Posted on 04/03/2021 8:55:44 AM PDT by Jan_Sobieski
2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue* as they were from the beginning of the creation.
In his second epistle written to encourage and warn Christians about the future, Peter warns us about a mental and spiritual condition known today as "Normalcy Bias". Normalcy Bias is a cognitive bias which leads people to not believe or minimize threat warnings. Individuals affected by this condition underestimate the likelihood of a disaster and its potential adverse effects on them.
History of Normalcy Bias
Peter, perhaps more than any first century CE Jew, would have seen this condition first hand as the Roman noose tightened around Judea and Galilee. Jesus and John the Baptist’s warnings 30 years prior, for the most part, went unheeded and would bring catastrophe to the Jewish nation in AD 70. Only a small group of Christian would escape (to Pella).
History is replete with Normalcy Bias. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, most of the 16,000 residents of Pompeii watched the eruption for hours, incredulous to warnings of imminent danger. In 1920s — 30s Europe, there were many warning signs for Jews of impending danger. Discriminatory laws were passed targeting Jewish businesses. Jews were made to wear yellow stars and possess J stamp identity cards at all times. Jews were scapegoated in the media. Yet many Jews believed that their troubles would pass. What happened next was one of the worst chapters of human history: the Holocaust...
(Excerpt) Read more at jan-northrup.medium.com ...
Without Christ, denial is the only alternative.
Our job: Offering the Gospel of the Grace of Christ, compelling them to come to Jesus while there's still time (Luke 14:23).
An example of normalcy bias that is quite common is the belief that things are still how they were when we were in high school or college. This bias is super strong in some generations. Cruel memes even get made about it.
This brings up a question much on my mind lately - “How does a Christian deal with an increasingly hostile world while still maintaining a Christian witness?” How we end up answering this question will make up the next chapter of the history of the Christian church.
My dad passed away March 27 last year. He was an Air Force veteran and one of the very finest men who ever walked the earth. I found this quote while going through the books in his office:
“I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice - hesitate in the presence of the adversary - negotiate at the table of the enemy - ponder at the pool of popularity - or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Jesus Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes - give till I drop - preach till all know - and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear.”
My dad lived his life this way. This is his testimony and my legacy. May I grow to be more like he was.
I agree with those who have stated that for all of our efforts to preserve the soul of our nation, we are failing. We are losing the spiritual war and we have already lost the cultural war... And that and apart from a gracious intervention from God, this nation is not going back to the culture and values it held in the past.
Whats established now and will remain in force is the removal of the Bible from public schools (1962); the right to kill our unborn (1973); the removal of the Ten Commandments from public display in our schools (1980); the rescinding of the requirement for minors to gain parental
consent for an abortion (1992); the provision for homosexuals to gain protected status as a minority group (1996); and the legality of gay marriage. The list can go on..
...therefore though American followers of Christ have been protected from persecution, (We escaped because our society
historically embraced and promoted biblical values).. but those days are over. Suffering will become the new normal for believers. As is written.. “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Theologian Geoffrey Bromiley’s definition of Persecution is one of the best:
“Persecution is the suffering or pressure, mental, moral, or physical which authorities, individuals, or crowds inflict on others, especially for opinions or beliefs, with a view to their subjection by recantation, silencing, or, as a last resort, execution.”
Simply put, persecution is the societal marginalization of believers with a view to eliminating their voice and influence. Which we are seeing clearly now.
Exerts from....https://www.moodybible.org/siteassets/mg-assets/pdf/the-marginalization-of-the-christian-voice_paul-nyquist.pdf
There will be greater issues.....Owners of any public business, be it a bakery, a florist, or a photography studio, will be forced to decide if they’ll put their values on a shelf, close up shop, or prepare for a lawsuit....this will be the norm as the LGBT lawyers and groups will ‘target’ anyone who does not confirm their agenda....And woe be to any person who dares object.
Wow, what a legacy he left you.
I think in our American culture war we have crossed the Rubicon. The die has been cast, the tipping point reached. Barring a gracious visitation from God, this nation is not going back to the culture and values it held in the past. The war is over, and the immediate future for believers will involve learning how to live righteously in this new environment—not pining for the good old days.
A single change in the judiciary—i.e., the loss of one conservative vote to retirement or death—makes any protection
of religious freedom unlikely.
The answer is the Grace of Christ. Christianity and the Bible have not been outlawed and you’ll have plenty of opportunity to share your faith.
The key is whether you’re filled with the Holy Spirt and able to rest in the finished work of Christ so, as Christ did with the Father while he was here on earth, so we let Christ work in and through us (not “working for Christ” but Christ working in and through us by the Holy Spirit). It’s a work of rest and a non-grievous labor of love.
The fight for faith and freedom is a good fight and by God’s grace, we’ll do whatever it takes to fight that good fight and “finish the course” as Paul did so that “henceforth, there is laid up” for us a crown of righteousness” which the Lord will give us in that day. Keep your eyes on the prize - not worldly acceptance but Christ’s overcoming power and endurance available to us by the Holy Spirit.
Yes indeed..
Not yet fully, but it’s coming. And I’m talking about the entire Church over the next 80 years. It will boil down to fighting or going the martyr route.
Incredible! I may adopt this as my motto, thanks to your father! (If you don’t mind). Can’t wait to meet this man some day!
You were truly blessed to have him for a father.
Exactly
Agreed!
I agree.
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