THE WORLD’S END.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXXII, Issue 2769, 31 August 1931, Page 2

THE WORLD’S END.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS ? EVIL OMENS. Is the end of the world at hand ? Are the present economic conditions, the advance of Communism, the progress of the Russian anti-Christ campaign, and many other signs omens foretelling the end of the world ? These and many other points were dealt with by Canon Begbie in the course of a striking sermon aL. St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney recently. He said that such days as the world was now experiencing were foretold in the Word of God. “Growing up with the surging tide of Communism,” he said, “was anarchism in every part of the world hatred of God and all forms of religion, destruction of property, destruction of all forms of government — that is the thing that stalks out of the bottomless pit. At the same time spiritual fervour is decreasing. lam no pessimist, but I cannot close my eyes to the fact that in. all Christian countries the vast majority of professing Christians never darken the doors of the churches. Surely something is wrong with a church that believes in the Holy Ghost and His indwelling and at the same time lacks spiritual fervour. What if the present age is closing ? What should be our attitude ? ' Should we just lament the waning spiritual power of the Church ? On the contrary, the things we see should create a clarion call back to God.” ’ The Rev. R. B. S. Hammond, speaking on the same subject, said: “An integral part of the Christian faith is the return of Christ. A great many Christian people try to dodge the issue, and will not face the facts; but the facts are that, with the exception of one, .all the books of the New Testament emphatically assert that Christ will return to earth. I think that many of the preachers to-' day make the mistake of taking the conditions which the Bible says will prevail in the interval to mean the conditions that will prevail just before the return of Christ. Depression and war will not necessarily immediately. • presage the advent of Christ.. They will fill the interval before His return. We have always had war, and depression has always been with us to a degree. The time" of the end of the world is not known, or is it knowable; but still among thinking people there are many indications that lead them to expect an early return of Christ."