we look at what took place, the clash of two different points of view, we have been seeing this take place on an ongoing basis in America in recent years – we’ve seen policemen shot in the streets, we have seen even terrorist attacks that have originated overseas take place, we’ve seen some even homegrown terrorism take place too, claim the lives of innocent Americans. All of it is tragic. The debate, the discussion that has been taking place with what took place in Charlottesville is something that is particularly disturbing because of the racial implications, the anti-Semitic overtones that took place there. Fortunately, President Trump did in very clear terms talk about the Nazis, the anti-Semitism and the evil that that represents. We on Beyond Today certainly have a long record ourselves in our publications and on Beyond Today media of condemning this, as well – condemning anti-Semitism.

Recently, Beyond Today went to Germany to tape programs for upcoming episodes. We spent a great deal of time at places connected with the Jewish Holocaust in Germany, during World War II and prior to World War II. We went to sites and we filmed programs dealing with those topics, and we saw firsthand the impact of anti-Semitism, of Nazism, in the world scene. It has no place in America; it has no place at all amongst civilized society. So we need to be very careful how we look at all sides of this.

As I step back from it, I look at the condemnation that has taken place and from a biblical perspective see that we perhaps need to go a step further to condemn exactly what is taking place whenever anything like this happens, an extremism that is tearing at the fabric of American society and other parts of the world order right now.

And when we go back to 2 Timothy chapter 3, there’s a scripture that we often turn to help us to understand these times. The apostle Paul writes, beginning in verse 1, that, “In the last days, perilous times will come.” Difficult, destructive times of great evil, as he puts it here. He goes on to say that, “Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters and proud, blasphemers, and disobedient to parents.” In verse 3, he gets to perhaps more of what we’re talking about here. He describes people as being “unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, and despisers of good” (2 Timothy 3:1-3 2 Timothy 3:1-3 [1] This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. [2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, [3] Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
American King James Version×). And that certainly comes out in many different shades of the extremism that has been expressed in American culture, in all different forms in recent times. And for a student of the scriptures, of the Bible, looking at the Bible to see what God’s mind is on the subject, we should let these matters define how we view it all and how we even act.

One definition that has not been consistently applied is what we might call the definition of sin – from a biblical point of view, the transgression of God’s law. This is exactly what Paul is getting to when he brings out these conditions of the human heart and the conditions that lead to difficult, perilous times of what he describes as the time of the end. It is out of the heart of man, as Christ Himself said in Mark chapter 7, where these evil thoughts come, and then unfortunately get translated into many different actions of evil and hate, destruction, and death (Mark 7:17-23 Mark 7:17-23 [17] And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. [18] And he said to them, Are you so without understanding also? Do you not perceive, that whatever thing from without enters into the man, it cannot defile him; [19] Because it enters not into his heart, but into the belly, and goes out into the draught, purging all meats? [20] And he said, That which comes out of the man, that defiles the man. [21] For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, [22] Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: [23] All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
American King James Version×). The perspective that God gives us is the one we should strive for to help to understand what is taking place, and also, to back away from it in our own personal lives, to make sure that we don’t get caught up in any form of evil and descriptions of times and actions that are described here. Strive for a righteous approach, and that’s going to keep us on a more biblical point of view. Help keep that in mind – it will help you to have a perspective which represents the Bible and mind of God in the matters such as what happened in Charlottesville and other matters that take place in our world today.

That’s BT Daily. Join us next time.