Chapter Ten TRUE OR FALSE

Chapter Ten

TRUE OR FALSE

The Ninth Commandment

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”—Exodus 20:16.

Right Interpretation is the Difference

Most people interpret this commandment as “You shall not tell lies.” This is not exactly what this commandment says.

When a person takes the witness box in a court of law, that person is asked to make an affirmation and declare by oath that they will tell the truth and nothing but the truth. The witness box is for witnesses of an event, whereby the person in the box can testify to what was seen or heard. It is not the role of the witness to interpret what might have happened or what was meant by what was said. However, this happens all too often, and many witnesses give an interpretation of events rather than what they actually saw or heard.

There is a saying that holds a lot of truth, which is worth remembering. It goes like this:

“I know you think you heard what it is that I said, but I am not sure that you realize, what you thought you heard me say, is not exactly what I meant.”

This can also be applied to what has been seen:

“I know you think you saw exactly what happened, but I am not sure whether you realize, how you perceived what you thought you saw is not exactly what took place.”

False Police Videos

All too often, we interpret events rather than give an exact account of what was actually said, or what actually happened. An example of this is evidenced in videos posted on the internet where police appear to be brutally victimizing innocent people. Because we see with our own eyes what happened on the video, when police appear to be abusing their powers, we are convinced that they are in the wrong. However, what we saw on the video, and whether they are in the wrong, may be two different matters. The reason for this is the video might only be telling a small part of the story, and not the preceding events that lead up to the snap-shot video recording. These videos bear false witness against the police, when in fact the police are often apprehending violent and threatening offenders who might be high on drugs or dangerously armed. These are offenders who have given every indication that the only way they are going to comply with police requests to calm down and be civil is if they are restrained by force. Sometimes the force might seem excessive, but, then, if the person is high on drugs, the person is unlikely to comply with police requests. The only way to restrict the person from harming someone else is by using physical means to restrain the person. This may require the use of weapons (batons, sprays, gas, water hoses, stunners, guns), depending on the situation, and how dangerous and imminent the threat to other people’s property and lives might be at the time.

The Affair Next Door

To bear false witness against our neighbor means that we are actually making untrue claims about what our neighbor did or did not do. For instance, say, we saw a woman go into our neighbor’s house and come out one hour later; we could testify to this without bearing false witness. However, say our neighbor was a man, and we claimed that he was having an affair with the woman we saw go into that house. Then we would be guilty of false witness, unless we knew this to be true. False testimony occurs when we go beyond saying what we actually saw and add something extra to the account.

Bearing false witness against our neighbor is a common problem among people. We can be bearing false witness even when expressing an opinion. What we say might be based on fact, but our interpretation of what the facts mean may not be correct, and the person hearing what we say might take the interpretation as the truth, rather than being merely an opinion. When this occurs, we have broken the commandment—it is so easy to do.

The True Witness

The concept of bearing witness is integral to understanding what life is about; especially, when it comes to the written word of God that bears witness to God’s purpose for humankind.

What a false witness does is lay the grounds upon which a lie can be declared to be true. There are numerous untrue statements within Christian circles that form the basis of interpreting the Bible and what it means. One of these is that the Bible is the Living Word of God. This is based on a Scripture that says, “every Scripture God-breathed” being translated or interpreted as “every Scripture is God-breathed”.

However, Jesus Himself said that the Bible has no effectual power. It merely bears witness to Him. To quote Jesus: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40).—the English Standard Version reads: “yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” The word “refuse” somehow carries with it more than a sense of simply making a decision not to come to Jesus so a person might receive eternal life. The word “refuse” carries the connotation of determined resistance against any prompting to seek out the Lord; no matter how much kindness, generosity and grace is poured upon each person to draw him or her to the source of all goodness.

 Tragically, too many people fall prey to the false belief that by reading the Bible they have eternal life. Pride gets the better of them when they are pointed to the truth that knowledge of itself is not what saves, but faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior is what saves us and enables us to possess our inheritance.

Besides those who get filled with pride due to the lie that they believe they are saved from reading the Bible, many people believe that the Bible is the Living Word of God instead of the written word of God, because they unconsciously repeat an all too common error—as mentioned regarding the first commandment.  Without realizing they are doing so, people conditioned themselves to believing a lie.  If we say the Bible is the Living Word of God, we are inadvertently using self-autosuggestion to condition our subconscious to trust in the our relationship with the written Word of God rather than Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Living Word of God (1 John 1:1-2; John 1:1-4; Rev. 19:13; Heb 4:12-13; Rev 2:23; Rom 8:27; Matt.11:28-30).

One day I witnessed the baptism of two people. One was a nineteen-year-old girl who stood up and testified from her heart about what Jesus Christ meant to her and what it meant to be persecuted because she told others about Jesus being her Lord and Savior.

The other candidate was a twenty-two-year-old male who read a statement about his belief from a prepared speech. He gave the impression that he did not really have a relationship with Jesus but was getting baptized because he believed what the Bible said and he had been doing things he should not do. Afterwards during a conversation, I asked him what he thought about a few matters and it became evident to me that he did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I asked him what he thought about Jesus’ statement concerning those who were not willing to come to him. He read the two verses of Scripture in the Gospel of John, chapter five, as mentioned above, as well as the following two verses aloud. Then he said to me, “Let us agree to disagree.”

This young man’s father was a deacon of the church and told me that he was proud of how his son defended the faith.[ii]—In this case, the faith that his son was defending was contrary to Scripture, for he was stating that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is unnecessary for salvation as by reading the Scriptures alone is sufficient to possess eternal life. —His father also believes the Bible is the living pulsating Word of God, and quoted from Hebrews (4:12) to prove his point, but somehow ignores the next verse which speaks of the Word of God that is alive and active and that He actually happens to be a person:

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13—now compare Revelation 2:23; 9:13;  Rom 8:27; and note Matt.11:27).

It is convenient to simply call the Bible “the word of God” rather than “the written word of God” In fact, because we appreciate the value of the Bible, we may often refer to it affectionately as “the word” or “my word”. There is nothing wrong with this, providing this does not become a doctrine or a foundation upon which a certain translation of the Bible is declared to be THE LIVING WORD OF GOD.

Once we realize these things, it is easy to see how we can subconsciously become deceived over a small issue without knowing it.

Unfortunately, people claiming to be Christians can become very hostile when they are reminded that the Bible itself is the written Word of God only, not Jesus Christ Himself. Some adherents of the belief that the version of the Bible they read is the one that was written in English by the Apostles (Peter, Paul and John) are vehement towards Christians who do not subscribe to their view. As for whether these people actually believe the apostles Peter, Paul and John used King James English, well, they seem to give this impression by insisting that the King James Version is the original and only true Bible—according to them no other Bible bears witness to Jesus Christ (pity for those who cannot read English). Unfortunately, these people are more intent on defending their beliefs rather than walking in the light of life in Jesus Christ and being a living witness to the grace of God.

Bibliolatry results from the Bible being called the word of God instead of the written word of God, because people are inclined to wrongly declare that the Bible itself is the Living Word of God. Bibliolatry (putting the Bible before God) is a sin committed by many Bible believing Christians. In fact, I have even heard a person claim the Bible to be Jesus Christ. This Jesus Himself denies in the gospel of John—as noted in the previous mentioned quotation concerning how the Scriptures cannot save of themselves but bear witness to our Lord Jesus Christ, Who can and does save us.

This idea that Jesus is the Bible could be based on the following (often wrongly interpreted) verse found is in the book of Revelation:

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:11-13).

The significance of Jesus being the Word of God goes further than this being His name. Jesus was the pre-existent Word of God made flesh, and through Whom everything that was created came into being. The first chapter of the gospel of John is very clear about this. In fact, The Ten Commandments even came into being through the Living Word of God. But there is a major difference between the written word of God and the Living Word of God. Nevertheless, those who believe in the message of the written word of God shall be saved, providing they act in accordance to what is required.

The message of the written word is God raises the dead. He forgives those who forgive others, and shows mercy to those who show mercy. God will justify those who have a hatred of evil and have faith in His promise of salvation. God justifies those who look for something better than what this world can offer; just like Abraham looked for a city not made of hands—as is stated in the book of Hebrews, chapter eleven.[iii]

It is evident that the Bible is not the Living Word of God itself, but it definitely bears witness to the One Who is the Living Word of God. Because of this, those of us who are persecuted on account of the Bible or the word of God are given the promise of reigning with Jesus Christ. We are those who do not succumb to the ways of the world; instead, we resist the temptation to do evil and delight in doing what God requires. The book of Revelation states:

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4-6).

The Beatitudes

 When Jesus gave His Sermon on the Mount, He declared what are now known as The Beatitudes. These are nine statements that provide conditions for being blessed. By being blessed, it is assumed that these mean conditions that provide the basis of salvation—otherwise, there is no real blessing. Two of the beatitudes refer to being persecuted; one on the account of Jesus’ sake, and the other on the account of righteousness. The above-mentioned text from the book of Revelation tells us that by being a witness to Jesus unto death, we will be saved, and by being a witness to the word of God, that is, for righteousness sake, we will be saved. An example of this was John the Baptist. John the Baptist was not only a witness to Jesus, but also a witness for righteousness sake. John was persecuted, and then he was beheaded, because of his witness.

False Apostles

By bearing witness to our neighbor, we are bearing witness to another, and this applies to God, the Heavenly Father, and to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and also to the written word of God. However, God does not tolerate false witness. Hypocrites bear false witness to the Lord God and the written word of God. Hypocrites are people who claim they belong to God, but do not. These people distort the Scriptures and lead people away from Jesus Christ. The Scriptures bear witness to Jesus.

Groups like the Mormons point people away from Jesus Christ, even though they have within the Book of Mormon some extracts from the King James Bible taken out of the Book of Matthew.

 The Jehovah Witnesses also lead people away from Jesus Christ by claiming that their New World Translation is the Living Word and can save people. The Jehovah Witnesses produced their own version of the Bible and have inserted words to various texts to mislead people. They have even changed a text to read, we can be saved “through the faith in connection with Jesus Christ” rather than “through faith in Jesus Christ”.[iv] There is a massive difference in meaning between the words “in connection with” and “through”. The first is like going to a party for Lucifer’s political campaign that is held in connection with a magician who cuts bodies in half and runs a funeral parlor. On the other hand, being saved through faith is more like entering a fortified tower that provides protection from the Devil, with stairs that lead to Heaven and life in Christ Jesus. Whether these false apostles like to admit it or not, they are bearing false witness against their neighbor, especially when they denounce true born-again believers as being of the Devil.[v]

The Seven Evils

This commandment covers quite a number of facets regarding bearing false witness. As is the case with all the Ten Commandments, the broader scheme of what is meant needs to be considered. In the book of Proverbs chapter 6, verses 16-19, we find there are six things the Lord hates:

1. haughty eyes,
2. a lying tongue,
3. hands that shed innocent blood,
4. a heart that devises wicked plans,
5. feet that are swift in running to evil,
6. a false witness, and
7. (THE ABOMINATION TO GOD) one who sows discord among brethren.

Of the six things the Lord hates, a false witness is obviously addressed by this commandment. The lying tongue is easy to identify as being associated with bearing false witness. Haughty eyes, shedding innocent blood, devising wicked plans and running to do evil, are not as obviously recognizable as being included, whereas the abomination of sowing discord among people can be readily understood to incorporate bearing false witness. Each one, however, is covered by this commandment because bearing false witness will be included in the actions.

Haughty Eyes

Haughty eyes belong to those who think they are superior to another person in some way. This might be because the person is born into a more wealthy family or because the person does not think he or she is as ignorant as the person who is being looked down upon. It is so easy to think oneself superior to another. This could be for many reasons where prestige and privilege are afforded to people because of achievements, wealth, schooling, occupation, reputation, birthplace, residence, nationality, race, religion, association, membership and the like. This is a false witness because no human being is any better than any other human being; unless the person has the power over death and happens to be immortal. This is not to say that people cannot be looked up to because of their integrity, achievements and reputation; rather, what this means is that nobody can justify the right to look down on another person, because everybody came into this world naked and will take nothing out of it, except the record of how each one’s life has been lived. Therefore, it is a false witness against our neighbor to think that we are more worthy or morally superior than him or her next door or any other person.

Innocent Blood

Shedding innocent blood requires a false witness. This was especially seen at the death of Jesus Christ. The Jews bore false witness against Jesus and accused him of violating the Law of God because he said he was the Son of God. The religious leaders wanted him crucified. As always, when innocent blood is shed, there has to be a false witness, otherwise the blood of the innocent would not be shed. Especially, for a public execution, somebody has to convince the authority with the power to kill an innocent person that the slaying is justified. When a person kills another, that person has to believe that they are doing what is right and the one being slain is guilty of a crime that befits death. This can only occur when there is falsehood being perpetrated in some form. For someone has to bear false witness, irrespective of whether this originates from a misinterpretation of the facts, or someone has sought to kill another individual for a personal reason.  Even in the case of Pilate claiming to wash his hands of innocent blood, when handing Jesus over to the soldiers to do as the Jews requested, false witness was required in order to justify his political expediency in the eyes of others.

Wicked Plans

Devising wicked plans requires someone to devise a scheme that will be given consent by other people. Hitler devised a scheme whereby exterminating Jews would be beneficial for the German people. He concocted a political agenda and philosophy that appealed to the Germans of his day to perpetrate his wicked plans. Stalin was another who did the same; as the many despots and dictators throughout history have done to ensure that they retain power over their jurisdiction. Devising wicked plans is not limited to the likes of Hitler or Stalin or others such as Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, and Idi Amin, but also to leaders of democratic governments and business leaders of corporations and others who are in positions of power. Many accusations are dismissed as conspiracy theories that have no base, but Watergate caught out more than one person and there are numerous other wicked plans that are conceived in government circles and corporations designed to cheat the general public of the truth. To do this, they have to bear false witness against someone at some time in order to cover their tracks, or justify their actions, or the reasons for their plans and interpretation of events. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy is a case in point and the CIA has admitted that there was a cover up.

Twilight Society
Those who are a part of the twilight society are constantly running to do evil. These people are always seeking ways to defraud people. By making out that they are doing the public a favor, or are good citizens, we will find them associated with organized crime and so-called colorful figures. At the first opportunity to perform some perverse evil act or condone some evil action, they will do it—if the price is right.

The seduction of society by pornography and drugs is an evil that is encouraged by those who aim to benefit financially from these activities. Many people in authority may not benefit directly by these activities, but they compromise their position of trust and power by taking bribes and turning a blind eye. It is impossible for this to occur without people bearing false witness somewhere along the line. Corruption does not survive, if we all shun evil, to do what is right for the sake of our neighbor.

The twilight society of organized crime and criminal activity requires people to bear false witness against their neighbor to survive, for often the best way to deflect an investigation into one’s own activities is to cast aspersions about other people. Many “Mr Bigs” of this world, have been discovered as having been exalted as outstanding citizens in local communities because they are seen as generous benefactors who fund community projects and other enterprises in the name of the public good—yet they have gained all their wealth from the proceeds of crime. More criminal activity is committed by repeat offenders than first-time offenders, but when it comes to organized crime, there are some very cagey operators who simply delight in sponsoring evil.

The Libyan leader, Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, denied he was sponsoring evil atrocities across the globe. At the time, terrorism around the globe was becoming so frequent, there were reports of it occurring virtually every week. However, when President Ronald Reagan ordered strategic bombing of three sites in Tripoli, including Gaddafi’s own residence, frequent worldwide terrorism came to a sudden halt.

The Largest Swindle

Bernard Madoff was able to pull off, for two decades, what has been said to be, the largest swindle in history. The FBI claimed the scheme duped people out of an estimated sixty-five billion dollars ($65,000,000,000)[vi] by using false trading dates to establish reporting of profitable trades on the stock market. The scheme survived because people were prepared to bear false witness.

A false witness can be anybody who claims they saw something that did not happen or anyone who makes a false claim about anything at all.

Two or More Witnesses

In the book of Deuteronomy, there is a caution issued about taking the testimony of one person as gospel, especially when it comes to laying a charge against another person.

“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.  If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days.  The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst” (Deut. 19:15-19).

The message of the Bible is very much do unto others as we would have others do unto ourselves. As far as God is concerned this applies to bearing false witness against our neighbor, which is not conducive to loving our neighbor as ourselves. God’s law is just. There is no justice when people are let off the hook for putting other people through agonizing situations and terror. This can happen when people are accused wrongfully of a crime and have to endure public hostility and ostracism because of someone’s false accusation. Because of this, God has decreed that a person, who accuses another of an act of unlawfulness, needs to have corroborating evidence. The law recognizes this, and one person’s word alone against another person is often insufficient to convict a person of a crime. In the event that someone is falsely accused of a crime he did not do, and he is convicted because of false testimony, God says he will avenge the injustice; although, this might be small comfort for the innocent person who has been sentenced to punishment. In the book of Isaiah, we learn that God cares and will not forget the sorrows of the innocent:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn” (Isaiah 61:1-2 NKJV).

God’s Limit

Many like to say that the God of the Christians is different to the God of the Jews because He offers grace upon grace, forgiving the sinner as many times as he says he is sorry. Well, the book of Hebrews says God has a limit to His grace:

“Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord” (Hebrews 10:30).

Nobody gets away; God gets everyone in the end. Throughout the book of Proverbs, the book of wisdom, this is very clear. People often call this karma, but it is merely a principle of God’s law. What we sow, we will reap. When a false witness accuses another of something, the very thing that person has accused the innocent of doing, will in all probability come upon him or her; if not the exact thing, the consequences will be the same.

Hell without Flames

An African pastor, who was dead three days, came back to life after the undertaker had begun preparing him for burial. (This is on video.)[vii] What is particularly interesting about this incident is the pastor was taken by angels to a place called Heaven and then to a place called Hades—that is, Hell. In Hell, he saw people suffering, wailing and gnashing their teeth, with some even eating their own flesh, which would grow back after each bite. Then a preacher came up to him. This preacher was obviously experiencing a degree of torment as he repeatedly yelled “…I stole money from the church. I want to repay!” The angels told the pastor that each person is reliving all the evil he or she did on Earth. The pastor wondered why the preacher was in Hell. The pastor was then told that he would have been going to Hell, also, because of his own false witness of preaching forgiveness but not practicing forgiveness; except, fortunately for him, he was going back to Earth, because he was asking God to forgive him when his car crashed.

What the pastor testified about the dead is not what people want to believe happens once a person dies. But, evidently, what we sow on Earth, we will also reap in eternity.

Lying Lips

A lying tongue is so common that many people today are unable to tell the difference between when they are telling a lie or the truth. A lie may be thought to be true (even declared a true lie) but it is definitely falsehood, and never the truth.

One man I knew would tell a lie to boost his ego so often that he would convince himself he was telling the truth, and he would say, “May God strike me down dead, right now, if I am not telling the truth.” The longer he lived (like Pinocchio his nose grew longer, along with his ears, and) the more convinced he was that his lies were true; only the day he died, I was not in his presence to know whether he was requesting God to strike him down dead, if he were telling a lie. One thing I do know, the fact that the man is now dead is no lie. Death has a say, whether we like it or not.

The television host David Letterman has often exclaimed, “Honest to God!” just before telling something that is untrue as a part of his joke routine. Somehow, this is supposed to make the joke funnier.

Politicians are renowned for telling lies. Probably, the most famous lie told by a politician was when a President of the United States of America said: “Read my lips. I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

On January 19, 2001, when leaving office, President Clinton stated: “I tried to walk a fine line between acting lawfully and testifying falsely, but I now recognize that I did not fully accomplish this goal and am certain my responses to questions about Ms. Lewinsky were false.”

If President Clinton is to be believed, it appears some people do not know when they are telling lies and when they are not telling lies.

True Lies

What some call true lies, others call twisting the truth; while the enlightened will see a proponent and perpetrator of true lies for what he or she is—a liar and a deceiver. Actually, Jesus said that those who lie only do what their father the Devil does.

White Lies

One of the difficulties that people have when trying not to lie occurs when they are asked to tell what are known as white lies. These are purportedly harmless lies that are told to avoid embarrassment or to avoid talking to someone or having to decline someone’s request. Often employees are asked by their bosses to tell someone they are not there; a household member might be asked to do the same, like when someone knocks on a door and hears a voice saying to the person answering the door, “If it’s for me, tell them I am not here.”

Because such lies appear to do no obvious harm they are called white lies; everybody seems to be guilty of telling a white lie at some time.

Concealing the Truth

Concealing the truth can simply mean that we are not going to tell people the truth and say so; or we can tell people some of the truth and not all the truth and let them try to figure out the rest of the truth for themselves.

God does not lie, but He conceals truth from us. Jesus intimated that his disciples should do the same, when he told them “not to give dogs what is holy” nor “throw pearls before swine”.

Jesus also made the statement that his disciples need to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). The difficulty with this statement is the first serpent mentioned in the Bible was a deceiver and is also known as Satan, the Devil, who is a liar and the Father of Lies. However, concealing the truth and lying are two different things.

For instance, if we are questioned by the police or government authorities about an alleged criminal offence, it might be wise not to be up-front about what we were doing, otherwise we could find ourselves being misinterpreted, especially in the case of mistaken identity. A wise person begins asking questions rather than making statements until it is clear what the authorities are investigating exactly.

Innocent as a Dove

Not long after becoming a Christian, I spent six hours under interrogation because of mistaken identity, before being released without being charged. The reason I was intensely interrogated at the police station was, when confronted by the police, I made statements about what I was doing the day before, rather than asking questions first.

I had been mistaken for somebody else who happened to look like me and was falsely accused by the police of being a rapist who committed a sexual assault on a young woman some weeks earlier in a park near where I lived.  At the time, because of how the police officers confronted me, I had thought the police were talking about a misunderstanding that had occurred the day before between another person and myself regarding his new girlfriend, to whom I had been sharing the gospel, and immediately I told them what happened the previous day. Because of my free disclosure about the misunderstanding that took place the previous day, the police gave me the impression that they believed I was trying to cover up my real motives and claimed this was further evidence that I was the person they wanted. The police detectives also created false scenarios in order to bamboozle me and fit me up. After six hours, I was asked to stand behind a one-way window, so I could be identified. Then I was released without being charged. I was given no apology and did not hear about the matter again. Although, a neighbor told me that a person fitting my description had been apprehended by the police some months later peeping through someone’s bedroom window in a nearby street.

After that occasion, needless to say, I wised-up and took to heart the words of Jesus to be “wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove”  (Matthew 10:16). In a number of later incidents, by heeding this Scripture, I have avoided unnecessary grief, as it seemed to cure my foot-in-mouth disease.

On another occasion, when I was wrongfully accused of fraud and deception, and was taken into a police station for questioning, I was very wary of what I said. The police got frustrated with the way the questioning was going, and it looked like I was in for a beating in the back room. Fortunately, for me, when in the back room, I noticed that one of the officers, who had just rolled up his sleeve, suffered from psoriasis, and I made mention of the fact. This changed the tone of the two police officers’ demeanor, who both seemed to be embarrassed by the observation. Consequently, I avoided a beating by the two boys in blue uniforms and they released me very quickly after a couple of questions, as there were no grounds in the accusations for me to be held in custody.

One time I was slandered when before the magistrate on a trumped-up charge by a government authority of physically and psychologically abusing my children. The government representative laying the charges claimed to be a practicing Catholic. When in the court witness box, after swearing on the Bible, he stated: “This man is the worst kind of person because he not only believes in God but also believes the Bible is actually true.” The magistrate dismissed the charge on the basis that there was no evidence of physical or psychological abuse to my children, merely hearsay and misconceptions by false witnesses, who may have an axe to grind.

Jesus said:

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12).

Once when driving a taxi, two very tall male passengers in their mid-twenties got into my cab. One sat behind me and tried to strangle me with my seat belt, while the other one was punching me in the face. The taxi I was driving smashed into a street pole. Fortunately, I was able to free myself. The two males then chased me down the street. One of them had the misfortune, while trying to grab me, to fall headfirst into the gutter and knock himself unconscious. The other one was seen kicking me in the face by the driver of a pizza delivery van.  Later on, at the police station, I was being accused by the police officer interviewing me of having assaulted the two very tall males and I was being given the third degree. Fortunately, when the driver of the pizza delivery van testified to seeing me on the ground and being kicked in the face, I was released and the offenders were charged.

On a few other occasions when police officers and, even, government authorities, have tried to frame me, by being wise as a serpent, I have avoided harrowing experiences.

It is because of misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and public servants seeking to boost their career prospects and get another notch in their belt from easy targets that Jesus warned His disciples to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Dishonest people, unknowingly influenced by the Father of Lies, will resort to anything to discredit people who seek the truth and desire to do the will of God.

Speaking in Faith

One way we can conceal the truth without telling a lie is by speaking in faith about something that has not yet happened, but we believe will happen. The evidence is that God will honor those who are faithful in seeking Him by being obedient to His voice.

Paul Yonggi Cho is a Korean Pastor who founded a congregation that has grown to over one million people. Back in the early 1960s, when the congregation was around forty thousand people, the church leaders had purchased land and they were building premises to accommodate the growing congregation. However, there came a time when they did not have sufficient money to meet a loan repayment for their mortgage and the bank was going to foreclose. Cho got to see the head manager of the bank, having told bank officers that he was the king’s son (the King being the King of Kings, Lord Jesus Christ). Had the bank officers asked to speak to his father, circumstances would have become very interesting, as the Korean dynasty had already been deposed and dispossessed of its wealth. Cho told the bank manager that if he did not foreclose the loan, he would deliver his bank some forty thousand new bank accounts. This Cho said by faith. Had Cho been asked to produce concrete evidence that he could deliver those bank accounts at the time, he would have been unable to do so. Cho was believing that he might be able to influence the members of his congregation to all change banks and open accounts at the bank that held the mortgage. Anyhow, the bank manager believed him and wrote out a check to cover the debt and prevent the foreclosure of the mortgage.

Some might think that Cho lied. If Cho had told the bank manager what some people would call the absolute truth about his current circumstances, the bank manager would have not covered the payment, and the mortgage would have been foreclosed. The important thing here is Cho did not lie; rather he spoke the truth about what he believed he could do with God’s help. Cho was being as wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove. There is a difference between concealing the truth by telling lies and concealing the truth while speaking in faith. Only when speaking in faith, we must make sure that we are faithful because as it is written in the book of wisdom, God “overthrows the words of the faithless” (Proverbs 22:12 NKJV).

Sowing Seeds of Discord

One thing that cannot be done in faith is sowing seeds of discord among brethren. Sowing seeds of discord is usually done when a person casts aspersions about someone’s integrity or intentions or rights in a relationship. This is the work of the Devil. When Eve was in the garden, the Devil used this method of deceit to cause her to doubt Adam’s integrity and, as a result, she did what God had said they were not to do. This is an abomination to God because this is how sin entered into the world of men.

Whenever men and women get together and form a community, the one thing that is required for a peaceful existence is a harmonious relationship between everyone. This requires everyone to be appreciated and respected for each one’s contribution, and to receive appropriate recognition for the roles each fills within the community. However, when somebody suggests that a certain person might not be doing their job correctly, or finds fault with another person and expresses that to other people; that person is sowing seeds of discord. The fault might be something minor, yet it is construed as a weakness in a leader or person with some responsibility. This alone is sufficient to create doubt about the person’s worthiness for doing what they are doing, and a seed of discord is sown.

Often the seed of discord is fed to people in the form of gossip. Gossip originally referred to people talking about glad tidings and good things that were happening to each other within a community, and still is, except when it becomes malicious. Unfortunately, people who are discontented about the ways things are going, or the way somebody might act at a certain function, will express their dissatisfaction and, in so doing, sow seeds of doubt. These seeds of doubt are often unintentionally sown, but when a person expresses dissatisfaction about what is happening, this is an expression of discord within a community. Further damage to the community is avoided when the matter is addressed by speaking directly to the person, or persons concerned. This way aspersions are not cast upon anyone’s intentions as being anything other than above board.

This seed of discord can occur between a husband and a wife. It can occur within families between brothers and sisters, or father and son, or mother and daughter, or any family members. It happens often in places of employment and within local community groups, political organizations and churches. Yet, when people dwell together in unity with the same heart and mind, it is then, and there, that God has decided to pronounce His blessing.

The blessing of God is particularly given where brothers and sisters come together to worship Him in spirit and truth. Tragically, many congregations are split because a seed of discord gets a foot in the door and the work of the Devil is fostered once more. This happens because, rather than seeking the truth, a false witness by means of an aspersion is created among a congregation of believers by some comment. This comment is fostered by some malcontent with an unbelieving heart, or persons who have a root of bitterness within them for some perceived wrong. This is why we need to be honest and open in our dealings with each other. Gossip then ceases to be an issue—in particular, malicious gossip.

History has shown discord will happen over an interpretation of Scripture that cannot be proven in the present time. The issue might be a future event, or how the Earth was created, or notions about the Godhead, or what mysteriously happens at baptism, or some teaching on dispensationalism, or what is the correct model of church government, or some other biblical interpretation that cannot really be proven right or wrong. Sound exegesis is the basis of good hermeneutics, but when people start itching for short-cut revelations that cannot be supported by progressive revelation of truth from Genesis to Revelation or practical application in everyday living; we can say this is not warranted. Anything that creates discord among brethren is an abomination to God.

Bearing false witness against one’s neighbor can be done intentionally or unintentionally. More often than not, false witness is done unintentionally; but for evil to exist in this world, people need to continue to be bearing false witness at some level. It might start with telling white lies, and these might seem harmless. Once the gossip starts because of those white lies, then the seeds of discord are sown, and doubt about people’s integrity starts to creep into a community. Lying might not be in itself a breaking of this commandment because it is not actually bearing witness against one’s neighbor. But it leads to the breaking of this commandment, because when people start telling lies, it is not hard to progress to bearing false witness about some action or event and then against their neighbor. Whenever the seed of discord starts to flower, the trick is to nip it in the bud and turn it into a dud—before it can bear fruit!

Darkened Light

President Clinton thought he could get away with being lawful and giving false testimony by denying what he did. According to him, this is because he misguidedly reframed his understanding of what he called sexual relations. Fortunately, for Clinton, he was not directly falsely accusing anyone in particular of having done anything wrong. While Clinton was not directly falsely accusing anybody of anything, he was indirectly casting aspersions upon those who were making accusations against him—especially Monica Lewinsky. The line was blurred and, in the eyes of many, Clinton has no credibility. While others see him as telling true lies (twisting the truth) and admire him for the fact that he was not fully impeached when President, as was President Nixon, who had to leave office because the charges were upheld. This is because those who are governed by the ruler of this world, the Prince of Darkness, do not live in the light, but the darkened light of twilight.

Deception of Twilight
Twilight is what confuses many people. The twilight is that period where the sun has gone down, but we can see as if it is day. Morally, we know what is right to do, and we can clearly make good decisions. However, when we know what is right to do and we do not do it, our guilt remains. Jesus was very clear about this. Many people today have a good understanding of what is right and what is wrong, and know they should not give false testimony, but do, and try to get away with it. In fact, quite a few are so adept at giving false testimony they are able to get away with it for a long time. Jesus said of these people:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. We cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:21-24 NKJV).

When speaking of mammon, we can include power and worldly prestige in this, as well as wealth, because those who treasure these things in their hearts do not treasure the truth, or the inheritance that God has provided for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The sayings of Jesus often seem cryptic and difficult to grasp. Indeed they are, unless we seek true counsel from the Holy Spirit. This Scripture, which speaks about the light in us being darkness, confuses many. Most of us know that the light disperses darkness and darkness does not exist where there is light. But the truth is always there to be found if we genuinely want to know and understand it.

The light that is darkness is twilight. Twilight can deceive people into thinking that they are actually walking in the light, when, in fact, they are not. This is the deception that occurs from following the ways of the world and being heralded as knowledgeable; even being accredited with understanding, insight and wisdom.

The irony is God has chosen what is foolish in the world to confound those who think they are wise. This God did by sending Jesus to die on a cross, so the world could be saved. Every person has had his, and her, ticket to Heaven paid by Jesus and does not need to face eternal separation from God at death. However, God knows only those who are honest enough to admit they live a futile life on Earth will accept the gift of eternal life in Christ in the hope of something better other than being born only to die.

We may not intentionally be bearing false witness against our neighbor, but unintentionally, if we exalt anybody above God, or put anybody before Him, we are bearing false witness against our Heavenly Father, by saying that He is not as worthy as what we put in His place. Many people bear false witness by saying that there is no God. It is worth noting what the psalmist says: “The fool says in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1).  It would be reasonable to conclude then, that only fools knowingly bear false witness—for God knows all things, even the thoughts and intentions of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). God is omniscient, indeed; whereas the Devil is not, even though he is the Father of Lies.

There is a tragic truth found in a story told about a politician who died and, when confronted by an angel, thought he had arrived in Heaven. The politician thought he was saved; but the angel informed him that he had a decision to make first: whether he wanted to go to Heaven or Hell. The politician naturally said that he wanted to go to Heaven. However, the angel said that it would only be right that he got to make a decision once having had the opportunity to compare a day in each place. The politician liking the idea of having options available to him and then getting to have the final say, agreed.

The politician was taken down to Hell first. Together they descended down the stairs and at bottom, the politician was surprised to see a lush golf course and his friends at the clubhouse.  There they joked about their craftiness and the schemes they engineered. Together, they partied and had a riotous time. Time went quickly. Just before he was about to leave, the Devil put his arm over the politician's shoulder and said that it was a pleasure to have him join them all. Naturally, he looked forward to seeing him again.

Although the politician was reluctant to leave, the angel took him up the stairs to where they had first met and then up a second flight of stairs to Heaven. The politician was shown a mansion which had been reserved for him and he was given a cloud shaped like his favorite golf cart to move around Heaven on.  The politician was engulfed by Heavenly bliss. His experience riding around on his cloud was indescribably more blissful than a bubble bath and relaxing massage or anything he had known on Earth.

When time was up, the angel came and took him down the stairs to the end of the corridor where they first met at the stairs intersecting between Heaven and Hell.  The politician was asked where he wanted to go for eternity. The politician thought deeply about his two options. He finally decided on Hell because he had enjoyed the party with his friends, and while Heaven was blissful, and felt like the place to be, he just did not know anybody there.

He was escorted to the entrance of Hell. The Devil was there to meet him. He stepped through what appeared to be a curtain covering the entrance. Instead of the lush golf course, the politician was confronted with a barren, parched wilderness, simmering with heat. In the dark distance, he saw what appeared to be people thrashing about. He could hear the sound of teeth being gnashed and people wailing, interspersed with spine-splitting screams. Terrified, the politician screamed at the Devil, “The golf course! The country club! My friends! Where are they? What have you done?”

The Father of Lies, looking absolutely delighted with himself, flicked his forked tongue from side to side, smiled as only the evil ones know how, and replied, “Oh, that.… You know how it goes.... Just part of my campaign to get your vote.”

After death comes judgment. For we effectively make our decisions here on Earth that determine our eternal destiny. When we hear the voice of GOD, let us not harden our hearts, nor let ourselves be deceived by lies; instead, let us seek out the truth. Lord Jesus Christ is the Way to the Truth and, indeed, the Life. Do not hesitate to do what you need to do. For today is the day of salvation (Heb.3:12-4:11; Matt. 11:28-30).

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[i] This is a form of autosuggestion that occurs where we inadvertently convince ourselves subconsciously that we are god by repeating the mantra, “You shall have no other gods before me” or subliminally thinking the bible is God, by repeatedly calling it the WORD OF GOD, Who is God Himself. We do not realize we are doing this. Some people are more prone to subliminal autosuggestion than others, and regardless of this, the Devil is always working overtime to ensure we will be enslaved by whatever lie he can assist in deceiving us with.

[ii] People who feel they have to defend their faith obviously do not know the Living God and cannot have a relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, because if they did, they would realize God is more than capable of defending Himself and is mightier than us. In fact, we need God to defend us.

[iii] It is also worth noting that by faith Abraham also partook in the bread and the wine (Genesis 14:18-19), which was instituted as a rite at the last supper (Mark 14:22-25; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

[iv] New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA All Rights Reserved 1984.

[v] It is noted that the 2013 revision has taken out the words “in connection with” to read “through faith in Christ Jesus” as it should read. Nevertheless, we see how deceptive were the original writers of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

[vi] This sum is believed to include the fabricated interest owing clients, whereas the amount invested by clients that was lost is believed to be around $18 billion.

[vii] The Lazarus Phenomenon