Striking indications that we are now approaching the end of this age—the end of the day of God's grace in the gospel—are the recent decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Just before noon on June 17, Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark read the court's decision to outlaw a 10 year-old practice of reading from the Bible and/or saying the Lord's prayer in public school classrooms.
Suits had been filed with the court on these two points—the former by a Unitarian family of Abington, Pennsylvania, and the latter by an atheist woman of Baltimore, Maryland. One may wonder why the simple reading of a few verses, without comment, from the Bible, or the recitation of the so-called Lord's prayer, should be so offensive to anyone as to either cause the commotion and cost of such a suit, or the unprecedented decision of the Supreme Court. Last year the court ruled against students reciting a simple, inoffensive (almost anemic) prayer composed by school authorities. But this year's decision is much more far-reaching. Behind these things, we see the enemy of God and man—the god and prince of this world—readying the world step by step for Christendom's final plunge into the great apostasy—the giving up of God and of all that is called God, and rushing madly downhill into the worship of man and of Satan.
There will be a man, "the son of perdition," who will exalt himself "above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God [in Jerusalem], showing himself that he is God." 2 Thess. 2:3, 43Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3‑4). Men will also worship "the dragon" [Satan] (Rev. 13:44And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Revelation 13:4)). And the then head of the nation of Israel (according to the prophecy of Daniel) will "honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold," etc. Chap. 11:38. This new god will doubtless be the head of the revived Roman Empire, who will be in league with Israel as their protector against Arab incursions. But man is getting ready to cast the "living and true God" behind his back, to cast (as far as is in his power) the God who made him, out of the world He made.
The Baltimore woman who brought the one suit, Mrs. Madalyn Murray, boastfully said that she was a trouble-maker, and cared not what people thought. Another statement attributed to her is, "I would turn every church into a hospital, a sanitarium, or a school." She writes for atheist and humanist publications. Does not this speak for itself as to the tenor of her attitude in regard to God? She would like to rid herself of being reminded of God. But for all that, she cannot get rid of the fact that she will have to meet that God at the "great white throne," and hear her awful doom pronounced.
Mrs. Murray is not alone in this emboldened attitude of resistance to the very thought of God. We will quote a few sentences from the infamous and great biologist, Oscar Riddle, who defined an atheist as a
"person without a God or gods. He may or he may not deny the existence of a force that is beyond or outside natural law, but he is beset with no doubts about giving it reverence."—The Unleashing of Evolutionary Thought, p. 158.
Again this writer says,
"Society and evolutionary thought must now specifically wage a fight against the supernatural element (salvation included) of all religions." ibid, p. 336.
And so the fight against God, against Christ, against salvation, against life after death, against the inevitable meeting of God in judgment, goes on; and the Supreme Court bows to the strong currents which are pushing this country down the road trodden by Russia. Under specious pleas of guarding the rights of the non-religious, the old established deferences to God must fall one after another.
Just one more reference to the blatant book, The Unleashing of Revolutionary Thought:
"The informed atheist of our day gladly looks at the passing of God as part of the dawn of the day of Man. Otherwise he views it as dispassionately as others view the passing of the fairies and the devil. And no void is left by the relinquished God." p. 340.
If they are so assured of the passing of God from the life and thoughts of the nation, then why should they have to wage war to bring it about? They are self-convicted of the wish being parent to the thought. They want to hurry mankind on to destruction—not that they realize this to be the end result of their combined efforts. They speak of the "passing of... the devil," but we who can see through the smoke and dust realize that he is a very real person who is leading blinded and deluded people to their doom. And this is the end result of the unproved and unprovable hypothesis of evolution which is now taught in our schools as a science, which it is not.
We might well ask some questions, since men and women of atheistic design and intent must have their rights protected. On what basis can it be reasoned that Bible-believing, God-honoring people should not have the same rights? Why must our children be forced by law to go to school where they are compelled to listen to the fallacious reasoning of atheistically inclined teachers, or read such textbooks?
We who are Christians should be aware of the terrible character of the days in which we are living—"the last days"—wherein moral conditions make them exceedingly difficult for us to pass this way. The last days are upon us! The marks depicted in 2 Tim. 3 are everywhere apparent. And you and I, child of God, cannot reverse the trend in the world; we cannot set the world right. Only the judgment of God will change it. And all about us are the evidences that the moment of judgment is approaching. Let us look up and rejoice that before the dreadful moment arrives, the Lord Jesus will call all of His own to meet Him, and usher them into the Father's house.
But what shall we say of those who have children who must go to the schools where they will be taught that which is calculated to undermine their faith? We need to be much in prayer before God, requesting Him to preserve our dear children from the baneful influence of infidelity. We need as never before to see that they are well grounded in the truth of the Word of God, including the assurance that these evil designs are but the fulfillment of God's sure Word. May God keep them fresh and true to the faith once delivered to the saints. We need to earnestly contend for it, for that word in Jude indicates that efforts will be made to take it from us—"earnestly contend"—not merely "contend." And yet it is not our part to file counter suits for our rights. We are but "strangers and pilgrims" here, and our home is above.
Another sad commentary on the present situation is that with the overthrowing of the Bible as the Word of God (openly in some places, more surreptitiously in others) has been a moral breakdown. This favored land is going down the road once trodden by the old Roman Empire in the days of its decline. It fell from within. As this nation has had privileges above almost any other land, thus great will be the fall of it when the Lord judges in righteous judgment, according to privilege and blessing.
Rom. 12(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) (Romans 1:2) describes the conditions of the Roman Empire as God gave the heathen over to uncleanness after they turned their backs on the traditional knowledge that they had of Him. They became worse than the brute beasts in God's retributive judgment. They did not wish to retain God in their knowledge, so "God gave them over to a reprobate mind." And this once enlightened land is going the road to the dreadful pollutions of Sodom and Gomorrah and the old Roman Empire, as they rush to cast off restraint. Men think of themselves today as iconoclasts who break to bits old established inhibitions and customs; and consequently they give free reign to their vile natures and the evil suggestions of Satan. Nor is this road being trodden alone by atheists and infidels, but in the front ranks are many so-called ministers of the gospel. Modernists, ecumenicalists, and conformists must get on with the present trends. In a meeting of the National Council of Christians and Jews to discuss the Supreme Court verdict, which was called "wholesome neutrality," was the editor of a prominent so-called Evangelical magazine. Did he never read, "Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord?" 2 Chron. 19:22And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. (2 Chronicles 19:2).
But here again, we cannot turn the clock back. Moral depravity is increasing rapidly; and when God is excluded, men's lusts take over. But we need to instill in our beloved children that God is holy, and He expects holiness from His own. His holy standards have not changed because men's have. The words of Heb. 13:44Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. (Hebrews 13:4) are still true: "God will judge" those who indulge in moral sin. "Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away" (Pro. 4:1515Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. (Proverbs 4:15)), like Joseph in Gen. 3915And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out. (Genesis 39:15), who "FLED" from the scene of temptation. He was living in the fear of God, and consequently did not view sin lightly, but as "great wickedness" and "sin against God." So, "Be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long." Pro. 23:1717Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. (Proverbs 23:17).
The only bulwark against complete moral breakdown and lawlessness in the land would be a wholesome return to and respect for the Word of God. But we need not expect that. Our lot is cast in evil days, but our God is sufficient for us. Enoch of old walked with. God and pleased God in the days just before
He sent the flood upon the world of the ungodly. And in those days of abounding corruption and violence Enoch reared a family. We have the same God with us; and besides, we have the revelation of God in Christ, and His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. All is not lost because our path gets harder; but lack of awareness of the situation, and lack of being cast upon Him for help, may cost us dearly in ourselves and our children. "Christian walk prayerfully