Apathetic Numbness

    Benjamin Franklin stood before the Constitutional Convention more than 200 years ago and said, “I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live the more convincing proof I see of this truth: that God governs the affairs of men. If a swallow cannot fall without His notice, is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid?” Franklin was referring to a statement made by Jesus, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31). I believe in the providence of God! The longer I live, the more I am convinced that God still rules in the affairs of mankind, to accomplish His purposes. The Scriptures abound with examples of this, and our lives testify to the same if we will examine them. God did not just wind up this universe and walk away. The winds and the waves obeyed Jesus, and they still do. God created a home for His offspring and he is still serving as Head of His household. We can have faith in our Father’s care.


    The mood was light and happy as the men and women walked through the barbed gate and into the camp for the first time. Rumors of the horrible activity which defiled these secluded scenes had traveled from person to person, but no one actually believed those stories. These people were nothing more than loyal followers of their fearless leader; all they wanted was a better home with better inhabitants. They looked forward to a “better Germany.” The joy and laughter turned to sorrow and crying as Allied troops led the German men and women through each building in the concentration camp after the war was over. Their eyes were opened. Their Nazi leaders had been murdering thousands of people from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities. They could no longer hide behind ignorance; they saw reality. Many later admitted to a previous knowledge of the camps, but simply dismissed it from their minds. They became increasingly numb to the reality of mass horror and innocent bloodshed. Christians look on the Holocaust and find it difficult to believe that many people ignored the horrors around them. However, many individuals – even Christians – seem to ignore another horrific situation – the loss of the majority of souls in this world (Matthew 7:13-14). Reality checks are good for Christians. Apostasy numbs one to sin. We are currently separated and isolated, masked and afraid of each other through the evil deeds of Satan and his disciples. There is much going on in the world that God hates – murder, abortion, persecution of the saints and destruction of the church, sexual immorality and the exploitation of children, and euthanasia around the world in the name of population control and the preservation of “mother earth”. While you’re locked up in your house, watching worthless programming on TV, ignorance and numbness is setting in. We are in the middle of a war for the freedoms and unalienable rights given by God and most people don’t know it. When the war ends - what then?


    [1 Timothy 4:1-3] “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own consciences seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” The words “seared with a hot iron” mean to brand or render insensitive, apathetic to sin’s destructive forces (Ephesians 4:17-19). We can be so accustomed to the sin around us that we lose sight of its seriousness. Are we not working as we ought because we are numb to sin? Take a tour of the camp and see.