Because God Made a Promise to Abraham: (But Who Is the True God?)

By Buddy Selman

Because God made a promise to Abraham concerning inheriting the land of Israel, a question arises. To which line of Abrahams descendants was the Promise made? Thats important because they worship different Gods. This poses the problem, who is the true God?

This is the question of the ages concerning all claims of Deity. All things of life and death depend on that answer.

This book addresses questions from the perspective that the God of the Bible through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the true God and the God of true Christianity. It distinguishes between true and counterfeit Christianity.

The war that started with Satans attempt to dethrone God and elevate himself to the Almighty is the defining factor of conflict. Association is made between spiritual determinations and earthly happenings. The next earthly event distinguishing where we are in time is the Russian invasion of Israel.

The only remaining possibility for Satans success is stopping God from keeping His promise to Abraham. The mid-east peace problem is not just about ownership of land, but about who is God?

Also addressed doctrines and theories taught in error. Dispensations, covenants, and promises are defined. How Revelation is structured and plays out is explained.

ne purpose of the book is to cause the reader to think. Not just about things termed religious but in truth, how all things are related, especially political. Hopefully it gives insight on how to prepare mentally, spiritually, and materially for what Scripture says will happen.

Evidence shows we are the generation that experiences the Biblical end times and the fulfillment of Gods promise to Abraham. America must choose follow the true God or the Satanic one-world government!

The book challenges the true Church to reestablish scripture as our highest authority and be about our task.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 31, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456713126

Book preview

Acknowledgments

To the true God – Father – Son – and Holy Spirit.

Next, to my wife, Caryon, who took our wedding vows seriously. May 1, 2011 will make 50 years of marriage. She has been a stabilizing factor for a guy that had to overcome a lot of faults and weaknesses (with a few left to work on). We’ve shared the good and the bad. Love will do that for you.

To my children (Brent, Amber, and Brad), spouses and grandchildren, whom I dearly love.

To my friend D.C. who has been a helper and encourager.

A special thanks to my school teacher daughter, Amber, who, had it not been for her help, advise, determination, and commitment in the face of much adversity and personal sacrifice of time and effort, I absolutely would not have been able to complete this book. Also because she understood my desire not to lose a country-boy flavor without completely destroying all semblance of the English language, and allowed me a few discretions.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1

Some Fundamentals and Setting the Stage

Chapter 2

Before the Beginning to the Garden of Eden

Chapter 3

Dispensations, Covenants, and Promises

Chapter 4

The Law

Chapter 5

Because God Made a Promise to Abraham

Chapter 6

The Mystery of God and the P.T.R.T.

Chapter 7

Starting From Scratch

Chapter 8

Where Are We In Time and The Russian Invasion

Chapter 9

How Revelation is Written

Chapter 10

The Seals, Trumpets, and Participants

Chapter 11

The Two Witnesses, the Second Beast, and the Harlot Church

Chapter 12

The Trumpets, God’s Wrath, and Final Thoughts

Table of Nations in Ezekiel 38-39

Preface

Apostasy is falling away from God and the truth of scripture. Christians as well as others recognize that evil is prevailing in the world and many don’t know why. Evil is called good, and good is called evil. Our world view comes into question. We fear the future and wonder why God doesn’t intervene. We’ve believed what we were taught without questioning, but it doesn’t seem to be working out that way, and that’s confusing. We are intimidated by political and religious correctness and keep silent. Few make a satisfying association between spiritual and earthly events and involvements, but know that something beyond man’s reality and control is going on. We look to government to solve our problems but they are clearly failing. What’s scary is that they seem to have no desire to fix things.

I attempt to show from scripture why things are as they are and that there is a bigger picture that is mostly ignored by man. There is a war that has been going on since before man was created and is playing out in our realm of reality. Many, even Christians I’m afraid, don’t comprehend what the spiritual war is really about. It’s hard to be affective if we don’t know why there is a conflict. Those who would and should be engaged seem to be waiting for direction and understanding. I hope to shed a little light on these things.

It’s not an easy thing to change our world view. The only thing that will carry that endeavor to its end is a love of and a passion for truth. It will also require a willingness to be wrong. The hardest part will be to think outside the box in order to look within the box to the circle of our own sphere of beliefs and perceptions. Those of you who recognize that things are not as they should be - I hope to stir you to think. I don’t expect you to accept every precept or comment; I only ask your consideration. It took me years to draw some conclusions and along the way I had to change my mind numerous times.

I make no claims of intellectualism or scholarship, as will soon be apparent. My contention is that those who are, or think they are, are not the only ones who have the right of authorship. My prayer is that what I write will communicate.

America has been man’s best attempt at living free from oppression. Where we’ve failed is by not guarding that freedom. I’m not talking about guns and armies. We are abandoning what we were established on and I’m not talking about politics. Neither am I promoting organized religion. That is also a part of the problem.

Even though America was founded on the precept of freedom of religion, we were not founded on any or all gods. We must be tolerant of other’s beliefs and what they worship as god. But we make a terrible error if we think in terms of restoring this nation to God in a generic sense. We were founded upon the Christian God of the Bible and our Savior Jesus Christ. If we think we can be restored to God and be inclusive of all gods in our supplications, we will fail!

I want you to think long and hard about that and something else. Have you noticed that most all people are willing to talk about God, but have you also noticed that all hell breaks loose if you mention Jesus Christ as Deity? Why do you think that is? Because you have just answered the question who is God? in contrast to who they believe is God.

Here in America we face a tedious situation. The problem is becoming more apparent by the day. Our country is indeed founded on freedom of religion. What our founders never perceived, it seems, is that a religious organization would be the aggressor that was bent on our destruction. That freedom provides them the right to openly expand unhampered. Separating themselves as moderate and radical, they tie the hands of government by what is not acceptable – profiling people by race or religion.

What they didn’t understand was that the conflict in the heavenlies and the earthly conflict is a religious conflict and the two are inseparable. So, what should we do?

I attempt to show that to know what’s going on in this world and why is not defined by the questions – Is there a God?, or even by What must a man do to be saved? The question to be answered – the decision to be made – where the line is drawn in the sand is – Who is God! All things are dependent on the answer to that question.

We live in the age where that determination will be concluded by all of creation. Not by calculation. Not by popular vote. But by fact and the providence of God.

Things on earth are about to swirl further into a series of unimaginable and mind-boggling events and in spite of the fact that scripture informs us, most people are unprepared.

We’ve been mind-conditioned to reject any and all negative consideration, as if they won’t happen if we don’t believe they will happen. How’s that working out for you in the political arena?

Our future well-being in America and the world is completely dependent on our personal relationship with God, as well as how the true Church responds to His call to turn back to Him.

This book is not an appeal to some legalistic treatise of do’s and don’ts. It is a request for you to consider a scriptural account of some things past, present, and future. It is my prayer that you will come away with a better understanding of the unreasonable things going on and that you will be better prepared for what is coming. More important though is that you will commit yourself to the real God – Jesus Christ and whatever calling He has in store for you, knowing that it will be worth it all.

May God bless and keep you.

Chapter 1

Some Fundamentals and Setting the Stage

Psalm chapter 2:

" 1 Why do the nations rage,

And the people plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

And the rulers take counsel together,

Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3 "Let us break Their bonds in pieces

And cast away Their cords from us."

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;

The Lord shall hold them in derision.

5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,

And distress them in His deep displeasure:

6 "Yet I have set My King

On My holy hill of Zion."

7 "I will declare the decree:

The LORD has said to Me,

‘You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.

8 Ask of Me, and I will give You

The nations for Your inheritance,

And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron;

You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’"

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;

Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear,

And rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,

And you perish in the way,

When His wrath is kindled but a little.

Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him."

It has been said that: Nothing happens in politics accidentally. If that is true, then things that are done behind closed doors in secrecy are most likely evil. Things that are not evil can be done in the open. If what comes out of such a meeting is undisclosed or veiled in deceptive and confusing language, it suggests a conspiracy. If we later find that it undermines the constitution and the laws that govern us, there can be no doubt it is especially evil. I’m sure by now that most of us can see that this has and is happening. Many don’t want to call it what it is, as if it won’t be that if they don’t call it that. But the truth is that those people have broken all trust. They should not be trusted with anything. Actually, they should be dealt with immediately.

The progressive movement here in the U.S. of A. is an evil conspiracy. I’m afraid many do not recognize however, that it is only one spoke in the wheel of a bigger conspiracy which has world-wide domination in mind. Fewer than that realize that the largest conspiracy is out of this world in size and scope. This is the one that is most likely undetected. Remember this; the best conspiracy is of course the one that goes undetected until it’s ready to reveal itself.

I have a friend who was once himself sort of a con man who told me when we were discussing some new law or something, that there were people who stayed up all night last night figuring out a way around it. He was confident that they had already solved the problem. He later gave me another tidbit of information to ponder when he said, All trappers don’t wear fur caps. I hope you will think about those things.

It seems to me that a conspiracy calls for at least three categories of people’s involvement. The first of course is the conspirators themselves who have an ultimate goal that they want to accomplish. But because it is unacceptable to those who will be affected by it; they have to lie, deceive, divert attention away from the truth, and shroud in secrecy all that they can, never revealing their true intent.

The second group would be the ones the conspirators want to keep unaware. The only reason is that this group has the power and ability to thwart their efforts, defeat their purpose, and would without doubt do so if they knew the truth, because it is evil. There are other reasons that could be considered but in politics, most of us would probably agree that the object when carried to its end, is power over people. Some may think it’s all about money, but it’s not. Money is only the conduit to power. That’s why I believe it correct when they say follow the money. It will lead to something else that has higher value, power. There is however, a higher value than power. We will look at it later. I’ll just tell you now, it’s worship. For now, let’s deal with the money and power.

The third group is the dreaded conspiracy theorists. These are the ones who have picked up on the conspiracy and want to expose it. They are the arch enemy of the conspirators, who will stop at nothing to destroy and/or discredit the theorists. And I mean nothing! To enter their world, you better be ready for trouble at every hand! The conspirators must deal with the theorists because they will not be silenced.

There have been conspiracies throughout the ages. We learn this from experience and history. The modern day conspirators have lots of information to analyze. Even this current progressive conspiracy has been working for over 100 years, so trial and error have provided enough information to form a strategy… a long term strategy. It is now a science. Nevertheless, there comes a time when the conspiracy must reveal itself. The trick is to control when that happens. It must be when it will be accepted and adhered to or irreversible in its content. They will only go public when they are confident of the outcome. They must be patient and persistent. It is evident they do not now have that confidence because they are still fighting exposure tooth and nail. That says to me they can still be defeated.

When the words conspiracy theory are used, most people immediately think wacko or something similar. There’s a reason why we do that, but should we? For the conspirators to achieve success, they must shape people’s perception of the theorists as kooks with no credibility. Over the years, they have done this very well. That’s why when they made the movie The Conspiracy Theory, starring Mel Gibson, his character Jerry held no great surprise for the viewers. We already knew what a conspiracy theorist was supposed to be like.

Think about this; if conspiracies were not sinister and evil wouldn’t rational people readily consider and most likely embrace the cause? That should tell us not to reject the theorist until we’ve given honest consideration to his message. We shouldn’t dismiss him or his message because he has been portrayed as an idiot or because it is politically correct to do so.

Glenn Beck is the most credible and successful conspiracy theorist in my lifetime. May God bless and protect him! What is it that separates him from the Jessie Ventura’s? I think it is in part that he doesn’t sensationalize for the purpose of creating doubt about something. He instead dramatizes to make a point or expose the truth. He is careful to prove his statements, most of the time by the person’s own words, leaving no doubt, recourse or unanswered questions that make it a mystery. Instead, the obvious conclusion is clear and concise.

I first became aware of conspiracies and conspiracy theorists in the 1960’s. It was also the early sixties when I started paying attention to politics. At first I dismissed the theorists as alarmists and sensationalists just wanting their 15 minutes of fame. Some were just that. However, by the early seventies, I was convinced some of them were credible and what they were saying, especially about the economy, spending, and debt was correct. They warned that if we continued in the direction we were headed, there would be economic collapse. The only mistake they made was that their dollar figures were way, way too low.

By the 80’s I was preaching on occasion such things from the pulpit because it lined up with biblical predictions. I’m quite sure many dismissed me as a religious nut. Even those who didn’t paid little attention to the message it seems. I’ve had several people ask What was it you used to preach was going to happen? I just say just watch the evening news, maybe it will come to you.

Today I question people’s mentality and ask myself, why can’t they see the truth? How can they just dismiss it? Can’t they recognize the blatant lies being told? Can’t they comprehend what the end of this will be like?

Finally I asked myself, why did I dismiss things way back when? For one thing, I didn’t think it could happen in America. We had smart people running the country and I trusted them to turn it around. To tell the truth, I was naïve. I really thought they wanted the same things I wanted for America. Besides I was busy fulfilling my own American dream. I wasn’t lazy or unconcerned; I just took for granted that someone else would do what needed to be done. That mindset is a recipe for disaster.

When I started taking it serious, I was also in serious Bible study where I uncovered for myself the out of this world conspiracy. Finally I realized all the conspiracies are connected and collectively make up the whole unbeknown to even most conspirators. It took years of bits and pieces to make sense to me. Okay, maybe I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then. Nevertheless, to understand takes a real desire to know the truth.

Just as the conspirators need to educate their followers, there are some things those who oppose them need to know. You need to know they have successfully taken control of education. The final link was accomplished when they took over student loans. Now they, not the schools, parents, or students get to say who goes to what university, who gets the loan, who doesn’t have to pay it back, or anything else. They will determine what’s taught as well.

They must also control the media. They already control the networks. I don’t think they even thought that a Fox News or talk radio would be so effective. Another challenge is the internet. Mark my words; they will stop at nothing to destroy or control them all. They have no choice! They cannot allow dissenting voices to openly expose them. Even if they have to create a crisis for the purpose of declaring martial law, they will do it. Not yet though, unless they are forced to because they want – no – they must first confiscate guns. The Tea Party movement will continue to be discredited as a bunch of militia types that could be a ruse they use for that end.

Not only must education, media, and guns be under their authority, but also religion has to be controlled. They already have the means to do that through the new hate crimes law. They will continue to lie, deceive, intimidate, force, divert attention, blackmail, bribe and all things evil including breaking the law to accomplish their end.

Did I leave out they intend to crash the economy and collapse the dollar. The czars will be in place to take over.

If America is to overcome this, we should know more about the ultimate conspiracy. You cannot win a war without knowing who the enemy that controls the opposition is, and what the ultimate goal is.

I hope that you will not just dismiss me. I hope you will let me present my case and give serious consideration. It will be necessary to first present some fundamental information and challenge your world view. All I ask for is a hearing.

We live in a day of entertainment, credit cards, specialists, and thirty second sound-bites. Advertising is designed to quickly and effectively appeal to the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, in an entertaining way. This fast-paced lifestyle has not come without a price, however. We are required to trust people who are not trustworthy. After many disappointments, we tend not to trust at all. When I purchase something, I expect to pay too much, doubt if it will work, and when it fails, the store, most likely, won’t take it back.

It hasn’t always been this way. I can remember a time when people expected to be told the truth. Of course, there have always been dishonest people, but I am talking about a prevailing attitude. There was an assumption of truth. But now, I expect to be cheated and lied to.

This lack of trustworthiness is not limited to secular things. The spiritual predators have filled society and the churches. Church should be the one place that a person would expect to hear the truth. Nevertheless, our hurried lifestyle has opened the door to false teachers who prey on our lusts. With promises of peace and prosperity, health and contentment, they manipulate the scriptures to say what they want it to say and what the listener wants to hear.

Our busy lives don’t allow much time for investigation and we don’t seem to have patience or interest for it anyway. Even now, if I fail to capture your attention or spark some interest, or if you think this is going into too many boring details or offends you; you probably will set it aside and look for some snappy and fast-moving adventure or romantic escapade - anything that will take you away from the stresses of life for a while. That’s not my purpose for writing. What I really want to do is cause you to think. I realize that is the one thing many people don’t want to do. When it comes to serious thought, they want to be told. Give me what you have and I’ll consider it. If it pleases me or agrees with my perceptions or what I already believe, it’s okay.

May I ask your consideration of this: What is your perception of God? Do you have a perception? Is it even important? Why do you believe whatever it is that you believe? Is God some kindly old gentleman who hears our prayers and delights in blessing us with health and wealth? Maybe you perceive Him as a disciplinarian standing ready to knock you down every time you screw up. Or, is He a bean counter separating good and bad deeds, thereby determining our fate? Is God experimenting with mankind, watching to see what happens? More direct, is God Himself in a learning process?

Who am I? Where did I come from, and where am I going? Is there purpose in life? Is there life after death? If so, what will it consist of, or what will it be like? What does the future hold for man in earthly terms? Will the Republic fail? Will we destroy ourselves with global warming, or nuke ourselves into oblivion?

Without some concept of life’s purpose, with hope for a future even beyond this life, we are left with an empty agony. We try to fill this void with things and pleasures. The harsh reality of it is, however, they do not satisfy. So, we attempt to live life to its fullest. Be number one; you only go around once, so go for the gusto, etc. But at the end of the day, when our course is about run, if we haven’t dealt with the mysteries of life and death, we must face the unknown with fear and trembling.

My experience with some people has been that without a convincing source of information, they become resentful. Even to the point that they no longer even think on such things. And with no concept to argue, they don’t want to talk about it. The very mention of God or religion infuriates them.

Actually, I can understand their frustrations. I have been a Christian for a long time, yet all I have to do is turn on the television to the religious channels and within minutes, I’m infuriated. What hogwash! This is not to say that there are none at all worth listening to, but the overwhelming majority of them are charlatans.

So, what is one to do? Where can we find truth? Where can we find answers? Where can we find peace and understanding? I hate to burst your bubble, but it won’t be found in a thirty-second sound-bite! Nevertheless, there is such a thing as truth. Truth is absolute and not situational. Truth will not be compromised. Truth is not always pleasant just because we want it to be. A refusal to deal with the negative only exposes us to error and makes us vulnerable to the predators. And my friend, there is no shortage of deceivers. I can sense that feeling of here we go with the gloom and doom. Bare with me for a while, if you will. If nothing else, maybe you’ll be entertained.

Think about this; regardless of how poetic it may be or how logical it may sound, you are not the captain of your soul! Before you giggle out loud and decide this guy is a nutcase, answer me this. Did you choose the parents you wanted? Were you born in Texas, where everyone should want to be born? Was it the time-period you wanted? Was it in the right social and economic strata? Why did you choose the particular talents and abilities you have or the lack thereof? Are you thinking? When, where, why, and how will you choose to die? Captain who?

Let me further offend your sensibilities. You are not the captain of your soul, but you are responsible for what you do or don’t do. But even more important than that, you are responsible for what you believe! How fair is that? Where did you get the idea that life is fair? That thought confronts me every time I look in a mirror. But, at least I was born in Texas.

Okay, I’ll quit dogging around and tell you. There is only one tangible source of infallible truth. It is, of course, the Bible. Don’t jump naked on me here. I’m not asking you to blindly follow some kind of cultish teaching like a zombie. I want you to think for yourself. Very soon I’ll ask you to experiment with me. First though, I’ll ask those of you who already claim to be Christians to consider a few things that cause me considerable concern.

Christian friend, how can you trust the doctrine of salvation, and not trust what else scripture has to say? Think about that. Scripture is the sole source of all Christian beliefs. How can we say one thing is true and another is not? Where does that insight come from? Is it human reasoning? That won’t hold water.

Some claim that God has revealed things from the scriptures to them that others don’t know. Yet scripture says there is no private interpretation. Others claim further revelation beyond scripture. But scripture says in 1 Corinthians 4:6, - not to think beyond what is written. Some Christian churches label people that hold such beliefs as cults. What right do we have to do that if we ourselves pick and choose what we believe from scripture? That seems to me, a total lack of integrity.

Can we trust our own denominational theologians, our intellectuals and professors to discern truth for us? Have you ever met any of these people? Not all, but some of them are so dense, I would not trust their directions to the nearest convenience store.

That thought reminds me of the story about the guy who went around lecturing on some very complicated thing. At the question and answer time, he was asked if he gave the same presentation when he spoke to an audience of professors and intellectuals. His answer was yes, but he said, I speak to them very slowly. Since I’m not speaking audibly, I’ll just write very slowly, maybe that will work. That is not to say that all highly educated people are dense or untrustworthy, but if I’m betting my eternal future on it, it’s worth investigation.

Consider this: If the God who created heaven and earth and put the stars in place, the One who created every living thing, and that is the claim and the only honest conclusion that can be made; if He claims to be the author of all scripture, either by dictate, inspiration, or revelation, should we believe Him? If He further claims the scripture can’t be broken or changed, should we believe Him? Could He do that? If He says He is the One who gives understanding of the scripture, do we believe that? What do you believe?

I’m convinced the single most trustworthy source of information about God – man – the ages past, present, and future, is scripture. Would you experiment with me? What can it hurt to play along for a while?

Even if you don’t believe scripture is all true, would you be willing to look at it from that perspective. You know, just to see what we find? That shouldn’t be too imposing should it? After all, when you watch a movie, you aren’t offended if you aren’t convinced that everything presented is true, are you? Even if you find it very bazaar, you watch to see what happens, don’t you? Don’t we even say that was a good movie, knowing all the time that we didn’t necessarily agree with the things that were presented?

What I present here is from this persuasion, that scripture is true. It says what it means and means what it says. God is all-knowing from beginning to end, and everything in between, even in the minutest details. God is not in a learning process. Personally, I find it comforting to trust that things are not happening by mere chance, i.e. by accident.

One of the ways to test scripture for truth is by prophecy. There is something intriguing to most people when some worldly prophet, hundreds or even thousands of years ago, could predict an event that seems to have come true. Even if there are shady areas in what was predicted, if it’s close to correct, we are wowed. Nostradamus, for example, wrote a lot of predictions. If some were close to right, it inspires an attitude to open up or loosen the parameters of thinking, to give other predictions he made more credibility. There is an added element of desire for correctness. That seems to be the attitude, unless it’s a biblical prophet or prophecy. Then the attitude is to scrutinize each word, even to its tense, and the event to perfect and precise detail. The attitude is to tighten, rather than loosen the parameters of thinking. Why is that? I don’t have a problem with that, but the same scrutiny should be given to the worldly prophets.

The mystery is, what causes the different attitudes? Why do people want the worldly prophets’ to be correct, and the Bible prophet to be wrong? I suppose it’s because the Bible prophets call is for submission to God, who gave them the knowledge and information.

A person’s will is the thing that could very well be the most valued thing in life. If we lose or surrender that, we lose all sense of freedom, individuality and purpose. We become a valueless zombie. Why else would people, completely void of money or property, suffer torture or starvation, sometimes even to death, rather than surrender their will? Or, why would people torture others who have no tangible assets to surrender, only their will? The purpose of most war is not primarily for property, wealth, or even to kill the enemy. It is to impose will over others. It is for power, which is the ability to impose will. Property and wealth is the conduit to power. It’s not unreasonable then, when the Bible prophet calls for the voluntary surrender of our will to God’s will, that there is a resistance and intimidation. Without a will to exercise, what have we? Therefore, the worldly prophet poses no threat, but the Bible prophet, the highest threat possible.

Concerning the scrutiny of the Bible prophet, the Bible itself imposes much harsher requirements than we do. Using my own words; if a Bible prophet predicts a thing and it doesn’t happen, God’s Word says don’t fear him, he’s not sent from God. In some cases, he could have even been stoned to death. But if he’s correct in the short term predictions, consider the medium term predictions; and if they are true, his long term predictions can be trusted. The Bible prophet had to be correct, even in detail, 100 percent of the time. I don’t think Nostradamus would have made it.

There are numerous Old Testament prophecies made by many Old Testament prophets concerning Christ. The New Testament records their fulfillment. Some things were done by Christ for no other reason than to fulfill what the prophet said; which identified Jesus as the Promised Messiah. But it also gives credibility to the prophet, the written Word, and the message the Word conveys. The accumulative effect is to give just reason and evidence that one’s will is safe in the hands of the Creator God Almighty.

Biblical faith is not a call to surrender one’s will to the unknown. Neither is it a means of manipulation to get what one wants. Biblical faith is believing what God said, and exercising my will because I believe it true. Truth can and should be tested. What the preacher, teacher, professor, or friend says concerning scripture should be tested by scripture. Comparing one man’s thought’s and ideas against another man’s is not enough. They can both be wrong. Men’s work can be helpful in finding and understanding truth, but always test it – even mine. It wouldn’t hurt if you cut me a little more slack than those other fellows. I don’t have their credentials and I never was accused of being the brightest crayon in the box.

The problem is not the unavailability of truth. It is not even that it can be hard to understand. The Apostle Paul wrote concerning the last days and the advent of Christ. He also told of several events that must happen prior to Christ’s return. He also spoke of an attitude concerning truth. In American society today, there seems to be a gigantic lack of passion for the truth. The general attitude is what difference does it make?

Some of the Psalms were sung when the writer wrote something he wanted the reader to pause, reflect, or meditate on before reading further, he would write the word Selah. How about let’s do a little Selahing here. What difference does truth make?

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

" 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

Deception is when one thinks something is true, but it is not. Delusion is when it is believed to be true, regardless of proof or evidence to the contrary. One is committed to the lie by will. Take special note of something. There was first deception and then delusion. They were deluded to reject truth and believe the lie and were condemned because of it. The reason they were deceived and became deluded is because they had no love for the truth. Think about that. They didn’t first reject the truth. They just didn’t have any regard for it. What does it matter? What difference does it make? How important can it be? Selah (think on these things).

Personally, I don’t think truth will be found or recognized when it is seen, without a genuine desire or love for the truth. Be very careful of deception! My observation has been that deception is most effective if the person delivering the message is socially acceptable. Not much credibility is given to some nasty-looking, bearded guy with a sign saying Judgment day is coming, even though the message is true. Judgment day is coming.

On the other hand, if a clean-cut, well-educated, well-dressed, articulate man or woman organizes a meeting and draws a big crowd says; God loves you and if you have enough faith, nothing bad can touch you; that person is acceptable and will be believed, in spite of the fact that the message is a lie.

The reason it is important to establish the truth of scripture and the messenger not relevant, is that unless there is an agreed upon highest authority, no conclusion can be made or winner declared. Just about everything in life is under some highest authority. Our country’s legal system provides that the legislated laws are interpreted by the Supreme Court.

What does all this have to do with the truth of scripture? Again, I say, that the Holy Scripture is the sole source of all true Christian belief. If we refuse its truth, is truth changed? No! No more than if one refuses to acknowledge a touchdown that is legally scored in a football game. The rules or authority will still count the score.

The apostle Paul recorded a list of things that must happen before Christ’s return. The first on that list is falling away from the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first.

Sadly, we live in the days of apostasy.

In the late 1940’s and early 50’s, the roar of an airplane would stop a country boy from whatever he was doing to search the sky and watch this awesome event. I especially remember the gigantic B36 Bomber. How they ever got that thing off the ground was beyond this country boy’s comprehension. (And still is).

There were times when I would lie on the ground and watch one of them creep across the sky at what seemed to be a snail’s pace. You could almost feel the propellers beat the air from a mile away. Sometimes it would be so high that it was only a speck in the vast blue canopy of sky.

I recall one summer as a barefoot boy, my grandfather (Paw Paw), my dad, and I were out by the cow lot doing something, when we heard the roar