We shake our heads and respond with expressions of disbelief. News stories flood our senses daily. The facts unfold, and we are incredulous; these things just can’t be happening in modern civilization.

But they are happening, and with increasing frequency and intensity. We are living daily the prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ, who said: “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man” (Luke 17:26). We will consider one aspect of this prophecy in particular. Genesis, chapter 6 (Noah’s day) gives us this prophetic signal Jesus foretold will be prevalent when He returns at the time of the rapture, and, for that matter, at the time of His second advent:

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth (Genesis 6:11-13).

Violence is the ingredient within this volatile generation of earth-dwellers that begs close examination. It is a level of ferocity that we cannot understand–that amazes us every time we hear about it and witness its aftermath. It doesn’t take much of an effort in searching our news to find examples of the kind of end-of-days violence about which Jesus prophesied.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- Video was released late Monday afternoon showing a brutal beating at the hands of a gang of teenage girls. Their motivation for the attack was allegedly so they could post the video on YouTube and MySpace. The victim reported the attack after she was beaten so badly she had to be treated at the hospital. That's when the sheriff's office started looking into it and learned about the video. The sheriff calls it shocking, saying he's never seen anything like it. It was a vicious attack all captured on home video inside a Polk County home… (NER- Cheerleader Attack, From: zoegirlTX, Date: 4/8/2008 at 7:28 AM, Video: http://www.wftv.com/video/15817645/index.HTML).

The shocking part of these increasingly sociopathic acts of violence is that they are occurring regularly. Those involved seem without understanding that the violence is anything other than entertainment. It is as if, one can make the argument, these young people can’t discern between the violent video games they play and the reality in which they commit their beastly acts.

Children, apparently without a sense of consequences for animal-like conduct, are at the forefront of the violence of this generation.

March 21, 2008--Sarah Kreager had picked up her prescription anti-depressant and boarded the No. 27 bus in Hampden that would take her and her boyfriend downtown to a methadone clinic. She had eaten lunch at a soup kitchen that day. Her three children were living with foster parents. She was homeless. By the time she got on the bus, she said she was already on her "last option," that a string of setbacks had formed "a black cloud" over her. But what happened next thrust her personal pain into the public consciousness. She was beaten by a crowd of eighth-graders from nearby Robert Poole Middle School after a dispute over a seat on the crowded bus. She wanted to sit down; a student said the spot had been saved. Some black students said Kreager uttered a racial slur, disputed by both Kreager and the black bus driver. In a fight described by witnesses as a riot, students jumped on Kreager and her boyfriend, Troy Ennis. The brawl spilled from the bus and ended in a gutter on 33rd Street, with students piling on top of the young woman and kicking her until a neighbor rushed to her rescue… (After beating on bus, victim rebuilding life, Woman has to find a home, hopes to reunite with children, By Melissa Harris, Sun reporter, March 21, 2008, baltimoresun.com).

Society at its most tender age levels is unraveling while violence manifests itself in troubling ways.

Two children are facing felony charges, for allegedly attacking a young girl. The brutal attack happened at a school playground… A 10 and an 11-year-old girl are being held in a juvenile detention center, [and are] facing some serious charges for the cruel attack. 10 year old Rikki Triana is recovering from the assault, at Hamot Medical Center. She suffered a broken hip, and is undergoing physical therapy. Last Thursday, Rikki was attacked by the 2 girls, while she was playing at the Pfeiffer Burleigh playground. One of the girls stomped on her, and broke her hip… Police say when it came to charging the girls, their young ages were disturbing, but there was no question that the assault needed to be dealt with… 'This isn't a case of sticks and stones. These two girls here seriously injured this girl. It wasn't a one or two strike thing, it was continuous, and that's something that really concerns us,’ said Lt. Dan Spizarny (ErieATHome.com, (Erie, PA) Children Facing Felony Charges for Brutal Attack on Young Girl).

Violence is always with mankind. This is a primary side effect of man’s fall in the Garden of Eden. We are as a race–the human race--full of war in our hearts. We can talk about the world being filled with the violence of terror, against which we are at war. We know of genocidal atrocities throughout the ages. But, it is inexplicable violence at the most primary level of the human condition that troubles most. It is as if the very life-stream of humanity has become so contaminated that we stand poised on the brink of being like the generation Jesus described: “And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth” (Gen. 6:12).

Violence is abroad, and right here in our hometown streets. It is a major indicator of where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline.