I thought we were just going to hangout on a Saturday night, eat some good food, play some games, have some good conversation and laugh, yet by the end of the night I’d sadly realize that they had a different idea about how to have a “good time.” My wife and I sincerely desired to get to know the young adults better at a church we’d been apart of for only a short time, so we invited them over to our house one Saturday night to hangout. The evening started out pretty chill with conversation and some pizza we ordered, until someone suggested we watch some DVDs. From what we had already known about these young adults from our church, we didn’t expect them to show anything inappropriate, so we innocently let them pop in the DVD. What then transpired for the next few hours was the viewing of a series of documentary-styled films, laced with cheesy dramatic and suspenseful music, that had several of the young adults questioning whether we really landed on the moon, meticulously analyzing what really happen on Sept. 11th that only very few people knew the secret knowledge about and other things that I couldn’t tell you about because my wife and I eventually slipped out of the room. But what I can tell you is by the end of the night, when those young adults came out of that room, they had anxious, glazed-over looks in their eyes, and were fearfully questioning just about everything! This wasn’t the evening my wife and I had in mind. Our evening hangout had gotten hijacked by conspiracy theories.
Maybe you’ve had a similar experience. Or maybe someone you know has discreetly slipped you a DVD, sent you a text, an email or some message on social media with a video about some major cover up, hidden agenda or mass deception that only a few know the truth about; “and you can know too if you’d just watch this video!” And you may have noticed recently that the kind of environment that quickly becomes fertile ground for conspiracy theories to start popping up everywhere is a time of uncertainty due to some kind of threat to a nation, especially where there’s distrust of government. This is the kind of environment the southern kingdom of Judah found itself in during the reign of King Ahaz in Isaiah chapter 8. Now, in the previous chapter, the report comes to him that the northern kingdom of Israel was forming an alliance with Syria to attack Jerusalem. When the king and the people heard this news, they all began to tremble with fear, thus setting the stage for uncertainty, widespread speculation and, of course, conspiracy theories.
Now here’s the thing I’m wrestling with in chapter 8. This widespread fear and the creating and embracing of conspiracy theories, as reality, was the experience of professed believers in Yahweh, the God of Israel. And I’ve got to be honest with you. This sounds a lot like the young adults that were watching DVDs in our basement and even more like a lot of professed believers in Jesus Christ in our current environment. So this begs the question: How should we, as believers in Jesus Christ, respond to Conspiracy Theories? Well, I’m so glad God is not silent on this subject in Scripture. And I believe He has something very serious to say to us, if you’ll take the journey with me to Isaiah chapter 8, beginning in verse 9…
“Huddle together, you nations, and be terrified. Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, but you will be crushed! Yes, prepare for battle, but you will be crushed! Call your councils of war, but they will be worthless. Develop your strategies, but they will not succeed. For God is with us!”
Now to understand the full weight of what God just said through the prophet Isaiah, you need to know that during this time Judah had rejected God’s care for His people and turned to idolatry. Therefore, God said He would bring the King of Assyria to overflow Judah like a mighty flood, in judgment, just a few verses prior. Therefore, it should come as a shock to you to hear God say, as the brewing storm of the threat of war from the nations is gathering, that their plans would fail because God is with His people! God basically tells the nations to bring it on and that just because their weapons are formed, doesn’t mean they’re going to prosper against His people! And I believe someone needs to hear this, right now, who may be drifting away from God or is facing the threat of attack from the Enemy in some way, that if you’d just turn and trust in God, no weapon formed against you is going to prosper! You see, the first thing we’re learning is, when we’re presented with a conspiracy theory we need a…
Calm Confidence in the Presence of God.
I’ll never forget the calm confidence my grandmother had when flying from New York to visit us just months after September 11 happened. Now you’ve got to understand that this was a time when conspiracy theories where circulating everywhere about what may have really been going on surrounding the events of that horrific day and many of us were expecting Jesus to come not too long after this. People were afraid to fly on commercial planes or to fly on one with anyone who even remotely looked Middle Eastern or Muslim, due to the terrible, bigoted misinformation that was spreading everywhere. So I asked my grandmother if she wasn’t afraid to fly and she responded to me with such resigned peace. She told me she wasn’t afraid to fly because she knew that God was with her and that even if something should happen, she rested in His care. Now it’s critically important that you don’t confuse her calm confidence in God with blind and reckless presumption. Though she trusted completely in the presence of God, my grandmother still buckled her seatbelt on the plane and followed the safety guidelines prescribed for her safety and others. And there are many, right now, that need to repent and embrace this truth!
You see Jesus gave us a promise just prior to His ascension that I think has special meaning for His followers living in the end of time. Jesus closes out His Great Commission for us to make disciples as we’re going about life, with the promise, “…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” Matthew 28:20b NKJV. I mean, these are the last recorded words of Jesus to us in the Gospel of Matthew. And what is the last thing your Savior King wanted you to know? Jesus wanted you to have the calm confidence of His presence always, even when presented with a conspiracy theory, when in the midst of national crisis, a global pandemic, cataclysmic last day events, and even to the very end of this age!
Check out this resource we’ve developed to help you practice the daily rhythms of a relationship with Jesus.
So how are you doing with this? Do you have an ongoing calm confidence in the presence of God? Do you have the calm awareness that God is with you, even when you’re presented with a triggering and alarming conspiracy theory? I’ve personally found the best way to develop this calm confidence and awareness of the presence of God is through the daily rhythms of your relationship with Jesus through first reading, meditating (preferably near or in nature) and journaling through Scripture to set the course for your day. Second, by pausing briefly at three set times a day just to be with Jesus and welcome His presence. You may choose just a few minutes somewhere around breakfast, lunch and dinner, or any other time you wish. Just take a moment to breathe, be still, welcome His presence in that moment, and meditate on just one verse from what you read that morning. It’s not that these three times are the only times you’ll be in His presence, but rather they heighten your awareness of His presence with you throughout the day.
You see, my friend, these are daily rhythms in your relationship with Jesus I highly encourage you to practice, because without this calm confidence in the presence of God, you’re going to easily be triggered to react the way everyone else is reacting to conspiracy theories, which God strongly warns against in verse 11…
Stay tuned for Part 2…
CJ COUSINS Speaker/Author
Follower of Jesus, Husband, Father, Associate Pastor for Younger Generations at Vienna SDA Church and Speaker/Author for Living For Him. CJ’s passion is to live, preach & teach the Good News about Jesus and multiply disciples for His Kingdom.