“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
Luke 24:27
Today, it is increasingly difficult to separate truth from fiction, distinguish facts from opinions, and discern what is news versus what is propaganda. Second Timothy 3:13 warns, “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Video and audio fabrications are increasingly being produced to lead many to accept lies as truth. A government website warns, ”Deepfakes are media manipulations that are based on advanced artificial intelligence (AI), where images, voices, videos or text are digitally altered or fully generated by AI. This technology can be used to falsely place anyone or anything into a situation in which they did not participate…”1
Conversely, growing skepticism toward the authenticity of publications and videos has led many to mistake truth for falsehood described by some as “the phenomenon of the “liar’s dividend,” which is when bad actors use the threat of mis- and disinformation to delegitimize real facts and information.”2
The father of lies (John 8:44)—the devil—introduced both forms of deception into the world with tragic results. At creation, the Lord had told Adam that he could enjoy all the trees in the garden except for one: “but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:17). The devil approached Eve subtly, twisting God’s words: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?’ “ (3:1). Eve corrected the serpent (vv.2-3), who then responded with an even greater lie, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (vv.4-5).
He enticed Eve into believing that the truth was a lie—that disobeying God would not actually result in death. He then seduced Eve into believing that the lie was the truth by misrepresenting God’s character. He claimed that God did not want the best for them, that He was holding them back from their ultimate destiny of becoming like God. Eve went on to partake of the forbidden fruit, and when Adam also ate, all of humanity fell with him. Since the Garden of Eden, the ruler of this world has sown spiritual confusion (John 14:30; 1 Cor. 10:20; 2 Cor. 4:4). Today, many modern false gods and graven images abound (Ex. 20:3-5). Countless cults and religions are, in essence, nothing more than deep fakes.
Standing before Pilate, Christ declared, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate quickly retorted, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38). This is a question many ask today.
Only the transcendent, living, eternal, and unchanging Triune God can fully reveal Himself. This He has done through His Son (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3), who is the very source and witness of truth (John 14:6). He is the eternal “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14; John 8:58).
In the Garden of Eden, God promised a Redeemer and, in so doing presented the key to Scripture’s central theme: the progressive unfolding of God’s redemptive plan through Christ, the Seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15). There is great profit in seeking Christ throughout all Scripture. Speaking of the Old Testament Christ said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39). Later He said, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me” (John 5:46). Within the writings of Moses in the Old Testament, the Levitical Offerings foreshadow Christ and His redemptive work.
The entire Old Testament perfectly harmonizes with the New Testament account of Christ—His redemptive work, His Church, and His future triumphant return and glory, “that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him” (Eph. 1:10). As the writer affirms in The Gospel Herald, “…the truth that brings peace to your soul…is found in God’s Word” (page 8).