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Conspiracies – Don’t we have Anything beter to do?Conspiracies. We’re busy at it! And let’s face it, we’re good at it! So just a few theories: The moon landing was staged; the earth is flat, and they don’t want us to know it; the construction of the temple is all prepared; big pharma controls all medical research; the Covid jab was meant to reduce the number of people on earth, or at least it was one big scam to make money on the backs of gullible people; the Dutch politician Wilders is controlled opposition; World Economic Forum; all kinds of developments around the rapture of the church, and the World Health Organisation.
Now if you think I am going to give my opinion on all these ideas, you are wrong! If you have been following me for any length of time, you may well know that I too have my ideas on this. Then you will know that I am pretty adamant about some theories. But again, that’s not what I’m about in this video. Then what is?
Conspiracies, Real or Not?
A conspiracy is a type of plot or secret plan. Often, a powerful and evil secret group is at the centre of the conspiracy.
But then again, aren’t conspiracies just figments of the imagination of people who have watched too many James Bond films? Well, sometimes they are of course. Some conspiracies just turn out to be false. But clearly there have also been examples of conspiracy theories that later turned out to be true.
A fairly recent idea was that Apple deliberately made existing iPhones run slower. This was initially seen as a conspiracy. It was claimed that Apple did this to better sell newly released phones. Later, these conspiracy geeks were proved right and Apple had to pay some $500 million in claims.i
So, while some conspiracies are simply true, others are not. When push comes to shove, we all believe in a conspiracy from time to time.
The Problem with Conspiracies
Being preoccupied with conspiracies is not something new. Conspiracy theories have a strong pull on us. But I will go into that in a little more detail later.
First about the problem that can develop by engaging in conspiracies.
1 Timothy 1:3-4; 6-7
As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
Of course, it is not bad at all to be busy with current events in the world. It becomes a problem when certain events or ideas take such a big place in your thinking that you risk forgetting what you should really be doing.
Whether it is the idea of a flat or round earth, or whether the World Economic Forum is a steppinf stone for the anti-Christ. Ultimately, what matters is that our conversations and actions lead to building up our faith in God. Paul warns in his first letter to Timothy that there are some who mainly engage in fabrications that cause more discord than good.
I remember very well when we had two Bible teachers in the church. One of them had made very special discoveries in the Old Testament. I was too young in my faith to follow the whole discussion. But his discoveries seemed to be quite controversial. He held on high while the other teacher kept explaining the same pasages in the usual way. They got into a disagreement and so two camps formed in the congregation. I don’t remember the outcome, but the contentious discussions were certainly not for the edification of the congregation or individual believers.
Why are Conspiracies Attractive?
Of course, I quite understand that many things in this world have a foul smell to them. I made a few videos during the Corona era for a reason. Yes, I also watch the world around me intently, and try to make sense of events with Christ’s return in mind.
But what else makes it attractive to think about conspiracies?
1. What is in store for us?
Number 1, I think, is the most important one for many Christians. We want to know what awaits us. Even though the Bible teaches us just fine about future events, we actually want to know even more. More than we can get directly from God’s word. And we won’t readily admit it, but much of what we think and suspect may just be nonsense. Hold on! Shouldn’t we prepare ourselves for the future? Of course, we do! But then let’s do so mostly on the basis of things we can know for sure. It’s fun to speculate about other things, but we should learn to sometimes just say “we don’t know.”
2. Gnosticism
This brings me to number 2, gnosticism! I made a video about gnosticism earlier. Gnosticism is a very old false teaching and emphasises special knowledge. The word comes from the Greek word gnosis meaning ‘knowledge.’ Through this knowledge, they believed they knew exactly how people should relate to this evil world. But here comes the difficult part, gnostics believed they were much smarter and better than ‘normal’ Christians. The latter is very recognisable. How many times have I talked to Christians about all kinds of ideas and then been told, “just wait until your eyes are opened, and you start understanding how it really works!” Huh? And all this time I thought that my faith in Jesus was the most important thing! But no, apparently my faith life gets 100% better when my eyes are opened to this or that development. That idea makes me nervous!
3. Nervousness
And that’s number 3, nervousness! Admittedly, there are an awful lot of things happening at once in the world around us. In my early childhood, it was a lot more manageable. In the 1990-1991 Gulf War, for example, we were mostly presented with the fact that Iraq was really, really bad. The United States, the United Kingdom and Egypt had no choice but to attack. Soon my attention was completely taken away from all the dead and wounded because the army had a new weapon, GPS! Wow, I was mostly preoccupied with the amazing technology.
How different it is now. Now we get so much news coverage that you can hardly shut yourself off from it. It makes us scared, or at least nervous. We want to give it a place, and so we like to hear what people make of it. Is it about oil? Is it about depopulation? Is it about power? Or maybe, after all, a march towards the coming of the anti-Christ!
But beware! Fear is not a good guide to understanding the world. Fear is a bad counsellor.
Psalm 34:4
I sought the LORD, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
Indeed, our fears come from a wrong source and certainly do not belong to the new man we ought be in Christ.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
4. Scapegoat Syndrome
Number 4: We are looking for scapegoats. You know, the typical ‘we and they thinking.’ They want to subjugate us; they want absolute control over everything you do; they want fewer people. But, thank goodness we have caught on! Okay, okay, but who are ‘they’ then exactly? That always remains vague. Instead, we look for the so-called useful idiots. And then when we read that former Dutch prime minister Rutte was a promising ‘student’ of the World Economic Forum, we immediately have a face to the invisible powers.
Now it becomes a lot more interesting to speculate with each other about such a group. Almost every move Rutte makes we are going to analyse. He becomes the embodiment of our ideas, and before we know it, just about everything the man does is labelled as bad. He can’t do anything right anymore, because by now we know for sure, he is the biggest liar on eath!
And again, of course, it may all be true, but we must be careful not to get caught up in Satan’s favourite game of gossip. Gossip brings little good.
Proverbs 10:18
He that hideth hatred with lying lips, And he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
5. Focused on the Failure of Others
For number 5, we can stick to the example of former Dutch prime minister Rutte. And then, for convenience sake, let’s throw in former Dutch minister of health, Hugo de Jonge.
The joke, of course, is that by just hearing those two names makes the hair stand on end for many of us. How many Christians have I heard talking about these men. They hope they have to appear before a tribunal. Hopefully, Hugo de Jonge’s career is over. Rutte will be the new secretary general of NATO. Let’s hope he has to resign soon. And so on, and so forth.
And yes, I understand it all quite well. I also have my thoughts on these two men. The more we hear about these men, the more we hope that those reports will be their ultimate downfall. Before we know it, we are immersing ourselves more in their lives, their history and all the rumours around them, than in the life of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:10-11
that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
What say ye?
To put it in Pauline words. So what shall we say of these things? [Romans 8:31] Quite simply. There are theories that may be useful to know. But above all, let us not be distracted from the most important thing of all.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
We should be careful not to engage in, as Paul called it, controversial speculations. Paul went so far as to choose to subordinate everything he knew to the knowledge he had gained from Jesus.
Credibility
Look, I actually don’t have too many problems with people having all kinds of theories about certain events. I also find it interesting sometimes. As far as I’m concerned, it gets a bit trickier if you’re at a birthday party and someone starts a conversation about the moon landing. I find it even more annoying if that person is a Christian. Let me explain.
The point is the fact that many people don’t take a lunar-landing denier seriously. The person in question knows this, of course, and takes it for granted. Incidentally, that is perfectly normal if you have strong beliefs—he is willing to accept certain consequences. I too, am prepared to be ridiculed for, say, my belief in a young earth.
But let’s be honest. Is it really necessary to share our ideas about these plots with unbelievers? The message of the cross is already ridiculous enough for unbelievers.
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Our preaching is about ‘Jesus and Him crucified!’ That is hard enough for many. Many people I talk to already find it a bit crazy that I trust a man who once hung on a cross. Still, they can live with the fact that I believe this. But if I share with them all the other wild ideas I have … Well, that doesn’t really help credibility, do you think?
I have been following a brother, whom I consider a friend, on Telegram for some time. I don’t mention him because I don’t know whether he appreciates that. He is young of age but already fully versed in all the ideas surrounding the rapture of the church. He is able to link and explain Bible passages in a way that is a bit over my head. Very clever! He posts an awful lot of world events on his Telegram page and then links that to end-time thinking. Well, if that’s not a recipe for a fine batch of diatribes then I don’t know what is.
But! Why do I have so much respect for this brother? He is honest! He posted (of course) about the attack on former President Trump and at the end of the post he wrote the following:
Further, I will not waste too many words here on the incident with Trump. There is bound to be a deeper meaning. I don’t know. Nor does it matter. We proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Saviour of this world.
Look, we are proclaiming the Lord Jesus! Fully in line with Paul’s words.
2 Corinthians 4:5
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord
Follow and Support
Just let me know what you think in the comments. Remember! I am mostly active on my Odysee channel. You’ll find a link to that channel in the description of this video or on my website.
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Anyway, thanks very much for watching or reading.
I close with the words from 2 Peter 1:2
grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord
Endnotes
i BBC, Apple pays out over claims it deliberately slowed down iPhones, 08-01-2024, [Internet] <https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67911517>, accessed 12-07-2024.
