"Selfie" is Oxford Dictionary's word of the year for 2013. It refers to a self portrait, a practice which has gone mainstream in recent years through the proliferation of front-facing cameras on smartphones. Each year Oxford's researchers select a word or expression in the English language that "reflects the mood of the times." The word "selfie" first appeared in 2002 in an Australian online forum and in 2004 on the website Flickr, but its usage exploded in 2012. Australians like to use the suffix "ie," such as barbie for barbecue and tinnie for a can of beer ("Oxford Dictionaries," CNSNews, Nov. 19, 2013). The word "selfie" is definitely a reflection of the mood of the times. In fact, it is a fulfillment of the following Bible prophecy. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy" (2 Timothy 3:1-2). The first characteristic of the end-time apostasy described here is that men shall be "lovers of their own selves." There has never been a better description of the modern pop culture that has captivated the world through the facility of modern communications technology. The Time magazine "Person of the Year" for 2006 was "YOU." The magazine cover featured a sheet of Mylar to reflect the reader's own face. It is the age of MySpace, my music, my tweets, my fashion, my generation, my attitude, my selfie. The pop culture is all about me, and it is a dramatic fulfillment of Bible prophecy and a dramatic sign of the end times. (Friday Church News Notes, November 29, 2013, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143) Comments are closed.
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