Question:
I thought it strange that when Jesus comes and all eyes see Him, so many refuse to believe it is He or believe in Him. Then this came to mind: During these days of high technology and science fiction, it is no wonder that when Jesus does come down from heaven, people will still not believe what they see. They will think (just because really down deep the evil is in control of them) that His appearance is some kind of scientific put-on or experiment. They believe more in men’s knowledge and technology than in the Bible. I’d appreciate your comments.
Answer:
You have made several valid observations. Human nature is the same in every age and situation. In general, humankind does not like to acknowledge a higher authority telling them what to do, they do not like to submit to law regardless of it being for their own good; nor do they like to change their pattern of life. On top of all this, add the skepticism that comes from most having some familiarity with science fiction and it becomes less strange that when Jesus comes people will not believe what they see and conclude that Jesus is just another hero of fiction.
There is another fact here, to which you allude: that it is easier for the human race to trust their own technology and their own knowledge than to trust God and His written Word. So the fact that God, or His representatives, or angels, testify that something is true will do little to impress most people.
Jesus illustrated our inborn tendency to reject authority in His parable of the nobleman who went into a far country “to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.” Before he departed, he divided his goods among his ten servants, with the command, “Occupy till I come.” The immediate reaction of the servants was, “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:11-14).
Jeremiah records that the Lord commanded, “ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls.” But what was the response? “We will not walk in it” (Jer. 6:16-17). Furthermore, when the Lord said, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people,” the Israelites “ did not obey or incline their ear, but…went backward, and not forward” (Jer. 7:23-24).
With such an attitude when there is no outside aggressor, can we imagine how people will feel to see someone taking control of them right before their eyes? Surely there will be resistance, severe resistance that will lead quickly to the battle of Armageddon. In their view, the solution is to conquer the new usurper. But they will quickly learn that such tactics are impossible, that God knows what He is doing, and that His agents will win.