Final Choices

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Is 5:20-21)

Most of the 'heresies' of the Biblical faith are old news; they've been seen in centuries past, perhaps with different labels, and with slightly differing emphasis. They mostly stem from the original error of gnosticism, the belief that 'salvation' (or ascension, or enlightenment) comes from studying esoteric science that will transmute base ignorance into the gold of godly knowledge. (Alchemy is but an allegory for this transformation.)

Today, another curious belief seems to be gaining increased traction, due probably, to the Internet. This theory stands the story of Genesis on its head, claiming that the 'serpent' in the Garden of Eden (i.e. Satan) was really the friend of mankind, while 'God' was the mean spirit! How's that? By advising Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, state these new heretics, the serpent wanted mankind to have access to all knowledge, not just the restricted portion that this God allowed. God was cheap with his blessings, they say, and feared sharing his full knowledge with his new creatures, mankind.

I must say, when I first encountered this 'Edenic role-reversal,' I was taken aback. There is just enough odor of possibility in this view that it could, no doubt, convince those morally ambivalent people who couldn't understand the Bible anyway. Sure enough, the same theory has reappeared on other sites, and put forth as fact.

In effect, the promoters of this view are saying that 'Satan is God, and God is the real Devil.' This is the belief proclaimed by Aleister Crowley and other satanists. God, they say, is a cosmic kill-joy, who made man with wondrous faculties and then forbade him to indulge his faculties to the full. Their solution is to turn to Satan and his urging that 'everything is permissible.'

A lot of misguided souls, those raised in an environment of moral relativism or amorality, goaded on by the entertainment media that recognize no limits, are all too ready to buy this heresy. It's a heady message-- if it feels good, do it! Why not? shrugs a generation of atheists, who can't believe anything they can't see... unless of course, a 'scientist' tells them it exists.

The thing is, God does not force his ways on people; we have to make the decision ourselves which path we'll follow. Every individual must decide, during his earthly lifetime. Like a child learning to walk, we stumble and fall many times before succeeding. We learn what approach to living leads to true success-- the way of self-centeredness ('evil') or the way of other-centeredness ('good,' the Godly way). There are only these two choices, ultimately.

In these apocalyptic times approaching the end of this age, we are seeing the fruit of good and evil mature. It is exactly as Jesus foretold in his parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30). God is represented as a man who sowed good seeds in his field; Satan is the enemy (literally, too) who planted weeds among the wheat. The farmer lets both crops grow to maturity, so as not to risk harming the wheat. The harvest is the judgement at the end of the age. Jesus specifically cites 'those who practice lawlessness,' (vs 41) as being cast into the fire.

What is 'lawlessness' than calling evil good, and good evil? That's what the lawless do! They don't technically eliminate all laws; that would be anarchy, and quite obvious. No; the lawless scum of today are those who are experts at abusing the system. (I call them scum because they generally rise to the top, where they fester and pollute the body below.) They twist laws and logic to make themselves look good, and their accusers evil. They are masters of deceit; lies roll from their mouths with no trace of hesitation.

So, dear readers, here we are close to the harvest. The seeds have sprouted and matured into ripeness-- there's only 'wheat' or 'weeds;' nothing in between. We are witnessing as never before, the warped logic of the 'captains of industry' as they justify the continued pillage of the planet. We are seeing the political heads play their geo-political games of deception, always ready to justify as 'humanitarian' their next attack on some innocuous nation. The tigers/skunks are showing their stripes... for those willing to observe.

It is clearer than ever before, this dichotomy between the followers of God's way and the followers of Satan's way. Yet, how many onlookers are still swaying in the breezes of indecision; still not concerned enough to raise their heads and see the choice facing them?

Sad to say, many of those who are deceived regard themselves as Christian. Their pastors rant on about abortion, homosexuality, and other sexual sins, yet they cheer when the US army invades 'pre-emptively' (i.e. immorally) a sovereign nation, or uses drones to kill civilians. These putative Christians seem to see nothing amiss that their government can spend trillions of dollars on wars, while millions of children and adults in poor countries die every year for lack of simple water and basic food. Their deity is not God, but the flag!  Are these followers the ones that Jesus stated he would denounce with the words 'I never knew you'?

Maybe the end of the world will not come tomorrow. Maybe the world will have more time to make the final choice. But, for certain, the end of your world could come at any time! We don't have to wait until 'Armageddon' before making our own, personal decision. In this uncertain world, don't be like St. Augustine, who prayed, 'Change my heart, Lord... but not just yet.' The time to choose is now.