Paradigm Shift

Have you noticed everything is changing from what we have been accustomed to for many years? All of us during the past ten years or so, up to the present day have felt like changes are taking place and we cannot put our finger on it. I have had so many discussions with different people from all walks of life, political views, and religions. It is driving everyone just a little crazy.

I decided to take a stab at it, spurned on by my good friend Jerry as we attempted to delve deeper into this mystery. Even though he suggested the title of this blog, it is a title I have visited on many occasions as I have tried to unravel my feelings about changes. The first question is, what is a paradigm shift? Let’s look at the paradigm first.

A noun defined as such: “One that serves as a pattern or model. A set or list of all the inflectional forms of a word or one of its grammatical categories. A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline” (Merriam-Webster.com).

Simply put, A paradigm is a standard, perspective, or set of ideas. A paradigm is a way of looking at something.

The word shift, when added, implies more complexity and is described this way: A noun, “A radical change in thinking from an accepted point of view to a new one, necessitated when new scientific discoveries produce anomalies in the current paradigm. A radical change in thinking from an accepted point of view to a new belief” (Merriam-Webster.com). Hence, a paradigm shift.

On the surface, that is a lot to digest as we look at our world, society, people involved in our lives, and most importantly, how we view God and His word and prophecies. Depending on your beliefs, you may see this paradigm shift as non-existent or happening in slow motion as you watch everything around you. Since I am a fully committed Christian and believe in scripture, I see this paradigm shift through my worldview of that lens of slow incremental changes happening throughout the world. There are others on this blog that I already know do not share my belief because they have chosen and told me directly, they do not believe in God or that one exists. I am not in the judgment business. That is God’s area of concern. People are free to make their own choice. That is why “free will” exists. Choose God or choose the world to believe in.

We will choose either God or the world by the time we are looking at our passing in the face. Notice, I do not call it death. I believe in the death of the body but not the spirit or soul. The spirit continues to live. The body dies. In my Christian belief, I will continue to live with God. Those that reject God may very well have a bleaker outcome in the afterlife. When I express the idea of the “world,” this is the domain of Satan, the chief liar, deceiver, and the ruler of the world. Make no mistake. Satan does indeed rule the world. The cosmic battle between good and evil is real. God and his realm are in a constant fight with Satan for the souls of humanity. God gave each one of us the ability to make choices. Look at yourself and review your options. Then ask yourself: are the choices you made the right choices for your salvation?

The paradigm shift we see as humans is my concern and how it applies to the biblical prophecies presented in the Holy Bible. Slowly and without waiver, changes have been occurring throughout history. I believe one of the most significant prophecies that have come to pass in my lifetime is the establishment of Israel as a country.

In the year of 70 AD, Rome ruled Jerusalem and controlled every living person within the occupied land of the Roman Empire. The Jews have been scattered many times throughout history. This last and final time of being scattered happened in 70 AD when General Titus laid siege to Jerusalem. Rebellion, always present between Rome and the Jews, reached a climax starting in 66 AD. After many battles and millions of dead, ultimately ending in 73 AD with the destruction of the outlying areas of Jerusalem, Rome thoroughly destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. Not one stone was left standing as Jesus had prophesied in Matthew 24, telling his disciples: “Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly, I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.” And it came to pass.

During the period just described, if a Jew was not killed, they were taken into slavery and scattered to the four corners of the known world. Scattering was a common practice of empires, and it was meant to destroy a people, a culture, or any remnants that showed they even existed.

Then on May 14, 1948, with a vote in the United Nations and the United States casting the last and final vote, Israel became a country and welcomed all its people back. No nation or people in the history of humankind has been scattered, prayed upon, ridiculed, killed, and then reformed as a nation of people, ever! Ezekiel 37:21-22 prophesied, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them, and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.”

The prophecy of the reestablishment of Israel was written sometime between 593-571 BC. The reestablishment of Israel happened over 2,000 years later and longer since prophesied. The only country and people to have this happen in human history is Israel. There should be no doubt of this being the work of the Living God.

We live at the beginning of the end times, and we shall see many things in this generation that the wise man will recognize as the many steps toward the return of Jesus Christ.

Look around. What do you see in people, societies, our so-called leaders, world events, wars, and rumor of wars (Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Libya, Syria, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, India, Mexico, Canada, United States)? And I could go on and on. I see liars, cheaters, make believers, deceivers, greed, no trust, the pursuit of worldly goods, rebellion, false prophets, people lusting for power and control. These people have always existed, but not to the degree they do today. We as a country and people are drifting away from God. The bigger the drift, the more prominent and more divisive Satan becomes in our everyday lives, and he is trying hard. His dark shadow looms on the horizon, and he wants to devour your soul. How many will pay attention to this warning?

There was another time when such warnings were given. Those warnings existed for some 120 years as he built an ark. Noah warned, and no one listened. God’s wrath appeared in the form of a flood and wiped people from the face of the earth. Once again, warnings are coming. The wise man will see and hear those warnings. This time when Jesus returns, and he will, those that choose not to listen will be destroyed by fire and brimstone in God’s wrath. That is the promise in the scriptures of the Bible.

The paradigm shift means your world is changing. Your views are changing. Something dark and dangerous is on the horizon, and it wants to control you and your thoughts. It uses deception to beguile you and seduce you by making false promises. It comes in many forms, a guarantee that a shot will prevent you from catching a virus, but instead, it sets you up for other medical difficulties. A promise that your child will be adequately taught in school, but rather, your child is transformed into an obedient robot that espouses a form of government you disagree with. A promise by an elected official will save you from the next government policy that will steal your freedom, but instead, find out the policy is a ruse to take more of your income to feed their coffers and enhance their power. Satan whispers in the ear of those easily deceived so he can grow his base of followers. They follow like sheep to the slaughter. The paradigm shift is subtle, and it will suck you in so slowly that once you realize you are in, there is no out for you. Beware of the deceiver, the lying snake wrapped around your ankle and smiling up at you.

I invite you to read Matthew 24 below. Or, open your Bible and read it. If you do not have a Bible, let me know, and I will buy you one and send it to you.

The Gospel According to Matthew, Paragraph 24:

“Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 ‘Do you see all these things?’ he asked. ‘Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.’
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’

4 Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 ‘Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 ‘So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

22 ‘If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 ‘So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29 ‘Immediately after the distress of those days
‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[b]

30 ‘Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32 ‘Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

36 ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 ‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45 ‘Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”