How Did It Get To This?

“How did it get to this?” That’s the nagging question on the lips of thinking, concerned people who once lived in a time when, “it was not like this.” Not like what? Corruption in high places and low places across the nations. Immoral, unethical and unprincipled political candidates, current politicians, legal people, businessman, big bankers etc. Society’s indifference to sexual perversion and gross immorality. Society’s disrespect for born and unborn human life. Society’s disregard for the true, good and right, but its regard for the lie, bad and wrong. Society’s rejection of law, but its acceptance of lawlessness.

How did it get to this? Well, it could be said thinking, concerned people are as much responsible as unthinking, unconcerned people. Whether it was Edmund Burke or someone else who first said it, it remains true for each generation: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” That’s the issue. Evil has a legal right to triumph in a society that sits back and looks away – especially Christian leaders and Christian people. That which is true, good and right has only ever been in the hands of the church – the Bible. To quote another man, a good man who did something: “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.” Ronald Reagan.

With exceptions, Christian leaders and people turned away from the Bible and turned to foolishness. They turned from reality to religiosity. Knowing the Bible better than anyone but God, Satan knew they would eventually do so 2 Timothy 4:3-4. In the meantime he diligently worked his plans, preparing the world to embrace that which has now come to pass. Thinking, concerned people who once lived in a time when, “it was not like this” gave little attention to the possibility that it could be like this. Christians were warned that it would be like this, but turned their attention from selfless to selfish matters anyway. The result? Christianity’s influence waned, Communism-cum-Leftism’s influence waxed! That’s how it got to this.

Let’s look at a few Communist goals published when, “it was not like this.” Do away with loyalty oaths – Get control of schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda – Infiltrate the press…. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV and motion pictures – “Eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings; substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms – Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.” Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.

A few more Communist goals: Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity…. – Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as normal, natural, healthy – Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion…..discredit the Bible…. – Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools…. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture – education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. – Infiltrate and gain control of big business – Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. These goals, plus over 30 more, have been made public since at least 1958.

Satan is very clever. Drawing both the world and the church’s attention to hot and cold wars, being fought in the name of Communism, in a time when people thought it would never, “be like this,” by way of gradualism, he slipped this stuff in under the radar. Not only that, but having slipped Communists-cum-Leftists into Bible Colleges, Seminaries and church pulpits, the gospel of Redemption got discarded and the “social gospel” took its place. True, this “gospel” had been around long years earlier, but with minimal influence. Christians all over the world were now being told they were responsible for social reforms and social justice and they bought into that lie without looking to see what Jesus had to say about it – which was nothing!

Yes, Jesus had compassion for the poor, the sick and outcasts etc, that’s why He took care of their physical and emotional needs, but never did He do it without keeping their spiritual needs in mind. In other words, the condition of one’s soul was His primary concern and He told them so. Nobody ministered to was ever unaware of that reality. Whether they accepted the gospel of redemption or not they knew their eternal destiny was far more important to Christ than anything else. Recall the parable of the rich man and poor man. The rich man had everything but went to hell; Lazarus had nothing but went to heaven Luke 16:19-31. “Social gospel” preachers ignoring the redemption gospel are headed for the same place as the rich man.

Taking care of the hungry, the thirsty, the sick and prisoners Matthew 25:34-40; is to be carried out according to godly Christian practice, not godless Communist practice. However, whether they be Christians or not, Satan’s intention has always been to get people so emotionally caught up in the “social gospel” that they become blindsided when he brings in the evils, the filth, the perversions and all the other despicable stuff mentioned above, which is his real agenda! Satan couldn’t care less about human rights and social justice! He simply uses them as instruments to bring guilt and condemnation upon society, which in turn guarantees them becoming sympathetic to the perversions and corruption he has now deeply entrenched into society.

Long generations ago when, “it was not like this,” thinking, concerned people used their God-given faculties to discriminate, to make judgments, to use their brain, to exercise common sense. There was no other way for them to discern right from wrong, good from bad, honesty from dishonesty, morality from immorality, lawfulness from lawlessness, truth from lies, wisdom from foolishness, cleverness from stupidity – and so on. For the most part, all of that has gone out the door. That’s why the wrong, the bad, the dishonest, the immoral, the lawless, the liars, the foolish and the stupid have the most power and influence in societies today. And when Christians fail to discriminate and make judgments they condone all others not doing so by default.

Woe to those who call evil (adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, distress, misery, sorrow, trouble, wretchedness, wrong) good (beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, pleasure, precious, prosperity, sweet, wealth, welfare), and good evil; who put darkness (misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness) for light (illumination, happiness, bright, clear), and light for darkness; who put bitter (bitterness, anger, heaviness, discontent) for sweet (sweeter, sweetness), and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Isaiah 5:20-21. Evil and darkness are less despised in today’s society; who are more despised are those who despise these!

So where do we go from here? Concerned people can take President Reagan’s advice, begin again thinking for themselves, admit they have a problem and find the answers for it between the covers of the Bible. If you do so, God will show you that in general, it’s too late for society, but it’s not too late for you! Society in general, has made its choice, as have many “Christians” sitting under Communist-cum-Leftists standing in church pulpits; they don’t want truth, they want lies! Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits Isaiah 30:10. So, God is giving them what they want. God also gave them up to uncleanness…… God gave them up to vile passions…… God gave them over to a debased mind…… Romans 1:18-32.

Between the covers of the Bible we discover the greatest problem we have – self will. Self-will is defiant and rebellious towards God. God calls it sin and it comes with a guaranteed 100% failure rate for all who are in it! Jesus Christ came into the world and died on a cross taking your sin with Him. For you to take advantage of that, God requires you to humble yourself, repent of your sin, turn from it and ask not only to be forgiven, but also to get delivered from it. The alternative? Foolishness and futility! How did it get to this? You have the answer. How do you get out of this? You have the answer. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt…… Psalm 14:1. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly John 10:10.