“The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” (Isaiah 24:5)
We are living in a godless society: there is no respect paid to the Creator, our heavenly Father, His Son or His Word. It is small wonder that we see chaos on every hand, politically, socially and economically. We see high levels of crime, of suicide, rampant substance abuse, unprecedented divorce and family breakup, promiscuity among the young and couples often choosing to ‘live in sin’ rather than be married and, even worse, same-sex marriage. The influence of Christianity and the Bible is virtually non-existent today, and many who once made a stand have been swept up in the tide of immorality and forgotten that God and His laws do not change and that the so-called new morality is, in reality, only old immorality. Such is the darkness, the ignorance of this so-called ‘enlightened’ tech-savvy world we live in.
The last days
Besides the citation at the head of this editorial (and the whole of Isaiah 24 should be read in conjunction with the Olivet Prophecy in Luke 21:24–36, for the Lord’s words are largely founded on this chapter), Isaiah the prophet declares that “darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people” (60:2). This grim, horrific state of the world is nonetheless set in words of hope, words that speak of transformation, of renewal that will follow the blackest era of human history. The preceding words addressed to Zion are, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Yahweh is risen upon thee” (v1), and the words that immediately follow are, “but Yahweh shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee” (v2).
Mockers and minimal response
The recent foolish prediction of the “Rapture” by Harold Camping and his followers provoked a hail of letters to the Adelaide Advertiser (21.5.11). If only Jesus’ words that no man knows the day nor the hour of his coming were heeded, the Bible would be spared the ridicule. Of course what was expected did not eventuate. Sarcastically the president of the Atheist Foundation “wished all Christian folk a happy Rapture for today”, while others mocking branded the Bible a book of fables, and questioned what relevance a book written 2000 years ago should have today. Scorners regularly outnumber those who uphold Scripture, and what they ironically do not understand is that they unwittingly are fulfilling prophecy: “there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts” (2 Pet 3:3).
This prevailing ungodliness is evident in the response to our preaching. It is rare to have visitors of Australian origin. Interest is minimal. If biblical subjects are raised in conversation we are heard with pained silence; and one gets the impression that the other party can’t wait for the subject to change! Any interest shown in the Bible is almost confined to ‘Christian’ folk of south east Asian origin.
So we live in a godless, unheeding world where the Creator has been divorced from His creation and smug atheists have become aggressive and loud in their opposition to the Truth and the Bible. Our Lord also foretold such a state of affairs when he said, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).
The challenge
We must not wilt under this barrage against the Bible, its Author and its message. We may feel that our efforts are in vain but it was no different in Noah’s day and, other than his family, that preacher of righteousness made no converts, condemned the world by preparing the ark, and became the heir of the righteousness which is by faith. We are God’s witnesses today and we must not be ‘dumbed down’ by the prevailing ungodliness. Our Lord warned us that the last days would be like Noah’s, with society godless and preoccupied with materialism and carnal pursuits. We live in the darkness that precedes the dawn of a new day when the Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his beams. And look at that greatest witness, the nation of Israel, being constantly the focus of the attention of the world for over 60 years. The Jews have returned to their ancient homeland in exact accord with the Word of God. They have revived their ancient tongue, survived hostilities on every side, prospered economically, yet are in unbelief of the Messiahship of Jesus. Is this all an accident, one big fluke, the result of chance? I think not. The divine purpose with them is ‘on track’: the angels have been, and are busy. We can plainly see the hand of God behind this most remarkable miracle of our times. The Word of God has been vindicated and we can see that the Lord is at hand. We must prepare to meet our God.
The sin of the world
The relevance of Jesus Christ to the Bible and what his first advent fulfilled has largely been forgotten and is treated glibly as if it were irrelevant. He has been rejected by the world and misunderstood by those who purport to be his followers. The fact that Christadelphians are spurned and considered to be un-Christian because they do not believe the Trinity speaks volumes. We do not believe Jesus was or is co-equal and co-eternal with his Father, but as His obedient Son he did His will perfectly and conquered the power of sin: he was obedient to death, even the death of the cross. His coming as the Saviour, sent by a loving and beneficent God is the supreme act of love: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). But do men appreciate the wonder of this gift, this grace? Tragically not. In their obsession with modern technology and scientific achievements, men have lost sight of what is really important, what really matters. And we need to watch out lest our focus is drawn away by the world, its materialism, entertainment, culinary delights, pre-occupation with sport or any other thing that absorbs our time and energy other than Christ. Remember that Paul said that he counted all things but loss that he might win Christ. Christ cannot play a secondary role in our lives. If he does we will fail, we will not attain the prize, and we will rue the day: “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”, for it will be too late to change when he comes.
The fate of this world
The ignorance of this world is such that many who profess to believe do not realise that a day of reckoning, of judgment is coming, and a terrible day it will be for an unheeding world. Saints will be gathered to Christ before he appears to the world. Paul sounds a warning when he says it is “a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thess 1:6–9). The problem is that they “know not God”; like many in Hosea’s day, “there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land” (4:1). The world has flouted the goodness of God, and foolishly attributed the glories of creation to the blind forces of chance. Men are wilfully ignorant. The grace of our Father in providing a way of redemption in His Son has been spurned. As Paul puts it, “… despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom 2:4). The intention of God in sending forth His Son was to save the world but the result will be otherwise: judgment for its rejection of him. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
Men have no appreciation of the justice of God. The prevailing view is that God is benign, all loving and forgiving to the exclusion of justice and judgment. The fact is that our loving God is also a jealous God Who will move at His appointed time and vindicate His righteousness. And in that day soon to dawn men will be aghast at the extent of His judgments, but His saints who know Him and His Son will not be: in the face of His judgments they will sing the song of Moses and of the Lamb, “Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest” (Rev 15:3,4; 16:5–6).
So “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”(John 1:29), will come again as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31). It is wonderful to know these things. The challenge is to live lives today consistent with these coming events, to “make (our) calling and election sure” by service within our ecclesias with our fellow servants; and by being lights in a godless, unheeding and estranged world.
Our Lord will come, but not the same
As once in lowly form he came –
A silent Lamb, to slaughter led,
The bruised, the suff’ring, and the dead.
The Lord will come, a dreadful form,
With wreath of flame, and robe of storm,
To shake the earth and cleave the sky,
And bring the day of judgement nigh.”
“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God” (Rom 11:22).