The Endgame: Worldview Evolution & Why It Matters for Preppers

Some will choose to see and interpret the signs of the times and prepare for the approaching storm… others will blissfully go about their business—oblivious to or dismissive of the imminent threat that lies on humanity’s collective doorstep. Those prophetic signals lie shrouded within the evolution of our worldview—and preppers need to be able to discern and interpret them in order to be prepared not only for the impending tempest barreling at us but for humanity’s ultimate destination… the endgame.

I would argue that “evolution” isn’t the correct descriptor to use—humanity is devolving, not evolving. However, it does communicate the intended sense of an ongoing, inevitable and transformative process—in this case, one characterized by degeneration rather than positive and beneficial generation.

While the radical Left will try to convince you that humanity is progressing, a simple glance around our world will reveal the unambiguous truth that we are regressing, deteriorating, declining, decaying, debasing, and degrading.

Where are we ultimately headed?

The answer to that question directly relates to our worldview and requires understanding both where we’ve been and how we got where we are. It is the million-dollar question every prepper must answer for themselves.

In this article, we will try to cast some light into the darkness, insert some order into the chaos, and point the way for you…

Worldview Devolution #1: Rationalism Emerges as Sun Sets on the Reformation

The Reformation period (1517-1688) witnessed a restoration of biblical Christianity (theism predicated on Divine Law)—a return to God’s Word that provided much needed reform for the apostasy and heresy that had grown over centuries.

However, this worldview slowly gave way to the rationalism of the Enlightenment (circa 1600-1800), a transformation in the prevailing worldview that represented a devolution from biblical Christianity.

As the late Dr. Glenn Martin aptly noted, the rationalism of this period fostered a belief that “the unrestricted exercise of reason in the search of truth would lead to a better world, and that no authority or religion should be allowed to impose a limit on it.”

Every area of the science and society was impacted by this new worldview, led by the thought leaders of the day, including Newton, Locke, Adam Smith, Darwin, and—not to be left out—America’s founding fathers.

This rationalism represented a shift from revelation to reason, from Divine Law to natural law, from truth to morality, and from theism to deism.

It still recognized the supernatural element; however, it viewed it through a deistic lens. God was reduced to a mere watchmaker—responsible for the creation of the world but not its ongoing management.  In other words, God was recognized as Alpha… but no longer the Omega.

As such, rationalism held that God is not personally involved with His creation. He built the system (cosmos) and then, like Elvis, left the building—the watch, once wound, now runs on its own. While God exists, the rationalist posited that humanity has been left to its own devices (in this case, science and reason) to fully understand the world and carry out the biblical mandate to take dominion over it.

Three new philosophical presuppositions took shape with the emergence of rationalism:

• The Inherent Goodness of Man
• The Perfectibility of Man
• The Inevitability of Progress

These presuppositions will shape the worldview of humanity moving forward, culminating in today’s radical Left and the Marxist religion—the slow slide began with rationalism.

It is critical to recognize that this is the start of a cascading process of devolution in western thought—one that is very similar to a positive feedback loop in which “the product of a reaction leads to an increase in that reaction… [and] moves a system further away from the target of equilibrium.”

In other words, positive feedback is self-reinforcing and amplifies change. In this case, as we move away from God (in rebellion), our condition deteriorates… and as our condition deteriorates, we are simply driven to move even further away (as we will see).

As I so often note, the flow of “modern” humanity is akin to a pilot becoming spatially disoriented and entering a graveyard spiral—something that almost invariably ends in a deadly crash (e.g., the crashes of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Colby Bryant). The only way for a pilot to recover from such a situation (and survive) is to do the exact opposite of what their gut (or inner ear) is screaming at them to do.

In other words, the only cure for humanity’s graveyard spiral is to recognize our mistake and turn back to God (biblical Christianity)—but this is the exact opposite of what our depraved human nature is screaming at us (in a corporate sense) to do.

And thus, a lost and confused humanity—suffering from a bad case of “spiritual” disorientation—continues to push (or fall) further into the darkness… caught in an inescapable positive (though not in a normative sense!) feedback loop.

With rationalism, the spiral began to tighten as humanity commenced its downward descent towards an inevitable impact with the ground.

Worldview Devolution #2: Romanticism & Transcendentalism Rise from Ashes of Rationalism

To no surprise, rationalism failed to work—proving itself to be just a transitory stop along a longer path of worldview transformation. It left humanity empty and wanting. The mechanistic structure (one that still maintained an acceptance of Divine revelation—knowledge from the watch maker that could not otherwise be known) became viewed as too restrictive and, ultimately, incapable of delivering humanity to the promised land of perfection.

Once again, rather than return to biblical Christianity (to fill that void with God), humanity went the other direction and set itself up as god—further tightening our spiral and increasing our rate of decent.

Romanticism in Europe and Transcendentalism in America (a “Christianized” romanticism, e.g. Emerson & Thoreau) emerged as the next great solution (worldview) as we headed into the 1800s.

This worldview continued to elevate the position of man, exhibiting a shift from deism to pantheism—man, nature and god are one.

We now add humanism to the growing pantheon of “isms” worshiped by man—joining materialism and naturalism. Man is a god and, as such, he both has unlimited potential and “knows” not based on outside and/or divine revelation, not based on rational thought, but based on his own intuition. Martin eloquently noted this when he wrote:

“Emerson caught the essence of Romanticism-Transcendentalism in the following words: Let man stand erect, go alone, and possess the universe. Let man—man is our starting point, for he is god. Let man stand erect—this anticipates the evolutionary hypotheses because, heretofore, man has been, as it were, down on all fours. Let man… go alone—he does not need anyone else, being god—and possess the universe—get it all together, perfect that which exists. That is the ultimate revolutionary’s statement.”

The outcome is a dual imperative: absolute liberty and absolute equality.

After all, as a god, man cannot have restrictions—he must be absolutely free (libertarianism)—and he cannot have any superiors—he must be absolutely equal (egalitarianism).

How does one go about effecting a libertarian and egalitarian society?

It requires a powerful effort to transform institutions into a vessel (a system) that can deliver the absolute liberty and absolute equality necessary to achieve a more perfect order. As always, it requires tremendous power and the “right” system.

In other words, you would need a strong, sovereign central government. Thus, the transcendentalist revolutionaries in America used the pretext of slavery as a vehicle (or pathway) to transform our federal system of government (with divided authority and diffused power) into a national state (with centralized, concentrated power)—the result of which was the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Slavery was never their focus (it was already on the way out thanks to the peaceful work of the Christian abolitionists). Rather, their real focus was on power and control. One of the rules of revolutionaries is to never let a crisis go to waste—and, with time running out, they made sure they didn’t. The cost (paid for with the lives of over a million Americans) was never a material concern—in a philosophy of humanistic progress, the ends always justify the means.

And so, with Romanticism-Transcendentalism, our graveyard spiral only tightened further, and the rate of our descent quickened. Rather than turning back to God, we yanked back even harder on the yoke—more determined than ever to achieve perfection and soar into the heavens by human effort (aka Tower of Babel 2.0).

Worldview Devolution #3: The Emergence of Process Philosophy

While the transcendentalist revolutionaries accomplished their immediate goal (viz., the nationalization of the country), “spiritualism” ultimately proved to only deliver a sense of despair, disappointment, and dejection—manifested in the hearts of Americans who looked back on the death and destruction it had wrought. Romanticism-Transcendentalism—like its predecessor—had run its course.

Change (progress) had been delivered—but not perfection. A new approach (worldview) was needed… and process philosophy was the answer humanity reached for.

The pendulum swung back the other direction and spirituality was completely severed from the equation. Process philosophy (emerging in the 1860s) delivered to the world rationalism on steroids. Gone was any vestige of natural truth—replaced entirely by relativistic truth.

Marxism (which, like all previous philosophical transformations/revolutions, flowed out of the marbled halls of European academia) is the ultimate expression of Process Philosophy—a historical analysis of history viewed through the lens of economics.

This worldview added the last “ism” to the list—relativism. If man is god and “knows” by intuition, then whatever he intuits must represent absolute truth for him—meaning, from his own unique perspective. And if man (as a god) has absolute freedom and equality, then that truth cannot be challenged by others—regardless of their own relatively distinct perspectives.

We’ve written extensively on Marxism, so I won’t rehash the details—I encourage you to read our articles to learn more:

• Marxism Exposed: Prepare for the Next American Revolution
• US Socialist Transformation: The Marxist Blueprint for Revolution

But to summarize, Marxism—predicated on process philosophy—asserts that humanity will inevitably achieve perfection. That perfection will take the form of a global communist utopia—one fully embodying absolute freedom and absolute equality. That glorious goal will be accomplished through dialectic change (progress) brought about (or powered by) conflict—inevitably or intentionally by violence and bloodshed.

It represents a culmination of man’s departure from, rejection of, and rebellion against God—a counterfeit system predicated on a framework or network of fundamental obsessions:

• Naturalism
• Materialism
• Humanism
• Relativism

The intermediary steps to accomplishing the Marxist agenda are national socialism, and then global socialism—from which the utopian steady state will emerge.

As the revolutionaries before them had realized, achieving perfection requires power and control. Hence, authoritarian/totalitarian vehicles (under the guise of “beneficial” socialism) are advocated for.

How exactly this power and control will ultimately be surrendered (by those who will wield it) to produce the perfect freedom and equality in the glorious utopia is unknown. That is not for the “commoners” to worry about. Rest assured little ones, it will happen. You just have to have faith.

And that is the key to the whole thing—the crux of the matter. You cannot eradicate the soul (or spirit) from man—no matter how much you want to or how hard you try. The supernatural dimension exists (God created it), and man cannot remove it. Rather, once emptied, man’s soul must be filled with something—nature abhors a vacuum.

Ultimately, humanity has only succeeded in filling that void or vacuum with a counterfeit system of religion—Satan’s defective response to God’s perfect plan. We have rejected a relationship with the true God for a false religion and debased worldview.

Make no mistake about it, Marxism (process philosophy) is a religion—it can only be accepted on the basis of faith. In the end, man only ever had two options: (1) faith in and service to God or (2) faith in and service to Satan. We have been afforded no other options—and Satan’s plan does not end in a blissful utopian experience (no matter how much naïve faith his believers may muster).

The Inevitable Outcome: Game Over (Nihilism)

We must understand, once God is removed, there no longer exists an absolute standard or ultimate measure of value… everything ultimate degrades into irrationalism. That is the inevitable endgame of the evolution (devolution) of worldviews.

How—in the absence of absolute truth—does one determine validity, value, and direction?

You can’t.

We are left with a worldview in which everyone is left to perceive the world according to their own unique, relative measure… and do whatever is right in their own eyes.

We are left with irrational chaos—not social harmony and perfection.

Unless, that is, the enlightened elites—with their god-complex—use power and control to establish their standard as the societal standard. After all, there is nothing to measure them against or hold them accountable to—no absolute truth exists.

Authoritarianism and, ultimately, totalitarianism are the only possible outcome for humanity. Even irrational anarchy is not an option—nature abhors a vacuum. Anarchy is always short lived—someone always steps in to fill the power vacuum and deliver order out of chaos (just their relativistic take on order).

At the end of humanity’s journey to “remove” God from His creation, our ultimate destiny is not perfection but nihilism–a worldview of nothingness. We will not progress to paradise—we will only find concentrated power and control exerted through an authoritarian and, ultimately, totalitarian state. Irrationalism is incapable of producing anything else.

This is the final outcome (or endgame) that Nietzsche was acknowledging to himself and declaring to the world when he famously wrote:

“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?” (The Gay Science, Section 125, The Madman)

He wasn’t making a declarative statement. Rather, he was merely acknowledging the claim (or ultimate product) of modern thought (as expressed by his Marxist academic contemporaries) and expressing (rightfully so) his fear that “the decline of religion, the rise of atheism, and the absence of a higher moral authority would plunge the world into chaos.”

As such, he recognized that God’s absolute truth “gave order to society and meaning to life.” Without this standard, he held that society would inevitably collapse into a dangerous age of nihilism—the ultimate endgame.

That nihilistic endgame represents a world in which all values are baseless, and reason is impotent; where there is no objective order or structure except what we (aka the authoritarian/totalitarian state) give it.

Nietzche was correct when he asserted in Will to Power that “Nihilism is . . . not only the belief that everything deserves to perish; but one actually puts one’s shoulder to the plow; one destroys.”

We see this all around us in the Marxist march toward progress—a willing and wanton destruction of all traditional values and truth. We are not just begrudgingly marching towards disaster… we are intentionally and enthusiastically running towards it–embracing our worldview of chaotic irrationality.

Alan Pratt emphasizes the sheer magnitude of this worldview devolution when he (paraphrasing Nietzsche) writes, “This collapse of meaning, relevance, and purpose will be the most destructive force in history, constituting a total assault on reality and nothing less than the greatest crisis of humanity.”

William Shakespeare eloquently summarized the nihilist’s perspective when he has Macbeth pour out his disgust for life:

“Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Contrary to popular belief (especially among Christians who demonize him), Nietzsche was not a proponent of nihilism but, rather, a staunch critic of it—one overcome with deep despair at his recognition that it was the inevitable outcome of humanity’s chosen path, not one rejoicing in it.

This worldview devolution tells us where we are headed—and it conforms to precisely what God has declared. The destination is unavoidable and inescapable—it is the natural progression of a philosophy that began with the Fall, crystalized with Nimrod, and has been unfolding ever since.

There is only one destination when the Creator is removed from His creation—pain, death and destruction; irrationalism and, ultimately, nihilism rather than perfection. It is the oldest and greatest lie ever told. Satan cannot deliver the perfection of humanity that he offers man through his counterfeit system—only Christ can deliver that at His triumphant return.

We are headed towards societal and economic collapse—pushed forward by the demonic desires of humanistic radicals (viz., Fabian socialists and Marxist-Leninists) to seek what cannot be found, to acquire what cannot be had—a utopian world of human gods built on a foundation of irrationalism.

Rather than the promised land, they will only deliver an authoritarian state and, ultimately, a global totalitarian state of terror and misery.

Again, as a prepper, it is critically important to understand this devolution of worldviews because it provides the critical signs along our path that tell us where we are going. While natural disasters are important to prepare for, it is the inevitable collapse of society into socialist authoritarianism that we must ultimately prepare for—physically, mentally, and spiritually.

We don’t know how quickly it will arrive—it could come swiftly (in a collapse) or slowly (in the ebb and flow of dialectic “progress”). But make no mistake about it, it will arrive.

We can already see the times changing. We are witnessing events today that even just a decade ago would have seemed preposterous and utterly foreign to us. We are steadily moving towards the endgame—and the pace is quickening. Are you prepared—physically, mentally, and spiritually?

Conclusion

Humanity is in the final stages of a graveyard spiral. We are being pressed into our seats by the sheer force of our ever-tightening spiral as we pull back on the control stick with all our might in rebellion, the ground rushing towards us at a dizzying speed—whether or not we acknowledge it, we all feel it.

Again, to recover from a graveyard spiral, you must trust your instruments—they represent absolute truth for a pilot—not the errant relative truth your inner ear is telling you. However, humanity—having abandoned God’s absolute truth—has no “instruments” to fly by!

We have no human means by which to get out of the self-inflicted mess we have created (spiritual disorientation)—we are flying both blind (atheism) and by the seat of our pants (relativistic irrationalism).

Where are we headed?

We would argue that we are headed for an imminent crash. Time has run out. Impact is but moments away.

As preppers, we need to understand this reality. While things may ebb and flow a bit, they are not going to get better. We need to be taking advantage of every opportunity to prepare for dark times ahead.

Nietzsche also wisely quipped, “Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.” Don’t be one of those people—listen to the truth regardless of any illusions you may still be clinging to.

Furthermore, none of this even takes into consideration the growing onslaught of natural threats we are being bombarded by—pandemics, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and massive swarms of locust, just to name a few.

It’s time to discern and interpret the signs my friend—the endgame is at hand. Get prepared and put yourself and your family in the most defensible position possible!

As Always, hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and—in all things—pray!

Final Thought: Whom Do You Serve?

While physical and mental preparation are always important, they only provide a limited degree of risk mitigation. They only serve as a makeshift band aid, not a cure for the underlying disease—human depravity.

They may prolong your life (and possibly improve the quality of it) but they cannot change your ultimate destination.

As I noted earlier, there are but two options in our world: (1) serve God or (2) serve Satan.

Humanity has collectively made its decision. However, there is still time for you to make your own personal decision.

The end of the age (i.e., the church or gentile age) is rapidly coming to a close—and that means a period of tribulation unlike anything the world has ever known is coming.

Are you spiritually prepared for the coming storm that will usher in the endgame?

There is a solution: Repent (change your heart and mind) from rebellion against God and place your faith in Christ.

It’s really that simple. There’s no reason to complicate things. At the end of the day, it boils down to this:

We are all sinners. (Romans 3:10, 23; 5:12)

The price for our sin is death—physical death (temporal) and spiritual death (eternal). (Romans 6:23)

However, Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins (past, present, and future)—He took your place and paid the price you rightfully owe. (Romans 5:8)

What’s the catch? You must personally accept that act of grace, mercy, and love. He won’t force you to take His forgiveness.

How do you accept it? By placing your faith in Him—trusting that His redeeming work is both finished and complete. There is nothing you can do to earn it—it comes through faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone. (Romans 10:9-10, 10:13)

Make no mistake, you can prep all you want but, without God, your ultimate destination is the same as it is for the rest of a rebellious humanity. Satan’s counterfeit system will not prevail. The Creator—the great “I Am”—is the Omega.

Satan’s system will collapse. He and his human followers will be defeated, and all will suffer eternal damnation. Don’t join them—you have a choice. God has reached down to you and provided an alternative, a different endgame—eternal life with Him.

The tribulation is coming. You can hear the approaching hoofbeats… but there is still time to chose Christ and avoid it.

You can restore the spiritual “instruments” in your cockpit and regain control of your life—with God as your co-pilot. You don’t have to go down with humanity’s ship!

If you have placed your faith in Christ, you “have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him” (Colossians 3:10, NAS).

If you had to pick one facet of preparedness to practice… for the love of God, let it be spiritual preparedness!

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, NKJV)

And never forget that if you have placed your faith in Him, then—regardless of what the future holds for the world—your ultimate destination is sealed by His unconditional guarantee:

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace… that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:7, 10-14, NKJV)