Black Swans and a Very Scary Warning

I was wondering, did you ever hear the term “black swan” and wonder what it means? Simply put, a black swan event is an unpredictable or unforeseen event, typically one with extreme consequences.

A black swan (the bird) is considered to be very rare, since most swans are white. In fact, the story goes that black swans were thought once not to exist, until finally one was discovered. The lesson is that what we think are very rare events may be more common than previously thought.

Classic black swan events include the sinking of the Titanic, World War 1, the Chernobyl disaster, the September 11 attacks and the 2008 housing market crash. These disastrous black-swan events only appear obvious in hindsight.

Musing about Black Swan events got me thinking about a really scary warning from Jesus that I read in Matthew Chapter 7. In case you didn’t see it, I thought I’d share it with you so you might avoid the ultimate, most terrifying black swan event imaginable.

Jesus said in verses 21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!”

That says to me that some people who see themselves as Christians and are assuming that they will be spending eternity in heaven with God—will not be! Jesus warns that one day he will tell a group of “Christian” religious practitioners, “I never knew you.”

Seems to me that statement from Jesus deserves further analysis and research regarding what according to God’s Word is required for salvation and to spend eternity in heaven. After all, God created us and he gets to make the rules. To put it in computer lingo, as I read the Bible, it seems to me that heaven is not the “default”—hell is the default. And there are no “reboots”…no “do overs”.

This reminds me of Proverbs 14:12 where Solomon warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” I was wondering, “Have you given this much thought?” Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). If Jesus is The Way, then what does that look like? If it was just about being “good,” I guess being good would be the way–but then why would we need a Savior? And how good is good enough? I suggest that these are important questions that deserve answers–and I think God’s Word is the place to go for the answers.

Until my life fell apart years ago, I never took God’s word seriously. Once I started to seek God, he opened my eyes and my heart. I discovered that I had been stuck in a religious fog and frankly  I was relying on my perceptions that were formed while I was in elementary school.

I was wondering, “Are some of you doing the same thing?” Maybe it’s time to look at God’s word through adult eyes. Maybe it’s time to take Jesus’ warning seriously. This is an eternally disastrous black swan that could be avoided.

Let me know your thoughts on Jesus’ warning…and feel free to give me a call if you would ever want to discuss this over a cup of coffee (or while we sip on some bourbon).