Religious Disinformation
--A Growing Problem

by Brian Knowles

Here are some commonly circulated false statements:

• The Shroud of Turin has been scientifically proved to be the authentic burial shroud of Jesus. This is so that we can correctly identify him when he returns.
• Geologists drilling for oil in Russia drilled nine miles down into the earth, only to leave off their drilling because they heard the wails of anguished souls in Hell.
• The Ark of the Covenant has been found and it is in the hands of the Israeli government.
• The Church in the divine economy has replaced the Jews.
• The Ark of Noah has been found but the CIA is suppressing its true location.
• The Dead Sea Scrolls are forgeries.
• God allowed Satan to fake the geological record so that the Bible account of Creation would be discredited.
• It is the job of the present Church to impose the Kingdom of God upon the earth (Dominion or Reconstructionist theology).
• Israel is secretly preparing to build a third Temple.

There are many other errors of a similar nature making the rounds. The last listed one above is probably the most pervasive, yet my sources within Israel tell me it simply isn’t true. There are small groups of Jews who seek to prepare for a new Temple. One group I know of performs an annual corner stone ritual to symbolize this. Another group is preparing "sacred vessels" for Temple use. But it is not yet the official policy of the Israeli government to prepare for the construction a Third Temple – and that’s what it would take to make it happen.

Another "authority" informs us that there will be no third Temple in Jerusalem, but rather a Tabernacle will be set up first in Gilgal. Yet another sees a third Temple located on the Mt. of Olives, rather than on the Temple Mount. Rumors abound; but how many of them are true? Each new idea comes complete with a rationale. When challenged by legitimate scholars and insiders, those who propound such ideas become angry and defensive.

The apostle Paul advised us to "prove [put to the test] all things and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The NIV renders it "Test everything…" There is nothing wrong with a healthy does of skepticism when it comes to filtering truth from error in the realm of religious information. When I hear rumors about what’s happening in Israel, I go to people who have lived in Jerusalem for decades, and who are well connected there, and check them out. Not long ago, I was told that water had begun to leak out from under the Temple Mount and that a crack in the stone had appeared which was growing larger. That, like most similar rumors, turned out to be a crock.

God’s true ministers are admonished by the apostle Paul to "Preach the Word…" (II Timothy 4:2). Why? Because it is the anchor around which truth rotates, and against which all theological ideas must be tested.

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside to myths" (II Timothy 4:3-4).

We appear to be living in the time about which Paul prophesied. Disinformation, rumor, and myth are progressively supplanting truth – both within the Church, and outside of it. Revisionists are rewriting the history of the world to fit the propagandistic purposes of the New World Order. Political correctness is supplanting the facts of history, and even accurate news reporting. Increasingly, we are living in a world of smoke and mirrors. Nothing is what it seems to be. We are being served up slanted, biased and manipulated information. Truth about anything is increasingly ephemeral.

The apostle Paul prophesied that just prior to the return of Messiah, the world would enter a time of unprecedented "counterfeit miracles, sins and wonders" (I Thessalonians 2:9). Those who will "perish" during this time are those who "refused to love the truth" (v. 10). Consequently, they will believe delusions and "the lie" (v. 11).

At the same time, the power of the Church will be greatly increased, and it will perform legitimate signs and wonders (Mark 16:15-20; John 14:12).

We have already seen the beginnings of some of these things; and we also seen the confusion they have generated among God’s people. We have heard of Christians attributing true miracles, healings and supernatural events to the devil or to mere "emotionalism," and false miracles to God. It is becoming increasingly easy to see how people will be duped into supporting false miracles over true. Those who "love the truth" will need discernment of spirits to determine which is false and which is not.

It is vital that the people of God return to the Hebraic roots of the Church, and to original, apostolic, doctrine. That is our true touchstone for discerning error. As the apostle Paul wrote, "And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God" (I Thessalonians 2:13). In his second letter to the same congregation, Paul said, "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter" (II Thessalonians 2:15).

Today, more than ever, we must "contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3).

The original authentic faith of the Apostolic Era of the Church is in danger of being completely lost in our time. It has ever been under assault in a Church that has been Hellenized, politicized, commercialized and theologized. The world of religion has become an impenetrable thicket of myth, illusion, propaganda, politics, esoteric theology, financial manipulation, subjectivity, authoritarian posturing, hidebound tradition, true and false miracles, truth, error, party spirit, rivalry, and even deceit.

To survive the times to come, the people of God need to be thoroughly anchored in sound Biblical understanding, and led by the Holy Spirit of the living God. We need to attach our lives to Jesus Christ and follow his leadership. He alone is the Good Shepherd who watches out for our souls. He can lead us safely through the dark and confusing times the world is now entering.