Word of the week: Collapse.
Societal, cultural, financial, economic, political. The world as we know it is ending. And now we really see that this is so. This week's news brought the world ever closer to the consciousness that things will not remain as they have been. And still, as much as the world sees that the events we are experiencing in the aforementioned realms are changing, for the worse, and perhaps to never be the same again, they still insist that this has nothing to do with Christ. They say, 'Oh, the world is changing, and the Zombie/Mayan/Cayce/Nostradamus apocalypse may be near, but it has nothing to do with that guy, Jesus.'
A prophecy from Peter: "They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”" (2 Peter 3:4).
They say such things because they believe them. Satan has blinded the lost to the things of Christ. It has always been so. The Israelites taunted Jeremiah with the same:
"Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now." (Jeremiah 17:15)
And why do they believe the Zombie/Mayan/Cayce/Nostradamus apocalypse and not the Christian Revelation of the promised Apocalypse? Because the aforementioned are from satan. Now satan, they'll believe.
Technically, the world has been ending since Genesis 3, but the feeling of chaotic flying apart has increased dramatically in the last two weeks. Pundits are talking openly of a Euro collapse, and at one point Bloomberg's market screens showed Greek drachma! Panic calls to the institution yielded a short statement that they were 'just practicing' and ended with a please move along, nothing to see here.
I'm enjoying the Spirit's sweet presence every day. I enjoy my walk with Jesus in increasing amounts of awe and joy. I am encouraged by knowledge of the sovereignty of the Father. Far from being depressed personally, I am more joyous all the time. Seeing these world events and understanding where we are on the timetable of God's prophetic clock, I'm slain with wonder at the vastness of His intelligence and the scope of human history- and grateful that I am a part of His kingdom.
Yes, the days are difficult, and I mourn for people who are lost in sin and for my own sins. But the events we read about here and elsewhere far from saddening me, make me think of Exodus 15:11.
"Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?"
In the current phase of Christianity, many have lost that sense of awe. I think it is because many popular teachers and preachers have taught and preached a raised up man. The excessive focus on our prosperity, our self-esteem, our pits, our problems, combined emphasis of His love to us, His friendship with us, His Bridal "romance" of us, has resulted in a lowered God.
Too often Western Christianity looks to Him as a friend, (which He is) but in looking at Him only as friend, through that one facet, and not so much as Sovereign King, Judge, and Holy God. This looking exclusively at Jesus through one facet has allowed many to devolve His status in their minds from friend to 'old buddy, pal o' mine.'
A sense of awe in Him was heightened in me this week as I read the unfortunate incidences of cannibalism (the South Beach Miami event was not the only one! And the problem is in Maritime Canada, too.) But as read some of these headlines- not purposely- but even as my eye caught them as they were listed on a page with other headlines, and I averted my eyes in disgust, I was amazed in realizing that the lower society sinks the higher I see Him. It is as if He is stripping away the layers and revealing us to be the depraved sinners we are and by contrast, we can't help but see Him as August Holy One.
Quite simply, western Christianity does not have a transcendent view of God anymore, and thus a sense of awe is lost. This particularly applies to prophecy. Only a Sovereign God expressing His will upon the world knows the end from the beginning. Only He at His will and pleasure states what will happen in a thousand years, or six thousand years, and it comes to pass exactly as He said! We are living in the times of Romans 1. Our nation is being judged, Romans 1 IS the judgment as He gives them over to their depraved minds. This is an awe inspiring thing- to see the bible pages ripped from its bindings and come to life on earth in the news. It makes me fear Him and it makes me love Him.
That He stays His hand of execution despite seeing the perversity in the world makes me love Him even more. He said in Luke 13:6-9
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
"And he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"
The vineyard owner is God who rightly wants to see fruit in His tree. The gardener is Jesus who came to sow seed and tend it. He pleads with the Vineyard owner (God) for a bit more time. The parable relates to both the nation of Israel that God had planted and also to the fruit-bearing individual. Jesus had been preaching for three years, but even after He ascended the tree was not uprooted- yet. That happened in 70AD when Jerusalem was sacked by Rome and the inhabitants scattered.
So when I write of judgments to come and the signs that indicate their nearness, rather than be completely sad, I also focus on how compassionate He has already been. "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." (Lamentations 3:22) He has been giving the Spirit time to grow seeds, waiting for us to repent, bringing many sons to come to Glory! (Hebrews 2:10). His wrath is tinged with patience, and I am in awe of this God who loves us despite the perversity and rebellion we see in the world today!! THAT is how I stay positive. I hope you do too.
Habakkuk finally got it, saying in chapter three:
"Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us." and then he said,
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places."
No matter how low the world gets, the Lord makes me tread on high places. My Holy awe of Him is a reverence mixed with fear: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming fire.’” Hebrews 12:28-29
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Some random fun things
Here are a few links to some things you might enjoy.
I've always been interested in the combination of form and function. This series of "Ecclesiastical Architecture" from The Christian Pundit explores form and function between theology and architecture. Each essay is just the right length, enough to give meat but not too long or involved. Interesting stuff.
1. The Buildings
2. The Pulpit
3. The Sacraments
4. The Baptism font/pool
5. The Music
6. The Lighting
7. The Pews
Charles Spurgeon's thought for the day, June 1: God's Promise Keeps Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. (Ecclesiastes 11:1)
"We must not expect to see an immediate reward for all the good we do; nor must we always confine our efforts to places and persons which seem likely to yield us a recompense for our labors. The Egyptian casts his seed upon the waters of the Nile, where it might seem a sheer waste of corn. But in due time the flood subsides, the rice or other grain sinks into the fertile mud, and rapidly a harvest is produced. Let us today do good to the unthankful and the evil. Let us teach the careless and the obstinate. Unlikely waters may cover hopeful soil. Nowhere shall our labor be in vain in the Lord."
"It is ours to cast our bread upon the waters; it remains with God to fulfill the promise "Thou shalt find it." He will not let His promise fail. His good word which we have spoken shall live, shall be found, shall be found by us, Perhaps not just yet, but some day we shall reap what we have sown. We must exercise our patience, or perhaps the Lord may exercise it. "After many days," says the Scripture, and in many instances those days run into months and years, and yet the Word stands true. God's promise will keep; let us mind that we keep the precept and keep it this day."
Hank Hanegraaff answers the question "How can I show the atheists proof of God's existence?", in 3 minutes.
Looking to pretty up your twitter background, blog, or website? Here is Free Christian art. Twitter backgrounds, inspirational art, and stock photos. For free. Did I say it's free?
At His Channel you can watch video of many Christian pastors and teachers on demand, for free. Some include Hal Lindsey Report, Turning Point with David Jeremiah, Adrian Rogers Love Worth Finding, Grace to You with John MacArthur, and Kay Arthur's Precepts for Life.
Lots and lots of links to good resources on the topic of Spiritual Abuse from Pure Provender.
It's summer. Don't forget sunblock
I've always been interested in the combination of form and function. This series of "Ecclesiastical Architecture" from The Christian Pundit explores form and function between theology and architecture. Each essay is just the right length, enough to give meat but not too long or involved. Interesting stuff.
 |
| My friend sings here, by JAdams 2007 |
2. The Pulpit
3. The Sacraments
4. The Baptism font/pool
5. The Music
6. The Lighting
7. The Pews
Charles Spurgeon's thought for the day, June 1: God's Promise Keeps Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. (Ecclesiastes 11:1)
"We must not expect to see an immediate reward for all the good we do; nor must we always confine our efforts to places and persons which seem likely to yield us a recompense for our labors. The Egyptian casts his seed upon the waters of the Nile, where it might seem a sheer waste of corn. But in due time the flood subsides, the rice or other grain sinks into the fertile mud, and rapidly a harvest is produced. Let us today do good to the unthankful and the evil. Let us teach the careless and the obstinate. Unlikely waters may cover hopeful soil. Nowhere shall our labor be in vain in the Lord."
"It is ours to cast our bread upon the waters; it remains with God to fulfill the promise "Thou shalt find it." He will not let His promise fail. His good word which we have spoken shall live, shall be found, shall be found by us, Perhaps not just yet, but some day we shall reap what we have sown. We must exercise our patience, or perhaps the Lord may exercise it. "After many days," says the Scripture, and in many instances those days run into months and years, and yet the Word stands true. God's promise will keep; let us mind that we keep the precept and keep it this day."
Hank Hanegraaff answers the question "How can I show the atheists proof of God's existence?", in 3 minutes.
Looking to pretty up your twitter background, blog, or website? Here is Free Christian art. Twitter backgrounds, inspirational art, and stock photos. For free. Did I say it's free?
At His Channel you can watch video of many Christian pastors and teachers on demand, for free. Some include Hal Lindsey Report, Turning Point with David Jeremiah, Adrian Rogers Love Worth Finding, Grace to You with John MacArthur, and Kay Arthur's Precepts for Life.
Lots and lots of links to good resources on the topic of Spiritual Abuse from Pure Provender.
It's summer. Don't forget sunblock
(Updated) Zombie Apocalypse, collapse, and "there may even be some cannibalism"
Update: Huffington Post ran an article late this afternoon
Zombie Apocalypse: CDC Denies Existence Of Zombies Despite Cannibal Incidents
"The horrific face-eating arrest in Miami and several other seemingly subhuman acts has many people wondering what's behind this flesh-munching wave of terror.A zombie apocalypse, however, is not what we should be worried about, at least according to the federal government.Over the years the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a couple of tongue-in-cheek "zombie warnings," which really are just disaster-preparedness stunts. But on Thursday, the agency made it official: Zombies don't exist."CDC does not know of a virus or condition that would reanimate the dead (or one that would present zombie-like symptoms)," wrote agency spokesman David Daigle in an email to The Huffington Post.Nevertheless, recent incidents in which humans reportedly ate human flesh have the Internet in a firestorm, with "zombie apocalypse" being Google's third most popular search term by Friday morning..."
A government agency reassuring the public that zombies don't exist is bad enough, but having to do so because of a spate of cannibalistic crimes is worse. Life has officially stumbled into surreal territory now.
end update--------------
Time Magazine has a news article today with the headline and synopsis as follows:
Today’s Sign of the Zombie Apocalypse: Student Charged in Cannibalistic Slaying of Housemate
"A suburban Baltimore man admits killing and consuming parts of a man he lived with in the latest of several recent dismemberment stories"
That there have been a spate of stories like this recently in the US surely IS a sign of the Apocalypse. I know Time wrote that headline tongue in cheek but I'm not kidding...
Zombies are animated corpses. "The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli." (source). In the real world, unbelievers in Jesus Christ are (spiritual) zombies. Their hypnotism is from satan, who blinds the lost to Jesus. Unbelievers are conscious, self-aware, ambulant; yet hypnotized and under satan's spell. In other words, a Zombie. In real life, Zombies are spiritually dead people. Look how the bible describes the spiritually dead, who are in their sins:
"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God," (Hebrews 6:1)
"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:11)
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;" (Ephesians 2:1)
They are dead in their sins and dead in their works. Dead, dead, dead, but ambulatory.
The South Beach cannibal shocked the nation. But did you know that there are many such instances that have occurred in recent weeks? Here is a dynamic google map. If you click on the pins on the real map (not the one below) the news excerpt will come up and there will be a link to the full article. I don't recommend you read them. Please just note the frequency of real and alleged cannibalistic acts in the US recently via the map below:
"Intimately tied to the conception of the modern zombie is the "zombie apocalypse", the breakdown of society as a result of zombie infestation." (source). Apocalypse has been a popular novel, film, and television subject for several years, gaining popularity each month. End of the world, witches and warlocks, and vampires have provided steady income for anyone willing to write or produce media about them. Now we have zombies. So, why not a Zombie Apocalypse? Everything of the world is from satan, who is the god of it. Why wouldn't he want to launch his perverted spiritual lies into the culture as a mirror of himself?
Here is a blogger commenting on the phenomenon. Be warned that if you click on the 'source' link, he has posted graphic zombie photos in the article and also graphic news excerpts that describe what the perpetrators were doing. The following is the most salient part, anyway. He wrote--
"Okay, this is starting to get really weird. In the past couple of weeks there have been reports all over the country of criminals chewing on human flesh and eating human brains. So exactly what in the world is going on here? Is this some kind of zombie apocalypse? For the record, I certainly do not believe that zombies exist. Let me be very clear on that. However, zombies have become so prominent in popular culture in recent years that it was probably inevitable that people would try to mimic them. In addition, I certainly do believe that demonic possession is real, and that could be a cause for some of this behavior as well. And of course drugs can play a huge role in causing people to behave in absolutely crazy ways." (source)
I agree 100% with what he wrote there.
It is obvious that society is breaking down. The collapse is well underway. The social compact is a goner. Here are a few news clips to illustrate the point:
Highly addictive drug blamed for cannibal attack in Miami a growing problem in Maritimes
"Greg Purvis, director of Addiction Services for the Pictou, Colchester East Hants and Cumberland county health authorities in northern Nova Scotia, called the drug the most dangerous new product he’s seen in his career. “I’ve been working in addictions for 19 years . . . and this is the first drug which really has me concerned,” he said in a telephone interview. Since April, he says emergency rooms in Nova Scotia have had at least three cases a week of patients on bath salts, usually brought there by police."
The combined population of those 4 counties is only 151,000. And the Paramedics and emergency room responders see three cases per week? That is huge!
Mr Purvis continued: "Negative side-effects that we are seeing; Hallucinations, delusions, psychosis, being awake for one to two weeks straight with very little rest. Kidney failure. Aggressiveness, combativeness and extreme paranoia. And the police and emergency physicians are having problems because this is a stimulant similar to speed and you are having that amped-up extra strength and aggression and these folks are experiencing psychosis, so they don’t really know what’s going on. Imagine that in the back of your squad car.”
Indeed. Imagine that in the emergency room, with innocent patients and staff nearby, too. Imagine the horror of having to answer a call like the one the SoBe cops and paramedics did.
Civilizations only remain intact when social compacts are by and large adhered to by the majority of the population. When the majority begins to set the social compacts aside, the care professionals and first responders face a defeating task. I am speaking of the social compact such as respect for authority, respect for private property, respect for fellow humans.
On the small scale an example of a social compact is the lines on the road. Successful vehicular travel only works because the majority of people adhere to the rule that they stay on their side of the road, where a line is painted to mark the coming from the going. There is no wall to make us stay on the right. There is not a police officer stationed there every half mile. There is only a line. Technically, anyone can cross it at any time. But we don't, because we understand the written and unwritten rules of the road where our own and others' personal safety is concerned.
The social compact is breaking down, almost broken. The total break will occur after the rapture when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way so that sin can run its full course.
Dmitry Orlov lived through the collapse to the old Soviet Union of Socialist Republics (USSR). He is a keen observer and social analyst. His work can be found on his insightful blog, Club Orlov. He wrote a book called Reinventing Collapse. In it, Mr Orlov identified five stages of a civilization's collapse:
"Rather than tying each phase to a particular emotion, as in the Kübler-Ross [grief] model, the proposed taxonomy ties each of the five collapse stages to the breaching of a specific level of trust, or faith, in the status quo. Although each stage causes physical, observable changes in the environment, these can be gradual, while the mental flip is generally quite swift". He is talking about the breakdown of the social compacts in five different arenas that combined, form a functioning civilization.
I would go so far as to say that though the US has been collapsing for many years, the final stage began their final hurtle in 2008 with the September/October financial collapse. Here are Orlov's five stages:
Stage 1: "Financial collapse. Faith in "business as usual" is lost. The future is no longer assumed resemble the past in any way that allows risk to be assessed and financial assets to be guaranteed. Financial institutions become insolvent; savings are wiped out, and access to capital is lost."
Stage 2: "Commercial collapse. Faith that "the market shall provide" is lost. Money is devalued and/or becomes scarce, commodities are hoarded, import and retail chains break down, and widespread shortages of survival necessities become the norm."
Stage 3: "Political collapse. Faith that "the government will take care of you" is lost. As official attempts to mitigate widespread loss of access to commercial sources of survival necessities fail to make a difference, the political establishment loses legitimacy and relevance."
Stage 4: "Social collapse. Faith that "your people will take care of you" is lost, as local social institutions, be they charities or other groups that rush in to fill the power vacuum run out of resources or fail through internal conflict."
Stage 5: "Cultural collapse. Faith in the goodness of humanity is lost. People lose their capacity for "kindness, generosity, consideration, affection, honesty, hospitality, compassion, charity" (Turnbull, The Mountain People). Families disband and compete as individualts for scarce resources. The new motto becomes "May you die today so that I die tomorrow" (Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago). There may even be some cannibalism."
Did that last line give you chills? Is there any doubt about where we are in the stage of civilization today? I remember reading his work in 2008, knowing that the financial collapse of Wall Street and the big investment houses was a harbinger of the following stages to come. I distinctly remember reading the last line, and going 'EWWWW, impossible! That must be after the Tribulation starts!'.
How wrong I was. We have that going on NOW.
If you don't have Jesus' forgiveness and the Spirit inside you, you are a zombie. He can and is willing to make you into a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:11)
You do not have to stay dead, but become a new creation in Jesus, alive and joyful for all eternity! If you ask Him to forgive your sins, repenting in sorrow and asking Him to cleanse you, He will. otherwise, you will be around for the real zombie apocalypse, and do you really want to be someone else's dinner?
Zombie Apocalypse: CDC Denies Existence Of Zombies Despite Cannibal Incidents
"The horrific face-eating arrest in Miami and several other seemingly subhuman acts has many people wondering what's behind this flesh-munching wave of terror.A zombie apocalypse, however, is not what we should be worried about, at least according to the federal government.Over the years the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a couple of tongue-in-cheek "zombie warnings," which really are just disaster-preparedness stunts. But on Thursday, the agency made it official: Zombies don't exist."CDC does not know of a virus or condition that would reanimate the dead (or one that would present zombie-like symptoms)," wrote agency spokesman David Daigle in an email to The Huffington Post.Nevertheless, recent incidents in which humans reportedly ate human flesh have the Internet in a firestorm, with "zombie apocalypse" being Google's third most popular search term by Friday morning..."
A government agency reassuring the public that zombies don't exist is bad enough, but having to do so because of a spate of cannibalistic crimes is worse. Life has officially stumbled into surreal territory now.
end update--------------
Time Magazine has a news article today with the headline and synopsis as follows:
Today’s Sign of the Zombie Apocalypse: Student Charged in Cannibalistic Slaying of Housemate
"A suburban Baltimore man admits killing and consuming parts of a man he lived with in the latest of several recent dismemberment stories"
That there have been a spate of stories like this recently in the US surely IS a sign of the Apocalypse. I know Time wrote that headline tongue in cheek but I'm not kidding...
Zombies are animated corpses. "The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli." (source). In the real world, unbelievers in Jesus Christ are (spiritual) zombies. Their hypnotism is from satan, who blinds the lost to Jesus. Unbelievers are conscious, self-aware, ambulant; yet hypnotized and under satan's spell. In other words, a Zombie. In real life, Zombies are spiritually dead people. Look how the bible describes the spiritually dead, who are in their sins:
"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God," (Hebrews 6:1)
"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:11)
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;" (Ephesians 2:1)
They are dead in their sins and dead in their works. Dead, dead, dead, but ambulatory.
The South Beach cannibal shocked the nation. But did you know that there are many such instances that have occurred in recent weeks? Here is a dynamic google map. If you click on the pins on the real map (not the one below) the news excerpt will come up and there will be a link to the full article. I don't recommend you read them. Please just note the frequency of real and alleged cannibalistic acts in the US recently via the map below:
"Intimately tied to the conception of the modern zombie is the "zombie apocalypse", the breakdown of society as a result of zombie infestation." (source). Apocalypse has been a popular novel, film, and television subject for several years, gaining popularity each month. End of the world, witches and warlocks, and vampires have provided steady income for anyone willing to write or produce media about them. Now we have zombies. So, why not a Zombie Apocalypse? Everything of the world is from satan, who is the god of it. Why wouldn't he want to launch his perverted spiritual lies into the culture as a mirror of himself?
Here is a blogger commenting on the phenomenon. Be warned that if you click on the 'source' link, he has posted graphic zombie photos in the article and also graphic news excerpts that describe what the perpetrators were doing. The following is the most salient part, anyway. He wrote--
"Okay, this is starting to get really weird. In the past couple of weeks there have been reports all over the country of criminals chewing on human flesh and eating human brains. So exactly what in the world is going on here? Is this some kind of zombie apocalypse? For the record, I certainly do not believe that zombies exist. Let me be very clear on that. However, zombies have become so prominent in popular culture in recent years that it was probably inevitable that people would try to mimic them. In addition, I certainly do believe that demonic possession is real, and that could be a cause for some of this behavior as well. And of course drugs can play a huge role in causing people to behave in absolutely crazy ways." (source)
I agree 100% with what he wrote there.
It is obvious that society is breaking down. The collapse is well underway. The social compact is a goner. Here are a few news clips to illustrate the point:
Highly addictive drug blamed for cannibal attack in Miami a growing problem in Maritimes
"Greg Purvis, director of Addiction Services for the Pictou, Colchester East Hants and Cumberland county health authorities in northern Nova Scotia, called the drug the most dangerous new product he’s seen in his career. “I’ve been working in addictions for 19 years . . . and this is the first drug which really has me concerned,” he said in a telephone interview. Since April, he says emergency rooms in Nova Scotia have had at least three cases a week of patients on bath salts, usually brought there by police."
The combined population of those 4 counties is only 151,000. And the Paramedics and emergency room responders see three cases per week? That is huge!
Mr Purvis continued: "Negative side-effects that we are seeing; Hallucinations, delusions, psychosis, being awake for one to two weeks straight with very little rest. Kidney failure. Aggressiveness, combativeness and extreme paranoia. And the police and emergency physicians are having problems because this is a stimulant similar to speed and you are having that amped-up extra strength and aggression and these folks are experiencing psychosis, so they don’t really know what’s going on. Imagine that in the back of your squad car.”
Indeed. Imagine that in the emergency room, with innocent patients and staff nearby, too. Imagine the horror of having to answer a call like the one the SoBe cops and paramedics did.
Civilizations only remain intact when social compacts are by and large adhered to by the majority of the population. When the majority begins to set the social compacts aside, the care professionals and first responders face a defeating task. I am speaking of the social compact such as respect for authority, respect for private property, respect for fellow humans.
On the small scale an example of a social compact is the lines on the road. Successful vehicular travel only works because the majority of people adhere to the rule that they stay on their side of the road, where a line is painted to mark the coming from the going. There is no wall to make us stay on the right. There is not a police officer stationed there every half mile. There is only a line. Technically, anyone can cross it at any time. But we don't, because we understand the written and unwritten rules of the road where our own and others' personal safety is concerned.
The social compact is breaking down, almost broken. The total break will occur after the rapture when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way so that sin can run its full course.
Dmitry Orlov lived through the collapse to the old Soviet Union of Socialist Republics (USSR). He is a keen observer and social analyst. His work can be found on his insightful blog, Club Orlov. He wrote a book called Reinventing Collapse. In it, Mr Orlov identified five stages of a civilization's collapse:
"Rather than tying each phase to a particular emotion, as in the Kübler-Ross [grief] model, the proposed taxonomy ties each of the five collapse stages to the breaching of a specific level of trust, or faith, in the status quo. Although each stage causes physical, observable changes in the environment, these can be gradual, while the mental flip is generally quite swift". He is talking about the breakdown of the social compacts in five different arenas that combined, form a functioning civilization.
I would go so far as to say that though the US has been collapsing for many years, the final stage began their final hurtle in 2008 with the September/October financial collapse. Here are Orlov's five stages:
Stage 1: "Financial collapse. Faith in "business as usual" is lost. The future is no longer assumed resemble the past in any way that allows risk to be assessed and financial assets to be guaranteed. Financial institutions become insolvent; savings are wiped out, and access to capital is lost."
Stage 2: "Commercial collapse. Faith that "the market shall provide" is lost. Money is devalued and/or becomes scarce, commodities are hoarded, import and retail chains break down, and widespread shortages of survival necessities become the norm."
Stage 3: "Political collapse. Faith that "the government will take care of you" is lost. As official attempts to mitigate widespread loss of access to commercial sources of survival necessities fail to make a difference, the political establishment loses legitimacy and relevance."
Stage 4: "Social collapse. Faith that "your people will take care of you" is lost, as local social institutions, be they charities or other groups that rush in to fill the power vacuum run out of resources or fail through internal conflict."
Stage 5: "Cultural collapse. Faith in the goodness of humanity is lost. People lose their capacity for "kindness, generosity, consideration, affection, honesty, hospitality, compassion, charity" (Turnbull, The Mountain People). Families disband and compete as individualts for scarce resources. The new motto becomes "May you die today so that I die tomorrow" (Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago). There may even be some cannibalism."
Did that last line give you chills? Is there any doubt about where we are in the stage of civilization today? I remember reading his work in 2008, knowing that the financial collapse of Wall Street and the big investment houses was a harbinger of the following stages to come. I distinctly remember reading the last line, and going 'EWWWW, impossible! That must be after the Tribulation starts!'.
How wrong I was. We have that going on NOW.
If you don't have Jesus' forgiveness and the Spirit inside you, you are a zombie. He can and is willing to make you into a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:11)
You do not have to stay dead, but become a new creation in Jesus, alive and joyful for all eternity! If you ask Him to forgive your sins, repenting in sorrow and asking Him to cleanse you, He will. otherwise, you will be around for the real zombie apocalypse, and do you really want to be someone else's dinner?
