How Bad Is the World?
Real bad. But people are more concerned about the world’s melting ice, disappearing glaciers, evaporating lakes and vanishing species. Geophysicists, biologists, and politicians are worried about the physical condition of our planet.
But there is a more pressing concern – a more immediate danger with far greater consequences. And it is not a matter of intervening to salvage it or enacting policies to slow down the demise or electing officials who will be able to reverse the trend. The situation is irreversible. The one and only option is – a dramatic rescue.
Paul wrote to the Galatian believers with a heavy heart over the potential impact of the world on the child of God. His primary burden for the Galatians was the ‘religious’ world. Sinister forces were at work to discredit the absolute sufficiency of the work of Christ to save sinners. The ‘religious’ world was trying to gain a foothold in the local assemblies and in the minds of believers. So Paul writes:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins
to deliver us from
the present evil age,
according to the will of our God and Father,
to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
(Galatians 1:3-5 ESV)
The KJV says: ‘the present evil world.’ But Paul wasn’t writing about the demise of the planet. He was targeting all spheres of society – its ideas, opinions, priorities, aspirations and standards. The infrastructure of society and all it produces. Religion, politics, government, entertainment, education, finances, arts, sports, etc. All that is owned, produced, influenced, managed and experienced by 6.6 billion people on this planet – apart from God. The ‘god of this age’ is Satan himself. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
How bad is it?
“Eat your supper dear and get your homework done. Before you go to bed you can just relax by chilling on the couch and watching some television. But two hours is the max. 7PM to 9PM. And then off to bed you go.”
In those two hours – in fact during the first hour (7PM to 8PM) do you know what they’ll see? Every 3.5 minutes they will see violence, profanity and/or sexual content. In 2006-2007, 90% of the 208 television shows reviewed contained objectionable content during those ‘innocent’ family hours of safe viewing. Umm – not so innocent after all!
Over the past five years, sexual content has increased 22% and violent content is up 52% during those ‘safe’ two hours. Although foul language like ‘damn’ and ‘crap’ has decreased, the use of ‘f’ and ‘s’ words aided by bleeps has increased exponentially.
One very well known network increased its sexual content by 579% for those two ‘safe’ hours over the past five years. Between 7PM and 9PM children can see not only suggestive sex scenes but explicit ones including some nudity, solo and dual sex acts, incest, and violence peppered with vulgar curse words. (1)
The present evil age. There’s nothing innocent about it! Joining its pursuits or relaxing to enjoy its productions is reckless. The more we can shield ourselves, our families and our homes from it, the more we’ll be preserved and the Lord will be honored.
On another front, a recent report found that 75% of 163 countries of the world were ravaged by corruption within Government and political circles. And that’s using a measuring tool designed by people who are a part of this present evil age! How much worse must it really be in God’s sight!
We have been delivered, we have been literally ‘rescued out of’ the darkness of life without God which characterizes the present evil age. He didn’t rescue us from the planet yet – we’re to stay here as lights in a dark age to rescue others.
“Preserve us Lord from dabbling in the things of this age that have the grimy fingerprints of sin all over it. Preserve us from introducing our children to something they will want to take even further to their own detriment.”
Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.
Warmly in Christ
Peter Ramsay