The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
Proverbs 27:12
Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died,
everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
2 Peter 3:3-4
Having studied prophecy for some 30 years now, I have made nearly every mistake in the book. I started as a naïve, but well-intentioned, teenager that believed everything the prophecy “teachers” said. It was only many years later that I began to really study for myself God’s Word on the matter. In some areas of prophecy, I now believe the exact opposite of what I once did. It is for this reason that I have made it a point to be aware of all End Times prophecy viewpoints, so that if I live to see them fulfilled, I will not be caught off guard by the manner in which they are actually fulfilled.
One mistake I don’t want to be guilty of is called normalcy bias. Normalcy bias refers to a mental state that individuals enter when facing a disaster or pending danger. People believe that since something has never happened before, that it never will happen. So, they don’t know how to respond when it does happen. It also goes by the name frozen calm, analysis paralysis, the ostrich effect, and the saying, “ignorance is bliss”. These verses above from 2 Peter describe this condition.
It is believed that when disaster strikes, 70% of people will exercise normalcy bias, 10-15% will panic, and 10-15% will act appropriately. I’m not sure how one can know for sure that these statistics are correct, but here are a couple of examples.
The Nazi genocide of millions of Jews is a stark reminder of normalcy bias. Even after knowing that friends, family, and other Jews were being taken against their will, many in the Jewish community still stayed put and refused to believe something life-threatening was going on. Hundreds of thousands didn’t flee their homes and countries when they had the chance.
Here’s another example. During that tragic day of 9/11/01, many working in the World Trade Center stayed or returned to their offices during the evacuation to turn off their computers and make phone calls. They ultimately died in the collapsing towers because of their delay in exiting.
In relation to the terminus of America and the End of the Age, many people will not believe it is either about to happen or when it actually happens. Jesus told us in Matthew 24:37-39 that the End will be like the days just before the flood came. People will be living “normal” lives until things suddenly change. How will they react? Will they react quickly enough? Will God’s people be ready to share the life-saving knowledge of Jesus Christ’s offer of salvation? And will we be ready to offer practical help too?