The Case For A Supernatural Worldview
Pastor Leslie Chua
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them
because they are spiritually discerned.”
The biblical worldview is necessarily a supernatural worldview. It is an indisputable fact. You just need to open your Bible and you will not fail to notice that supernatural occurrences pervade the pages.
The first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis are an assault on the natural mind. These first pages of the Bible encounter the readers with a plethora of supernatural phenomena.
God remodelled the earth and created all that exist in just six days.
The Creation account is quickly followed by the appearance of a talking snake, which possessed the guile to deceive the first human couple into doubting the goodness of their Creator-God and after that disobeying Him.
Then, we read about men living up to eight to nine hundred years old. Their longevity defies human logic.
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The biblical worldview is necessarily a supernatural worldview.
It is an indisputable fact.
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Barely a few chapters later in Genesis chapter 6 is a bizarre account that sends many modern theologians and scholars into intellectual hysteria. A group of angelic beings mated with human women and the product of their union was a transhuman hybrid of giants known as Nephilim. God was displeased with the chaos wreaked in His Creation order. So, He destroyed the ancient world with a worldwide flood.
These first 11 controversial chapters of Genesis end with the story of the Tower of Babel where mankind banded together with the help of the gods to rebel against God.
When you turn to Revelation, the last book of the Bible, you are confronted once again with overt supernatural manifestations and cosmic warfare between God and the forces of Satan.
The 7-year Tribulation will end with Jesus coming visibly riding on a white horse from heaven with His heavenly entourage comprising of the raptured saints and holy angels.
The book of Revelation ends with descriptions of the new heavens and new earth where God will dwell with His people forever. The stunningly beautiful new paradise is clearly a world of a higher dimension.
Now consider the fundamentals of the Christian faith – the incarnation, virgin birth, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. All these events are nothing short of supernatural.
Jesus’ earthly ministry is also supernatural. He healed the sick, cast out demons, walked on water, calmed the raging sea, and multiplied 5 loaves and 2 fishes to feed a multitude of more than 5,000 people.
The supernatural is a constant feature running throughout the entire Bible.
Christians Who are Averse to the Supernatural
The biblical worldview is undoubtedly a supernatural worldview. So, I always find it both strange and fascinating that there is zealous theological opposition against the supernatural. For example, the cessationists would argue vehemently that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, and miracles had ceased with the Apostolic Age. I often wonder why a supernatural God would cease to function and act supernaturally. It does not make any sense.
I also observe that Christians who are better educated and more intellectually inclined tend to disbelieve the supernatural. They question any phenomenon that cannot be adequately explained by human logic and rationale.
I suppose the apostle, Paul, would say to these people - The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).
All Christians, regardless of their educational level and intellectual prowess, should have the capacity for spiritual discernment and supernatural perception. Unfortunately, many believers are averse to the supernatural.
Biblically Incompatible Worldview & Deception
The Bible carries many warnings against deception. Normally, we think of deception as either straightforward or subtle. But have you ever considered that having a biblically incompatible worldview is also a form of deception?
Having a biblically incompatible worldview is an extremely serious kind of deception because your mindset is completely captured to think in a certain way that is contrary to the truth of God’s Word.
A biblically incompatible worldview would inevitably filter out certain essential truths that are critical to understanding spiritual realities. These people are rendered incapable of seeing reality through the lens of God. At best, they have an incomplete perspective of the Scripture. At worst, their understanding and perception are distorted.
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Having a biblically incompatible worldview is an extremely serious kind of deception because your mindset is completely captured to think in a certain way that is contrary to the truth of God’s Word.
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That is why our worldviews and beliefs are so important. They have a powerful effect on our thinking and lives.
The Ramifications of Dismissing the Supernatural
Dismissing the supernatural is a recipe for falling into deception.
Many theologians and Christian leaders consider Genesis chapters 1-11 as controversial. They have problems accepting these chapters to be historically factual. They treat the accounts of the Creation and the beginning of human history as myths because they lack a supernatural worldview.
In their attempt to demystify these accounts, they remove the supernatural elements and replace them with naturalistic explanations, which are more plausible-sounding.
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Dismissing the supernatural is a recipe for falling into deception.
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Let me give you 2 examples.
First, instead of God creating everything that exists in 6 literal 24-hour days, they assert that a day means a period of thousands or perhaps millions of years. Such an explanation is more congruent with science and the evolutionary process. Thus, it makes more sense and it is more acceptable to the natural mind.
Second, the fatal attraction of the “sons of God” with the “daughters of men,” which resulted in the Nephilim hybrid race, is given a natural makeover. The simple and literal reading of the text is replaced with a reimagined version, which argues that the “sons of God” refer to the righteous line of Seth while the “daughters of men” are the unrighteous line of Cain.
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In denying the supernatural, these people become blind to the primary reason that forced God's hand to destroy the genetically contaminated humanity with the Flood.
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Common sense tells us that the union of the wicked and the righteous could not possibly produce giants or Nephilim. It is a biological impossibility. This explanation is so contrived that it is laughable if not downright ridiculous.
In denying the supernatural, these people become blind to the primary reason that forced God's hand to destroy the genetically contaminated humanity with the Flood.
Transhumanism is an affront to God. God did not tolerate it during the antediluvian time and He will not tolerate it now.
This is a critical truth for the present time and from the eschatological perspective. Transhumanism is a present-day reality due to rapid advances in biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence.
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The theological basis against transhumanism is rooted in the first 4 verses of Genesis chapter 6. So, a Christian without a supernatural worldview would see nothing wrong with transhumanism. He would not have any issue with any medical procedure involving changes made to his DNA.
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Here are some pertinent questions to ask. Is a person still a human being if his DNA is modified? To what extent can a person’s chromosomes be changed before he is considered a transhuman? Does transhumanism have salvific implications? Can an AI and biotechnologically altered person be saved?
Can transhumanism be the reason why anyone who takes the 666 mark of the beast cannot be saved (Revelation 14:9-11)? Even repentance cannot absolve the person of this mistake. The premise is that the mark is not just a tattoo or a nanochip but a biotech imprint, which alters the recipient’s DNA.
The theological basis against transhumanism is rooted in the first 4 verses of Genesis chapter 6. So, a Christian without a supernatural worldview would see nothing wrong with transhumanism. He would not have any issue with any medical procedure involving changes made to his DNA.
Can you see the danger? This is not just a matter of life and death but eternal life and death. The ramification of a lack of supernatural worldview could be serious.
Overt Supernatural Manifestations in the Last Days
I believe that we are standing at the threshold of the end of the End Times. Like in the antediluvian times, we can expect to witness overt supernatural manifestations during this period. It is not a speculation. Read the book of Revelation and you will know what I mean.
Fallen angels with the appearance of locusts with tails that sting like scorpions will be released from the abyss to torment people (Revelation 9:1-6). Another 200 million fallen angels, who are currently bound at the Euphrates River, will be unleashed to kill one-third of mankind (Revelation 9:13-16).
The people living at the time are aware that the severe troubles and natural catastrophes they are experiencing are judgements from God (Revelation 6:15-17).
Pause for a moment to consider these questions. How will people perceive all these overt supernatural manifestations? Is it possible that they may consider God and these fallen angels to be aliens from another part of the universe?
With increasing overt supernatural activities as we race toward the end of this present age, it is highly probable that the mainstream narrative then will lend credence to the alien theory.
All this might sound bizarre. However, it is not. How else do you think an average rational person who has been exposed to science fiction will think? Even the secular national governments and media worldwide will have no choice but to frame all these mysterious and supernatural phenomena in the same way. This is the most logical conclusion.
Besides, some serious thinkers postulate that the human race was seeded by a higher intelligence species a long time ago and one day they will return.
Imagine how Christians without a supernatural mindset will react to all these developments. I believe that most of them will fall prey to this cosmic deception. They will abandon their Christian faith in light of the new evidence proving God to be just another alien entity.
Can this be a major cause of the great apostasy – falling away – of the church before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ? It is a strong possibility.
Only those who possess a biblical and supernatural mindset will discern that these so-called alien entities are fallen angels in disguise. Therefore, Christians must possess a supernatural worldview.