“So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it” (Matthew 24:26 ESV).
As I stood behind a locked door, keeping silent in the school’s dimly lit backroom surrounded by cramped rows of computer servers, I realized I had reached adulthood. I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time. I thought it would surely happen as I started doing “adult” things like graduating, working, and getting married. But it wasn’t until I waited for the school lockdown drill to end, that I realized I was now an adult. What if this was a real threat? As a staff person, I was now responsible for the students in my area. All the students and staff knew it was going to happen and had been instructed on proper procedures. Everything went according to plan and after a while the principal announced over the intercom that we could go back to normal. The other staff person went to unlock the door but I stopped her and said the procedures indicated not to open the door for ANY reason! The security officers would unlock the door from outside. Exasperated she said in previous years, after the principal’s announcement, they had been allowed to return to normal. While we were still talking, the security team unlocked our door and tested our barricade.
If this had not been a drill, that discussion with the other staff person would never have happened because my answer would have been a resounding no. We stay put until someone comes to let us out regardless of what anyone announced over the intercom. What would happen, if someone had inside info, visited the school on a day when a drill was planned and recorded the principal’s announcement? Could that person then manage to come back during another drill, get in the building, take down the office, and make their own “fake” announcement causing everyone to come out into the open? Maybe not… but things are not always what they seem and there is a reason we have written procedures in place laying out the exact details of what we are to do and not do no matter what.
For me, being an adult means taking responsibility for the safety of others. So how does that affect my life as a Christian? God gave us the greatest defense against spiritual deception, the Bible. We are to study and be prepared so we can witness to others when opportunities arise to speak about the deceptions that can lead us away from Christ. Jesus warned us; it won’t be easy. Appearances can be deceiving. By being grounded in the scriptures, we can stand firm when confronted not just with potential deceptions but also well-meaning people who try to convince us to question what we have been warned about. We are blessed to have access to the ultimate Crisis Manual. Let’s use it!