a study by T.E.M.
For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples… (Isa 60:2)
Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. Yes, truth is lacking; and he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. (Isa 59:14-18)
“They bend their tongue like their bow; Lies and not TRUTH prevail in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me,” declares the LORD.
“Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother deals craftily, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. “Everyone deceives his neighbor And does not speak the TRUTH, They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves committing iniquity.
“Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD. (Jer 9:3-6)
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are TRUE; they are righteous altogether. (Psa.19:9 )
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is TRUTH. (Psa_119:142)
The sum of Your word is TRUTH, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting. (Psa.119:160)
Buy TRUTH, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding. (Prov. 23:23)
Thus says the LORD, “I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of TRUTH, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.” (Zec. 8:3)
God’s people ARE Zion!
“I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “Sanctify them in the TRUTH; Your Word is TRUTH. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in TRUTH. (Joh 17:15-19)
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the TRUTH is not in him; but whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. (1Jn 2:3-6)
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and TRUTH. We will know by this that we are of the TRUTH, and will assure our heart before Him. (1Jn 3:18-19)
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the LIFE of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as TRUTH is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self (Christ), which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the TRUTH.
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak TRUTH each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. (Eph 4:17-25)
Lady WISDOM goes out in the street and shouts. At the town center she makes her speech. In the middle of the traffic she takes her stand. At the busiest corner she calls out: “Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance? Cynics! How long will you feed your cynicism? Idiots! How long will you refuse to learn?
About face! I can revise your life. Look, I’m ready to pour out my spirit on you; I’m ready to tell you all I know. As it is, I’ve called, but you’ve turned a deaf ear; I’ve reached out to you, but you’ve ignored me.
“Since you laugh at my counsel and make a joke of my advice, How can I take you seriously? I’ll turn the tables and joke about your troubles! What if the roof falls in, and your whole life goes to pieces? What if catastrophe strikes and there’s nothing to show for your life but rubble and ashes? You’ll need me then!
You’ll call for me, but don’t expect an answer. No matter how hard you look, you won’t find me. “Because you hated Knowledge and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-GOD, Because you wouldn’t take my advice and brushed aside all my offers to train you, Well, you’ve made your bed—now lie in it; you wanted your own way—now, how do you like it?
Don’t you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots? Carelessness kills; complacency is murder. First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy—you’re in good hands.” (Proverbs 1:20-33 MSG)
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with TRUTH! (Eph 6:13-14)
Jesus *said to him, “I am the WAY, and the TRUTH, and the LIFE; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. (John 14:6)
Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
So if the Son (TRUTH ) makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)
The TRUTH is the person of Jesus Christ, (not our favourite news platform or its headlines, tweets, videos and/or even Christian ministry), and in the exact measure that we turn away from (reject) Him Who is the TRUTH is the measure in which we are NO LONGER IMMUNE to the strong DELUSION (sent by God Himself) and therefore we will end up blindly believing a LIE!
On the other hand, in the measure that we believe IN and UPON Him Who is the TRUTH to walk in His WAY (the cross), to embrace His LIFE, to do His WILL and continue in (obey) His WORD, in that exact measure we will be KEPT from believing a lie. Not only will we be given His WISDOM (ability to discern the truth) but will be filled with confidence and courage to expose the darkness and the lies.
A veil remains over their heart and mind, but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (2 Cor 3:15-16)
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by The LIGHT, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is! (Eph 5:11-17)
For the fear of the LORD is the beginning of WISDOM, and the knowledge of the Holy One is UNDERSTANDING. (Prov 9:10)
GOD shall send them strong DELUSION, that they should believe a LIE!
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the TRUTH in unrighteousness… (Rom 1:18)
Then that lawless one will be revealed (whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming); that is, the one who’s coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.
For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence (a strong delusion – KJV) so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the TRUTH, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2 Thes 2:8-12 NASB)
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present TRUTH. (2Pet 1:12)
The Life of Christ as expressed and communicated to the disciples was present tense. ‘I AM’ is not future tense. It is the present truth of His being, the ever existing One, ever dwelling and working and subsisting in the now of our life. Just as breathing is essential to our natural life so is His Presence to our spiritual life.
The error and misconception of religion is that it offers a historical Jesus (we are saved by what He did) and a future Jesus (we will see Him in heaven). Of course these things are true but without the infusion of “present truth” we are bereft of the power and the dynamic of the “now” life. In I AM, Jesus presented Himself as the current One and the ever present One. Eternal Life is now; free from the earthly concepts of time, distance and human limitations. It is a life which can only be known by the union of relationship in Christ Jesus.”
“Jesus is always seeking to bring His disciples to the power of living in the moment. The “present TRUTH” is ministered through the lives of those who are active in exhorting their brothers and sisters around them to be strong in the mercy of our God. To minister the present TRUTH one must live and abide in the present truth of God in the substance and reality of their daily lives.”
~ excerpt from… The Present Truth – Part Three by Brian Troxel
Will we… remain in the dark… reject the TRUTH … reject WISDOM… believe the lie/s? OR…
humble ourselves, embrace (HIM Who is) the TRUTH and be set FREE, and KEPT from the deep DELUSION!?
Arise, shine; for YOUR Light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon YOU. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon YOU And His glory will appear upon YOU. Nations will come to YOUR light, And kings to the brightness of YOUR rising!
(Isa 60:1-3)
IN SUMMARY
TRUTH is a person (Jesus), not merely a set of facts or beliefs, however, being IN Him Who is The TRUTH influences our discernment of what is being touted as “fact”
Jesus Christ, Who IS The TRUTH, has sanctified & unified us in The TRUTH.
God rules over the affairs of men and cloaks men in darkness (sends strong delusion) when they don’t love or embrace The TRUTH.
Therefore darkness (lies and deceit) covers the earth and the people of the world, but God has His OWN who are lovers of The TRUTH, so they are KEPT from the strong delusion.
We are called to, not only love The TRUTH, but abide in, be obedient to, grow in, as well as speak (boldly declare) The TRUTH, ultimately setting men free from the darkness (lies and deceit).
We are kept from the strong delusion, in that we are established (LIVE) in, and remain (ABIDE) in The (present) TRUTH!
