The Shadow debuted on the
radio July 31, 1930. Many of the episodes were voiced by
Orson Welles. Actor
Frank Readick, Jr. introduced the program with, “Who knows what evil lurks in
the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”
I have noticed for some time
now even in our area, and we live in the Bible belt, that evil is not just
peeking its head out of the box, but is out of the box, running free from
community to community. In my opinion, much of the rising crime experienced
here and elsewhere is due to the increased use of illicit drugs. Murders and
thefts, even here, are on the rise while law enforcement is kept busy just
trying to keep up.
Across this nation every
commandment God gave us is being trampled upon by those who want nothing to do
with Him and anything He stands for. In the United States alone nearly one
million infant murders (abortions) occur annually. Other murders, thefts and
rapes are daily seen on the printed pages of the newspapers.
Speaking of the news, the
media in general, more often than not, cannot be trusted to tell the truth. We
hear of “fake news,” which is nothing more than a politically correct way to avoid
calling it what it is – a lie. This comes from those who should be reporting
truth, instead of pushing their agenda via lying.
Honor and moral character have
gone the way of the Dodo bird. There is no respect for others. Sex is our god.
Drugs and booze promise happiness, but deliver destruction instead. Women are
sex objects. Men are brutes. Children are raised with no boundaries. Those who
do live under a moral umbrella and show honor in their lives are rebutted and
attacked by a sin-induced society.
I stated earlier that illicit
drug usage is a major reason for the problem, but what has caused this problem? If we dig deep enough we
find that our rejection of God, individually and as a society, is the real
culprit. When we kick God out of our lives what do we get in return? Evil. The
evil in our souls is no longer hidden. When boundaries are removed the true
nature of man appears and it is nothing but evil.
“He went on: “What comes out
of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s
heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these
evils come from inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23)
Jesus spoke these words
nearly two thousand years ago and our societal actions confirm every word. We
are witnessing the results of the evil which lurks in the hearts of men. We
have arrived at the point in our society that no evil is too outlandish to be
hidden. Anything goes.
This isn’t new,
unfortunately, but I have noticed in our local newspapers the following: Just
within the last few weeks;
· A 42 year old man was arrested for first-degree rape
and five counts of first-degree sodomy of a 4 year old child
· An 18 year old man was charged with raping a 12 year
old girl
· A 58 year old man was charged with seven counts of
child molestation from having sexual contact with five different children, ages
4 to 18, over a 25 year period
That’s only the tip of the
iceberg in this area. Crimes such as these
against innocent children are the lowest of the low. A month or so ago a mother
and her boyfriend were arrested for sexual acts against her own small child.
Any adult found guilty of
these heinous crimes against children should be executed by the state
forthwith. This type of person is worse than an animal and has forfeited their
right to life as far as I’m concerned, and I wholeheartedly believe that this
would be the justice meted out by God Himself. When the King of kings and Lord
of lords is ruling during the Millennium over the earth, in my opinion, this
will be the verdict for these crimes.
I am old enough to know that
evil has always been present, and much has gone on “behind closed doors” in the
past. What is different in our day is that the evil heart of man has been
unleashed by removing God from society. It is all now out in the open and is
even more prevalent than ever before than in previous years. The hounds of hell
are getting bolder and 21st century man is running head-long into
the jaws of hell while the pseudo church entertains those on their way to the
same place.
The true Church needs to be
much in prayer that at least some will wake up to the Truth of the Gospel and
be saved before Christ returns. I don’t know when Jesus is coming for us in the
Rapture, but I often ask myself, “How much worse can evil get until God
Almighty removes His Church and casts down judgment on a rebellious world.”
Who knows what evil lurks in
the hearts of men? God knows. How much longer will He put up with it? All I can
say is keep witnessing and keep looking up. It may be sooner than we think.
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
