The Atheist in the Twenty-First Century
In the twenty-first century, the atheist is still a materialist. He still rejects supernaturalism in any form because it does not involve the five senses. He might think he is more justified than his predecessors because during his lifetime he has not seen any miracles or been aware of any around him. However, he is just as wrong as those who went before him because he rejects evidence just as they did.
Herod, for example (in Acts 12), would have rejected any supernatural explanation for the disappearance of Peter who was being guarded by four squads of soldiers. Even if one of the soldiers had seen what happened, the king would have refused to accept such an explanation. The following scenario did not occur, but suppose one of the soldiers said to Herod, “Sir. I can tell you what happened. I awoke to see a light in the prison. As I looked toward it, I saw an angel, and the chains that were upon Peter’s hands just slipped off them. I saw the man follow the angel up from the prison. They walked past me, and I tried to cry out, but the words stuck in my throat. Neither could I move. I was paralyzed. In a few moments they came to an iron gate, which swung open by its own accord—and they were gone. Although I was tremendously excited, my eyes were exceedingly heavy, and I fell back asleep until this morning.” Herod would not buy such a supernatural explanation.
Today’s atheists do not have genuine accounts of miracles nor a reported resurrection from the dead. But he is not less blameworthy for his rejection of the supernatural because he too repudiates the evidence. The resurrection was just as astounding to folks in the New Testament, yet they believed it (Acts 2:41). Why? They were not more gullible in the first century than people are today. Yet they believed the miracles. Why? There were cynical people like Pilate (“What is truth?”) and Herod back then just as there are many today. So, why is it that anyone was converted to Christianity? Pilate was convinced by Jesus’ demeanor in the face of being put to death. He found no fault in Him (John 19:6) and would have set Him free. Though he turned Him over to be crucified, he washed his hands of the decision (Matt. 27:24).
An atheist desires to wave his hand and make all the evidence disappear, but it does not work that way. People believed because of the supernatural manifestations of Jesus (including the resurrection) and the apostles. Atheists also reject reliable testimony. According to Jewish law, testimony is to be believed if two or three witnesses declare something to be so (Deut. 19:15). How about twelve eyewitnesses who proclaimed Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 2:31-32)? God does exist, and we have an abundance of reliable testimony to that effect. The naturalist will have no excuse before God in the judgment.