“The first casualty of war is the truth” (Hiram Johnson, 1918). Were the whole truth known by all participants in war, it is likely that war would be far less common.
Every government that seeks to prosecute war conducts propaganda, slanted to inflame their populace to demand war, and to endure losses most rational people would seek an immediate end to. “Weapons of Mass Destruction” still puts a sour taste in my mouth, for I so fully believed the propaganda that I joined the army to do my part to stop the “axis of evil.”
Older folks remember protecting Saudi Arabia from the aggression of Saddam Hussein and kicking him out of Kuwait or before that fighting to stop the spread of communism. A few might remember avenging Pearl Harbor.
From history books, we read about the U-boat threat and “unrestricted warfare”, “Remember the Maine”, Fort Sumpter, the Alamo, British abuse of American sailors, and “No taxation without representation.” These are but a few of the justifications for war in the United States. Other nations also had their justifications, which you might know, but are unfamiliar to me.
What was the truth?
The weapons of mass destruction were 20+ years old and more dangerous to the troops handling them than to the enemies of Iraq (meanwhile the media claims there were none), and prosecuting the war lead to a massive transfer of wealth from the U.S. treasury to corporations, including one that the Vice President used to be CEO of.
Before that, Saddam was trying to sell oil for currency other than the dollar and needed to control the oil fields and ports of his southern neighbor to be more effective. Before that, Goodyear and Firestone needed cheap sources of rubber and the communists threatened their supply.
Before that, the United States had already chosen sides and was prosecuting an undeclared war against Germany by supplying military hardware to Great Britain, and attacking U-boats in the Atlantic while strangling the Japanese economy in the Pacific (even though officially declared neutral) prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, but public will was not such that the government could declare war until after the attack.
The same could be said of WW1. The Maine was blown up by an internal explosion, a fact hidden from the public to justify the largest colonial expansion in U.S. history.
The Union needed the tax revenue from the southern states because the primary source of revenue at the time was tariff taxes on cotton exports. U.S. settlers invaded northern Mexico, seceded, fought a war for independence, and then joined the United States. Or am I just quoting revisionist history, and these “truths” are also propaganda? Truly Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth” has been busy tampering with history so that the truth is obscure at best.
Cosmic Conflict
Truth was the first casualty in the war in Heaven as well. While God doesn’t lie, His adversary does, sometimes outright, often by distortions and manipulations. For six thousand years on earth and unknown years before he has practiced his craft. He has prepared deceptions that would deceive even the elect were he able. The lie is his favorite weapon, for it is the one we fell for at first, and too often still fall for today.
In 1996, the journalism department at Southern Adventist University still taught to suppress our bias. Activist journalism was frowned upon, and much effort was made to show how our words could betray bias. Although I suspected liberal bent among many of my fellow students, it did not show in our writing.
In learning to avoid exposing our bias, we learned to recognize it as well. An example based on recent events might look something like this: favorable bias, “President Trump conducts righteous campaign against voter fraud in key states;” neutral bias, “President Trump alleges voter fraud in key states, begins legal proceedings challenging election results;” negative bias, “Trump baselessly alleges voter fraud in democratic states.”
It’s more than just how one words their articles and headlines, but also what one chooses to cover. For instance, if I only reported positive stories about Trump while focusing on every negative thing Biden does, one could justly accuse me of bias in favor of Trump.
In Reporting 101, we were drilled on the basics of good reporting, Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Our opinion had no place among those basics, all that mattered was the truth. Something changed in the last 5 years, for bias is now open, blatant, and aggressive, as the news reporters have discovered the power they have to shape the news by how they report the news. With the death of objective reporting truth has died as well, replaced by propaganda designed to push the population into behaving a certain way, rather than supplying us with the facts we need to make an informed decision. It worked.
Five years ago a wealthy reality TV star and real estate developer began his campaign for President of the United States, and his bombast and penchant for little words connected with the American people in a way that politicians have been unable to do since Reagan (ironically, another actor). He didn’t bow to the elites, wasn’t a member of their secret clubs, and would go straight to the people through a platform called “Twitter” which they couldn’t legally silence, nor control [at least at the time].
Jesus said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” “In this world you will have tribulations; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (Matthew 5:11, John 16:33).
Donald Trump is hardly a paragon of virtue and his behavior is contrary to the example Christ set. But he stood up to the established power brokers, doing what he thought best for the country, and for that effort, it’s safe to say he is the most hated man in the United States today.
If Jesus really meant what He said about persecution and tribulation, why should Donald Trump be more hated than the Seventh-day Adventist church?
Satan hates truth. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). If we preached truth, he would lose many of his captives.
I believe that the Seventh-day Adventist church knew truth once upon a time. Something happened to us. We traded the truth for convenience, sacrificed our distinctive message for acceptance. It was more important to us to get along with the daughters of Babylon than to proclaim with a loud voice the message God gave us to preach. What started with a loud cry has fizzled into a pathetic whimper. Or do we even whimper anymore?
Following the terrorist attack in 2001, legislation was passed authorizing domestic spying among many other abuses of power, but as a nation we were willing to trade essential liberty for perceived security.
Under Obama, this legislation was used to enable attacks on opponents, both political and Christian. In 2015 sin became the law of the land when the Supreme Court made homosexual marriage binding. Yet for some reason God granted us a reprieve in 2016 with the election of Donald Trump. The difficulties under Obama should have awakened us to go and give the message while we had the easy years under Trump, but instead, we got busy bickering over who is the greatest in the church, who is going to control the money, who is going to have authority, who is going to decide our mission. Satan won and we squandered our easy years.
Now Biden is our president, and he has promised tyranny. The policies he is enacting will devastate the economy, and the insane spending spree that started under Obama and Trump cannot continue indefinitely without sparking uncontrolled inflation. Already where I am, many items cost several percentage points more than they did just three or four months ago. We now must share the gospel under quickly building adversity.
If you call yourself a follower of Christ, your mission is clear,
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19,20).
What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for your church union or division to act?
Maybe you’re waiting for the GC?
Do I falsely accuse them when I say they are too busy bickering about power, money, prestige, and worldly accolades? Are you waiting for Advent Health, or maybe the education system?
Which of them look like the blueprint we were given for medical missionary work and true education? Maybe you’re just waiting for something a little more local like the Conference? They might be doing something, or they might not be, for it appears none have escaped the political bickering that has swept through the NAD and beyond. Maybe you’re just waiting for your pastor? Likely he’s overworked or not working at all. Either way, while you’re waiting for them, guess what? God is waiting for you.
Our Marvelous Mission
If you’re a Seventh-day Adventist, if you know the distinctive teachings, you have something the world is dying to hear. If you don’t have that foundation, but you have a Bible, why do you not know? Are you too busy? Let something go. Make study your priority. Ditch the TV, shut off the radio, get off the computer, cancel the golf outing, sell the hotrod or the motorcycle, flush the smartphone (this is by no means a comprehensive list).
All these things are perishing, and every one of them that captivates you more than Scripture will blind you to the times or will lull you until it’s too late. Get on your knees and beg God for an experiential religion. Repent.
Turn from your sins and seek Him with all your heart. You have time for nothing else right now. As you get to know Him, tell your friends, family, and co-workers about Him. Every time He brings you in contact with someone, tell them about Him. Tell them what He has done in your life. Write it down, remember it, share it. The more you share Him with others, the more He shares Himself with you.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life...” (John 14:6.) Don’t let the truth die with you. It should be your most valuable possession. It should be the thing you seek hardest for, and cling to above all else, and even more amazing, it’s one of a few things you can share all you have and end up with more than you started with!
The first thing Satan tries to steal from you is the truth. If you are grounded, if you know the Author of truth, you cannot be shaken.
For many, the truth is now relative, based on their own perceptions, and they are unwilling to accept that there can be a truth that never changes, a truth that challenges our perceptions, a truth that transcends postmodern experience.
However, there is such a truth. His name is Jesus Christ.
Is He yours?
Russell Wickham seeks the Lord with all his heart (Jeremiah 29:12).