With governments imposing increasing regulations and restrictions on people around the world—conditions that more closely resemble the dystopian nightmare portrayed in George Orwell’s 1984 with each passing day—it can be difficult to hold on to the hope that things will get better.
Those of us who believe in biblical prophecy know that good ultimately triumphs, although we sometimes forget this or fail to remain fully aware of it. Another point to consider is exactly how long evil will be allowed to reign: how long the night will last before daylight comes, and how long we will endure tribulation before reaching that Promised Land, metaphorically speaking.
First, to Put Things into Perspective: There Is Nothing New Under the Sun
For each of us, our own trials and challenges are “the most difficult.” We experience life from a first-person perspective and tend to think that our problems are the worst. This same distortion in perspective can be projected onto a community or even the entire world.
As a result, we assume that the problems affecting us today are the worst in human history: the most tyrannical governments, the most violent climate events, the greatest levels of moral depravity, and so forth. But the truth is that there is nothing new under the sun. The evils afflicting the world today have existed since the earliest days of human history!
As soon as there were two human beings, envy and jealousy were born. With the rise of the first communities came hierarchies of power, which were later corrupted by the carnal ambition for power and dominion. This eventually produced the desire to conquer and control other communities.
Nations and empires were established, and during the past 250 years, we have developed the more familiar concept of the State. It resembles the systems mentioned above, except that we live under a democratic system in which, in my opinion, there is an illusion of choice—and the hope of positive change that people continue expecting will arrive someday.
Three Types of Responses
Whenever we face a threat, there are three ways in which we respond: fight, flight, or freeze. These responses involve involuntary physiological changes in the body and mind when a person feels threatened. They exist to keep people safe by preparing them to confront, escape, or hide from danger.
I want to examine these three responses in relation to the threat we currently face.
Fight
If we decide to fight against the Beast system, the desire is a noble one. Many people throughout history have fought physically to preserve freedom and fundamental rights, whether at the family, community, or national level.
This does not always mean overthrowing an entire government. It may simply mean preserving order within our own neighborhood, defending the helpless, and promoting justice.
An important point to remember with this response is that we must choose our battles. Although there are many righteous causes, we should invest our time in fighting for the things to which we are directly connected—situations in which we actually have the power to bring about tangible change.
Flight
It is wise to recognize when there are no more battles to fight, when we are hopelessly outnumbered, or when the war has simply been lost. If we were to face another crisis like the one we experienced in years past, and we were living with our family in New York City, San Francisco, or a similar place where vaccination mandates without exemptions were imposed for attending school, sporting events, or even entering a restaurant, it would be sensible to develop a plan for changing our circumstances.
This might include moving to another city, withdrawing our children from the conventional school system, or taking other appropriate measures. In such a situation, “flight” might be precisely what the moment requires. A family or individual may also flee a country where they are under threat, whether in search of economic opportunity or simply to preserve their physical safety. This is one of the primary reasons people have migrated from one place to another throughout the generations.
I want to emphasize that these two responses—fight and flight—are not mutually exclusive. Our response to a threat may change according to the circumstances. Yeshua instructed His disciples to buy a sword, and later rebuked Peter for using one. There is a time for peace and a time for war.
Freeze
This type of response to a threat is really the absence of a response. When confronted by fear, confusion, shock, or a lack of motivation, our nervous system can freeze, leaving us motionless and defenseless before the threat.
This is the reaction that those in power want to impose upon the population. That is why the news broadcasts fear and uncertainty. That is why, during the two years of the pandemic, information released by government sources was consistently confusing, fatalistic, or both. And that is why it is no coincidence that paralysis is the state in which much of the population now finds itself.
Escaping the System
When Yeshua walked through Judea and Galilee, the Roman Empire exercised control over the land. It collected taxes, controlled transportation and movement, imposed restrictions of every kind, and decided who lived and who died.
It was within this very setting that Yeshua preached about the Kingdom of Heaven. Everyone expected redemption to take place at that moment, delivering them from unbearable Roman oppression through political change and the coronation of a Jewish king—Yeshua—over Israel. The Messiah, however, was speaking about another Kingdom.
It was a Kingdom that could be entered at that very moment, regardless of who might be the emperor or president of a nation. It is a Kingdom that cannot be harmed by human hands or weakened by the passage of time. It existed before Creation and will continue to exist when everything else has come to an end: the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God.
To escape the Beast system, we must first become conscious of the fact that whatever may happen around us on planet Earth, within this physical world, does not diminish in the slightest the Creator’s power and sovereignty over the entire universe.
Second, it is imperative that we do not fear. This is a COMMANDMENT that appears dozens of times throughout Scripture, often accompanied by the means through which we overcome fear: courage.
“Be strong and courageous!” the Creator told Joshua before he entered the Promised Land.
Fear is a mechanism through which our brain helps protect us from danger. But there are moments when overcoming that fear is the only way to defeat the obstacle before us. Overcoming fear and adversity is precisely what makes us stronger, wiser, and more resilient.
Conclusion
Good times create weak men;
weak men create hard times;
hard times create strong men;
strong men create good times.
What afflicts us is not only the Beast system, but also our own helplessness and passivity in confronting it.
Whether we must fight—through physical, legal, mental, or spiritual means—or whether we must flee, it is important to take an honest look at our circumstances and then make the appropriate decisions based on prayer, wise counsel, and rational thought.
For others, however, all that may be required to escape the system is simply turning off the television and limiting their use of phones and social media.
