BY GREG CRUM
PASTOR, CALVARY TEMPLE
“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
As I’ve been reading through the Epistles of the New Testament lately, studying the events of the “Last Days” of humanity on this version of Earth, I’ve seen a strong theme emerge—the importance and strategic position of the truth in these final hours. Evidently, there is a deception, worded a “strong delusion” in the King James, coming in these last of the Last Days. Many, it seems, will fall for a lie. How? Why? According to the Scriptures, it’s because they didn’t take the antidote—a genuine love for the truth!
Friends, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in this too long and come too far to want to fall at the end. I don’t want to fall for even the most well-crafted lie. So, what must I do? Simple…love the truth!
With that said, let me ask you pointedly: Do you love the truth? Do you really love the truth? Do you love it all the time? What about if it’s inconvenient? What about if it’s contrary to what you’ve always believed? What about if it tells you to do what you don’t want to do? Do you still love the truth then? We should, right? Why? Because when we love the truth, we are really just loving Jesus! Jesus is the way and the life, but if you’ll remember, he is the truth as well! John 14:6 speaks clearly regarding the Lord’s association with the truth and it is a theme that we read reiterated throughout the four Gospels.
Those who profess to love Jesus should love the truth in all its forms, but sadly, that’s not what we see. Not everyone really loves the truth. Why? Because the truth has a way of rubbing us the wrong way. Remember all the truth Jesus spoke to the religious crowd of his day? How much did they love the things he told them? The Pharisees loved Jesus’ truth. Right? Not! Remember Paul’s plea to the Galatians found recorded in Galatians 4:16? There he asked, “Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” Friends, not everyone that should love the truth loves the truth. It’s just too hard of a pill for them to swallow.
It’s this rejection of the truth that should be of concern for the Christian living in these times. In Jeremiah chapters 42 and 43, we have a stern reminder of what happens to a people when they reject God’s truth to them. There we read of a remnant that played lip service to God and said they would follow whatever directions He gave in their hour of trouble. Well, God gave them specific direction. He told them the truth of what would happen to them if they followed that direction or if they did not, and still they chose to reject God’s truth and devise their own plans of escape. They didn’t really want the truth, and in the end, they paid for it dearly! The troubling thing is, I can see this scenario replaying in these last days.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes the truth will tell us to do just what we don’t want to do. It’s then that we have a choice to love the truth and embrace it or to despise the truth and forsake it. We must embrace and keep firm hold of the truth of God’s Word in these times. It is what has made us free, and it is the only thing that will keep us free as time winds down! Let’s all keep close the admonition of Ephesians 4:21, as it declares that the truth is found in Jesus!
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.