1. “Lying is more fashionable than truth.”
This is the quote at the beginning of the section of Mr. Browder’s diaries from 1862 to 1864. That was true then, and it is true again now. This isn’t just a problem of the left or a problem of leftist media. More than once I shared an article on Facebook that was written by what was considered a reputable conservative source, only to find out the information wasn’t quite accurate. It had been “colored” a little to give it the slant the authors wanted and to make things sound like they matched their viewpoint. Wrong and falsehood is being battled by other falsehoods or embellished stories to try to convince people of a certain viewpoint. Lying cannot be fought against with more lies. “And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:3)
2. Judgment is distorted
Sadly, judgment is seriously distorted in many cases. Riots are justified in one situation and condemned in another. People are brought before the courts of law and condemned for very minor offenses or for things that are not even against the law, while some who commit terrible crimes are let go or given but little sentence against them.
The things mentioned above are two of the things for which God judged Israel. The Bible says, “14) And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. 15) Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.” (Isaiah 59:14,15)
3. False Christianity is exalted
A “new” type of Christianity is taking over the churches and being accepted as “the norm” in America. In this “Christianity” there are many preachers, teachers and “prophets” that have come on the scene in the past year or so. They can be recognized by statements like the following:
“The Lord told me…”
“I have a message from the Lord…”
“God spoke to me in a dream…”
And the list goes on.
Most of these individuals have the same message, though often expressed in different words.
“It is going to be OK.”
“We will be safe.”
What comes to mind are the prophets that prophesied similar things in the days just before Israel went into captivity. These are the sad words from Jeremiah 14:13,14, “13) Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. 14) Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.”
4. People speak evil of others.
This is taking place, not just among those in the world, but even among Christians. How often have I seen on Facebook and other places memes that mock and make fun of people who do wrong, especially people in authority who do wrong. Sometimes these posts and memes even wish ill on these people.
It is proper to point out wrong. Ephesians 5:11 says, “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” We are to point out unfruitful works of darkness and address these issues, but not by mocking or making fun of the people who do them. Proverbs 14:9 says that “Fools make a mock at sin.” We must guard our own hearts and thoughts and words. We do not want to be foolish in our actions and words when we take a stand against sin.
5. People repeat the account of others’ sins.
Besides memes that mock and make fun of the sins of those who have influence or those in high places, I have also seen many posts in the past year that repeat accounts of these sins –
a. “So and so said such and such… Read what he/she said here. It is so evil.”
All that does is repeat the evil that the person said. We can give the gist of something and point out what is sinful about it without repeating it all. If we repeat it, we simply make ourselves guilty of saying the same evil thing.
b. “So and so did such and such an awful thing.”
When I saw something like this posted, it was often accompanied by a description of the awful thing or even pictures or videos. This only serves to put images in our minds that ought not be there and make us think on things our minds ought not think about. Ephesians 5:7,8 says, “7) Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8) For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” There is a fine line between calling out evil and becoming a partaker with it. If we describe the sin and perhaps even put images or videos with it, there is a possibility we can make ourselves become partakers of it. Ephesians 5:12 says, “It is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”
How then shall we call out the sin and evil when we see it? Sometimes it is necessary to tell something about it, but it should not be described and pictured in such a way that others see it in their own minds. Ephesians 5:13 explains, “All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.” The way to call sin out and to show that it is sinful is to hold it up to the light – that is, to use the word of God, which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. If the action shows up sinful in the light of God’s word, it can be condemned as evil. But there is no need to paint an image of it for the minds of others to “see” for themselves. We want to be careful not to be a stumbling block to other people.
6. Evil is rampant on both sides politically.
In our nation, we do have more than one party. However, it is mainly two parties that vie for office and that get the most attention or votes. These parties are considered to be “the left wing” and “the right wing.” Sadly, in these days, both parties seem to have an evil one-world agenda; they really do seem to be two wings of the same bird. The difference is that one party commits evil openly, and it is easy to see that their words and actions are evil; the other party does good things, and it claims to stand for right and liberty. However, it also has an agenda for world control. The agenda of the one side is a communist Marxist agenda, while the agenda of the other side is a New Age agenda. It appears good, but has in it false apostles, teachers and prophets. It reminds one of these verses, “13) For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14) And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (II Corinthians 11:13-15) Both agendas come from the same person, the devil who is the father of lies.
As bad as all of this sounds, there is something that Christians can do. This post has gotten quite long, so, Lord willing, there will soon be a follow up post with the encouraging words of what God’s people can do.