Waiting on Sons: Answering Climate Change, Terrorism and Moral Decay

In speaking about conditions in the last days, Jesus warned of international conflict, natural disasters, and the arrival of a myriad of diseases. “And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars…but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Mt.24:6-8). Later, the apostle Paul would enlighten us as to the moral state of the church and the world as we approach the Apocalypse. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2Timothy 3:1-5a).

And so while the world is being shocked daily by the geometric rise in moral corruption and the increasing dangers of climate change and terrorism and such like threats to our existence, the true believer not only expects these things but holds within his or her hand the power to make a positive difference, to push back the forces of darkness, decay and decomposition. This is why suffering creation is not waiting on environmentalists or politicians or moralists but on the revelation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19). That fact that creation ‘cranes its neck’ looking for us means that we are hidden, that we have lost our saltiness and have placed our lights under the table. But now it is time for us to awake, time for us to ‘come out’ from hiding and return to our first love and first works (Rev.2:4). It is time to be clothed again with the power of the Spirit. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds (2Co.10:4). We are more than conquerors through Christ (Rom.8:37). We are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (1Jn.4:4). Let therefore the sons be revealed. If only for creation’s sake!