When I was in kindergarten, we had a winter project where we would make a display, and the teacher would then spray it with this aerosol “fake snow” for added effect. Something he said stuck with me – 36 years after I graduated kindergarten – it’s still in the back of my head.
“You don’t want to breathe this stuff in, it could kill you.”
As a curious 6 year old boy, I of course went ahead and smelled it. Years later any time I felt sick I wondered if it was the aerosol snow spray finally coming to take me out. Such is the power of fear. What was scary then is well, just a memory now.
Last night I drafted (and briefly published before I retracted it) a rant after the words of a pastor I follow really set me off. These days I do my best to focus on God, and focus on love while shedding my fear. Shifting my focus to God has made what is not of Him more obvious.
There is so much fear in this world right now, and what aggravates me the most about this fear is that it simply is not real. It is a lie. It is a method of control. IMHO – if a leader promotes fear of anything other than God through word or deed – they are both deceiver and deceived.
For months I tuned in to Jack Hibbs and let the comments roll off. I saw churches being threatened by the Government. I saw videos of pastors angrily chasing authorities out the door who were attempting to enforce regulations. The chaos of the world was infiltrating my faith and it only made my faith stronger because I knew that chaos would inevitably fail.
Then there was the “happening” the other night…
Much discussion took place of what was going on in Israel and the recent increase in violence. I have faith that God will protect Israel, and that by His grace they will defend themselves as they always have… then the conversation took an abrupt turn.
No, that’s not advanced technology beyond our understanding. That’s a demon.
Seriously. What was otherwise a solid discussion of current events in Israel branched off into a commentary about UFOs being representations of demonic influence, and a sign that we are in the last days.
Eschatology. Revelation. The end of days. I’ve had the topic beaten into my head for the duration of Covid, through the presidential election cycle, and now the latest sign of the end times are UFOs. I’m sorry – but that dog just don’t hunt.
As the California Church has emerged victorious in its legal challenges against the unbalanced restrictions applied against it by Gavin Newsom… vaccinations are up, infections are down, and even in the People’s Republic of New York we are no longer required to wear a mask 83% of the time… I guess we needed something new to fear?
I don’t fear the world. I love God. We are taught by Jesus not to fear the world, not to fear death. We are citizens of heaven, created in God’s image, God is love, and love conquers all fear. Where is the love in this mishegoss? While the Bible doesn’t discuss UFOs or extra-terrestrials, it doesn’t bring up the Chevy in my driveway either. It does discuss fear…
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Luke 14:27
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”
Matthew 10:26
“…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
2 Timothy 1:7
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4:7-11
At best, tossing the demonic influence label at anything beyond our current level of human understanding is hyperbole. At worst, fear mongering. Who are we to supplant the knowledge of God with our own? He created us, we most certainly did not create Him. If there are things in this world we do not yet understand, it is because God has yet to reveal that truth to us.
Had Wilbur and Orville Wright seen a General Dynamics F16 crack the sky… Had Henry Ford seen a Tesla Model S zip past silently at amazing speed… What might a DJI quadcopter look like to the average human even 50 years ago? So much of our technology today could be seen as unidentifiable, magical, even demonic a few decades ago.
Personally? I’m intrigued, and if anything – such a disclosure would increase my faith in God. As nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known – it was only a matter of time before we reached a stage where these questions could be taken seriously and answered.
If these are advanced vehicles from our own civilization? Praise God!
If these are advanced vehicles from an extra-terrestrial civilization? Praise God!
If swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus? Praise God!
I would rather see the questions of our age answered with faith, not masked by fear.