Into a Pit
Into a Pit
"If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." (Mt 15.14)
I dreamt recently that everywhere I looked all of the people's eyes
were milky and white, and they were all blind. It was an unbearable
sight and awash with a sense of menace.
"They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will
believe the lie."(1)
A delusion is "a false belief, strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence".
This dream has re-kindled a profound anxiety I have had for us (the
Western Church) for a good number of years now. It is that
significant numbers of God's beloved People are deluded, and so,
blinded. This particular delusion is rooted in the "strongly held,
false belief" that Christians are going to take over the government of
their countries, and then at some later date hand over their "thrones"
to Jesus Christ when He returns. This is a delusion because it flies
in the face of the objective evidence of the Bible.
"And his name is the Word of God...out of his mouth comes a sharp
sword with which to strike down the nations He will rule them with an
iron sceptre."(2).
The Kingdom of God will finally be physically established upon and
over the whole earth, when God's King stands here. To miss this is to
fail to understand both God and man. It does not understand that only
the King Himself possesses the Kingdom in its visible totality, with
all of its power and all of its glory. It fails to understand that
all Christians remain a "work in progress" (imperfect and thus
inadequate and incompetent to hold ultimate power) until the Day of
Resurrection, which is the Day of His return.
The consequences of being deluded along these lines are not only
doctrinal and theological...although that's serious enough in itself.
Failing to believe the truth in this regard is currently completely
ruining people, churches and nations.
Significant portions of Western Christendom are being seduced "into
bed" with thinly-disguised antichrist movements, organisations and
leaders. Having been blinded by their own false, unbiblical belief
that the church is going to govern their nation, Believers are on an
incredibly slippery slope to continue contradicting clear teaching
contained in the Bible.
1) The slavish adoration of a "saviour" leader who promises to
"save" their country, is not only embarrassing...it's frightening.
Out the window in the name of "faith" and under the influence of
various "heavenly" oracles goes the early Church's absolute,
unambiguous, undilutable belief that "salvation is found in no one
else" other than "Jesus Christ of Nazareth". "There is no other name
under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."(3)
2) Because adulation is a form of worship, the followers of a
"saviour" leader begin to see him or her as having godlike attributes
and powers, thus overturning "the first and greatest commandment".
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind."(4)
3) From there it is only a very short trip to attributing to such
"saviour" leaders' enemies the character and activity of the evil one.
With scarcely a flicker of thought or concern they debunk the Gospel
in favour of the Law. "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your
neighbours and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you."(5)
Sadly this process of dilution and then outright denial of the truth,
and the consequent disintegration of rationality does not end here.
4) The "saviour" leader's followers become so convinced of the
complete evil of his enemies that they turn "a blind eye" and then
even justify his personal sinfulness and wrongdoing. Suddenly in this
"brave new world" very bad means are an okay way of achieving the
"good" end. This is the tipping point in a nation's history. Eyes
are averted, ears blocked, consciences suppressed, mouths gagged.
Creation waits in vain for the voice of a little child, "Look at the
king. Look at the king. He's got no clothes on. He's naked!" The
trouble is, this cry always comes too late, and usually out of the
midst of the swirling smoke of ruined cities.
After crossing the tipping-point in a nation's history and political
process, the powers of darkness and of antichrist break cover, having
secured the reins of government. Real agendas are brazenly broadcast.
Xenophobia mutates into concentration camps; trade wars into military
invasions; bullying into dictatorship!
Always, always, always when the Church "marries" or "cohabits" with
caesar it winds up at best embarrassed; at worst humiliated and
clothed with shame which endures for generations. The power brokers
of Jerusalem and Rome feared Jesus Christ because He eschewed force in
favour of influence. The badges of authority and trinkets of office
meant absolutely and totally nothing to Him. He chose "heaven open"
above His all too mortal body, with "the angels of God ascending and
descending" upon Himself. He does have His throne and His
Kingdom...but they are not "of this world" nor are they here yet.(6)
The people I saw in the dream were all blind and their eyes were
"milky-white". When writing his first letter to the church in Corinth
the Apostle Paul said he had to speak to them as "mere infants...I
gave you milk...you are still worldly".(7)
Our infantilism make us dupes of men and methods which are not in fact
Heavenly, and are in some instances devilish. We want it all, we want
it our own way, and we want it now. We are refusing to wait patiently
for the King and the time when He chooses to return. We childishly
demand a kingdom now. We build "thrones" for Christ, and then we sit
on them ourselves. We are in constant danger of worshipping those we
"crown" and ourselves. And all the while antichrist struts and stalks
the corridors of this world's power.
A Christian scholar who especially helped the Church in Europe out of
the shame and ruin of its WW2 alliances with totalitarianism, was the
Frenchman Jacques Maritain. Truth and history led him to conclude that
a Christian could only be faithful in this life to God's King and
Kingdom by accepting the vocation to be "a beggar for heaven, an
agitator of consciences"! Will any of us ever have the maturity and
humility to pass through this low and narrow door into spiritual
adulthood. It is the most demanding position and condition, where we
do in fact become nothing in the eyes of this world and its grandees
(both secular and sacred), but "great in the sight of the Lord".(8)
Being children of the Spirit of God we are like the wind(9)...easily
overlooked or brushed aside, and judged irrelevant. And yet at the
same time perfectly able to determine climates, atmospheres and
lifestyles across the earth's vastest continents. It really ought not
to be such a difficult choice...governor or conscience, master or
servant, meat or salt...as we wait, pray and suffer until the return
of the King.
"All hail, King Jesus!"
1) 2 Th 2.10-11
2) Rev 19.13-15
3) Acts 4.12
4) Mt 22.37-38
5) Mt 5.43-44
6) Jn 1.51, 18.36
7) 1 Co 3.1-3
8) Lk 1.15
9) Jn 3.8
