Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions are often catastrophically damaging and, worse still, deadly. If you live in the lowlands, rising sea levels are a dreaded threat. But where can one hide from these natural disasters? And then there are raging viruses that can inflict illness and death, the fear of biological and nuclear warfare and more. Is a bunker your best option?
If you are among the world’s super-wealthy 1%, you may already be consulting with intermediaries to conceptualize an underground bunker for safety. They say you need a safe place where you and your family can be comfortably protected and sustained for an extended period of time—beyond the reach of horrific and catastrophic events.
Douglas Rushkoff wrote about meeting privately in the middle of a desert with five super-elite wealthy men gripped by fear of the future. If money brings people greater security in life, these five wealthy men are missing out. One of them had already secured a dozen Navy Seals, on a retainer basis, to guard his fortress if needed. They peppered Rushkoff with questions like:
- Which was the greater threat: global warming or biological warfare?
- How long should one plan to be able to survive with no outside help?
- Should a shelter have its own air supply?
- What was the likelihood of groundwater contamination?
Finally, the CEO of a brokerage house explained that he had nearly completed building his own underground bunker system, and asked: “How do I maintain authority over my security force after the event?” The event. That was their euphemism for the environmental collapse, social unrest, nuclear explosion, solar storm, unstoppable virus, or malicious computer hack that takes everything down. (1)
Then Rushkoff writes:
“Their extreme wealth and privilege served only to make them obsessed with insulating themselves from the very real and present danger of climate change, rising sea levels, mass migrations, global pandemics, nativist panic and resource depletion.” (2)
But does a reinforced dwelling provide sufficient insulation to shield them from all adversity? If you could afford one, would an underground bunker be your best option? Is it the ultimate answer for a safe refuge? Would one be safe in a bunker — no matter what storm or catastrophe happens?
In the early sixties, people were actively considering ways to protect themselves from a nuclear bomb and the radioactive fallout. Reinforced concrete structures, canned food, oxygen generation and ventilation, communications—the list of ‘survival’ considerations was long then and remains long now.
The Bible has many references to a place of refuge and shelter from the storm. Even though underground bunkers are not mentioned in the Holy Bible — there is at least one reference to the 1% — the wealthy, powerful and famous people seeking refuge in rock caves. However, implied in that Bible verse is the folly of thinking one can make oneself safe and the futility of such an attempt.
It is no secret that Mark Zuckerburg, CEO of Meta and one of the world’s ten wealthiest people, is building an elaborate 5000 sq ft concrete bunker in a $100 million compound in Hawaii. (3) Zuckerburg is not the only billionaire doing this. Other one percenters are doing the same thing.
Admittedly, not all these ultra-wealthy people are driven solely by fear of the future. The reality is they have more money than they know what to do with, so they are buying up islands and thousands of acres of land where they can ‘enjoy’ their wealth and build their own self-contained ecosystem, requiring minimal contact with the outside world. But it’s interesting that all these vast purchases also seem to include the concept of a protective bunker. (4)
The Bible references a time in the future when people will be terrified as they see multiple things happening in the world.
… there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world… Luke 21:25-26 ESV
And yes, the Bible tells us people will seek to shield and shelter and hide themselves in mountain caves — people from all walks of life, including the one percenters. Money has its limits in making one secure – very severe limits!
Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:15-17 CSB
Many ignore, belittle or discount the significance of the Bible and even mock it. They do so at their own peril. If they truly are interested in survival and not perishing, the Bible is a must-read. The overarching theme of the Bible is a place of refuge and shelter that’s available to 100% — not just the 1%.
As much as the Bible warns of a terrible future ‘storm’ for the inhabitants of Planet Earth, there is a storm that takes its toll daily. It is called the storm of death. No amount of money can build you a bunker beyond the reach of death. People who thought they would sleep in their beds tonight – will find themselves in a morgue or a coffin before midnight. That’s just the reality of life. No human-made bunker can shield anyone from such a storm. Are you prepared? The Bible pleads with people:
Prepare to meet your God. Amos 4:12
There is good news in the Bible. Jesus Christ Himself is the eternal refuge, safe shelter and hiding place. Those who know Christ personally as their Saviour are safe even in death. For them, death is a passage from time into eternity to be with Christ in Heaven forever. A Christian is safe in Christ, which means they are safe when they take their last breath and safe from ever experiencing the future apocalyptic storm of Divine judgment.
This is how the Bible characterizes the safety and security of those who have experienced and embraced the love of Christ:
Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39 CSB
A Christian is not fearful of their future. Down through the ages, those who enjoyed a personal relationship with God found their refuge in Him. Consider just a small selection of Bible verses and ask yourself if you have anything that can compare to such safety, assurance and confidence.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4:
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
For in the day of trouble, He will keep me safe in the shelter of His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tent; He will set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5
People who are fearful of the future are ultimately afraid they will perish. But consider what the Bible says about perishing.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever (relevant to 100% of earth dwellers, not just the one percenters) believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV
Friend, God does not want you to perish in your sins. How do we know that? Because He gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for our sins. (1Corinthians 15:3, Romans 5:6,8) He took the punishment our sins deserve, and right now — if you will turn to Christ and embrace Him as your Saviour, He will be your eternal Shelter— not a cold reinforced underground bunker — but a beautiful Refuge – a Haven of rest and peace and eternal freedom.
Is a bunker Mark Zuckerburg’s best option for the future? If you could afford it, would it be your best option? Absolutely not! Also, you need to know that personal goodness and devotion to one’s religion do not offer any more security than an underground bunker. Christ is your only safe and secure option. Trust in nothing else and in no one else but Christ.
Sources:
1. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/sep/04/super-rich-prepper-bunkers-apocalypse-survival-richest-rushkoff
2. ibid.
3. https://www.cbc.ca/news/billionaire-bunkers-doomsday-1.7130152
4. https://theconversation.com/billionaires-are-building-bunkers-and-buying-islands-but-are-they-prepping-for-the-apocalypse-or-pioneering-a-new-feudalism-223987