Are We Heading for the Abyss?

As we look back over the span of human history, we see the ruins of these ancient civilisations; many of which have since vanished leaving almost no trace. Only recently, modern laser-aided survey methods have revealed that what was thought to be virgin Amazonian jungle actually conceals the remains of a massive complex of interconnecting roads, cities and land-management works. Theories to explain the rise and fall of these civilizations have been many and various, as have predictions that the world was on the brink of disaster and accounts of past mass extinctions, from Noah’s Flood to the meteorite that is claimed to have wiped out the dinosaurs.

So far, despite many previous doomsday predictions, human life has survived all these disasters. But is our ‘luck’ about to run out?

Our increasing capacity for Self-Destruction

Never before have we had so much power to destroy ourselves – and the planet too – as we have today. Scientific and technical discoveries have accumulated at an astonishing rate: but with each increase in human ability new hazards have become apparent. As population has increased, so has pressure on our natural resources – food, water, land, energy and raw materials – and with these pressures have come a whole host of civil and international disputes between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, between the powerful and the underdogs; often thinly disguised by a veneer of moral, nationalistic or religious principle. Nuclear power has brought with it the threat of worldwide annihilation in the event of war. Agricultural chemicals are threatening the destruction of keystone species. Industrial production has resulted in widespread pollution. Global warming threatens the stability of our climate. An increasing number of scientists are starting to worry that Artificial Intelligence could all too easily become our master, rather than our servant, or that Bio-Engineering could accidentally lead to deadly genetic mutations.

Human Arrogance and Moral Madness

Yet, on top of this, the pride of mankind in our own achievements is leading to an ever-increasing attitude of arrogance. We scorn the primitive ignorance of past emperors who called themselves ‘gods’ and despise the dictators who continue to act that way even today; believing that, sooner or later, they will receive their come-uppance and the will of ‘the people’ will triumph. Yet, at the same time, we are letting ourselves be induced to believe that we owe nothing to anyone except ourselves; and that there is no intelligence or moral authority in the universe that should be allowed to stand above our own. Far from being humbled by the awesome size and complexity of the world in which we live we are all bending towards the same goal; insisting upon our ‘rights’ and independence rather than our responsibilities to, and dependence on, others.

We casually ignore the collective wisdom of thousands of years of human experience, claiming that our reality can be whatever we want it to be and we are the masters of our own destiny. At one time, this arrogance was portrayed as a struggle between the pursuit of ‘science’ and reason versus mere superstition. Not any more. Within a single generation we have gone from the common understanding of marriage as the union of a man and a woman for the purpose of raising children in a secure environment, with both sexes acting as role models, to claiming that this is totally unnecessary. There have, of course, always been those who have chosen to act otherwise: even though factual observation continues to endorse the traditional view. But more glaring still is the denial of biological fact concerning the physical distinctions between the sexes.¹ Now, people are claiming the ‘right’ to redefine their own bodies, even if it entails deliberate self-mutilation in order to accomplish this. It seems as if humanity is no longer merely at war amongst ourselves, nor just against nature or any concept of higher authority: but against our own selves, despising the very bodies in which we exist. What is going on? How can we be so stupid?

An Existential Crisis

As men have pondered the complexities of our world, with all its hopes, broken dreams, natural beauties and apparent injustices, it has inevitably led to the question, ‘What’s the point of all this?’ Back in Old Testament times, King Solomon put it this way:

So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good, so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun. (Ecc 9:1-6 NIV)

It’s a gloomy prospect: yet ultimate despair was balanced by hope. The ongoing cycle of seedtime and harvest, and the astonishing phenomenon of metamorphosis gave grounds for hope that death was not necessarily the end. And the sheer complexity of this world, which becomes ever more vast and complex the farther our knowledge extends, persuaded people that the world was the work of an intelligence with purposes vastly greater than our own. Even today, many of our greatest scientific and philosophical minds have felt obliged to conclude, with the Psalmist:

The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork. Day after day they pour forth speech, and night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. (Psa 19:1-3)

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained; what is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him? (Psa 8:3-4)

Indeed, as we have learned more about the fundamental forces that shape our universe we have discovered that it requires an incredibly precise balance of these forces simply to result in a universe with the potential for life to develop. Indeed, the odds against this happening by chance are so astronomically high that there are basically only 2 arguments that can logically stand against the conclusion that the universe has a definite purpose for its existence. These are:

1. There are an infinite or near-infinite number of alternate universes; and we just ‘happen’ to be in one that is capable of supporting life; or
2. The whole concept of purpose is irrelevant. If we were not here, we wouldn’t be asking why we exist.

Answer 1, although very popular nowadays, looks to be almost infinitely incredible; whilst the natural response to 2 would be: ‘But I AM here; and I AM asking. You are just refusing to face reality!’ Nevertheless, in spite of that, the prevailing attitude amongst the ‘influencers’ of our generation continues to be that life was the product of pure random chance. These influencers insist that there is no God; that we are accountable to no-one but ourselves and that, at death, we simply cease to exist.

The Worthlessness of Human Life

While you are currently enjoying yourself, this lack of accountability sounds like a great idea. But its ultimate end is always a life without purpose and without hope. If our ultimate end is to die and know nothing, life is only worth living while it remains pleasurable; and if it should be terminated prematurely — so what? The dead won’t care: so death, whether by murder or suicide, becomes the quick and logical way to end all suffering. We don’t like facing up to this harsh reality: so we talk euphemistically about our loved ones having ‘passed on’ and being ‘always in our thoughts’ — none of which is true if our ‘influencers’ are to be believed. But this cold logic of death is all the time eating its way into our culture. “Surely,” it is argued, “if someone is suffering terminal illness or old age, is it not in their (and our) best interests for them to die?” And does not the same argument apply to handicapped babies? Or what about that unwanted pregnancy? Should it not be, “My body; my choice?” And if your life has been wrecked by an unfaithful lover, or a dirty dealer, why should they enjoy themselves when your life has been ruined? Is it not this very culture of death that lies behind many of the revenge killings and terrorist attacks that we have witnessed in recent years?

Who Are the Real Influencers?

But when we look around to see where this culture of death is really coming from, it is difficult to find anyone who will openly stand up and acknowledge that it is their own denials of accountability and purpose that are to blame. On the contrary, everywhere you look you will find well-intentioned people pledging themselves as campaigners for truth, justice, human rights, preservation of the environment, the advancement of civilisation, etc.. Conspiracy theories abound, of course: but who is really pulling the strings? Those at the top of the pile will naturally want to stay there; but not if it becomes too much effort. And who would want to rule the world if they really believed that all their efforts will eventually come to nothing and be forgotten?

Satan’s Endgame

The Bible, on the other hand, points the finger of blame at mankind’s ancient enemy, Satan; who is well aware of God’s promise to Adam that one of his descendants would crush Satan’s head². Satan’s attempts to seduce Jesus have already failed; and humanity is once again being offered the opportunity to be reunited with God and live forever. To Satan the thought that we — mere animals with bodies that would naturally decay if God ceased to feed and sustain us, and intelligence vastly inferior to his own — should be so favoured, while he himself is punished, is intolerable.

Satan originally had two goals: firstly, to make it morally impossible for God to forgive us without cancelling Satan’s penalty and, secondly, to enslave and destroy as many of us as possible. His first goal was thwarted when God did what, to Satan, was unthinkable. He let Jesus die in our place at the personal instigation of Satan himself.

During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him… After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” (Joh 13:2 & 27)

But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory, which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory. (1Co 2:7-8)

Stalling Tactics

Satan is focussed on self-interest; and so is essentially contemptuous of love, seeing it as a source of weakness that can be exploited to manipulate others. But he has learned that God will go to incredible lengths to save those he loves – and, in particular, us. The bible explains that the reason why God refuses to judge the world yet is that it is still possible for more to be saved.

The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2Pe 3:9)

The Need for Repentance

God has already done everything necessary to pay the price for our forgiveness: but there is one thing he cannot do for us; and that is to repent. Simply making things perfect again doesn’t solve the issue. Adam sinned when he was living in paradise. There has to be a radical change of heart. Indeed, that change is so radical that we cannot even manage it ourselves: but we have to want it. It is like a drowning man who has just been thrown a lifeline. We have to grab it, even though all credit for our rescue lies with the rescuer.

Satan knows this: therefore he does all in his power to slow down the spread of the gospel and persuade people to try any and every remedy for our problems except true repentance. And he is determined to exact his revenge against God and man by enslaving and destroying as many of us as possible, by any means possible.

So, the sooner he can induce us to destroy ourselves, the better; and, particularly, the more followers of Jesus he can destroy, the better. Have you ever paused to ask yourself how it is that followers of the King of Love and Prince of Peace have become the most persecuted people in the world?³

When we look at the present state of the world, and the pathetic state of so much of the church, many would conclude that Satan has the upper hand and the Christian faith is in terminal decline. Indeed, it was Jesus himself who posed the question, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Lk 18:8) Why did he do that?

Why Doesn’t God Just Stop the Evil?

Can things get any worse? It doesn’t take much imagination to realize that they can: so why doesn’t God step in now, before they do? It all comes back to the immeasurable and eternal value God places on you, me and every single human soul. We have just read that God’s fervent desire is, “that all should come to repentance” (2Pe 3:9). And, like the shepherd in Mt 18:12-14, he is prepared to face the risk of whatever may happen to the rest of his flock in order to make the effort to save just one more. He understands, far better than we do, that whatever suffering we – and He – may encounter in the relatively few years our present lives may last are far outweighed by the eternity of joy that awaits us and the tragedy of those who miss it.

But for each one of us the crucial question is, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith in you?” He sees you. He knows what is in your heart. There is nothing you can do to deserve such favour. But He has promised that if you come to him you will not be rejected. (see Jn 6:37 and Rom 8:28-30). Will you come to Him in faith and love, bringing all your personal guilt and disgrace, and giving up your supposed ʻrightʼ to be master of your own destiny? It has to be your choice. He will not make it for you. But, once the last soul has made their choice, one way or the other, then the end will come.

Footnotes

1. It has always been known that a small minority of persons do suffer from genetic and physical abnormalities; and those with such problems have often been treated badly (as have those with many other types of disability). These people are every bit as precious to God as we are; and it is essential that we treat them all with love and respect.
2. See ‘The Historical Background – Progressive Revelation’; or for a more detailed discussion, see ‘How it all went wrong’, in the study series, ‘Can We Do No Wrong?’.
3. E.g. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48146305. Not that there is just one reason. For a start, there have been many self-proclaimed followers of Jesus who have openly flouted Jesus’ teachings, turning others against him: whilst, on the other hand, many morally-upright and god-honouring followers of other religions have also suffered persecution – sometimes at the hands of self-claimed Christians. But then, there is the fact that Jesus taught against many of the world’s favourite sins (a point often over-emphasized at the expense of his teaching on love and forgiveness). And Jesus also insisted that he was the only way to God; which doesn’t go down well with those who prefer their own ways – especially Satan and his followers. Yet another factor is Jesus’ personal insistence on non-violence and ‘turning the other cheek;’ which makes Christians easy targets for their opponents.