The End Of Wickedness

For thousands of years, Jehovah God has tolerated wickedness, long enough for right hearted individuals to se that human rule is a catastophe. For example, in the 20th century alone, more than 150 million people were killed in wars, revolutions and other civil disorders, according to one source. Man's viciousness was especially seen during World War II when some 50 million were killed, with many of them dying horrible deaths in Nazi concentration camps. Just as the Bible foretold, in our time, 'wicked men and imposters have advanced from bad to worse.' (2Timothy 3:1-5, 13) Today, immorality, crime, violence, corruption and contempt for God's standards are rampant. Thus, Jehovah is fully justified in bringing this wicked system to its end.

The situation now is similar to that in Canaan some 3,500 years ago. The Bible says "Everything detestable to Jehovah that he does hate they have done to their gods, for even their sons and their daughters they regularly burned in the fire to their gods." - (Deuteronomy 12:31) Jehovah informed the nation of Israel: " IT is for the wickedness of these nations that Jehovah your God is driving them away from before you." (Deuteronomy 9:5) Bible historian Henry H. Halley noted: "The worship of Baal, Astoreth and other Canaanite gods consisted in the most extravagant orgies; their temples were centers of vice."

Halley showed how gross their wickedness had become, for in one of many such areas, archaeologists "found great numbers of jars containing the remains of children who had been sacrificed to Baal." He said: " The whole area proved to be a cemetery for new-born babies.... Canaanites worshiped, by immoral indulgence, as a religious rite; in the presence of their gods; and then, by mudering their first-born children, as a sacrifice to these same gods. It seems that, in large measure, the land of Canaan had become a sort of Sodom and Gomorrah on a national scale... Did a civilization of such abominable filth and brutality have any right longer to exist? .... Archaeologists who dig in the ruins of Canaanite cities wonder that God did not destroy them sooner than he did."

Next time: Inheriting The Earth