Our Black Swan

Nassim Taleb is an epistemologist who wrote a book on philosophy called, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.  Wikipedia defines ‘epistemology’ as, “the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and limitations of knowledge; also known as The Theory of Knowledge.”  

It asks the questions: 

What is knowledge?

How is knowledge acquired?

To what extent is it possible for a given subject or entity to be known?

Wake up now…this is gonna be good! 

This book focuses on the extreme impact of certain kinds of unpredictable and unforeseen events, and our tendency to reflect back on what happened and rationalize some kind of simple explanation we can live with to bring back our emotional equilibrium so we can resume our normal lives.  

One example used is this: a farmer buys a turkey and cares for, shelters and feeds that turkey for 360 days.  On the 361^st day, the farmer kills the turkey because it is Thanksgiving and he plans to cook it for dinner.  To the turkey, this is a black swan event because he didn’t see it coming.  To the farmer, it is a white swan event because he knew when he bought the turkey what its fate would be.  

Another great example of a black swan event would be the Flood. Genesis 6:9 tells us that “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”  Verses 11-13 say, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” 

Bible commentaries tell us that up until that time, no rain had ever fallen on the earth due to its tropical atmosphere and all the springs and surface water.  No human being had ever seen rain and probably couldn’t conceive what it was or its potential to destroy life.   

Can you imagine what poor ‘ol Noah endured during the 120 years it took him to build the ark?  Think of all the taunts and insults people must have hurled at him!  Think of the hundreds of times he explained why he was constructing that vessel but not one person outside of his immediate family believed him!  The danger he tried to warn them about was so unprecedented and unbelievable, they paid no attention to their eventual demise.  The Flood was one heck of a black swan event to the perishing.  

The biggest black swan event in American history would have been, of course, 9/11.  Although I am firmly convinced our government fully knew and helped plan the attack on the Twin Towers, the victims and their families--indeed the entire country never saw it coming.   

We have since tried to rationalize the hows and why’s of what happened; to make some kind of sense out of a nonsensical attack.  The average citizen seems to have come to the conclusion that makes them the most comfortable and life in this country has returned to normal, for the most part.

However, the biggest, baddest, most incredible, most life changing black swan event in all of human history is just about to happen.  The Rapture will turn this world on its head!  Even though most Americans have heard of the concept of the rapture of the church, the thought it might literally occur is too fantastic to believe.  It’s considered to be a fairy tale or an extreme form of denial and wishful thinking.

Peter ties the black swan event of the Flood to the return of Christ by describing the type of mentality average people seem to have concerning both.  2^nd Peter 3:3-6 states, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?  For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.’  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished.” 

To their destruction, people didn’t believe Noah and they don’t believe us now when we tell them that time is short because Christ is about to snatch His church home to be with Him.  They see the world economies and governments falling apart and hear the gloom and doom on the news every single day, but they choose to ignore the signs and stay willingly ignorant of things to come.  

If you try to point out the way Mr. Obama has outrageously taken it upon himself to sign one Executive Order after another, stripping the rights afforded to us citizens by our Constitution and Bill of Rights, you are castigated as a kooky conspiracy theorist.  

When you warn and even present evidence that our military is being prepared to act against the American people, or tell about the well known FEMA detention camps, well, that is “just beyond the pale!”  It matters not that there is loads of evidence in government documents as well as videos of these soon to occur dangers; most people stay ‘willingly ignorant.’ 

To acknowledge the horror soon be unleashed upon this nation is to acknowledge that life as we’ve always known it is over.  Who wants to face the fact that we now live in a carefully planned and prepared Marxist country?  Who wants to think about having their family rounded up in the middle of the night and forced onto buses headed for some razor wired detention camp, where they will most likely meet a terrifying fate?  

The mother of all Black Swan events will be the Rapture of the church!  Jesus Christ has

promised us in Revelation 3:10, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon the entire world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” 

When you include the Greek meanings, this promise comes alive. “Because (since) you have kept (to attend to carefully) the word (the decrees of God) of my patience (a steadfast, enduring, loyal faith), I also (I as well, I likewise) will keep (guard, take care of) thee from (out of, away from) the hour (any definite time or moment) of temptation (rebellion against God where his power and justice are challenged to show themselves)…” 

For you mid and post tribes, the Lord Himself tells us He will keep us from the hour…not through the hour.  Not during the hour. FROM the hour. Ya’ll can stay here if you want to. 

In the Old Testament, Israel was given the privilege of occasionally seeing and hearing with their natural eyes and ears, a manifestation of God.  They witnessed the shaking and thunder and lightning of God’s presence while Moses was on the mountain with God. They saw the pillar of fire and cloud guiding them through the wilderness. They saw God’s presence light up the temple when Solomon dedicated it to Jehovah. We don’t have that advantage today.

Those redeemed by Christ after Jesus ascended to the Father have had to believe and rely on His Word for truth and have been given the Holy Spirit to live in us as a ‘down payment’ of the wonderful things God has in store for us. In other words, we don’t have the advantage of literally seeing or hearing God. No, we trust His Word by faith; we trust in His unseen hand as well as the stirring of the Spirit within us.  

It pleases God to no end when we have faith that the things the Bible tells us are true, living our lives accordingly.  He positively pops His buttons over this because He knows it’s a WHOLE lot more difficult to believe when we cannot use our 5 senses. Jesus himself told Thomas in John 20:29, “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” 

And because of our faith, Jesus has promised to keep us FROM the ultimate black swan event that will soon happen. The Rapture will set the whole world on its ear.  Like the Flood, people have heard about this since Paul first alluded to it in the first century. It has been mocked, scoffed at, criticized, argued over and analyzed all these centuries, but most people will be completely shocked when the person next to them suddenly just….disappears! 

Because this will be the biggest black swan event ever, the general public will be taken by surprise.  How will they cope psychologically with an occurrence so unprecedented and life altering?  By rationalizing an explanation they can live with. They must have something plausible to cling to so they can go on with their lives. 

I’d bet a ribeye the explanation will have something to do with UFO’s and aliens.  I cannot imagine what else the authorities could possibly use! And during the ensuing panic, the antichrist will show up to save the day and re-establish order.  He’ll ‘bring all peoples together.’ Kumbaya.  How perfectly global! 

Folks, all hell is about to break loose on this earth.  You know it in your gut, and you can deny and be willingly ignorant, but that is to your detriment.  The one who died to redeem us from our sins is going to call us up to be with Him any day now. The signs and evidence is screaming to be heard!  Are you actually so foolish you’ll disregard all the warnings going out?  Is TV or shopping or school starting really so important you’d pass up your chance to be rescued from the police state to come? 

America is finished.  Almighty God has taken His hand of protection off of this country because of our idolatry, our sacrifice of babies in abortion, our complete acceptance of the abomination of homosexuality and the apostasy of many so called Christians.  We are all about greed and coveting, stealing, lying, sexual immorality…well, now it’s plain depravity. And our government is one of the most wicked I’ve ever heard of. Obama and/or Romney will not save you. They both serve the globalists. 

You are doomed if you refuse to accept the free pardon Jesus bled and died to give to you. The unspeakably awful wrath of God is about to rain down on this earth and, believe me, you won’t be worried about Snooki falling off her 4 inch heels when it happens. Wake up before it’s too late! 

The gorgeous, graceful, silky, black swan you’re about to see is ours.  Our black swan event.  Don’t whine that you weren’t warned!