ONLY THE PEOPLE ARE WRONG

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 55, 15 July 1965, Page 6

ONLY THE PEOPLE ARE

WRONG

There is nothing wrong with the world — only the people in it, says Mr F. N. Mercer in this week's Voice of the Churches. The Bible says: "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" Ps. 24.1 and 1 Cor. 10.26. Again God says: "If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine." Ps. 50.12. And yet people are continually asking "What's wrong with the world?" The answer is simple, there is nothing wrong with the world, but only with the people who live in it. We read that the headlines in American newspapers are being taken by the nation's youth and the riots they stage in various parts of the country, but our country is just as bad. Every day of every week, the pages of our newspapers are splashed with crime and violence on every page, committed by both old and young. Another question is asked. "Why does this strange antisocial disease generally attack youthful motorcyclists?" and "Why is teenage vandalism so rife?" "No civil authority has come up with a satisfactory answer so far." Let us never forget that the Bible has all the answers, foretold thousands of years ago. Sixty years ago, at the beginning of our modern machine age, everybody revered Sunday and went to Church. Today, this has very largely gone by the board, and God says, "There is no fear of God before their eyes, they are all gone out of the way, there is none that doeth good, no not one." Rom. 3.11. Again that "The fear (reverence) of God is the beginning of wisdom." Ps. 112.10.,

and Paul, in his second letter to Timothy, says this of our day "This know also, that in the last days, perilous (or fierce) times shall come, for men (both sexes) shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God, having a form of

godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away." II Tim. 3 1-5. One could go on indefinitely, of the scores of prophetic warnings of these closing days of world history. In other words, our world has gone mad (Rev. 11.18). Rev. 12.12 says, "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea, for the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." It seems that the rule of the nations today is not democracy, but demon crazy. What is the answer? The only answer is a turning back to God wholeheartedly, asking His forgiveness and for Him to take over. During the last two wars, our nation was ealled to prayer on many occasions and miracles followed. Those days are past. We seldom hear God's name mentioned now, over the air or in our newspapers. Today, nations are trusting their own wisdom, to avoid the inevitable and "God is not in all their thoughts." (Ps. 10.4). One of the many unanswered questions in the Bible, Jesus asked: "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man (Himself) cometh, shall he find faith of the earth." (Luke 18.8) and speaking of the state of the world, He said "there shall be upon the earth, distress of nations with perplexity, men's hearts failing them for fear and looking after those things that are coming on the earth." In conclusion, the only people who can look the future in the face with confidence are the Christians for "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptation (or trial) and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. (II. Peter 2.9).