Is the modern mindset the same as the pagan view Paul confronted?
Yes. The Epicurean pagan outlook Paul addressed—eat, drink, and be merry, with no thought of God or eternity—is now increasingly the mindset of our nation, marked by instant gratification and focus on today rather than eternity. Scripture warns, 'Be not deceived; evil communications corrupt good manners.'
Les explains that Paul comes back to the pagan outlook, especially the Epicureans, who held that people should eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow they die. They had no thought of ever meeting God or of eternity; they viewed people as like animals, here today and gone tomorrow. Les then says this is becoming the mindset of our own nation today: most people are not thinking in terms of eternity but of what is in it for me today. He points to instant gratification—how can I gratify the flesh the fastest and easiest? Paul says if there is no resurrection, then have at it, because that is all there is. But there is a resurrection. The admonition in 1 Corinthians 15:33 is, Be not deceived; evil communications corrupt good manners. Les also directs listeners to Proverbs 13:20, wishing young people would take it to heart.