I don't know that Tolkien was pointing directly to our world with his getting worse and worse but he could have been. I know that C.S. Lewis was aware of the deteroration of this world and the people therein, and I would guess that Tolkien was as well. But as to contuing to get worse and worse with no hope to ever regain the perfect glory that they began with, that much does not mirror what will happen here.
Alatar, I agree with most everything you said, so I won't go repeating it all.
The ending of our World, however, may be more glorious than that of Middle-Earth's ending. If you believe the Bible and study it and understand it at all, then you can see that when this World comes to an end, as we say, then the new world will be ten times more glorious and all the evil that has filled it will be removed, and all the perfect things we've messed up with be restored.
I don't see that as possible in Middle Earth. The things that were lost there may not be recoverable...least ways, that's the impression I've gotten from what I've read of his books.
-Folwren
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