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God’s Call to Modern Apostates
Through long centuries the record of Elijah’s lifework has
brought inspiration and courage to those who have been called to
stand for the right in the midst of apostasy. For us it has special
significance. History is being repeated. Our age is one of idolatry
as truly as was the one in which Elijah lived. No outward shrine
may be visible, yet thousands are following after the gods of this
world—riches, fame, pleasure, and the fables that permit people to
follow the inclinations of the unrenewed heart. Multitudes have a
wrong concept of God and are as truly serving a false god as were the
worshipers of Baal. Even among those who claim to be Christians,
many have allied themselves with influences that are firmly opposed
to God and His truth.
The prevailing spirit of our time is one of unbelief and apostasy.
People exalt human theories and place them where God and His law
should be. Satan tempts men and women with the promise that in
disobedience they will find freedom that will make them as gods.
We see a spirit that exalts human wisdom like an idol above divine
revelation. People seem to have lost all power to tell the difference
between light and darkness, truth and error. They believe that the
opinions of a few philosophers, so-called, are more trustworthy than
the truths of the Bible. They think that faith such as actuated Paul,
Peter, and John is old-fashioned and unworthy of the intelligence of
modern thinkers.
In the beginning, God gave His law to humanity as a means of
their attaining happiness and eternal life. Satan’s hope is to lead men
and women to disobey this law. He constantly tries to misrepresent it
and belittle its importance. His master stroke has been to attempt to
change the law itself, so as to lead people to violate its instructions
while they profess to obey it. One writer has compared the attempt
to change God’s law to an ancient mischievous practice of taking a
signpost where two roads met and turning it in a wrong direction.
This often caused great perplexity and hardship.
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