Living in a Nation of Fools
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:22
By Mike Wingfield
We live in a nation and a world that are hurtling down a path that is clearly marked “Destruction Ahead.” The majority of people are ignoring the few godly voices of warning that are declaring that danger lies just ahead. These people do not know it, but they are living the life of a person the Bible calls “a fool.” We need to spiritually shout out to these people, “Turn back!”
I have asked myself in recent years, “Has the world gone mad?” The path that most Americans have chosen does not seem to make any sense to me. It is foolish! It is dangerous! And, it is deadly! They really do not seem to care. It seems they are oblivious to fact they are one heartbeat away from eternal damnation.
We live in a world of madness where we kill innocent unborn babies in the name of convenience. Some people are so confused they do not know if they are a male or a female. Really?? Some are intoxicated with their wicked pleasures, ignoring the reality that they are destroying their soul, body, mind, marriage, and family. We are witnessing the beginning of a horrific financial collapse as the madness to gratify self is driving people into financial bondage, creating a bubble of debt that will soon explode in the face of all Americans. We live in an hour of such foolishness that many are crying out for freedom from the laws of God and man. They want to be free to express the lawlessness of their depraved heart in rebellion against God, government, our nation, and their family. Their way is the only way. But, according to the Bible, their way is not only wrong, but deadly.
I can hear some of you say, “This is not new. All of this foolishness has been going on for a very long time.” You are right! All of this has happened before. A study of Biblical and extra-Biblical history clearly demonstrates that the preceding generations, all the way back to the Genesis flood, have repeated this cycle of madness. I have had the privilege of walking among the remains of many ancient civilizations. What they left behind gives silent testimony to the foolishness that brought about their ultimate demise. However, in light of the overall context of our world, according to the prophetic Scriptures, I am convinced we are about to witness the final act of madness that will invite God’s final retribution upon all of mankind. I am absolutely convinced this is man’s last defiant rebellion against God and His truth.
I believe that the church needs to wake up! Instead of shining the light of God’s truth into this dark madness, the church has followed the world into its path of foolishness. If we are to rescue fools from their depraved madness and ultimate destruction, we must stop acting like fools and be wise. Church ministries to children and youth must stop teaching our kids to be fools by appealing to their pleasures, and instead train them to be disciples of Christ.
In order to understand all of this we must examine what the Bible says about “the fool.” When a person or culture has reached the point of self-destruction they are playing the part of the Biblical fool. Let us examine the Biblical description of a fool.
The word “fool” appears 110 times in the Bible. There are six different Hebrew words and six different Greek words translated into the English word “fool.” This illustrates that the Biblical message concerning the fool is very detailed and must be taken seriously.
According to the Bible, the fool is not just a silly person. The fool is not someone who lacks intellectual knowledge. The fool is not someone to make fun of. He is a person that we must pray for and warn. The fool’s only hope is in Jesus Christ. The fool is enslaved to his pride-filled, sinful heart. Only Jesus can set him free so that he can make wise choices that will glorify God and be eternally healthy for his own soul. As we shall see, the person who lives the lifestyle of a fool is not saved. We may all act foolishly at times. But the one who is living the lifestyle of a fool has never been saved.
According to the Bible, the fool has three basic core sins:
1. He Spurns God
All fools reject God. Some refuse to acknowledge that God even exists. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…” (Psalm 14:1) The word “fool” in this text is the Hebrew word “nabal,” which speaks of “moral perversity.” In essence, this text and many others in the Bible, declare that the fool does not want to admit there is a God because he is in love with his sin. He realizes that if he recognizes the God of the Bible that he will be accountable to Him. Psalm 10:4 declares, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts.”
Some fools do intellectually believe there is a God. However, they live their lives on a daily basis without ever acknowledging God’s power or presence in their lives or world. They are not intellectual fools; but they are practical fools. Professing believers are Biblically admonished to not live like these practical fools. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
When a nation begins to reject God, it becomes a nation of fools and consequently abandons its spiritual compass. As a result, great confusion sets in. The people stumble about in spiritual and mental darkness. Their lives are filled with moral, financial, marital, and spiritual failure. Their conscience is “darkened.” (Romans 1:21) And, they lack common sense. Their spiritual compass is so broken, they cannot solve their problems or find solutions.
It is very obvious that America is rejecting God. Like those whom God has given up, they no longer want to “retain God in their knowledge.” (Romans 1:28) Some of these blind fools may claim that they love a god, but they really are “haters of [the] God.” (Romans 1:30)
America is in the midst of a godless revival. Wickedness, immorality, deception, and violence are growing and spreading across the nation like a raging wildfire. It is destroying the lives of many fools and their innocent families and friends. It is both painful and frightening!
There is really only one message that must be delivered: “Turn back! Repent! You are heading down the path of destruction!” Proverbs 14:27 says, “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life…” When fools turn away from God, it may feel right to their pride-filled minds. However, this is utter insanity! How and why should a person turn away from the God who sent His Son to die for them? He is the God who made them and sustains their life. He is the God who has given them all good things to enjoy. He is the One who created it all and controls it all. Only a fool turns away from a loving and caring God like this !
2. He Suppresses the Truth
When a person rejects God, it is only logical that he will also reject His Word — the Bible. In Romans 1, those who reject God and have become fools also suppress “the truth in unrighteousness.” (Romans 1:18)
One of the chief trademarks of a fool is his rejection of truth or counseling. Proverbs 1:7 declares: “…fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:22 adds, “fools hate knowledge.” Have you ever met a person who had his mind already made up? No matter what you said, or what truth you presented to him, it was rejected because he knows he is right. This is the way a fool thinks. He is close minded. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.” (Proverbs 12:15)
A fool primarily rejects Biblical truth because it is bound up in the very nature and character of God. He knows that if he accepts God’s Word that he is acknowledging God and is accepting His authority. This is not what he wants. He wants to remain independent of God and His Word. He loves his lifestyle of sin and is not willing to surrender it to follow Christ. He is very comfortable being a fool and feels that he is right. His sinful nature gives it a stamp of approval and that is all that matters to him.
God and His Word are intricately woven together. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) Like God, His Word is perfect, powerful, and eternal. The wisdom of this world falls infinitely short of the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 3:19 states: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God…” God’s Word is so infinite that the unsaved man cannot understand it. It is foolishness to him. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)
Those of us who walk in the light of God’s truth look at fools and are bewildered by their foolishness. The path of life looks so clear to us, but is so oblivious to them. That is because the sinner is spiritually dead. He is walking in spiritual darkness. As children of God, we have been called “out of darkness into [Christ’s] marvellous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
Because man has been created in the image of God, he possesses a conscience and common sense. God has placed a basic sense of His law in the conscience of every person. (Romans 1:19; 2:14-15) This inner spiritual warning system has been twisted and distorted by the fall of man. However, the simple revelation of God in the conscience and creation still functions at a level so that the unbeliever is “without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) It is apparent that in some cultures that have been impacted with the light of God’s revelation, while the majority are unsaved, there is some sense of a very simple level of respect for God and His laws. It is this respect for God and His law that prepares the hearts of the sinners in that culture to receive the gospel.
When we look back a few hundred years in this nation, it is evident that it was founded by some very godly pilgrims who came to this land to worship and serve God. They left behind a very powerful testimony of their faith. Their Biblical faith and proclamation of God’s truth settled upon the hearts of unbelievers, like the framers of our constitution. Some of the signers of the U.S. Constitution were born-again believers, while others were not. However, by their own testimony, some of these non-believers apparently had a sense of respect for God and His Word. This level of respect for God and His Word was reflected in the constitution and continued in our nation quite a long time. However, it is very apparent that this residual cultural respect for God and His Word has almost completely dissipated. The impact of the early American pilgrims as salt and light is quickly disappearing. We are living in a secular culture, devoid of God and His Word.
This new generation of Americans are following the path of others before them. For example, compare this with Judges 2:10-11: “And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD …” Two hundred years after the children of Israel had crossed over the Jordan and experienced the miraculous hand of God at Jericho and the other battles, a new generation came up that had been impacted by the godless culture of the inhabitants of the land that were not driven out as the Lord had commanded them. In a similar way, this present American generation, following more than two hundred years after the pilgrims, has forgotten the great price that was paid by the godly pilgrims to impact this “new world” with gospel of Jesus Christ. We now have a new generation of Americans who have been raised in a godless culture for almost 60 years. Like the generations during the time of the judges in Israel, we are witnessing a new generation that is evil in the sight of God.
Truth has become offensive to most Americans. They have “changed the truth of God into a lie.” (Romans 1:25) Man’s ideas about himself and the creation have replaced God’s truth. Only a fool could think that His thoughts are greater than God’s thoughts. How stupid and ridiculous! To these fools, God graciously sends out this invitation: “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:6-9)
For example, we live at a time when America is being challenged to openly embrace and accept the gay lifestyle. We are being asked to have an open mind to accept that this is what some people want, and they want our stamp of approval upon their choice. Is this good? Are we really thinking about the good of these people? Do we really want what is best for them? First, the Bible openly and repeatedly condemns this as sin and an offense against our holy God. (Romans 1:24-32) Romans 1:27 indicates that sexually transmitted diseases are a form of God’s judgment upon those who transgress His moral law. David Kupleian, an award-winning journalist, vice president and managing editor of World Net Daily, editor of Whistleblower magazine, and author of The Marketing of Evil, How Evil Works, and The Snapping of the American Mind, writes: “…half of the gay and bisexual men will be HIV-positive by age 50.”- (Whistleblower, David Kupleian, “The Left’s War on Common Sense,” July 2017, p. 7) Therefore, do we really care about the gay community? If we do, we must be brave enough to tell them the truth. They would call this hate speech. However, we are really speaking the truth in love.
We live in a country where people are being warned about the dangerous results of nicotine in cigarettes. The law requires that those who manufacture cigarettes must clearly label each package to state the dangers of their product. The Biblical warning against the gay lifestyle, along with medical research, clearly indicates that the gay lifestyle is dangerous to one’s health, not to mention its deadly mental and spiritual impact upon the person. Why does our culture accept the warning against nicotine, but reject the warning against a promiscuous lifestyle? The answer is that our standard of approval is based upon the subjective demands of the culture, not upon what the Bible declares is right or wrong. Man continues to adjust and change his moral compass based upon the demands of the culture. Obviously, this is wrong and deadly.
God’s truth is based upon His character. His truth is perfect, infinite, and eternal, because He is perfect, infinite, and eternal. Since God does not change (Malachi 3:6); His truth does not change. (Isaiah 40:8)
In Matthew 7, Jesus spoke to the religious crowd who were walking in spiritual darkness. He gave them a solemn warning concerning their ultimate destiny. First, He warned them of their deceptive path. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus explained that the majority in a culture are not on the right path. He stated that there are only two paths — the right one and the wrong one. The wrong path is wide, accessible, and offers very little resistance. Most people are traveling down this path, and it is the path “that leadeth to destruction.” (Matthew 7:13) The right path is through a narrow gate. This path is restrictive, unpopular, and offers great resistance. However, a few people are traveling down this path “which leadeth unto life.” (Matthew 7:14) Jesus clearly warned his audience that they should not choose a road in life because it is the one most people are traveling. The majority of people never walk with God!
Second, Jesus spoke about the deceptive prophets in their culture. (Matthew 7:15-20) He clearly warned them to watch out for the false prophets who would claim to be messengers from God. He exhorted them to look at these prophets as they would a fruit tree. The real question is: Does the fruit match the root of its source? Therefore, examine a preacher as you compare him to the only true root of truth — the Bible. If his teachings and lifestyle do not agree with the Bible, he is a false teacher. Our nation has far too many preachers whose message and lifestyle do not agree with the Bible. These deceptive teachers are leading their followers to hell. They should be avoided at all costs.
Third, Jesus spoke about their deceptive profession of faith. (Matthew 7:21-23) In this warning, Jesus spoke about the final day of judgment when people will stand before the Lord, only to discover that they have taken the deceptive path and listened to the deceptive prophets, only to produce a deceptive profession that will not stand up in God’s court because their faith was not accompanied by works that were in agreement with “the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
To illustrate His teaching about all of this, Jesus told them the parable about the wise man and foolish man. (Matthew 7:24-27) In this parable, there are two different men who made two different choices. The wise man built his house upon a rock. When the storm came, his house stood firm. On the other hand, the foolish man built his house upon the shifting sand. When the storm came, his house collapsed. What was Jesus teaching with this illustration? Please notice that both the wise man and the foolish man heard the words of Jesus. (Matthew 7:24, 26) However, only the wise man obeyed the word’s of Jesus and applied them to his life. The foolish man, simply ignored the words of Jesus. In this parable the houses of these two men represents their lives. The wise man chose to build his life upon the solid rock of God’s truth. When the storms of life came and ultimately the Day of Judgment, his life would stand the test, and he would be saved. However, the foolish man built his house upon the shifting sand. His life was founded upon the ways of the deceptive path and deceptive prophets in his culture. He chose to follow the subjective advice and lifestyle of his culture rather than the unchanging Word of God. The result for him was tragic. When the storms of life would come, and ultimately the Day of Judgment, his life would be lost. The foolish man always chooses the way of his culture rather than the Word of God. Clearly, Jesus was teaching that the foolish man always resists and suppresses the Word of God.
What about you? Are you building your life upon the Bible or the message of the American culture? Every day we move about in our culture. We watch television, surf the Internet, read books and magazines, read the billboards and signs on our roads, listen to the music of the world, respect or reject the opinions of others, etc. If this is all that we allow to impact our minds, then we will be like the foolish man that has built his house upon the sand. Proverbs 23:7 states: “For as [a man] thinketh in his heart so is he.” Just like we physically become what we eat, even so we become spiritually what we think. There is only one way to be like the wise man and build your life upon the solid rock of God’s truth. You must spend time in God’s Word! Listen to the message of Romans 12:2: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” You must renew your mind by allowing God’s Word to dictate to you what is right and wrong, what must be received and what must be discarded. If you do not do this, then your mind will become a garbage pit that stinks before God and will poison your soul for eternity! The Word of God is God’s cleansing agent that will clean your mind and life. Are you in the Bible each day?
Fools reject the Word of God. They claim they are too busy or just do not have time. In their pride, they think they know what to do without God’s instruction. Wise men recognize the foolishness of their heart and their desperate need to fill their minds with the Word of God. Which one are you?
3. He Satisfies Self
The third core sin of the fool is his priority to satisfy self. The fool places his desires and perceived needs above everyone else. In his eyes, he is more important than God, his spouse, family, or friends. What he wants must come first. He will selfishly sacrifice everything for what he wants, no matter the consequences!
Proverbs 18:2 declares: “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.” Proverbs 28:26 adds, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool…” At the heart of all of this is a priority love for self.
Self-love is one of the core problems of the last days. Near the end of his ministry, the Apostle Paul wrote: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God … Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:1-2, 4, 7)
Pleasure has a tendency to numb the mind. Fools are always battling between what feels good and what is right. We all have a sin nature from the time of our birth (Proverbs 22:15) that is bound up in pleasing self. The fool thinks: “If feels good, it must be right.” Sinful pleasures have a way of deceiving and distracting us from their ultimate tragic consequences. Proverbs 14:12 warns us: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Sinful pleasures are deceitful. (Hebrews 3:13) Our foolish mind often tempts us to enjoy “the pleasures of sin” forgetting they are only “for a season.” (Hebrews 11:25) The message of the Bible from the beginning to the end is the same — “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) Sin is a cruel slave master. Its powerful influence on us is all to evident. Read what the Apostle Paul had to say about this struggle against the slave master of sin in Romans 7:7-25.
Sin has a very heavy price tag. The fool does not think about this. In his foolish determination to please himself he only thinks about immediate gratification. He does not think of the long-term consequences of his sin. As someone has said: “Sin will take you farther than you want to go. Sin will make you pay far more than you want to pay. And, sin will keep you longer than you want to stay.”
We live in a world that is pleasure mad! This includes sports, entertainment, music, movies, computer games, amusement parks, sex, food, travel, etc. People spend countless hours pleasing themselves without ever thinking of eternity and the eternal consequences of their actions. This is the way it was in the days of Noah before the flood. These were the prevailing conditions in Sodom and Gomorrah before their divine judgment.
Listen to the testimony of King Solomon. After a life of enjoying whatever he wanted as the richest king of Israel, he testified to just how empty all of his wealth, pleasure, and popularity were. Read Ecclesiastes 1-2. In Ecclesiastes 7:2-4, he gives us a very valuable insight into the foolishness of the human heart. In this text he testifies that it is more beneficial to go to a funeral than to attend a party. He declares that the sorrow at a funeral will make us think about eternity and the end of life, which is good. The good time at a party will numb your mind so that you will not think about the most important things in life. In verse 4, he says, “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”
Friend, what are you living for? Listen to Jesus’ statement to His disciples in Matthew 16:24-26: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” If you follow Him you will walk down the path that is least traveled in our culture. You will build your life upon the rock of Jesus and His Word. You will stop being a fool and will deny yourself, and sacrificially make Jesus first in your life. If you chose to be the fool, you have lost your soul and will spend eternity in hell. Don’t be a fool!
We Need your Support
I am very much aware that the ministry the Lord has entrusted to me and our faithful team of workers is not our ministry. It is His work. I believe the Lord has raised up this ministry in these last days to glorify Himself and to proclaim the message of His coming.
I am also aware of the reality that this ministry has continued to function within the body of Christ because of many like you who continue to pray for us and support us financially. We are deeply grateful for you and your faithfulness to His work. I need to prayerfully inform you that in recent months this ministry has experienced a continual shortfall of funds. For the first time in more than 20 years, our income has fallen short of our expenses. Obviously, this cannot continue.
As you know, I have made it a practice to not talk about money. I have never sent out a letter requesting funds, and I will not start now. I believe the Lord will raise up the funds that He wants us to have to continue with the assignment He has given us. Please join us in prayer as we wait upon His answer to this need.
