In Reply to: better and better??? posted by ray on November 16, 2002 at 15:35:38:
I agree that there is still plenty wrong in the world, and I'm not saying that things are getting better and better in some sort of evolutionary sense like Kant and others believed. The 2 world wars in the 20th century pretty much took care of that idea.
1 Co. 15:24,25 seems to say that the advance of the kingdom of God IN US, through the preaching and demonstration of the Gospel, is what will finally bring about a new heaven and a new earth (2 Co. 5:17ff, Rev. 21, 22), and put the Enemy out of business. "For He shall reign TILL He hath put all enemies under His feet." The end comes when Jesus hands over the already established kingdom to the Father.
Yes, Isaiah 60 shows the world to be a dark place, but it also shows the nations responding to the light of God and being drawn into the kingdom of God, not at the end, but in the interim between the first and second comings of Jesus (which I believe is the period figuratively called the Millennium).