By VAN YANDELL
Genesis 27: 5-6 & 9 “And Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. And Rebekah spoke unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savory meat for thy father.”
Jesus told us in The Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21) beware of the deceivers. Matthew 24: verses 4, 11 and 24 warn us. Deceptions are end time prophesies that many believe we are experiencing now.
Suspicion has become a way of life. Many of us have come to the realization we have been deceived, are being deceived and will continue to be deceived.
Deception does not always come quickly. It comes in stages and a “one small step at a time” approach. Those that conspire to deceive know very well that to try to “tell a really big lie” will not succeed even with a populace of limited intelligence.
Changing the thinking of a people group must be done gradually and with intentional, deliberate methodology. The desired change in attitudes will not come quickly and the perpetrators know that.
We have also noticed, if the deceivers really believe their lie, they are even more convincing. Perhaps they have also been manipulated.
A statement by Hannah Arendt, German historian and philosopher (1906–1975), speaks volumes and should get the attention of the most simple minded of the deceived. “This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore.
A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want.”
This quote from Hannah Arendt paints a perfect picture of America today. The deceptors may or may not know they are promoting mistruths. We can never know the true purpose of someone deceiving the population but a lie is a lie, intentional or otherwise.
The deception initiated by Rebecca and Jacob to take the birthright and blessing from Esau was an example in Biblical history of how deceptions have been in practice for thousands of years. Their action changed Jewish history and the change is still in effect.
Jacob was Rebecca’s favorite son and Esau was favored by Isaac. Rebecca preferred Jacob receive the birthright and blessing of his father and plotted to gain those for him. Deception was in action!
To believe a lie will somehow correct itself is naïve and short-sighted. In the case of Arendt’s generation, the truth may have eventually manifested itself but six million Jews are still dead. “I’m sorry” may appease a few but when the damage is done, the damage is done.
It is usually difficult to foresee the purposes of the manipulators or even to know “we” are being conditioned into a specific mindset. When their purpose is realized by the general population the purpose may already be accomplished and is, for the most part, unchangeable.
Jesus said in Matthew 24: 9 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” The hatred toward Christians is becoming increasingly evident because deceptions are alive and in action.
Many have asked throughout the centuries, “Why would people hate Christians?” In today’s world of permissiveness and the “anything goes” attitude, the rulebook for mankind (The Holy Bible) is rejected because it does not conform to the preferences and notions of a perverted generation.
Christians are seen by many as a hate group because we stand for the teachings of God and try to adhere to the Biblical standards of right and wrong.
Several of the human preferences in today’s world are referred to as abominations. An abomination is slapping God in the face and saying, “God, I know more about this that you do.”
These attitudes have bred deceptions to turn the world from God in order to make the population accept anti-God beliefs.
Our beliefs are influenced by those we have been exposed to. Parents probably influence their children much more in their attitudes and emotional reactions than they are aware of.
In retrospect, I must consider my dad’s unintentional teachings to me. He intentionally taught me plumbing, electrical and other building trades. But he unintentionally taught me many other concepts and behaviors I was not aware of, such as work ethic, honesty, love of Jesus and courtesy.
We can never let down our guard to the false teachings concerning our Creator God. The God of the Bible is the only true God that proves Himself through His scriptures. His wisdom and knowledge to those of us that choose to believe is convincing through prophesy and the many other conceptual elements of scripture.
The Bible contains scientific, educational and nutritional knowledge that only our Creator could have known when the Bible was written. I personally consider that to be proof of the authenticity of the Bible.
It seems evident to many, the Holy Bible is the only truthful and reliable source of information mankind has. It is our only teaching of right and wrong and eternal salvation. Why would anyone question the validity of the scriptural plan of eternal salvation?
Eternal life is attained by a faith based belief (Ephesians 2: 8) in Christ Jesus crucified (Matthew 27: 35) for the remission of sin (1 John 1: 9) and resurrected (Matthew 28: 6).