The Centennial Edition of the Foreign Affairs Journal was a very interesting edition. The cover was absolutely black. And down on the bottom in a smaller space there was an individual holding what looked like a lantern, but it was the globe of the earth, giving off a very faint light and showing up very dimly around the ground that this individual was standing on indicating of course not very much light in a very dark world.
The title of this edition at the bottom, underneath all of this was “The Age of Uncertainty”. The general perusal showed flash points around the world that contributed to this uncertainty. Articles covered various places and people like Xi Jinping, and Putin. There was a very good article on The Fractured Superstructure, the United States and so on. So, in their mind, clearly the Age of Uncertainty addressed the entire world, not just one small section of it.
“The Age of Uncertainty” is a well-earned and well-deserved title. There is nothing stable or certain in this physical world because this world has rejected God. It does not know God or seek Him. The pity is that the nations that should know God because of the way He revealed Himself to them lead the world in the rejection of God.
Jeremiah had some clear and direct things to say: “For My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge (Jeremiah 4:22). “Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says the [Eternal]” (Jeremiah 9:6). Jeremiah describes the mental condition today of many peoples around the world.
Without a solid foundation of God’s moral values, the mind of man is certainly going to drift into areas of uncertainty. In Romans 1 Paul addresses a negative mindset to the Church in Rome and there is a certain amount of application to our world today: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them” (Romans 1:18–19).
Romans 1:28-32 clearly defined this evil mindset: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” Paul could have been looking at our society and writing this by his observation today!
Paul also wrote about another mindset earlier in Romans 1:16-17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”
When living by faith, the power of God removes the deception, and it also removes the uncertainty. However, there are two points to realize about living by faith: One, Satan actively seeks ways to destroy faith. And two, deceit is the name of his game. Paul was very concerned that Satan could get in and disturb the peace in the churches and their relationship with God:
“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with! ” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).
Some were beginning to teach against basic beliefs taught by Christ and the apostles, introducing “new” teachings. Paul explains: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13–15). Paul was concerned that many would “well put up with it.” That their/our faith might be undermined by Satan’s devices of deceit.
True faith is built on things not seen with the natural eye. “. . . but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:24-25). This points us forward. We can have hope in future events, events that are not yet seen. We need to be able to see something that is in the realm of God’s Kingdom, God’s throne, and God’s family that engenders the hope we have:
“If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel (the Church) From all its iniquities” (Psalms 130:3-8).
This is God, the God of physical Israel and spiritual Israel, the Church. Christ is our hope (I Timothy 1:1). Despite the sins, in repentance there’s forgiveness and redemption. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8).
The Age of Uncertainty is created by the physical creation as God withdraws His blessings and replaces the blessings with corrective measures. These affect our physical environment beginning with the physical mind, which is foolishness, that child-like immaturity that will replace sound thinking all the way through to the withholding of rain which can have very powerful effects upon human life and the life of everything on this planet.
If our reliance is on physical things, then we may well become victims of uncertainty. Our faith needs to include enduring patiently in hope. Our hope is a refuge in time of trouble. It is eternal life in a resurrection. So, we can have great confidence in things that we don’t see.
Brian Orchard