The Troubled World of 2025
By Tom Gilbreath
Los Angeles has its Skid Row. The “seedy” area of San Francisco is called the Tenderloin. In Philadelphia, a drive down Kensington Avenue will break your heart. Cities have had these areas for a long time, mostly out of sight. But in recent years, the Skid Rows have grown to engulf large swaths of their cities. Evils once hidden away, today spill out into what were once considered the “good parts” of town.
And where is the Church? To a large extent, it is busy crossing over to the other side of the street (see Luke 10:29-37).
The January 2nd edition of The Times of India summarized a story of evil breaking out from the shadows in Great Britain. “Over a period spanning years, the Yorkshire town of Rotherham experienced one of Britain's most severe child exploitation cases. An independent inquiry found that no fewer than 1,400 minors were victimized through systematic abuse. The majority of victims were young girls who were targeted, manipulated, and trafficked by organized groups of men, most of whom were of Pakistani background.”
As horrific as that is, it gets worse. It’s not just that these atrocities were taking place, but that people who should have stepped in and helped the children — people whose job it was to help them — refused to get involved. The Times went on to say, “The crimes were compounded by institutional failures — despite victims repeatedly coming forward, law enforcement and social services consistently failed to take appropriate action or protect the children.”
Today, the unlikely duo of Elon Musk and J. K. Rowling are among those trying to hold the British government to task for its neglect. But “grooming gangs” (also known as “rape gangs”) are not limited to the UK. They are everywhere. Not only do the world’s nations abort vast numbers of the unborn, but they also allow — and sometimes even encourage — the abuse of the born. Can God’s judgment be far behind?
The Old Testament shows God’s amazing level of forbearance. He warned against sin. He sent prophets. He fired “shots across the bow.” And finally, judgment would come. Look closely. His judgment was usually triggered by the abuse of children.
In Matthew 18:6, Jesus said, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Instead of “to sin,” some translations say, “to stumble.” Others, like the original Living Bible, say, “causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose his faith.” The Greek here means to “entrap.” Today, much of public education is intent on causing children to sin, to lose faith, to be entrapped by a world system bent on evil. Can God’s judgment be far behind?
Except where it coincides with biblical truth, the politics of our elected leaders are neither the cause nor the answer to our fundamental dilemmas as a civilization. Churches have the Answer, but most of them sit in silence — hands covering eyes, ears, and mouths. Churches cover their eyes because they don’t want to see the tsunami of evil rushing up the shorelines of the world. They cover their ears because they don’t want to hear what God says about it. They cover their mouths because they don’t want to address sin. Bible-based churches hold the message of hope and redemption the world so desperately needs. But most lack the love and courage to speak out.
In 2025, we need all hands on deck. Make this a season of prayer, love, and the consistent presentation of God’s Word.
