The True Opiate of the Masses

From Danny Korakus
I believe that in the days of antiquity, it was clearly understood that there was a moral order that transcended one’s self and woven into the fabric of the universe. Just as there are natural universal laws that govern the universe; I also believe that there are supernatural laws that are woven within it as well. For instance, if you violate a supernatural order or “reality”, there are consequences just as severe as if you violated the natural reality (i.e. placing you hand in a fire).

The reoccurring theme in the scriptures to seek Wisdom is by no accident and has tremendous and universal results when sought and applied. The seeking of wisdom was to learn to live in harmony and conformity with the understanding and reality of the supernatural. The wisdom that understands that there are supernatural consequences the same as natural consequences develops aspects of character such as humility, compassion, courage, discretion, and elements of loyalty.

Our modern western philosophy is diametrically the opposite. The ultimate reality is not so much seen as a supernatural order, but as a pliable natural world. Rather than trying to shape our desires to fit reality, many now seek to control and shape reality to fit their desires. The root cause of this culture was birthed in the “dreams of power” as C.S. Lewis had stated. The writings of Tolkien address the consequences of seeking power and control rather than wisdom and the understanding of a supernatural moral order. Thus, the spirit of control and power has given mankind the responsibility to determine right and wrong! Mankind’s confidence that it can control the natural realm has crossed over in that we can reshape the supernatural realm.

Sexual promiscuity is naturally accepted by many and it also seems unfair for many that sexual sins will be punished. However, like the natural consequence of holding you hand in a fire…There are also supernatural consequences for violating the universal moral order. Many believe so deeply in their personal rights in the natural order, that the very thought of divine judgment seems impossible. But as we saw earlier – this belief system is rooted in the quest for control and power that has peppered history with tragedy after tragedy.

The bottom line of prophesy as the last days unfold is the clear understanding of how God is both a God of divine love and of divine justice. Many, even within the church of Jesus Christ have a difficult time with a loving God being a judging God. Why is such a loving God also be a God that can be filled with wrath? We can start with ourselves in beginning to answer this question. I know many loving people who can sometimes be filled with wrath – not for spite but because of their great love! If you love someone and if you were to witness them being abused by either themselves or another – you justifiably become angry. God’s wrath flows from His great love. God is angry at evil and injustice because it destroys the fabric of universal peace and good-will toward all men.

Those who have not sought prophetic wisdom see a God who smites evildoers as a justification for themselves to smite others by various forms. However, this reasoning is warped and the benefits of justice (God’s judgment) have been missed. It is the lack of belief or understanding in God’s judgment that births and feeds world violence. Human nature by itself has an impulse to make perpetrators of violence pay for their crimes and to state that this impulse is overwhelming is an understatement! Many victims of violence are drawn by human nature to go far beyond justice into a form of vengeance that says: “You put out one of my eyes and I will put out both of yours.” This common scenario creates an environment of perpetual or an endless cycle of vengeance – striking and counterstriking nurtured and justified by the memory of terribly being wronged.

Prophetic wisdom is understanding that our innate passion for justice be honorable in a way that does not feed our desire for blood vengeance. This can only be attained by knowing the value and love in the concept of God’s divine justice. For instance, if I don’t believe that there is a God who will eventually make all things “right,” I will take up the sword of vengeance myself and be pulled into a endless cycle of retaliation. Only when we understand that there is a God who will right all wrongs and settle all accounts perfectly just, do I have the power to refrain. Carl Marx stated that “religion was the opiate of the masses” because of the promise of a afterlife which led the poor and working class to put up with unjust social conditions. I humbly disagree! The true opiate of the masses is a belief in nothingness after death and the twisted solace of thinking that our betrayals, greed, cowardice, and murdering spirit are not going to be judged…In a nutshell – God’s judgment is a facet of His great love for mankind and the necessary moral order that has preserved the human race. Without it; the human race would have already been ravaged beyond recognition or even extinct…