I think our world is upside down. I am starting to not even recognize the world I see outside my window.
In the 1960s DC Comics introduced a cube-shaped planet called htraE (Earth spelled backwards), but it became commonly known as “Bizarro World”. This was the home planet of the supervillain Bizarro, who was the mirror-image of Superman. Bizarro was the exact opposite of Superman and hated him. Like Superman, Bizarro had an arsenal of superpowers which he used to fight against Superman and even Earth. Bizarro came to realize he had no idea of the difference between right and wrong, good or evil. He set out to make htraE the complete opposite of the Earth. The Bizarro Code stated, “Us do opposite of all Earthly things! Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness!”
I think we’re living in Bizarro World.
I miss Earth, I miss the United States, I miss Washington State and I miss Seattle. I hope I never have to miss Enumclaw. Wasn’t it only a few years ago that we lived in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave? Now I see less and less freedom and far fewer brave men or women. How is our flag being painted as a symbol of shame and division rather than the symbol of pride, freedom, and unity for which it has always been raised? Socialist and even communist ideologies are replacing capitalism and democracy as trending political platforms. Government, schools and psychologists are replacing parents as guardians of their children. Police are viewed as bad. Racism is being weaponized to bring shame and punishment to people for being white and making victims of those who aren’t. Citizens can’t afford housing, healthcare, or higher education, but illegal immigrants are given it for free, along with a free cell phone. Churches were forced to close while marijuana shops were allowed to stay opened. People were forced to take injections that didn’t prevent the contraction or transmission of the virus, yet it is called a vaccine. Is it me or are criminals no longer being arrested or even punished, yet law abiding, tax-paying citizens are treated as criminals? You can load up a grocery cart and leave without paying yet get arrested for not wearing a mask to a sporting event.
Science changes and is tailored and customized to fit the Bizarro World agenda. Even basic biology has changed. We live in world now where boys can call themselves girls and girls can call themselves boys and there is bounty on the head of anyone who speaks the truth. Our children are being sexually groomed in our public schools, yet it is private Christian schools which are being scrutinized. Sin is celebrated openly and paraded in city streets. What was wrong is now called right and what was right is now called wrong. Those demanding tolerance are violently intolerant, willing to kill or “cancel” you if you don’t agree with them. “Fact-checkers” deny the facts and go to great lengths to squash the truth. In this Bizarro World that we live in, truth has become the enemy and those who speak it the most hated of all.
Shortly before being arrested and sentenced to die an excruciating death on the cross, Jesus said something remarkable. He said, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” (John 15:18-19 NLT)
Maybe our world has always been upside down. I think Jesus was revealing something 2,000 years ago that has become shockingly more evident today — this Bizarro World we live in not only hates Him but is the opposite of Him. Jesus warned that there is an evil spiritual bizarro or “antichrist” shaping this world we live in, into the opposite of Heaven, the opposite of God. As we see our world getting darker, we’re reminded that God is light! As we see evil plots, liars running government and perversion infiltrating media, schools and entertainment we celebrate that in Heaven, Jesus is the King! He is the truth, He is justice and He is altogether lovely. In Him there is no sin at all. As we see suicides skyrocketing in this world we live in, loneliness, depression, anxiety, mental illness, hopelessness and complete despair we rejoice knowing that in God’s Kingdom death is swallowed up in victory, we will never be abandoned, we will be at perfect peace, we have joy unspeakable, and our greatest hope will stand before us and allow us to touch his nail-scarred hands.
Even from my vantage point I can see others looking for a way out of this Bizarro World. Do they know there is hope and that the Savior of the world has come to our world to save us from this world? Do they know Jesus wasn’t murdered on the cross, but that He laid his life down willingly on his own accord just so he could save them from this broken upside-down world? My prayer this Easter is that the current darkness of this world sets the stage for the Light of Christ to shine brilliantly through his church like no other time in history and that men and women will be drawn to the Light and be saved!
Editor’s note: A layout error caused this column to not be printed in full in the April 20 edition of the paper. It has been published in full here.
