The “last days” of the Jewish era ended in AD 70 with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by a Roman army. Peter refers to the time in which he lived as “the last day”, as did the writer of Hebrews (1:1). James warns of the Judge “standing before the door” (James 5:9). The apostle Paul writes of the way Christians should live in “the present distress” (1 Corinthians 7:26), and in anticipation of “the ends of the world” — “the fulfillment of the ages” — which was then coming upon his people.
Every great empire — Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome — had its day. The British Empire was perhaps the greatest ever in naval power (“Rule Britannia! Britannia rule the waves..!”). It was said that “the sun never set” on that empire, geographically. Britain now leads a commonwealth of nations. However, during the past one hundred years, the Jews have returned to their land, and Ezekiel’s prophecy of the Valley of Dry Bones must be almost fulfilled. The emphasis is switching back to the Jews, and “the last day” for all the nations is close at hand.
In the “last days” of a democracy, politicians allow the nation’s justice system to be replaced by tribunals. This is because courts are choked by litigants and people who prefer to claim their rights rather than exercise their responsibilities.
The laws are increasingly framed by politicians reacting to criminal behaviour by favouring the perpetrators of crime instead of the victims. Law-abiding citizens are being treated as though they are criminals. The Nanny State decides what we can and cannot do, and more and more bureaucrats are employed to enforce regulations.
Meanwhile, filth in almost every form is portrayed on television and in magazines and newspapers, and the media appear horrified at the increase in rape, brutality, mindless violence, road rage and young adults being “off their faces” on drugs and alcohol.
The erosion of the values that built a society makes it an easy target for external threats; and its poll-driven politicians lack the will to address its ills.
Democracy didn’t just happen — its birth in ancient Greece and its modern rebirth in Great Britain and the USA was costly. Democracy works when upheld by people whose shared moral and social values are grounded on absolutes — not options. When criminality and anarchism pervade society and undermine these, a downhill slide begins.
What can save Australia? Not only revival in the churches but also a spiritual awakening in communities! One that will restore the things that have been weakened by traitors, law-breakers, filth purveyors, pornographers, the ambivalent attitude of non-Christians, and the “Jesus Wants You to be A Success!” messages of slick, motivational preachers.
Wake up Christians, because when you do, non-Christians will take notice — they’re tired of phonies and are looking for the real thing. Read again the Book of Acts and rediscover how it changes people, and Paul’s Epistles to see how Christianity works in real life.