That day has arrived: the world declares that good is evil and evil is good

You know we read in the papers and we hear on the air Of killing and stealing and crime everywhere And we sigh and we say as we notice the trend This young generation, where will it end But can we be sure that it's their fault alone I mean, that maybe a part of it isn't our own Are we less guilty who place in their way Too many things that lead them astray? Like too much money to spend, and too much idle time Too many movies, the kind on passion and crime Too many books, man, that are not even fit to be read Too much evil in what they hear said And too many children, encouraged to roam By too many parents who won't even stay at home Well, man, kids don't make the movies and they don't write the books And they don't go out and paint gay pictures of gangsters and crooks They don't make the liquor, and they don't run the bars They don't make the laws, and they don't buy the cars They don't peddle junk that, well, that addles the brain That's all done by older folks man, greedy for gain Delinquent teenagers, oh, man how quick we do condemn The sins of a nation and then go and blame it on them But the laws that are blameless the Saviour makes known Now you tell me who is there among us to cast the first stone For in so many cases it's sad but it's true That the title “delinquent” fits older folks too!

The above verses are from Don't Blame the Children – spoken by American entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. in 1967 and with the one-line chorus by female singers. It's here to highlight the fact that the lawlessness so glaringly apparent in many 21st-century children is not just a recent issue. Having said this, we do now live in a time where evil is celebrated and promoted while godliness, holiness and goodness are treated with contempt. In times past it seemed that people preferred to do evil, but it was often under cover of darkness. They were not so brazen and open about their sin: today sin is championed and praised.

That is a pretty bleak commentary on the condition of sinful mankind that rejects God. The Apostle Paul has a number of commentaries pertaining to evil that he highlights, one of which is found in 2 Timothy 3:1-4: “The wicked freely parade and prance about while evil is praised throughout the land”. The essence of these texts is this: people not only sin and do evil, but they take great pride in doing so and like to promote – and parade – their wickedness.

That certainly seems to accurately describe the situation in which we find ourselves today. Indeed, as the perfect example of this, simply take any pride march or protest by the secular left, be it a pro-death event or a pro-sexual immorality march. It is all about an in-your-face showcasing of debauchery, perversion and evil. They love to spit in God’s face as they celebrate their preferred lifestyles. The pro-death crowd certainly provides plenty of examples. Imagine seeing a young woman holding a placard on which are the words “I’d rather be a murderer than a mother” – and parading it with such pride and with a perverse grin on her face. This is a level of sickness that needs more than a natural explanation. There is surely some very real demonic influence here.

One must wonder how some people can be so filled with such hatred and bitterness. Most of them don't understand reason and are not interested in having a polite discussion with you. Most of them are out to serve as the devil’s shock troopers, spewing hideously evil and vile things as they mock God whilst hating His people. We must pray for them and put on the whole armour of God as we seek to interact with them. Simply trying to be 'nice' and smiling a lot is not a successful solution. This is full-on spiritual warfare. Jesus did not cast out demons by trying to be winsome and nuanced. He knew what he was up against and took steps accordingly, and as the days become darker and darker we can expect more of this sort of evil being displayed around us. We can expect more such ugly confrontations. We can expect more people to parade their sin like Sodom, such as the ones quoted in the following paragraphs. That is the world Scripture has told us to expect.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul – a Democrat who succeeded scandal-plagued Andrew Cuomo in 2021 – has announced the awarding of $13.4 million in state grants to 37 New York abortion providers during a news conference held at Judson Memorial Church near Washington Square Park in Manhattan. The October 12 conference received light press, and even fewer news outlets reported her quotes about God being on the side of abortion or the fact the conference was held in a church. She congratulated “everyone involved in this congregation for inspiring us and letting us know that God is out there on our side as we continue to make sure that women have the rights that are God-given rights” according to a report in the Albany Update, an electronic newsletter from New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. “Light does prevail over darkness” Hochul said. “And while there has been a dark pall cast over our nation in the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, let that light continue to shine right here in the State of New York.”

Standing behind a podium with a placard that read “We Are NY: A Safe Harbour for All” and “Protecting Abortion Rights,” Hochul called access to legal abortion a moral responsibility. “We’ll fight like hell to make sure that no one ever touches these rights right here. And we’ll be that beacon of hope. We’ll be that safe harbour for women all across this nation”. This is the second time since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June that the state of New York has released money from the newly-formed Abortion Provider Support Fund.

New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms (NYCF) responded in its newsletter that Governor Hochul has “embraced wicked lies” about the character and nature of God, human life and the meaning of compassion.

In Isaiah 5:20 God says: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter”. Romans 1:32 also speaks of God’s wrath against sinners who: “knowing the judgement of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them”.

Are some people such horrific and evil sinners that they are beyond being saved? Are there such diabolical monsters out there who have committed such repulsive and reprehensible sins that they cannot be saved? Are some people simply irredeemable? Most Christians would answer these questions with a resounding no. They would argue that Jesus is able to save anyone, even the most demonised sinners. We have plenty of such stories from the past two thousand years, but while we must endeavour to remain positive we must also remember the words the Lord spoke to the Apostle John: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers …. and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”. (Revelation 21:8)