Willfully Ignorant

“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the emptiness of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to licentiousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”  Ephesians 4:17-19

 

There are some who like to use the term ‘entertained to death’ and there is truth to such a notion.  All around the world, not just in the United States, there are large problems that have formed.  The cracks of our world governmental systems are starting to show their weaknesses, the ugly truth is starting to rear it’s head.  In America we have a society where information is at our fingertips. 

 

Never before in the history of the world has the access to knowledge been so readily available to the average citizen.  While there are still the things that go on in backrooms of corporations and our governments, that have yet to seen the light of day, we can easily see the writing on the wall that not all is well.  The assumption for most is that somehow our ails of our societies will fix these issues eventually.  Yet, do we not consider that the only person who might offer the ultimate solution would be the Antichrist?

 

Hour after hour Americans sideswipe their responsibility as citizens to ensure the government is adhering to its constitutional boundaries.  Day after day many around the world in civilized countries would rather watch television, do drugs or engage in sinful behavior, rather than clearly look into the whims of our society and the problems that are being hoisted upon them.  As motion picture after motion picture is actively pursued, the real picture of what is going on in the world becomes less and less clear to those who are willfully ignorant, to which there is no excuse.

 

While on the surface this would seem to be a major problem as governments prepare for war, corporations decide to exert more control over society, pricing of stocks, home, autos, health insurance and the basic necessities continue to increase, essentially we become more and more ingrained in our enslavement to a system that seems determined to inevitably declare us to be wards of the state – to their bidding- by stripping us of our basic freedoms engrained by the founders of this country. 

 

In our self centered society, those who do not care about these rights, certainly do not care about yours.  These things are not done underneath the cover of darkness, but rather are done in the open, yet the mindfulness of them neither come to mind, nor are a concern with those who are unable to pull away from the entrapments of their mind.  They are being steered, controlled, unaware, but yet willfully blissful of the ‘pleasures’ that are for but a moment, yet they don’t see the ultimate problem, the ultimate deception.

 

Ignorance is not bliss, though for a moment it may appear to be that way.  Someone may be ignorant about the error of getting too close to a downed power line, but should they survive the onset of voltage to their body, they will not make that mistake twice.  While there are those public service messages that provide warnings about the dangers of down-powered lines, where are those who are providing the warnings regarding the consequences of men who do not repent and believe into Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  For them there is no second chance, only a second death.

 

“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, prostitutes, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”  Revelation 21:8

 

I ponder as I see Americans who simply sit in front of the television, watching rerun after rerun of shows which truly do have what would be considered an entertainment value, in terms of society’s thoughts, yet have no value, nor place to those who are citizens of Heaven.  The world could be collapsing around them, yet if there television is on, there is food in the home, then to many, what else matters.  Truly ignorant of the frails of society and even more so ignorant to the reality of God.  The same could be said true of those who use their phones all day long, engaging in meaningless ‘likes’ and back and forth simple text messages, as they visit social media sites, tweet and gather the latest gossip from their pagan idols who wholeheartedly are examples of the damned.  Harsh words?  I think not.

 

The harshest words are reserved for those who do these things, those whose hearts are not right before their Creator, who have not become a Christian, yet with their mouth they confess Jesus Christ, in word only.  When they stand before their Creator and hear the words, “depart from me” (Matt. 7:23), there mouths will be shut, their eternal destination sealed, their hopes dashed and their hearts dismayed.  So where are those who would plead with their fellow mankind that they need to awake out of their slumber, they need to unfog their glasses and simply understand that despite being surrounded by endless forms of entertainment, trinkets and other pleasures of this world, there are those who are in the Earth who would tell you (Luke 16:27-31), if they could, not to make the same error as them, to turn, turn to a merciful God who is willing to forgive, to cast all aside, to not only follow Jesus Christ, but to run the race diligently, as if to win, for this life and all of the pleasures that are found in it are not worth denying the reconciliation that God provided by sending His Son to die on the Cross for your sins, if only you were willing to accept the free gift of Salvation! 

 

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has established a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has appointed. He has given assurance of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”  Acts 17:30-31

 

The suggestion is not that one becomes a scholar or understands all of the geopolitical maneuvers being foisted upon an unsuspecting world, but rather that people earnestly seek their Creator and realize the frailties of themselves.  Truly, without Christ, all mankind is dying, dying in their sin.  Only by realizing their condition and repenting, believing into Jesus Christ, can they be made whole.  Get your head out of the muck and pay attention.  Just how much time do you have?

 

“And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away. And there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, out of the things which were written in the books.  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one, according to their works.  And Death and Hades were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death.  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.”  Revelation 20:11-15

 

Amen!