Something Wicked This Way Comes

Is it the upcoming “Winter Storm Fern” that has me on edge, is it the Middle Eastern paradigm shift, Minnesota madness or something more ominous? The title of this blog post “Something Wicked This Way Comes” is taken from a Ray Bradbury novel, who himself got that title from a line in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. All in all, the title captures something of the general apprehension that I feel at the moment. 

They say there is something in the air before a storm. In the case of a snow storm, it is even said that due to a barely perceptible change in humidity and colder temperatures that a person could actually have a heightened sense of smell. Is that what I am feeling?

All this week, I have felt the sense that there is more going on than meets the eye. I sought to squelch this thought and feeling because it seemed to be distracting me from my list of things to do. But, I haven’t had such a pervasive sense of foreboding in a long time. I have often said that I always follow my instincts and the occasional times that I do not, it is a mistake. My instinct is part Holy Spirit power and life experience, all of which God wants us to be aware of and utilize when necessary. 

In Ray Bradbury’s tale we are introduced to two young lads who are busy living the life of boyhood pleasures and innocence unaware of an approaching storm and the underlying spiritual nature of life. The sense of worse things to come like growing up, death and the spiritual realm is almost palpable from the first page of the novel. There is something about this novel that captures the essence of an ordinary life that senses and contacts the spiritual undercurrents of their life when least expected. Am I having a Ray Bradbury moment? 

I must be because, here I am doing what ordinary people do everyday like cooking up a storm during a storm, having a blast with my newest craft hobby weaving but, crazy things are going on all around me sort of like that crazy carnival coming to town in Bradbury’s novel. Yes, I think the crazy carnival with all the freaky things that happened is a great metaphor for our world right now. Are we all like the innocent and not so innocent people in the story who get caught up in the drama when wickedness comes to town?

Iranian revolution, what’s going to happen with that. I’m on the edge of my seat with this. Is the regime about to end? Has the Iranian Revolution of 1979 run its’ course? Will the Peace Board make the United Nations go the way of the League of Nations? Will Gaza go from being a hell-hole to a world class center of something or other? Is NATO falling apart, or is it still relevant? Will a Greenland deal keep the fed-up United States on board and happy with those petulant Europeans? Is the Anti-Christ about to make the scene?

Something Wicked This Way Comes as the world changes rapidly before our eyes. The character of Mr. Dark in Ray Bradbury’s novel could be played by any number of candidates currently on the world scene. If I remember my high school reading correctly there is a side-kick too. Hmm, whom could that be? Could the approach of the Biblical anti-Christ and his false prophet be on the horizon? There are so many reasons to think that the answer to that is “yes.”

For instance, the Gospel of Matthew 24:6 tells us before the end of days, there will be “wars and rumors of war.” I would say affirmative to that. This will put the world on edge and make it long for a more peaceful existence. The history of this planet has included awful and deadly conflicts. The desire to finally overcome our bloody past will lead the world into the clutches of the anti-Christ.

The anti-Christ will come in with promises of “no more wars.” There will be those who support him and one sponsor in particular will be the so-called “false prophet.” This concept follows the notion that any movement in history that was of any significance always had a philosophical, politcal and spiritual system in place. Every society is based upon that and the anti-Christ system will be no different. Let’s get into some scriptures to give us guidance on the matter.

On the topic of peace deals and the anti-Christ, Daniel 9:27 begins by stating that, And he (meaning the anti-Christ) shall confirm the covenant with many. This seems to point to countries coming together in agreement in a peace deal. The deal had to be in existence already or else they could not confirm it. So the question arises is the peace deal currently being discussed for Gaza, THAT DEAL? Is the United Nations or the new Gaza Peace Board going to be instrumental in bringing THAT DEAL into existence, and will the anti-Christ being involved in that process be a springboard for his evil career? 

This mysterious anti-Christ figure will promise the peace that has alluded humanity since the beginning of time. The anti-Christ will not come in as a warrior king to subdue the world. He will eventually move in that direction but not at first. So, it will be hard to see him coming because he will not be what he appears to be at first. That happens in Ray Bradbury’s novel too. 

This is not surprising since most all of Western Civilization’s literature is a commentary on the Bible. Judeo-Christian beliefs are an important foundation of Western Civilization and consciously or un-consciously author’s test its’ precepts. So, perhaps unconsciously as this long ago read book comes to my mind, I am really examining world events in light of the biblical principles of good versus evil as Bradbury did.

I am disturbed by the moral breakdown of society. Minnesota riots are part of it. A certain segment of the population thinks it okay to disregard the legal system of the USA and they are well-organized and funded. They are formenting a revolution. The latest killing that some are outraged over entail a man bringing a loaded 9 mm. high-capacity handgun to confront ICE agents with. Let’s sum this up, literature teaching how to disrupt law enforcement, encrypted messages, weaponizing vehicles, biting off fingers, and bringing handguns are the modus operandi of this group. Some of the group even disrupted a church service with Communist 101 rhetoric. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to relive it. Lucky for me, I have read a lot of history plus my bible so, I am not buying any of this. 

The moral front and the anti-Christ- I want to join the voices who are calling for a boycott of the upcoming Super Bowl LX Game on February 8th. Every year the half-time show gets dirtier and dirtier. It reminds me of the debauched carnival depicted in Ray Bradbury’s novel. When someone calls himself Bad Bunny where can you go from there? I mean he gives bunnies a bad name. This Puerto Rican singer is supposed to come out in a dress. No pun intended. The entertainment is heavily weighed in this direction and that is by design.

Jesus states that the end times will not come until there is a falling away. The scriptures in various places tell us that people will not listen to the moral teachings of the church any longer in the lead up to end time events. It is the prophesied falling away of the church. That time is surely now. Just look around at all the moral decay and situational ethics that abounds. Anything goes as far as sexuality, right and wrong has been turned upside down. Greed and narcissism has replaced the concept of emulating Jesus and serving one another as he taught us to. 

Peace deals, moral decay, Winter Storm Fern all heightened my sense of preparedness for what comes ahead. As I complete this blog post, we are all cleaning up from the storm which has dumped 10- 15 inches or snow in my area. The icicles and snowbanks will be around for a while as an extended cold weather advisory is in effect. 

The issues of peace and morality portent something wicked in the future. It’s not Wicked Good, it’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. During the winter months when I am indoors more than usual I try to go through and discard various documents that I no longer need whether they are physical pages or in the document files on my computer. I know some financial instruments are coming due and I have to make decisions about future investments. Cooking and cleaning out closets is also a winter activity for a housewife such as myself. Will my feelings of foreboding wane now that Winter Storm Fern has passed or will I be blogging, Something Wicked This Way Comes Part 2-The anti-Christ explored?