Social Conditions Then and Now
By A. O. Tait
THE condition of society just before the Flood is set forth in the Bible in a few brief sentences. Things at that time became so hopeless, that the only thing the Lord could do to preserve the race of mankind, was to sweep away all the wicked of those days by a flood. The social condition that made this necessary is described as follows in Genesis: “And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” “And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.” Gen. 6:5, 11, 12. The imaginations of men became evil, and only evil. All flesh corrupted their way, and then the anarchy of violence followed. Such was the condition of things that led the Lord to overthrow the old world by the Flood. When like conditions prevail again, it must be evident to any one, that the Lord would be driven to visit destruction because of it. When we consider the facts in regard to the vast amount of corruption of every description that is polluting the world, the question at once arises, How can such a course be continued without bringing visitation of destruction from the Almighty? It is not necessary to particularize in regard to the evil that is flooding the world. Every heart that has left in it the true sense of right and wrong, is made sick by the daily recital of bribes and defalcations and robberies and murders, without mentioning the dens of licentious vices and unspeakable iniquities that are fostered without molestation in so many places. When the old antediluvian world became absolutely corrupt, the Lord in His majesty arose and destroyed it. And in like manner, were the Cities of the Plain destroyed for their iniquities. And the apostle Jude tells us that these cities were set forth for an example. Then, following the plain example that the Lord has given, we may conclude that the only thing that can be before the world, is its destruction. It is the only reasonable thing to expect. The prophecies have pointed to the closing days of time as a period of great violence and lawlessness, and this is to be visited with destruction from the almighty Father. A contemplation of these facts may not be pleasant to the lawless ones, but they are true nevertheless, and right-thinking men and women should seek the Lord and stand with Him in this time of the world’s peril. There is perfect safety with Him for every one, and those who see the danger should avail themselves of the Lord’s protection. There are vast multitudes who are so taken up with the affairs of this world, that they will not see anything in this, and so they will laugh at it. But those who see the dangers that are threatened by the violence and the lawlessness of these times, should know from the Word of God what it means, and they should also know that the infinite power of the Creator’s protection is theirs for the asking.