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[Darris McNeely] In one of his few comments about the time of the end the Apostle Paul
made a comment that there would be perilous times. What he's talking about is there will
be times of stress in the time of the end. We indeed are living through some very stressful
times as we watch, especially in the United States, a moral revolution take place that
is just turning everything upside down.
A few days ago the Boy Scouts of America came out with the long awaited ruling on whether
or not they would allow gay scouts within the Boy Scout organization. They had come
right up to the point several months ago in looking at their long held position on this
issue, and they backed off, held another meeting here just a few days ago and came out with
the decision essentially to allow members of the Boy Scouts to be openly gay. Now they
drew a line in this process by saying that scouts can be gay openly, but leaders cannot
be openly gay in the organization. Now this does not end the controversy. The Roman Catholic
Church, the Mormon Church do the biggest sponsors of boy scout operations at the community level.
They have made their statements on the subject, and other religious organizations are still
not happy with what has been decided, not even the entire gay/lesbian community is completely
satisfied with what the Boy Scouts have decided.
But this is a watershed event, and there will be more like them, and that's the key point
for us to understand. When I use the term watershed I don't use it lightly. What is
taking place in our culture in recent days is a massive movement like a giant river that
is flowing through and it is wiping away every sense of morality and traditional approach
to living and culture that we have known in our whole lifetime in the United States. And
any organization, be it the Boy Scouts, be it a church, is not going to be able to stand
in the way of this tidal wave that is sweeping over the United States of America and sweeping
away these positions on morality that we have all grown up with. That is the fundamental
fact of what is taking place. And that's why what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy chapter
3 when he talked about these days he said, "Know this that in the last days perilous
times will come," or stressful times. "Men will be lovers of themselves," in verse 2.
This is 2 Timothy 3:1-2. Several points are mentioned here by Paul, but just the first
one is enough to note and to understand. He said, "Men will be lovers of themselves."
And really what this is talking about is something that applies to our entire culture. We are
being swept away by a culture of individualism.
Whatever is right for the individual, whatever is important to the individual is what now
is becoming not only the way, but in state after state as legislation is legalizing same
sex marriage, marriage between homosexuals, then we are seeing this individualist approach
to what the individual wants to do not what is good for the community, not what is good
for the society as a whole, not what has been long held and taught by an institution like
the Boy Scouts or even a major religious institution within the country. It is what is right for
the individual. Men will be lovers of their own selves. This is what's taking place.
What do you do about it? What do I do about it? First of all I think we have to understand
the tidal wave that is going over us and quite frankly there's not going to be any turning
back. It is going to continue to grow worse and worse as other prophecies talk about.
One point that Paul makes in this whole discussion is later on down in verse 6. And he says,
actually it's in verse 5, he says, "From such people turn away." From such actions, from
such ways of life and such attitudes he always encourages his readers and to us today, God
is saying turn away.
Don't get caught up in it. Understand what you can do in your own individual way, to
stand for right and righteousness, to stand for morality, to stand for God's law, and
to not compromise in your own life. That in the end is going to be what's left for each
one of us. And that is what God's word tells us. Understand our times, but also understand
what is important for each one of us as we stand before God.
That's BT Daily. Join us next time.