(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)
Truth is reality as God views it and as He describes it in His Word.
This article is not going to be brimming with optimism or try to encourage the reader by creating a false mirage of humans “getting things under control,” but it is going to deal with reality as God sees it.
This time each year, there is a percentage of commentaries, videos, etc., that are brimming with optimism for the future.
That is still evident this year, but the percentages are very much lower.
I believe any such optimistic views are being expressed by people suffering from OSS (Ostrich Outlook Syndrome).
Ostriches, as is commonly said, bury their heads in the ground when threatened and wait for the condition that causes their anxiety to pass.
The reality is that this is not true of Ostriches, but it paints an accurate image of how many humans respond mentally to ominous and threatening circumstances.
That old cry, “Happy New Year,” lacks the enthusiasm of the past when there was an assumed expectation that conditions would improve, advancements in technology, legitimate science, and opportunities for financial gain would provide hope (in human terms) for life to get better in the “new year.”
In the past, people would “hunker down” when things got difficult and life displayed existential threats like extreme weather, economic struggles, or even threats of war. But I think there is now an undercurrent of perception on the part of all those who are not completely oblivious to the world around them that the days when things would eventually return to “normal” will never be normal again.
There is a quest for answers to this dilemma, and many do not understand that there is an answer, but it cannot be found on the nightly “news,” some website, or any other human source of “knowledge” or “understanding.”
Reality is driving this very real awareness, but it will require a willingness to understand this clearly and surrender to it before one can understand it.
Human government and reality.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” So, opens the second paragraph of our Declaration of Independence.
It goes on to declare that human government has been instituted in order to “secure these rights.”
You may read this document here: https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Register-Manual/Section-I/Declaration-of-Independence-US-Constitution
This is consistent with God’s Word in the book of Romans, where He describes what human government should look like IF it follows His Precepts, Ordinances and Laws:
“For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval. For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:3-4). Emphasis added by me.
“Doing what is right” does not mean whatever the whims of human government tell you is right in their eyes at any given moment. It means what is right according to God.
So, where are we today? Is our current government consistent with Romans 13?
The founders knew that at some point in the future, “human government” would fail in its intended mission.
They understood the reality of human government when it becomes diametrically opposed to God and, therefore, to the founding documents of this nation. They lived under an English monarchy, and that is what led to their clear understanding of what would be necessary in forming a functioning human government based on a moral people administering it.
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.” It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams
There is every reason to believe that John Adams’ use of the word “religion” was intended to mean the One True God, not Man-created impostors.
The founders also understood the reality of sin and man’s “default” position to succumb to it.
The Lord also gave insight as to where man should place his trust:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments” (Psalm 111:10).
The below verse expressed God’s warning to humankind and is a sad testament to what would eventuate in the world of men if they failed to build their lives around these commandments:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Psalm 1:7).
Further, He warned of the consequences of embracing sin and what judgment He would have to execute against any and all who refuse to repent of them.
“Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?'” (Revelation 6:15-17).
There have been many recent articles reporting that many wealthy individuals are buying or building underground bunkers, thinking to escape what they sense is rapidly approaching. When God executes these final judgments, there will be no safe spaces.
The perception of coming judgment by all people is addressed by God as well:
“So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them” (Romans 2:15).
Now to the crux of this article.
What we see occurring in real time around us is driving many toward the reality that there is only One who can offer any Hope at all. Hope is only as good as he in whom it is placed, and it is slowly becoming clearer to many that this Hope is Jesus Christ.
The calamities, both natural and man-caused, are piling up and are becoming impossible to ignore for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
The reality of the future of man due to his rejection of God has been revealed in the Bible Book of Revelation. Its reality is being made more evident with each passing day.
The special message I promised you:
For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.
You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.
It requires that you come before God on His terms.
And, what are His terms according to His Word?
- Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
- Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
- That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
- To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
- Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
- To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.
God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.
- No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
- No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
- Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.
If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.
“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).
There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.
The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Pro Salvator Vigilans
To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com