Hope Or Hype?
I wrote about hope back in September 2021 (Hope Does Not Disappoint), but at the beginning of this new year, it seems a fitting topic to be revisited because hopelessness in our world seems more prevalent than two and a half years ago. What has happened in that time? Several things come to mind. We have a different political team leading America. Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, almost two years ago. On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants, unprovoked, attacked Israel. If you’ve followed either of these two atrocities, you’ve seen the picture of hopelessness on the faces of those affected by them.
Hope is realistic only if it’s tied to a high probability of being true. Las Vegas exists because of hope. And it survives and builds bigger and bigger casinos because of it. You’ve seen the ads: “Loosest Slots” “Big Winners” etc. But how many come home with their hope of striking it big realized? If the majority did, all the neon of Vegas would soon be dark, just a memory. That’s reality.
Life has to have hope
or we become depressed, susceptible to addictive behavior, or suicidal. We hope for a raise, a winning lottery ticket, kids who are good students, good athletes, and more. But our society is becoming more and more hopeless because we have put our hope in the hype of politics and politicians. Hope makes us want to believe the lies for a better future if we’ll just “get in line and follow ‘The Plan’ espoused by our leaders.”
For decades, we have watched our moral standards slip away into the depths of selfishness, wokeism, inane group-think and behavior, and politicians who seem to have lost all touch with reality. According to the 2nd law of thermodynamics, chaos never reverts to order without a major reboot, i.e. something of such magnitude as to change the very system in which the chaos exists. Just such a change is on the horizon. This shouldn’t be a surprise to those of us who read and believe what God said millennia ago.
Remember the worldwide flood
of Noah’s day? Their society had become so wretched that God’s observation as penned by Moses in Genesis 6:5-8 was, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth and He was grieved in His heart. The Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
Ask yourself, “Is the day we’re living in so different than then?” Let’s look again at God’s perspective as recorded by Paul in Romans 1:18-28 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what can be known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them…they are without excuse…for even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over…to impurity…to degrading passions…to a depraved mind…to do those things which are not proper…”
God’s patience is legendary.
There are examples of God giving His people hundreds of years to come back to Him and abandon their godless lifestyles. But, and this is crucial, His patience has a limit. In the verses above, “God gave them over” is a phrase implying judgment. There are several types of judgment. One is physical. Ananias and Sapphira were judged for lying to Peter (and the Holy Spirit) and dropped dead instantly. King Nebuchadnezzar was made to eat grass and live like an animal for seven years until he recognized that God, not him, was in charge.
Another is spiritual. If we don’t give up our sinful, godless lives, our eternal future is sealed in hell, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night…”
This is a picture
of a time on earth called “The Tribulation”, a time when God has removed all true believers from earth to begin our eternity with Jesus in heaven. Those who are still on earth are those who have rejected Christ during their lifetime and are experiencing God’s wrath (“natural” disasters on a worldwide scale; fires everywhere, 1/3 of the rivers and oceans will be turned to blood (Rev. 8:9,10), and much more) is being poured out on the earth and all who have rejected Jesus as the only way to a permanent relationship with God.
So how does all this doom and gloom relate to hope? If you’re reading this, then you haven’t passed the point of no return. There is nothing you have done, no attitude or action, that is beyond the reach of God’s mercy. There is just one requirement. You have to humble yourself and come to God on His terms (through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection). Recognize that you are a sinner and literally have nothing good in yourself to offer a holy God. If you can do this, then, go to the section in this book, Steps To Salvation and follow the outline.
If you think
you’ve committed an unpardonable sin and are concerned about it, you haven’t. It’s if you don’t care and think this is all a bunch of hooey that you’re in trouble. The hope you can cling to is that God loves you, Jesus died to pay for your godlessness, and there is forgiveness ONLY IN JESUS CHRIST. It’s not Jesus plus good deeds, Jesus plus baptism, Jesus plus giving money. Literally, it’s Jesus plus nothing…except your humility and confession of sin. I have hope that you will take this seriously and allow God’s Spirit to speak to your heart before it’s too late. Thanks for reading.