Q3. Fearless Truth-Seeking

[Jonathan Edwards]

Prophet Ezekiel taught about the stumbling blocks in the hearts of men. Rebels deliver chose the ways of idolatry and sinfull living.  Though God has provided the plan of salvation, and sent His prophets, peoples' minds and hearts are imbued with sin.

If men persist in rebellion, than God gives them over to their own stumbling blocks-their false teachings and sinfull ways that will **** their souls.  God cannot save men who **** their own souls.  Man reaps what he does.  It is God's will that all come to repentence (John 3:16;2 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 22:17).

[Krissi]

What makes people so gullible that they believe the Antichrist’s deceptions? What is the reason that God gives them over to this deception?

This question has to do with human psychology and how we're wired to believe certain untruths. It also has to do with how society forces untruths on us -- relentlessly, through the media and government disinformation. I have no doubt that most of the people I know will believe the antiChrist when he comes. They're inclined to believe the herd, to defer to "expert opinion." These are those who "refuse to love the truth."

But the verses Pastor Ralph gave us also suggest that they believe lies because God has given up on them, knowing that they'll never want to know the truth. Some people may be "too far gone." I'd like to think that everyone could be saved if they wanted to be so, but some people make decisions, one after the next, that only reinforce their "powerful delusions." They can't be corrected. 

Why is a fearless seeking of God’s truth so important to us? How can a preaching of the truth set people free?

I was struck by the "fearlessness" we must have as we seek His truths. This implies something bad may happen or that the truths themselves may be so powerful, or so antithetical to the way we live/think that we are afraid of knowing the truth. Some strongly held ideas are tenaciously held because changing them was far too difficult and painful. God doesn't seem to make everyone face their own delusions. 

I was also struck by the phrase, "refuse to love the truth." Not only are we to fearlessly seek what we fear will destroy us, but we also have to love it!! That's amazing.

I'm thinking of a young woman who is a lesbian with whom I recently spoke, who though she has divorced her "wife" to marry a male (it's a start!), she refuses to condemn her old beliefs. Too proud to admit she was wrong, she won't cut the mental/emotional/spiritual ties to her past, even though she seems to love her new husband and the truth of real marriage. 

I'm praying that God sends her a better messenger than I to explain, patiently and with great compassion, true human sexuality. Perhaps his/her preaching will set her free as the Spirit enters her? I pray this happens. But there are people who grew up in the church, or who knew the truth but backburnered or rejected it to believe a lie they can't "live without it." 

I've known ******** Marxists who simply can't give up that totalizing way of looking at the world -- I've also read of a handful who have become Christian. I know many "greenies" who are convinced that the world is warming -- these people have made themselves into mini-gods who can't quite give up their own eschatological POV that contradicts God's word. Many sexual deviants, uber-wealthy shysters, ******** patriots as well as America-haters, and almost all diplomats and politicians involved in international affairs are people who can't give up the lie as it's too personally painful for them to do so. They prefer bondage to the lies of their own concoction to freedom from those lies by submitting to Christ.