One of the greatest dangers in the Church today is not believing what the Scripture tells us about the future. It has created what is called Normalcy Bias.

Normalcy Bias has been described as the tendency for people to believe that things will always function the way they have functioned and therefore to underestimate both the likelihood of a disaster and its possible effects. Normalcy bias flows from what is called Cognitive Dissonance. Cognitive Dissonance is the refusal to plan for, or react to, a disaster which has never happened before.

Jesus told His disciples, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat” (Matthew 24: 37-38). In other words, the normalcy of peoples lives blinded them from seeing an impending disaster that would cost them their lives, both spiritually and naturally.

Toward the end of the Lord’s discourse, He said, “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming” (vs. 42). Jesus didn’t say these words to create fear. He spoke those words to help His disciples prepare their hearts for what was coming and to break off any temptation to think life will always go on the way it has always been – uninterrupted. It is a warning against finding oneself unprepared for the arrival of events that will interrupt the bondage created by their bias. 

To prepare ourselves for what is coming requires that we toss out most “interpretations” about our spiritual reality that are not based on Scripture and return to and obey the simple, yet profound, truths of God’s word. Those interpretations are part of what is fueling our biases. 

Apart from personal words of assurance that the Spirit offers, what we know of Jesus and His Kingdom is only recorded in Scripture. Human interpretations will not carry the day. They are limited and simply affirm our bias. Only the unchanging and historically faithful word of God can keep us from becoming like those in Noah’s day who stood outside the ark’s door and met their doom because their bias failed to prepare them for what was coming.