Today’s Society
DECLARES "DID GOD REALLY SAY?"
how did we get to this level of dysfuntion?
This section shows how today’s society has declined to the Laodicean “lukewarm” apostasy and very likely the “days of Noah” of which Jesus prophesied. Some remained faithful, however, and there were bright spots along the way. Paul told us long ago that evidence of God had been plain to see, but mankind chose to reject Him, which is still quite obvious in today’s culture. While Jesus and the Apostles gave us truthful doctrine and warnings about what would happen if we strayed from it, mankind has mostly done what it always did – doubt God and follow our own selfish desires.
Romans 1:18-32
… For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. … Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. … Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
jesus told us the "church" was built UPON himself
Matthew 16:13–17
“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples … ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter (Petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.’”
1 Corinthians 10:4
“…and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock (petra) was Christ.”
Peter’s Greek name – Petros – implies a small stone while Jesus describes Himself with petra—bedrock or foundation rock. So, Jesus is calling Peter (small stone) to temporarily lead the Church (Greek ekklesia – group of believers) which would be established upon Himself – the bedrock.
his warnings applied to their times and ours also
Matthew 24:9-14
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
peter warned of lustful scoffers
2 Peter 3:4-5
“Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’”
JOHN the apostle warned us to test doctrine
1 John 4:1-3
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”
PAUL told us to reject false doctrine
Galatians 1:6-9
“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”
1 Timothy 4:1-3
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”
false doctrine came quickly
The early Church and its leaders were not only experiencing persecution from the Romans, other gentiles and the Jews, but they were also fighting off heresy and apostasy from within such as:
Gnosticism said the material world and the human body were evil, but salvation could be reached through gnosis or secret knowledge. So, they claimed Jesus was only spirit with no body and His death and resurrection were false.
Arianism claimed Jesus was created by the Father and was not part of the eternal Trinity. This heresy prompted Church fathers to resolve doctrinal issues, so the Council of Nicea in 325 AD met and the result was the Nicene Creed – a clear statement regarding the Trinity, salvation, etc. It led to the Councils of Laodicea, Hippo and Carthage which gave us the final acceptance of the 27 books of the New Testament.
Pelagianism in the late 300s claimed the Fall of Adam and Eve and Original Sin did not stop mankind from reaching salvation through “good works.” This heresy was strongly refuted. A modified version is Semi-Pelagianism, which states that mankind is not completely depraved but is capable of understanding our need for salvation and our free will thusly allows us to approach God and His grace for salvation.
Mary-ism began early. Origen’s version of the Bible in the 300s used the errant Greek Septuagint and his “corrected” version of the NT. It downplayed Jesus’ resurrection as the sole source of salvation and raised the reverence of Mary. Later, she was called the Mother of God and a co-mediator with Jesus. The Bible clearly states Jesus is the only Mediator, but Mary’s humility, faithfulness and perseverance should be admired. These verses clarify the status of Jesus’ mother, Mary.
Luke 11:27-28
And it happened, as He (Jesus) spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!’ But He said, ‘No, rather (Greek menoun – contrary to that), blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’
1 Timothy 2:5
Luke 1:28
“Rejoice, highly favored one … blessed (Greek charitoo – honored, not worshiped) are you among women!”
Luke 1:46-48
Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior … He has regarded the lowly (Greek tapeinosis – humble) state of His maidservant.”
Mary acknowledged her humble position and need for a Savior, never claiming sinlessness or involvement in salvation.
aCTS 4:12
Peter said this about Jesus, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
ISLAM BEGAN IN THE EARLY 600’s AND ERRANTLY CLAIMS:
Allah and the God of the Bible (Jehovah) are the same
The Bible was originally inspired and correct but became corrupted
Jesus was a prophet but not the Son of God and His death, burial and resurrection are incorrect
These claims are internally inconsistent as the Bible declares that all other faiths are apostasies, which would make the Qur’an and Islam untrue if the Bible was indeed inspired. The God of the Bible consistently identifies Israel and the Hebrews as His chosen people while the Hadith – a summary or report of sayings of Muhammad – does calls for the death of Jews during their version of the End-times. It appears their current leadership believes we are in those days as they directly call for eliminating the Jews and refer to them as “occupiers.” History shows that Muslim leadership allied with Hitler during World War II to help Hitler accomplish the Satanic effort of his “final solution.”
Challenges for Islam:
Fulfilled prophecy isn’t there
A coherent, systematic theology comparable to the Bible doesn’t exist
Historical and archaeological verification is missing
They want to retake Jerusalem so their Messiah, the Mahdi, can return but God is protecting Israel against that
Major Historical Shifts and Fragmentation
The Russian Orthodox Church began in 988 AD with the baptism of Grand Prince Vladimir of Russia.
The Great Schism of 1054 AD split the Roman Church into:
The western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church (also called Greek Orthodox)
Scholasticism tried to reconcile Biblical Christianity with Greek logic using reason, knowledge and faith. Influencers were Anselm of Canterbury who held to traditional doctrine; Thomas Aquinas who claimed truth ultimately comes through faith in God and John Wycliffe who argued that Scripture had authority over the Pope and Roman doctrine. These tensions led to apologetics – the defense of the faith using evidence.
The Medieval Inquisition labeled many as “heretics” and they were martyred. Resistance and reactions to Roman doctrine eventually led to the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Enlightenment.
humanism of the Renaissance preceded the reformation
The European Renaissance emphasized art, music, science, philosophy and man’s achievement. Experience and humanism replaced faith and Biblical authority. Personal insight and intellect were rated above Scripture.
John Hus was deemed a heretic and burned at the stake for challenging corruption.
Christopher Columbus began his transatlantic voyages in 1492 while on a mission to “reclaim land from Satan.”
Desiderius Erasmus collected Greek NT manuscripts after Constantinople fell to the Muslims and compiled what became known as the Textus Receptus, forming the basis for later faithful Bible translations.
Martin Luther began the Reformation by posting his 95 Theses at Wittenberg. He rejected salvation by works and declared salvation was obtained by faith alone.
The Anabaptists only accepted adult baptism. Then came the Moravians, Hutterites, Mennonites and the Baptists.
John Calvin proposed a more deterministic view of God with Institutes of the Christian Religion.
Jacob Arminius responded to Calvin with Arminianism which focused more on man’s free will and God’s love than justice.
Luis de Molina tried to reconcile extreme determinism and extreme free will and proposed the concept of “middle knowledge.”
The Council of Trent’s response to the Reformation reinforced Roman doctrine and rejected Protestant teachings.
the scientific revolution and enlightenment eroded biblical values
The Scientific Revolution included many Christian scientists such as Francis Bacon, Galileo, Kepler, Pascal, Boyle, Newton, Euler and others who affirmed God’s design. But, science kept separating from faith and Deism increased.
The Enlightenment or Age of Reason valued human intellect, experience and logic above divine revelation. Many said we obtained truth without Scripture or God’s involvement and this weakened Biblical faith. Major influencers were René Descartes who claimed everything should be doubted and Benedict Spinoza who claimed God was only the sum of natural laws, not a personal Creator.
Empiricism emphasized knowledge gained only through sensory experience and it opposed rationalism. This clashed with Biblical faith which affirms truths beyond what can be measured or tested.
Major proponents of secularism at this time were John Locke who warned against personal revelation; Voltaire who mocked Judaism, Christianity and Islam but praised Hinduism; David Hume who denied miracles and likened God to something unknowable yet vaguely useful; Jean-Jacques Rousseau who promoted Romanticism which valued emotions and movements over doctrine; Denis Diderot whose Encyclopedia was the “Bible of the Enlightenment”; Immanuel Kant who mixed rationalism and empiricism into agnosticism; Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense, who denied Jesus’ divinity in The Age of Reason and Thomas Jefferson whose Jefferson Bible removed miracles and the resurrection and retained only Jesus’ moral sayings.
the 1800's brought modernism, apostate beliefs and evolution
Søren Kierkegaard’s “leap of faith” raised personal experience over Scripture and claimed:
Religious truth is subjective (open to personal opinion and debate)
Propositional truth is unnecessary
Biblical criticism is harmless
God is essentially unknowable
Theological modernism said mankind could navigate life through logic and experience without God or His plan.
Georg Hegel introduced dialectical synthesis – compromise of opposing ideas – which led to communism.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, New England Transcendentalist, moved from Christianity to universal moral law. His friend Henry David Thoreau admired Hindu philosophy, which moved Western thought away from the Bible.
Joseph Smith Jr.’s Mormonism claimed visions of God the Father, Jesus and the angel Moroni. The original denomination splintered and today’s largest group is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). Its doctrine includes:
Jesus was created and only became perfect after obeying all the laws of God the Father
Salvation requires faith plus works
Humans can become gods
The Council of Nicea began the apostasy that was corrected with Joseph Smith and the new doctrines
Charles T. Russell founded Jehovah’s Witnesses with these huge differences with traditional Christianity:
Jesus was created, was formerly Michael the archangel and is not part of the Trinity
Salvation is by faith plus works
The Bible is corrupt and is replaced by the New World Translation
Only 144,000 go to Heaven while others are annihilated
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, proposed macro-evolution and “survival of the fittest.” These ideas were later used to justify eugenics, racism and sexism and influenced Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao and others. This encouraged humanity to define morality for itself – with devastating consequences.
darwin's theory led to communism and postm0dernism
Karl Marx co-authored The Communist Manifesto. Both his father and a son declared he was possessed by a demon which sounds likely as communism killed hundreds of millions. He promoted Darwinism and claimed:
Religion is the “opiate of the people”
Man is the highest essence of man
All religion should be eliminated
Friedrich Nietzsche denied God’s existence, declared “God is dead”, rejected Christian morality and promoted moral relativism. His ideas align with what Francis Schaeffer later called the Line of Despair.
Postmodernism claims truth is subjective – open to interpretation. It fueled deconstruction or progressive Christianity which reinterprets Biblical authority. This verse warns us to cling to the Bible to find truth.
Romans 12:2
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Sigmund Freud declared God was an illusion and he sought to replace faith with psychology.
Westcott and Hort altered Biblical texts and produced versions that weakened core doctrines.
John Dewey, father of secular education, rejected a personal God and claimed belief in God hindered intelligence.
Walter Rauschenbusch advanced the social gospel which minimizes sin, salvation, Heaven and Hell.
Vladimir Lenin, with Soviet communism, executed priests and established gulags while enforcing atheism.
20th Century Atheism, evil Power and Moral weakness
Bertrand Russell promoted Darwinism, denied free will and life after death, believed Jesus’ threat of Hell was inhumane, wanted Christianity removed from the world and appeared to support Nietzsche’s declaration that “God is dead.” He openly mocked God and the Bible and perverted Scripture. This is what arrogance looks like. These verses rebuke his scoffing.
Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools hate wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 14:26-27
“In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.”
Joseph Stalin succeeded Lenin, and his Great Purge of the 1930s killed millions.
Margaret Sanger, an American birth control activist, sex educator and nurse, opened the first birth control center in the US and founded the beginnings of Planned Parenthood. She supported eugenics and her motto was “No Gods, No Masters.”
Rudolf Bultmann, liberal German theologian, said man mastered the world through knowledge and science, declared the NT a “myth” and insisted resurrection from the dead was totally inconceivable. This conflicts with what Paul told us earlier.
1 Corinthians 15:12–19
“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty … If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
Karl Barth declared the Bible had mistakes and revelation only occurred through the Holy Spirit. This launched neo-orthodoxy, claiming the Bible was just an interpretation of the Word (Jesus) and not the true Word of God.
Adolf Hitler belonged to the occultic and demonic Thule Society. He believed Christianity was “meek and flabby” and embraced Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” which aligned with his Aryan ideology of superiority.
Mao Zedong abandoned Buddhism and followed the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Charles Darwin and atheistic philosophy. His totalitarian reign cost tens of millions of Chinese lives.
Existentialism, Faithfulness and Post-War Contrast
Jean-Paul Sartre rejected God as the uncaused Cause. As a big proponent of Existentialism, he believed we are born without purpose and we must eventually define ourselves based upon our experiences in life.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran pastor, aided in trying to kill Adolf Hitler and was hanged. The Cost of Discipleship compares “cheap grace”– forgiveness without repentance or obedience – with “costly grace” which calls for repentance, confession, public baptism and true discipleship.
Billy Graham led his first crusade in September 1947. His ministry lasted over 60 years when he shared the Gospel with hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Son Franklin Graham and family continue this legacy.
Noam Chomsky claimed “spiritual life” was dangerous, he was a child of the Enlightenment and he avoided irrational beliefs. He described the Gospels as a “radical pacifist collection of documents.”
more apostasy in the 20th century but also a few bright spots
Humanist Manifesto I, a declaration of humanistic (non-deist or non-theist) ideals, made the following claims:
The universe is self-existing and has no Creator
Life came from gradual processes (evolution)
No cosmic or supernatural reason (God) exists for the development of human values
Deism, theism, modernism and other “new thought” belief systems are outdated
Worship and prayer should be replaced with a higher level of personal life and social well-being
Equality in outcome should exist regardless of individual effort or contribution (socialism or communism)
Capitalism has failed and socialism should replace it as the best economic model
Post-World War II spiritual revival came and church attendance in America reached one of its highest levels. Billy Graham’s crusades and Bill Bright’s Campus Crusade for Christ were booming.
In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that public schools could no longer sponsor Bible reading or the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. The question remains: Was the moral decline that followed merely coincidental?
The Jesus Movement of the 1960s and early 1970s arose as a response to cultural rebellion marked by “drugs, sex and rock and roll.” One prominent pastor to emerge from this movement was Greg Laurie of Calvary Chapel.
Carl Sagan supported atheism with the PBS series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, coined the term “billions of years” and described God as: “ … something not very different from the sum total of the physical laws of the universe …” 18 The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God He acknowledged mankind had no explanation for the origin of these laws but his arrogance kept him from humbling himself before God.
Richard Dawkins – avid atheist – promotes Darwinism but approves of Christian “cultural values.” His The God Delusion says God and the Bible are delusions and argues that children are “abused” by being taught biblical faith.
Stephen Hawking, an English theoretical physicist and early victim of an incurable muscular disease, was a proponent of the Big Bang theory and claimed the universe came into existence without the need for a Deity.
digression continued but many stayed faithful
Christopher Hitchens called himself an “anti-theist” and said all religion is false, harmful and authoritarian. He said Israel had no right to its homeland and labeled Billy Graham a fraud for “spouting lies to young people.”
Humanist Manifesto II expanded secular humanist ideology. It strongly rejected traditional religion, especially belief in and accountability to a personal God and it strongly promotes globalism.
But, mid-1990s revivals emerged including Henry Blackaby’s college revivals and Promise Keepers, a men’s movement calling for repentance, accountability, marital fidelity and renewed commitment to Christ.
The “Emerging Church” with postmodern leanings gained influence. It reduces orthodox biblical truth to feelings and suggestions plus the social gospel is elevated while Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation is diminished.
Our Laodicean (lukewarm) spiritual condition – as described in Revelation 3 – was rebuked by Jesus as being wretched, miserable, poor in spirit, blind and naked. Despite our overall wealth and comfort, spiritual decay is obvious now as it was then.
This digression reminds us of a clear OT warning describing what God hates. Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us:
These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies and one who sows discord among brethren
So, where has this continuous slide into apostasy taken us? “Did God really say?” has become: “There is no God, the Bible is a myth, truth is subjective and it is based upon feelings and personal experience.”
slavery, persecution and std's are global
Global slavery of all kinds in 2025 exceeded 50 million, with women and children comprising over 70%. It includes forced labor, forced marriage, human trafficking and the sex trade. Many believe slavery or pedophilia does not exist in the United States, but it does. One striking example is the over 100,000 missing children whose whereabouts are unknown. Another is the women trapped in the sex industry whose families in foreign countries are threatened with financial harm or violence by human traffickers.
Ethnic cleansing and genocide are less visible in the Western Hemisphere but are increasing elsewhere such as: Sudan, the Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Myanmar, South Africa, China against the Uyghurs and Middle East persecution of the Kurds.
Martyrdom has claimed more Christian lives in the last 100 years than all previous centuries combined. From China and North Korea to Middle Eastern and North African Muslim nations, hundreds of thousands of Christians have been brutally murdered. The outcry?
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are rising sharply worldwide. The biggest problems are antibiotic-resistant “super strains” of gonorrhea and chlamydia, often symptomless, which leaves many women unable to bear children
Addiction, Entrapment and the Search for Relief
As divorce rates rise, families weaken and society continues to drift from God, many people turn to harmful coping mechanisms in an attempt to deal with pain, stress and hopelessness. Some of these physical dependencies include:
Alcohol – estimated about 10% in the US over 12 have this problem
Prescription drugs
Illegal drugs with fentanyl killing tens of thousands each year in the US
Nicotine
Beyond substance abuse, many are trapped in psychological addictions, including:
Gambling
Compulsive or deviant sex
Pornography
Workaholism
Social media, internet and “screentime”
Jesus repeatedly demonstrated His power over seemingly hopeless situations — healing the blind, the deaf, the lame and those with leprosy. He can break chains of addiction, remove guilt and restore hope. As seen throughout the Changed Lives testimonies, surrendering to Christ brings freedom – spiritually, emotionally and physically. Once eternal life is secured through faith, a peaceful, purposeful and hopeful life on Earth becomes possible.
How Different Cultures Understand Guilt, Shame and Fear
Jesus addressed our Multi-cultural Worldviews
Our multi-cultural and global society has many perspectives regarding spiritual life. The 3D Gospel, by Jayson Georges, gives us a look at how different cultures view guilt, innocence, salvation, honor, shame, fear and power.
Those from the West primarily view guilt versus innocence or right versus wrong in making decisions. They mostly consider individual accomplishments over family or cultural impact, but many reject the need for personal salvation.
Some cultures reflect a shame-honor system which values opinions and respect of family and others over individual needs. Group relationships outweigh personal gain or admiration. Deeds bringing shame or guilt can lead to abandonment such as how some families cast out new Christian believers. Extreme cases can even result in “honor killings.”
Other cultures have a fear-power dynamic focusing less on personal behavior, relationships or rules but more on fear of “spiritual powers.” This occurs in shamanism, animism, ancestry worship and western astrology. Defense mechanisms include amulets, charms, witchcraft, shaman involvement, etc.
HOW JESUS AFFECTED EVERY WORLDVIEW
Guilt vs. Innocence: He warned against pride, praised humility and sacrificed Himself to remove sin and guilt
Shame vs. Honor: He restored honor, called people to love one another and taught us to honor God
Fear vs. Power: He confronted Satan and the demons, defeated them and sent the Holy Spirit to protect and guide us
The Gospel speaks clearly and powerfully to every culture, every worldview and every human need.
recent EVENTS THAT IMPACT SOCIETY
Recent Influences Affecting Our Society Include:
- The removal of the Lord’s Prayer from U.S. public schools in the 1960s
- Promotion and celebration of “free” sex through public education, media, movies and other platforms
- Legalization of abortion, which removes the child but not the emotional consequences
- Increased use of alcohol and drugs to escape reality
- Disillusionment caused by bogus televangelists and deceptive philosophies
- Strong belief in the Big Bang, “billions of years” and evolutionary theory
- Growth of corruption, fraud and waste in governments and corporations worldwide
- Introduction of AI – artificial intelligence – which will confuse and deceive many
- Rising use of astrology, psychics and occult practices
- Social media’s eroding guardrails against pornography, violence and immoral choices
Truth is Now Conditional and Subjective
Recent polls tell us 65% of today’s culture believes truth is defined by personal experience and feelings rather than objective standards such as the Ten Commandments. While emotions and feelings are important, Scripture warns against allowing them to override wisdom and self-control.
Proverbs 25:28
“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
Ephesians 6:13
Colossians 2:8
2 Timothy 4:3–4
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.”
Why God Allows This and Where Hope Is Found
confusion, selfishness and "noise" stifle our understanding of jesus
To the question “Why would God allow bad things to happen to ‘good’ people?”, history shows that mankind has continually rebelled against Him and chosen sin over obedience. Diseases, wars and genocide are hard to fully comprehend, yet God warned in Genesis that death and decay would be the result of disobedience. Confusion abounds as the fear of God and resting in His grace have diminished tremendously. The selfishness and “noise” of busy-ness, “screentime”, physical and emotional dependency, etc. has deafened many to the point they are numb to the Gospel and their need for salvation.
the light at the end of the tunnel
While 2000 years of doctrinal decay and bad personal choices can lead to difficult conditions and hopeless circumstances, we can still find hope through Christ and obtain a peaceful eternal perspective for the rest of our lives. “It is never too late to do the right thing” is a good adage for those who are ready to make the best decision of their lives and choose Jesus Who comforts us with this:
MATTHEW 11:28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”