Endless man

Yet again we are left with the unshakeable conviction that the world has failed us, aren’t we? After the Paris attacks I sought answers from God in my inimical way, praying that he would show me how he can expect me, or anyone, to believe that he cares for people, in general. No answer. Why?

Over 130 individuals were killed on 13^th November 2015, and the attackers have left an indelible impression on those people, their families, anyone who knew them, or their families, and everyone else who adheres to a clear conscience – as far as I can tell. As a Christian of currently waning belief in an all-loving God, I feel that there must be an answer available from the one who calls himself “Wonderful, Counsellor”, but I struggle to make it out.

How did this happen? In a basic sense, this time, terrorists slipped though the net. But in a more general sense, this happened because of the deep resentment that many people feel about the West, about how we live our lives and conduct our affairs, particularly overseas. Are these attacks unforgiveable? Of course! But are they understandable, and can our understanding of why these things are happening help us to find solutions?

In this instance, the terrorists are clearly to blame. They do not live by our laws or in our way. They are evil. They have decided that killing is the solution. They choose soft targets and aim to dissemble the structure of society. Our response, inevitably, is to bomb them, causing more resentment as more families – families who are deliberately, it has to be said, used as human shields, are killed.

We have a terrifying caliphate developing on the planet, with auxiliary, internecine appendages, vying for supremacy, steeped in religious conviction; a religion, it would seem, that was born out of war-torn humanitarian desolation. Is it any wonder? Even if we rolled the clock back to the first man, would we find any cause for hope? No, I’ve written in previous posts that the past offers very little in the way of hope for mankind. So we look to the future and cannot see a solution.

The bible forewarns us of the coming woes, and instructs us in how to respond. The most sententious instruction is this: “And they have defeated him by the blood of the lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore, rejoice, oh heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.”

We see in the news and, earlier in the year, we were shown footage of Egyptian Christians crying out for Jesus to save them in the moments before they were beheaded. He didn’t act in that instance but we can, from the book of revelation, make out that it is not the end of the story for those Egyptians or, presumably, any of the victims of these terrifying attacks. They are, perhaps, even mentioned specifically in the book: “Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.””

Perhaps all who have been wronged are included in this number, all who have suffered from the anger of the devil; that masquerading angel of light, who has lost his place in heaven, and he knows it; therefore his anger is directed against the sons of men, that he may not suffer the fate that is planned for him; namely damnation; that he may have someone to blame before God Almighty. His followers, presumably, are not so convinced what awaits them, blithely insisting that their actions bring glory to God, wildly expecting to be welcomed into heaven with delirious rejoicing.

But the Devil is a liar, and the father of lies. “When he lies, it is consistent with his character.” It is simply a lie to assume that you can blame someone else for your own sin. We are all sinners, but we all have a responsibility to act for the good of our fellow man. So where does the buck stop? Can we really “blame the devil” for all the evil in the world? Isn’t it more realistic to blame the endemic hatred that has existed since the beginning in our human hearts, regardless of where “it came from”. Possibly, but this problem needs a permanent solution.

Perhaps it is only those who die in the tribulation, those who through their suffering have been made perfect like their Master, who are included in the number who attend to and worship our Lord. We are told in the scriptures that it is assigned to man to “live once, and after that face judgement”, but do we know that the judgement will be faced in an other-worldly, ethereal existence? Why wouldn’t we be reborn into the exactly the same existence that we left? Does this help us to understand why there is so much suffering? No, but it might help us understand that God’s solution for the existence we live in relies on us so heavily that there are no other solutions to the problem other than to do God’s will wherever, and whenever, we exist.

If we listen to the scriptures there is hope and the solutions are made clear. For example, in the book of Daniel we are told that: “At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace. Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.”

We don’t, surely, at this stage of our development, need to be reassured of such basic truths as eternal judgement, do we? No, of course not. Therefore, it is clear, that those who do evil, no matter how well hidden it is, will suffer judgement and shame and everlasting disgrace. Only those who truly repent are truly forgiven.

And also, in the book of Revelation, in the exhortation to the churches we are told, among many other essential truths, that: “I know about your suffering and your poverty – but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.”

Don’t forget that the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. The devil can’t take that away from a believer no matter how convincingly he lies about it, and so, inevitably, the believer will return to life at a future appointed time. The devil will have even bigger problems then, to be sure. We need to look at this from the correct perspective. The devil and all his followers are going to be destroyed, but if you have a faith, in God, the God of Life, then you’ll live forever. The devil can’t get rid of you permanently if you have God’s Spirit in you – the spirit that instructs us to live lives of love. And your suffering will, perhaps, drive you towards perfection.

Let us also remember that it is said of Jesus that, “by his experience he will make it possible for many to be counted as righteous.” So when he returns, when you return, you will be able to pass on to others what you’ve learnt about life. Let’s not kid ourselves, our problems go from bad to worse from this moment on, but the devil’s problems also increase until he is destroyed on that fateful day when he meets his end, because he has learnt nothing about life, and he cannot kill you again!

We are told to “think clearly and exercise self-control”. We are at war. I can assure you that there is a devil and I can reassure you that there is a God but make no mistake, the devil is at war with us as much as he is with God. By hurting us, he assumes, he can hurt God. And he is dressed in a robe of light, often masquerading as a good man but he will, “destroy marvellously”, and betray many who trust in him. He is a deceiver; not a deceiver like Jacob, who later turned and became a person who loved and honoured God but a deceiver who will not turn, who cannot turn. He is lost, but even more so: he is a deceiver who cannot conceive his own conceit, who cannot apologise, who feels totally justified in his insane criminal mind.

During my cynical analysis of the Paris attacks my contention, until very recently, was that if you don’t believe in the devil then it just “hasn’t happened to you yet”. Now I’m certain that if you don’t believe that remedying this situation consists in effecting the change we need to see in the world, then it’s because you haven’t understood the gravity of the situation and the progressive and pernicious nature of evil. An evil that creeps and insidiously captures individual after individual with lies, abuse, hatred, and a painful lack of understanding; also victimisation, condemnation, ostracism: the wiles of the devil are many and wearisome.

If you don’t know, as a human being, that your capacity for good is just as profound and full of potential as your capacity for evil, then you are going to suffer a defeat in this life, at some time very soon. “The Art of War” tells us that “if you know the enemy and know yourself, then you need not fear the result of a thousand battles. If you know either the enemy or yourself, then for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. And if you know neither the enemy or yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

Know then that we are at war, and know yourself, and your enemy, who is the devil (not your fellow man). The one who claims that his ways are as high as God’s, and that his truth is more perfect, little knowing the triple imperfection that is his alone. The one whose judgement is sure. And all who follow him will suffer the same. In that much, there is hope.

“And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world worshipped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s hold people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.”

Chilling stuff. And is it a permanent solution to make the providence of your law eternal, then allow the human story to take its own course right up to the bitter end? I guess it must be. But don’t forget your part, which cannot be done by anyone else. God wants everyone to be saved, even those who’ve made mistakes, and you can convince them by your actions that God loves them and therefore bring about salvation in their lives.

Hope is a pretty risky business in this world, it seems. But if we believe God then we believe that it exists and it gives us cause to action and bring light where there is only darkness. With so much at stake, Heaven forbid that we just give up!

Happy New Year!