A significant sign of our time is a widely prevailing disdain for authority. It is seen in many ways, particularly in demonstrations for many causes (some of dubious merit), in rioting, in protest and unrest. Young people, many of them, are not ashamed to stand against convention; indeed they go to extremes in manners and dress in order to proclaim their independence of spirit. Agitators appear to find willing and exciting supporters wherever they go. Race is set against race, youth against age, and in all cases whoever or whatever constitutes authority is called into question. And sometimes it is with violence and bloodshed.
Truly there is nothing new under the sun, and most human behavior (however is called into question. And sometimes it is with violence and bloodshed.
Truly there is nothing new under the sun, and most human behavior (however much the proponents of a movement may wish their crusade to be singular and new) is merely a repetition of what has been seen again and again in the history of human misguidance. It is certainly not unusual for new generations to find fault with established ways and customs, and to seek change. But in many respects the present trend is different, more intense, and some aspects of it are alarming, a signal of a possibly frightening future. Disregard for order and for the rights, property and lives of others has become serious enough so that there is real concern among those who must enforce the law. Surely it is not difficult to see that men are incapable of successfully governing themselves for an indefinite period. Eventual deterioration is as certain in one form of human government as in another. The only difference is in the time it takes.
As worshippers of God we owe a great deal to the democratic processes, and we have reason to praise Him for allowing us to live under a republican form of government. Few generations of believers have been so blessed with personal freedom as have we. Still we must recognize the weaknesses that do exist, and see the futility of it all as a permanent arrangement. Politics, as Dr. Thomas stated, interest the saints of God only in that they fulfill His prophetic purpose. And in “Elpis Israel” our brother indicates to us the real origin and ultimate end of our democratic system. It was conceived in violence and will disappear in even greater turbulence. The Scriptures do not praise democracy, they term it an “unclean spirit”.
The French Revolution ushered in the age of democracy. There is no doubt that what the new system replaced was oppressive and corrupt, but what ensued, typical of man’s fleshly attempts to better his lot, was not Utopia but a “reign of terror” instead. Unfortunately it is almost impossible for people to arrive at a proper balance. One of the first acts of the French national assembly after the revolution was to declare that there was no God. (This spirit, too, has reasserted itself when men “having a form of godliness” coin the blasphemous expression that “God is dead”). This spirit of elevating the individual, of self-rule for the greater glory of man, although God has blessed us through it, can only end in disaster. Like Nebuchadnezzar mankind will have to learn that “God rules in the kingdom of men”.
What is the lesson for us as we strive to be children of God in this time and place? First we see a sign, one indication among many others as Bible prophecy is fulfilled, that the God ordained conclusion is near. The time of our comfort is approaching. But we should also take a warning, an admonition. There is a very real danger that the spirit of the times in which we live can affect us, creep in and pervade our thinking. Like every other age many evils are engrained in the way of life around us. And against these, some of the protest movements are directed. We are in the position of being forced to witness against both the establishment and those who protest against it. For instance, the existing forms of racial intolerance and injustice are abhorrent to every true Christian, but at the same time he recognizes that the methods now being used to correct these evils are often the very epitome of lawlessness.
Let us be certain that we do not ally ourselves in spirit or sympathy with the world in any of its forms. Let us instead test ourselves by the Word of God and determine whether we are in accord with its spirit, the spirit of truth. Take the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy as he speaks of our time:
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (II Timothy 3:1-4 RSV).
Let us be certain that none of these descriptive elements have a justifiable application to ourselves.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One