PRÉCIS ON A WORLD GONE MAD: THE CRITICAL NEED FOR WISDOM IN THE AGE OF LAWLESSNESS (WITH VIDEO)

SCRIPTURE. “If any of you lacks WISDOM [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. 

But he must ask [for wisdom] in faith, without doubting [God’s willingness to help], for the one who doubts is like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about and tossed by the wind. For such a person ought not to think or expect that he will receive anything [at all] from the Lord, being a DOUBLE-MINDED man, unstable and restless in all his ways [in everything he thinks, feels, or decides].” – JAMES 1:5-8, AMP

KEY TERMS:

• “WISDOM.” ‘Sophia’ [σοφία]: “Skill, tact, or expertise in the affairs of life; practical wisdom, wise management shown in the forming of the best plans and selecting the best means for their accomplishment by sound judgment.” NOTE: “Strong’s Greek 4678 (‘sophia’) speaks of Wisdom—Insight that: ‘Grasps Reality as God sees it and moves in harmony with His will. It often refers to learned research and a knowledge of “hidden things,” shown only to those who diligently, aggressively search for it.”

• “DOUBLE-MINDED.” ‘Dipsuchos’ [δίψυχοι]: “Two-spirited, vacillating in opinion or purpose; inconstant, wavering; unstable [in all his life ways].” NOTE: ‘Double-Mindedness describes the internal division that renders a person spiritually unstable, hesitant, and ineffective in faith and practice.’ The Psalms commend an ‘undivided heart’ set on God’s statutes (Psalm 119:113; Psalm 86:11). ‘Wholehearted Allegiance is the only acceptable response to the Covenant God.’”

QUOTATION. “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the True.” ― NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, The Scarlet Letter, 1850; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘A double minded man’ – A man of two souls, or of a double heart, that speaks and asks with an heart, and another heart, as in Psalm 12:2: ‘Who halts between two opinions, and is at an uncertainty what to do or say, and is undetermined what to ask for; or who is not sincere and upright in his requests, who asks for one thing, and means another, and asks amiss, and with an ill design.’ [He] does not call upon God in Truth, and in the sincerity of his soul; draws nigh to Him with his mouth, and honours Him with his lips, ‘but his heart is far from Him.’ Such an one is:

‘Unstable in all his ways’ – ‘He is confused in his mind; restless in his thoughts, unsettled in his designs and intentions; inconstant in his petitions; uncertain in his notions and opinion of things; and very variable in his actions, and especially in Matters of Religion. He is always changing, and never at a point, but at a continual uncertainty, both in a way of thinking and doing: he never continues long either in an opinion, or in a practice, but is ever shifting and moving.’” – JOHN GILL, An Exposition of the Old and New Testament, 9 vols., 1746-1763; edited

THE WHITE CHURCH. The obvious question is, therefore: How “Wise” is the White Evangelical Church in 2026 America? Put another way: How doctrinally pure is the Theology of our Pastors handed out each Sunday morning from our 150,000 pulpits across the land? A Compendium of a number of surveys gives us a rather concerning, yet not unexpected, answer. – From an AI Overview, ret. May 4, 2026; edited

• OPEN. ‘As of Early 2026, the American Evangelical Church shows signs of being DEEPLY CONFLICTED, with many adherents holding views contradictory to Traditional Orthodoxy.’ While 2026 is described as a year of high spiritual openness and potential growth. However: ‘Studies show that only 4% of adults hold a Biblical Worldview, and many Evangelicals express beliefs aligned with Moral Therapeutic Deism, such as believing humans are inherently good.’

• BELIEFS. Data shows that approximately 53% of Evangelicals believe people are good by nature, and 47% believe God accepts the worship of all religions.

• SHIFTS. About 28% of Evangelicals believe Jesus was a great teacher but not God, despite claiming to trust in Him for salvation. Additionally, 53% view the Holy Spirit as ‘a force’ ratherthan a Personal Being.

• WORLDVIEW. The percentage of American adults with a Biblical Worldview remains low at 4%, unchanged from 2023.

• SYNCRETISM. A “Cultural Christianity” [some say, “Civil Religion,’ or “Christian Nationalism”] that merges Political Conservatism with Christian Symbols is prevalent, prioritizing National Identity over traditional Gospel Theology.

• PRIORITIES. Despite the rise of “Cultural Christianity,” studies suggest that some Evangelicals still prioritize core theological beliefs over social issues.

• SPIRITUALITY. 2026 is projected to be a year of “High Spiritual Curiosity,” with a potential resurgence in interest for faith, though not necessarily traditional orthodoxy.

• DISCIPLESHIP. ‘Algorithms’ are increasingly shaping Evangelical beliefs, often faster than Pastors, impacting the theological health of believers.

• POSTMODERNISM. There is a continued acceptance of Postmodern Theology within some Evangelical circles [including “Open Theism”].

• WINSOMENESS. [“Attractive; Light-hearted, Cheerful; ‘Nice’”].Leaders are often divided between an established, ‘Winsome, Center-Left’ approachand more ‘Traditional, Conservative’ approaches.

• SUMMARY. ‘The Overall Picture is one of Polarization, with some sectors experiencing a drift toward Cultural Compromise and others seeking Stronger Orthodox.’

DK’S TAKE. I have mentioned before that my doctoral training in multivariate statistics was strongly influenced by DR. JOHN TUKEY, a Princeton-educated mathematician and statistician who coined the term, “Detective Work” when interpreting data. Essentially, he meant this: ‘Live with the data, master it to the point where you are able to give it legitimate meaning.’ – “Analyzing data: Sanctification or Detective Work?” American Psychologist, 24 (2), 1969, pp. 83–91

So here is what I believe these combined studies actually mean after a ten-year sojourn with many studies like this. (1) “THE WINSOME CHURCH,” better known as the “Seeker Friendly Church,” seeks to attract attendees as its highest priority and keep them as members for as long as possible. (2) “THE TRADITIONAL CHURCH” has been radically Redefined as an iron-fisted Christian Nationalist dogma that is Dominionist, Racist, Misogynous, and Materialist.

THE REMNANT CHURCH. Nested and most often overlooked or opposed by these two Religious Behemoths is a Minority Fellowship consisting of those whose main desire is to Follow Christ’s Full Gospel over any other theology, ideology, or denomination.

By the data: “4%”!

This Church, the one that I argue forcefully is the True Body of Christ, may be defined in many ways. But there is a group of Scottish believers that I go to now and then for Biblical, almost poetic, clarity. They publish regularly under the name, ‘A Call to the Remnant,’ led by a pseudonymous writer named APOLLUS, “The Prodigal Rebel,” after the Early Church evangelist and friend of Paul.

Here (May 12, 2015) he quotes A.W. TOZER from a previously unpublished essay and now found in Reclaiming Christianity (2009; edited). I love the way Tozer instructs us of the Divine Exclusivity of this special group of True Followers of The Christ.

“What is the ‘Doctrine of the Remnant?’ It is simply this; that in our blind, fallen, sinful world of mankind, at any given time, the vast overwhelming ‘Majority is Lost.’ And by Lost, I do not mean they have missed their way or come short of the mark or are less that they wanted to be or fail to fulfill their dreams. ‘By Lost I mean, Alienated from God and an enemy to Him, without pardon, without life, without hope.’

‘What does the Doctrine of the Remnant mean? “Remnant,” means a Small Fragment, a Surviving Trace. It means that some-thing yet Remains when the larger body is somewhere else.’ The Romans 9:27 text deals with Israel, but it sets forth clearly the Doctrine as applying to the entire human race as well as the Church. This was true among the nations before Abraham; it was true of Israel after Abraham; and it is true of the Church since Pentecost. ‘I am alarmed because it has been true since Pentecost that such a vast number of people who call themselves Christians-the overwhelming majority-are Nominal, and only a Remnant is saved.”

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REMANT. Following a copious review of several articles on this important matter – one by a Trumper named Joseph Mattera, several by authors associated with the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and a few that were simply weak theologically, I found one that I believe is both doctrinally sound and quite encouraging.

It is by DARROW MILLER, co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International (now FH association), and from 1994 as Vice President.

The title of his review is, simply: “A Remnant: Seven Defining Characteristics,” published in his Blog, Darrow Miller and Friends (Aug. 25, 2016; edited).

1. FUTURE HOPE. “‘They are a people who Hope in the Future.’ They are oriented to the Future, not the Past. They are not looking backwards to a Golden Age now gone. They are not focusing on ‘What might have been.’ Their Present is focused on what God expects them to DO and what He Promises He will DO.” – Jeremiah 29:11-13

• “SEED CORN.” “‘The Remnant is the “Seed Corn” for the future crop, the Source of the Recovery of the larger community.’ They are like ‘The Root of Jesse,’ Isaiah writes about, ‘Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit’ (11:1). From the Stump of the Tree, New Life will come. While God’s Righteous Judgment may fall on a people like it did on Israel and Judah, the Judgment does not make God’s Promise null and void. He will fulfill His Promise through the Remnant of the people.”

1. WORKS-ORIENTED. “‘The Remnant is World “Engaging,” not World “Escaping.’” Jesus’ Commission to the Remnant is to ‘Disciple the Nations’ (Matthew 28:18-20). We are not to hide in caves or seek to flee the world. We are to be in the world, but not of the world, not of the world’s system. We are to be living within and functioning from the counter-cultural position of the kingdom of God (John 17: 20-23).” – James 2:26

• CONSERVE FOUNDATIONS. “‘The Remnant is to Conserve those things that matter most, strengthening the Basic Institutions of society – Marriage, Family, and Community.’ The first institution is Marriage. It is the Foundation for any society. We need to work for Healthy Covenantal Relationships. Starting with our own marriages, we need to create a climate within the Church and larger community in which ‘Covenantal Marriage’ can flourish.”

• KINGDOM VISION. “‘The Remnant is to be visionary, Casting a Vision of the Coming Kingdom of God that is worthy of living for and dying for.’ We have been made for the Kingdom of God. Our lives flourish when we live, today, in the Reality of the fullness of the Coming Kingdom. Part of what this means is that The Remnant seeks to manifest ‘Thy Kingdom Come, [Thy will be done]’–Truth, Beauty, and Goodness–in the midst of their life and work. We are to create spaces that are beautiful, wholesome and inviting.”

• INTERNAL REFORMATION. “‘The Remnant understands that Change in Society comes from the inside out and from the bottom up.’ Change does not begin with the Government or the Elites in society. It begins with the Individual practicing internal self-government, taking responsibility for their own actions. As Leo Tolstoy summarizes, ‘Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”’ – John 3:3

• REALISTIC OPTIMISM. “‘The Remnant is Optimistic.’ While Dark Days may bring a people to a hinge in their history, the ‘Long View’will always be Optimistic. The Remnant knows ‘The Rest of the Story,’ the End of History. We know Who won the Battle that turned the tide of the War. ‘It was Jesus Christ on the Cross!’ (Col. 2: 15). We know with certainty that Christ will Return at the End of History with His Glorious Kingdom. The Remnant knows in Whose hands they live and Who will bring to fulfillment ‘The Teleos’ – the End of History.”

LAST THOUGHTS. This rich listing tells us why a True Disciple of the Messiah cannot for very long lose Hope, so long as we are driven back to a VISION OF LAST THINGS that are now virtually exploding upon and around us all.

If we have eyes to see it, beloved.

“Of the Tribe of Issachar, men who UNDERSTOOD THE TIMES [‘Binah’ (בִינָה֙), ‘comprehension, discernment, moral insight of the truth’] with knowledge of what Israel should DO, two hundred chiefs; and all their relatives were at their command.” – 1 CHRONICLES 12:32, NKJV

Therefore, in the interests of putting substance to that Heavenly Vision, I conclude our conversation with a brief review of what it took me four decades of study to grasp: That is, TEN STAGES that sequentially constitute what I call in my book, “The End of the Age” (The Sixth Seal II, 2024, pp. 190-195; edited).

• ONE: BIRTH PANGS. I view these events as Jesus enumerated them in Matthew 24:1-13, roughly but unmistakably in harmony with the First Five Seals of Revelation 6:1-11. They are, in some chronological order: Antichrist (Seal 1); Wars (Seal 2); Famine(Seal 3); Pestilence (Seal 4); Martydom(Seal 5); Wrath (Seal 6). I posit further that: ‘The Remnant experiences only the First Five Seals, but NOT The Sixth Seal, God’s Wrath,’ based on 1 Thessalonians 5:9: Christ’s true followers are “Not appointed to [God’s] wrath.”

• TWO: APOSTASY. In another Letter to Thessalonica, Paul prophesies: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day [of wrath] will not come unless the FALLING AWAY [‘Apostasia’ (ἀποστασία), ‘defection from the truth of Christ by forsaking the Gospel’] comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Translated: The great majority of the Professing Church will depart from the Faith, giving way to the revealing and rise of the Biblical Antichrist. For me: It is all around us by every poll and political vote from 2016 through 2026;

• THREE: ANTICHRIST. In the book, I propose Two Stages of Antichrist’s Rise: (1) Apostasy is theologically and operationally defined by God’s “Separation of the Wheat from the Chaff” (Matthew 3:12), with Christ’s True Remnant, “the Wheat,” now able to identify the Antichrist; but (2) “the Chaff,” the nominal or apostatized believers, have no idea of Antichrist’s identity, and thereby sink deeper into the mire of God’s Strong Delusion. “That they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).

• FOUR: RESCUE. When this Grand Threshing is completed, and as the Fifth Seal of limited Martyrdom is finished, soon thereafter, “He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12). That “Fire” will include the Seven Years of Tribulation that will then follow, punctuated and defined by the Trumpet and Bowl Judgments of Revelation 7-16. Second, it shall also constitute the “Lake of Fire” reserved for all those found Outside of Christ at the End of the Seven Years (cf. Revelation 21:8: ‘Cowards, Unbelievers, Abominable, Murderers, Sexually Immoral, Sorcerers, Idolaters, and all Liars’). JUST BEFORE THIS: “Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP [‘Harpazó’ (ἁρπαγησόμεθα), ‘to seize or catch up by force’]” to meet Him in the clouds, to forever be with Him from that Day forward (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

• FIVE: TRIBULATION. As I have argued for over 40 years in stable agreement with the Old and New Testament Canon, the “Time of Jacob’s Troubles” (Jeremiah 30:6-8) cannot begin until the True Remnant Church is removed from the Earth. Thus, the Tribulation Era of Seven Years commences nearly simultaneously with the Opening of: THE SIXTH SEAL (Revelation 6:12-17), the very Thesis of my entire book. I believe that the First 3.5 Years, “The Tribulation,” are operationally defined by the Trumpet Judgments (Revelation 8-11: Vegetation Struck, Seas Struck, Waters Struck, Heavens Struck, Locusts, Four Angels, Kingdom Proclaimed). You will note that these Judgments depart significantly from the previous, comparatively much less severe “Birth Pangs” that are made up of Satan’s Anger, not God’s.Finally, it is likely that Antichrist will at the end of this period, commit the “Abomination of Desolation” in the Third Temple in Jerusalem, and declare himself to be God (Daniel 11:31).

• SIX: GREAT TRIBULATION. Based on all that I have studied in the last several decades, I now believe that the Last 3.5 Years of the Tribulation Era are rightly labeled, “Great,” for this reason. This Period of human experience on the Earth is so supernaturally violent, it is very nearly beyond words to describe. As Jesus said: “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake [the tribulation saints] those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22). Further, I propose that this Era is defined primarily by The Bowl Judgments (Revelation 16: Loathsome Sores, Sea of Blood, Rivers of Blood, Men Scorched, Darkness and Pain, Euphrates Dried Up, Earth Utterly Shaken). Yet even here shall God preserve a “Surviving Remnant” of Tribulation Saints (Revelation 7:14), distinct from the Church Age Saints removed before the Tribulation Era.

• SEVEN: THE RETURN. I quote from The Sixth Seal II: “At the end of the Seven-Year Great Tribulation, a triumphant Jesus Christ thunderously Returns with the Armies of Heaven on horseback (Angels and Church Age Saints) ‘to Rescue’ (not Rapture) the remaining Jews and Tribulation Saints, then to utterly annihilate the Armies of Antichrist and all earthly foes that opposed Jesus Christ. Thus, we see things coming full circle with Jews and Christians being ‘Reunited and Restored’ to fellowship in the Messiah forever and ever. This is why I call this phase the beginning of The Grand Reconciliation-(cf. Matt. 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27; Rom. 11:26; Rev. 19:19-21). NOTE: I also propose that the Bride of Christ shall have a somewhat different role to play than the Jewish Saints. The Bride Co-reigns with Christ (cf. 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 3:21), while the Tribulation Redeemed and Glorified “serve [God] day and night in His temple” (cf. Daniel 2:44; Isaiah 65:25; Zechariah 14:15; Revelation 7:15).

• EIGHT: THE MILLENNIUM. Following the last Great War of  Armageddon (Revelation 16:16), the Lord then initiates His literal Rule of 1,000 Years from the Throne of David in Jerusalem. Just before this He dispatches Satan in chains to the Bottomless Pit, having already thrown the Antichrist, his False Prophet and all their followers (including Apostatized believers) into the Lake of Fire (cf. Revelation 19:20; 20:3; 21:8). Thus commences a near-perfect Earth completely absent of any demonic influence. The Millennium will be an unparelled and unbroken Period of Peace Prosperity. In one of the most well-known Old Testament passages: “And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatted domestic animal together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed side by side, their young shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9).

• NINE: LAST REBELLION. Again, I quote directly from the book: “Mysteriously, nearly incomprehensively, Jesus releases Satan from the Bottomless Pit for a short time at the end of the Millennial Era.‘Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth’ (Revelation 20:7). Thankfully, after Satan leads one last massive worldwide force to surround Jerusalem, John the Apostle tells us: ‘They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the Beloved City. And fire came down from heaven and destroyed them’ (v. 9). After which it is now Satan’s turn to be pitched into the Lake of Fire to join the Antichrist, the False Prophet and all their followers who shall all be burned and tormented forever (v. 10; cf. Jeremiah 17:9, 29:29).”

• TEN: “TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!” Now we complete this Grand Scenario but fail to have either the grasp or the language to express it. That is, that which will last forever and ever and forever. No time frames. No epochs, nor eras, nor the normal means of measure of our most common experiences as humans. Yet again, however, we are wise to be reminded of Paul’s Letter:“If we ENDURE, we shall also REIGN with Him. If we DENY Him, He will also DENY and disown and reject us” (2 Timothy 2:12). The Apostle Paul taught that in our new Glorified Condition, we shall have been raised so high that: “We will judge even the Angels” (1 Corinthians 6:3). Yet a Second Warning here: We are nonetheless ‘not gods,’ even as is so often blasphemously and increasingly inferred by False Teachers of the Last Days in what is called the “Theosis Heresy” (cf. John 10:28-30; 1 John 2:17; Revelation 21:3-4).

CODA. So there we have it, beloved of the True King of the Universe, a Summary of His Master Plan in just a few pages.  Though I am certain it is not a perfect representation, it took me nearly 50 years to compile it.

Toward this massive, all encompassing and nearly incomprehensible most ‘BLESSED HOPE.’

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself, He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!” – REVELATION 19:16-19

Be Wise, therefore; we know not the Day nor the Hour. But of the Seasons, beloved, of those: KNOW THEM WELL!

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/Uk_uDVMU9ec