Who Will Save Us?

Can we save ourselves?

I came across this article in my Substack inbox this morning:¹

‘The People’ Will Not Save Us – Perhaps We Need Machiavelli’s Lions

What follows is my response, which is not directed at the author of the article but at the readers there. Read the article if you like. It is well written and well reasoned, and it provides a certain measure of background and perspective for my topic, but reading it is not necessary to appreciate what I have to say here. There are just two references to it.

Indeed, "The People’ Will Not Save Us". Nor do I sense that Machiavelli, Mosca, Pareto, or Michels (discussed in the above article) offer us any hope.²

There is a far more ancient source to which I appeal, but "The Science", over recent past centuries" particularly, has in the minds of a great many been employed to discredit (or "cancel" if you like) this source, and with it our true hope.

The science used to accomplish and sustain this feat is the identical corrupt science that now affirms mask wearing and social distancing to stop viral spread, and rejects the use of low-cost, effective remedies for certain respiratory infections. It proclaims that our bodies are unable to defend themselves without science-based help. It operates through storytelling, authoritarian assertions of the truth of those stories, and disregard for experimental evidence.

Yes, the "sovereignty of ‘We the People’" is an illusion (a statement from the above article). Whenever the only apparent solution to a problem is us, we are in trouble. That is because the problem is us. These corrupt elite rulers are a consequence. Any solution that does not take this into account is doomed to failure, because we do not possess the capacity to solve our kind of problem ourselves.

But according to "The Science" there is no other path to a solution. Because according to science, we are the only actors -- the only ones that can actually do anything. This is scientifically "proven" and there is no other course of action that need be considered. There is no ancient understanding that is of value to us today. Only Science offers verifiable answers, and in doing so it also offers us freedom from the misunderstandings of the past. This is the greater illusion.

Anyone who persists in this illusion rules out true hope, and does so on the basis of the assertions of corrupt, deceptive science. Those who believe they "see" what has just happened in this world can benefit greatly by seeing this point as well. Otherwise they will restrict their proposed solutions to the realm of the impossible, by falling for yet another lie of science, a huge one that is easy to overlook.

The wisdom of the past offers us alternative worldviews of what we are, where we came from, and where we are going. There are many, and I have personally explored several of the major ones, arriving eventually back where I started, with one that I had previously rejected, not because I had disproven it but because I didn’t understand it and consequently it did not meet my expectations.

I can’t “give” you my journey, and I don’t expect you to simply believe what I write, because that would be making the same mistake that I made. To be successful, each of us must embark upon this journey, traveling the path — which is a difficult one — and seeking and being given understanding, and being given the means to change.

That means is not something that we innately possess, nor is it available for purchase. And it is not discoverable by scientific exploration, although legitimate science can affirm certain aspects of the gift.

Here is the essence of the worldview I have adopted, gleaned from The Holy Bible, and which I offer for your consideration only. Nothing I state here is original with me (or if something is, I apologize). My wording is not terribly detailed, and there is room to nit-pick. Feel free to do so, if you must, and if you do find errors, please point them out. Opinions are fine too.

Many opposing interpretations exist, and they are available for you to explore. I am omitting many details, some of which may be extremely important in practice, but my goal here is to present only “the essence” of what I have learned, as it might relate to this particular audience. Read and study for yourself, seeking guidance.

1. The world that we see, and the universe within which it exists, are created. By implication, it was designed, and the evidence of design is available for us to observe and test. It is not possible for it to have come about by random processes, because random processes do not produce higher and higher levels of order from nothing but randomness. Only in “science stories” does higher order arise from randomness, over vast spans of time, and when subjected to legitimate scientific investigation the evidence falsifies these stories.

2. Our world was created with purpose, and that purpose is not for us to determine. We can disagree with it, and we can choose to pursue a different one, and unavoidable negative consequences will arise from doing so. The purpose has many facets, but a key one is that the Creator is creating, in us humans, a family.

3. We, as created beings, are now like children, incomplete and immature, and prone to doing things that hurt us. We must be trained and taught. Ideally our human parents would begin this process, but they are like children too, older and possibly somewhat more mature, but still incomplete and quite fallible. Many are themselves poorly equipped to be parents. All of this is anticipated in the design of our world.

4. While this is a created world, it is also a fallen world. The complete details of how this came about are not given to us, but the evidence of it is everywhere. This is the problem for which we do not possess the capacity to solve. What we are told is that our original progenitors made a decision, under evil influence, to pursue their own path apart from the purpose of creation, a form of rebellion known as [leading to “sin” (unholiness — that which is not God)], which resulted in a curse upon our existence that guarantees a difficult life and that we will die. We experience the effects of this curse every day still.

5. With the pronouncement of that curse came a veiled promise of one descendant to come, one that would ultimately put an end to evil. Other clues followed, although presented in a form that could only fully be understood once that person arrived.

6. That person was revealed to be Jesus of Nazareth, a very special kind of human that did possess the capacity to solve the problem for which we do not, the “sin problem”. He possessed this capacity only because he was also Creator, filled with the Holy Spirit. His work on earth, and his death, resurrection, and ascension, completed what was required to solve our problem. No other solution is necessary, and no other solution will work. (But we are free to try.)

7. Jesus’ ascension made it possible for the Holy Spirit to indwell other humans, followers of Jesus. Those with the indwelling Spirit become the children of our Creator — God’s children. They are still imperfect — incomplete, immature — but now with the potential for completion and for eternal life, because something has been added that possesses the capability that we initially lack. They continue the earthly work of Jesus, known in the early years as “The Way”. They also came to be known as “Christians”, but they can only be known be what they do, not by what they call themselves.

This present evil world will be brought to an end, a kind of “controlled demolition”.³ Initiated by world leaders and concluded by God, it will bring the world to the brink of destruction, serving as an affirmation (I believe) of what all our human “solutions” are good for accomplishing, which is nothing of lasting value.

After that will come a new world, although it would appear that it will come in stages. The details of that are not clear to me, whatever others may think they have worked out.

My focus is on our present, dying world. As events progress, we are given more and more details that can be used to understand the clues offered in prophecies of the past. This parallels what transpired as Jesus walked the Earth, doing things that had been alluded to in other prophetic clues, and serving as signs to those that were paying attention and not deferring to and defending their own preferred explanations of things, a phenomenon that continues on into the present day.

All I can say about the progression of events is “so far, so good”. They appear to me to be right on target. Meanwhile, The Science trudges on, making up stories, asserting authoritatively that they are true, insisting that you must believe that all that has been written about what I have just said is utter nonsense, disproven by authoritative fiat, and that you must trust Science instead.

It’s your choice. If you choose Science then it’s all laid out for you. Just do as you are told. If you reject it, then you have your work cut out for you. You can’t save yourself, although some of the alternatives may suggest that you can, but you can be saved. The offer is open, and salvation is a gift, but there is nevertheless much to do.

The path is difficult, but you know what, if you are already following a path that is “counter-narrative”, you already have some experience with that. Begin by examining your assumptions, and seeking true understanding.

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Related: Ask…

[Related: Such Foolishness

External link: Creation vs. Evolution: The Case From Science (free; registration required)⁴]

Ideally I would recommend my Roman Roads series. It’s kind of stuck right now after the first installment, however, as I learn from experience and work to improve my approach. As always, however, the comment section here is open for questions.

1. This post has been lightly edited. Deletions are marked with strike-through, and insertions are indicated [in brackets].

2. The more I learn about these people, the more I see that they are not the answer we are seeking!

3. It has been pointed out in the comments that “controlled demolition” is not the best choice of words. To be honest, I was trying to finish up quickly. I had been writing for three hours, and I couldn’t think of how to say it. “A kind of…” was wiggle room, and now I am wiggling. The rulers that presently appear to be bent on demolition are not controlling that activity well, but in my understanding FWIW they are nevertheless being “restrained”. This idea comes from 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 (starting in v. 5 here) —

2Th. 2:5 Do you not remember that I told you this while I was still with you? ⁶ And now you know what is holding him in check, so that he may be revealed at his proper time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; however, the one who is now restraining will continue to do so until he is taken away.

It’s a curious passage. In v. 6, “what is holding him in check”, “holding” is a neuter participle in the Greek, hence the neuter “what”. In v. 7, the same participle appears, but with a masculine case ending [corrected, was ‘personal ending’, oops] instead of neuter. It’s almost as if Paul is posing a riddle in v.6.

For these reasons and more, I wanted to just say “controlled” and be done with it. But yes, there are signs of restraining force being applied against what is taking place now. Continuing in my understanding, which you can take or leave, God appoints our leaders and, by observation, appoints them according to the behavior of the people they lead, knowing what they will do. He then restrains them when they begin to enjoy their jobs too much. In the subsequent demolition, God’s wrath, he controls it so that not all life is lost.

This is not so difficult to appreciate. If you create something yourself, typically you control it as well. All I am doing is taking things up a level in the hierarchy, where we become the things created. The one with the power to create us possesses the power to control us. Our Creator is not creating humanoid robot slaves, however, and we are created with the capacity among other things to rebel, to know when we are rebelling, and to understand the consequences. These are potentially dangerous properties, but evidently necessary if we are to ultimately become full, completed members of the Family of God. I’m not complaining — I like having that flexibility. Our world is full of dangerous things that, in the hands of a mature, honest adult, do not cause us harm.

It doesn’t matter if your understanding is the same as mine or not. What matters is discovering and pursuing the path that leads to salvation. Believing in stories that have no grounding in reality is not on that path, and science is on extremely shaky ground in that regard, as you may discover if you investigate carefully.

4. Material on The Starting Point website is primarily oriented toward believers and seekers. This particular video lecture, however, is addressed to a wider audience. Registration is required, but all videos are available free of charge.