Volume 43 Issue Seven July 2024
Last Trumpet Ministries · PO Box 806 · Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org
“For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” I Cor. 14:8
What Is Truth?“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.”
John 18:37-38
We hear a lot about disinformation and “fake news” these days. Yet, this is not a new problem. In fact, the very first disinformation campaign occurred in the Garden of Eden when the serpent beguiled Eve, enticed her to eat the forbidden fruit, and told her lies that she chose to believe. What were those lies? Genesis 3:4-5 explains, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Humanity has suffered the consequences of these lies since the fall of man.
By the days of Isaiah the Prophet, conditions had only worsened. Isaiah 59:4 laments, “None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.” The prophet further tells us in Isaiah 59:14, “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.” This verse describes a societal condition in which there is such little regard for the truth that it is cast out into the street like refuse and trodden underfoot.
When Jesus Christ came to this world, He, too, encountered a culture that stood in opposition to the truth. In fact, Jesus was hated because He only spoke the truth. In John 8:45, Jesus told His opponents, “And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” Since the early days of humanity, people have embraced lies and disregarded the truth. The irony, of course, is that if Jesus had spoken lies, He would have been accepted by His opponents. The scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees would have loved Him!
Our Saviour’s ministry revealed many important truths. He taught us that we who have sinned must repent. For example, Matthew 4:17 tells us, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In Luke 13:3, He again preached repentance, warning, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Jesus revealed that the religious structure of His day, led chiefly by the Pharisees, was rife with hypocrisy. In Luke 12:1 He admonished, “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Our Lord and Saviour also taught us the essential truth that love is one of the defining characteristics of God’s people. John 13:34-35 declares, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” He further reveals to us the most important truth of all: That Jesus Christ is the way to salvation. John 14:6 declares, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Every word ever spoken by Jesus Christ is absolutely true. If you ever feel lost in the maze of confusion that this modern world has become, you can always look to Jesus to find the truth. It is for this reason John 8:31-32 tells us, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” If you have not yet repented of your sins and dedicated your life to God, I urge you to do so now.
