"Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." (John 16: 20-22)
The coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ will bring a great reversal of things for the righteous and the wicked, much like death brought a reversal to the rich man and Lazarus. Abraham said to the rich man who was in Hell's torments:
"Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented." (Luke 16: 25)
The life's joys of the rich man was turned into pain and sorrow upon his death. The life's pain and sorrow of Lazarus, on the other hand, was turned into joy. So likewise will it be upon the return of Christ. The wicked world's happiness will be turned into everlasting sorrow and the church's sorrow will be turned into everlasting happiness.
Jesus said that the church age will find the world generally rejoicing, "eating and drinking," enjoying "the pleasures of this life." (Luke 8: 14) The world will continue to "live in pleasure" though spiritually dead to God and righteousness. (I Tim. 5: 6) We have already seen how the wicked, prior to the return of Christ, are described as "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." (II Tim. 3: 4) They are "given to pleasures" and "dwell carelessly." (Isa. 47: 8) Those who are described as "men of the world" are they "which have their portion in this life" (Psa. 17: 14), not in the world to come. The wicked world at the time of the end will be a world rejoicing in iniquity (I Cor. 13: 6) and in "the pleasures of sin." (Heb. 11: 25)
The world shall rejoice, said Jesus. This is how the return of Christ will find the omega generation. They will be as Sodom, not only a delighting in sexual immoratlity, but will manifest their sin in "pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness" (Eze. 16: 49)
Let us also not forget that the world at the time of Christ's return will be fully a "Gentile" world. Of the Gentile world the scriptures say much. Jesus said that the chief concern of the Gentiles was to concern themselves with what they shall eat and what they shall wear. (Matt. 6: 32) Peter said this to the early Jewish Christians:
"For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead." (I Peter 4: 3-5)
The word "lasciviousness" is from the Greek word "aselgeia" and denotes "unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence." (Strong)
The Greek word for "revellings" is "kōmos" and denotes carousal. Strong says it refers to
"a nocturnal and riotous procession of half drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honour of Bacchus or some other deity, and sing and play before houses of male and female friends; hence used generally of feasts and drinking parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in revelry."
"Banquetings" is from the Greek word "potos" and denotes according to Vine:
"lit., "a drinking," signifies not simply a banquet but "a drinking bout, a carousal," 1Pe 4:3 (RV, "carousings," AV, "banquetings"). Synonymous is kraipale, "surfeiting," Luk 21:34."
The Greek word for "riot" is "asōtia" and means "an abandoned, dissolute life," or profligacy and prodigality, with the idea of "excess." (Strong)
Now, again, we repeat, that these things will be predominant among that wicked generation that will exist the world over at the time when Christ comes to "judge the living and the dead." It is so today. People only want to "have fun," to party and play. This is a culture that loves entertainment and amusement. Much of this is due to the fact that modern life, with its advance technology, has made it possible for the masses to have "leisure" time that in former times was restricted only to the wealthy. And, men are not using this added leisure time to seek God and his righteousness but to indulge their lusts and sinful appetites. Truly this is a world "gone wild."
God has been longsuffering with the wicked but the time is near when he will say "it is enough." It may be that things go on getting worse for several more years, but it hardly seems how we can put it off too long. We have been living in "the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21: 24) for a long time and it seems clear to me that it has about run its course.
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