By Larry Rosenbam
In Daniel 5, King Belshazzer of Babylon had a great party. Everyone was drinking from the golden vessels taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. Suddenly, they saw a hand drawing a strange message. Puzzled, they asked the Prophet Daniel to interpret. Here is the message they received: “God has numbered your kingdom and finished it. You are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting. Your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and the Persians.” That night, Belshazzer was killed and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom. According to the historians Herodotus and Xenophon, Cyrus diverted the Euphrates River into a new channel and marched by the dry bed into the city. Meanwhile the Babylonians were carousing at an annual feast to their gods, trusting the city walls to protect them.
If our Lord tarries, perhaps one day historians will write about the decline and fall of Modern Civilization. They could begin with Darwin’s theory of evolution. The decline was slow until the 1960’s, which brought legalized abortion, drugs, open homosexuality, and a flood of pornography. Many people viewed September 11, 2001 as a wake-up call that would bring people back to God. Instead, the opposite occurred. Almost immediately, Franklin Graham was condemned by the news media for pointing out that the Koran encourages the use of violence in order to win converts. The US Senate began blocking the appointment of Federal judges suspected of holding traditional moral values. In 2002, the US Supreme Court rejected efforts to curb child pornography on the internet, saying that “virtual child pornography” is protected speech. In November 2003, the US Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to regulate homosexual behavior.
In February 2004, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ordered that state to issue same-sex marriage licenses. That same month, San Francisco mayor Newsom began performing same-sex marriages for the first time in the U.S. In March 2004, while the city council voted 9-1 to recognize same-sex marriages, San Jose, CA mayor Gonzales said, “I don’t live my life in fear of my God…I hope when I have the opportunity to meet my God…he or she will say, `Good job.’” “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil”(Isa. 5:20).
On Sunday February 15, in observance of Valentine’s Day, Santa Cruz Bible Church offered a gift to the couple that had been married most recently. A lesbian couple stood up, saying that they had been “married” the previous day in San Francisco. The church gave the gift to the couple. Afterwards they told the congregation that the Bible teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman. In response, a Santa Cruz newspaper published a cartoon ridiculing the church for being “anti-gay.”
One prominent homosexual activist said, “The fact that civil unions were considered a radical step in 2000 and they’re now considered nothing more than second-class citizenship by the gay community—and President Bush is not expressing opposition to civil unions—shows you how dramatically the issue has changed in just a few short months….It’s mushroomed in ways we never dreamed possible even two months ago.” As in Babylon, the river of Christian values that once sustained our Civilization has been diverted. The enemies of God have no difficulty in entering the city and destroying it.
Since time began, every culture and religion has defined marriage as between men and women. Every religion has viewed homosexual behavior as sinful. Today, anyone who opposes same-sex marriage or homosexual behavior is considered to be a hateful bigot and a right-wing extremist. In December, 2001, a Canadian appeals court ruled that the Bible is hate literature. It sustained a fine against a man who published a newspaper ad that quoted four passages of scripture dealing with homosexuality. As homosexual behavior becomes officially sanctioned by society, it will become a crime to express the view that homosexuality is sinful.
As Christians, this world is not our home. We are citizens of heaven, ambassadors of Christ on this earth. The light of Jesus Christ will only shine brighter as the world gets darker. On February 25, 2004, “The Passion of the Christ” opened in thousands of theaters. According to one survey, over 75% of all Americans plan to see the movie, either at a theater or on video. Hundreds of millions of people around the world will hear the gospel through this movie. Millions of people around the world could be saved after watching it.
Instead of complaining about how evil the world has gotten, Christians need to let their light shine brightly by living a godly life and boldly sharing the gospel with everyone they can. Satan is already defeated. Jesus Christ will return to reign on this earth. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.
