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July - August 2000 The Sabbath Sentinel
Ignorance Is Not Bliss
by David L. Taylor Pastor, Westerly Rhode Island
Seventh Day Baptist Church
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"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:
because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject
thee," Hosea 4:6.
Ignorance is a stronghold of Satan's kingdom of
darkness. It is so dangerous that it is destructive. Far
from bliss, ignorance is a form of gross darkness
[Strong's 4656-skotoo = 1) to darken, cover with
darkness, 2) to darken or blind the mind; see Rev
16:10].... Darkness is what God has delivered us
from; Col 1:12-13 [Strong's 4655-skotos = 1)
darkness: 1a) of night darkness, 1b) of darkened
eyesight or blindness; 2) metaph.: 2a) of ignorance
respecting divine things and human duties, and the
accompanying ungodliness and immorality, ..., 2b)
persons in whom darkness becomes visible and holds
sway]. Considering its destructive capacity,
ignorance is something that we should
not be ignorant of.
If we have no love for the truth, then the Lord allows
strong delusions that we may believe the lie -- and so,
our ignorance becomes our destruction. When we reject
knowledge, we reject God.
Those who do not love the truth are deluding
themselves. 2 Thessalonians 2:11 says, "And for this
cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie." Why? It is because they
reject knowledge and truth.
When those in darkness attempt to study Scripture, Satan
stands by with his own running commentary, twisting the
truth into a maze of lies. Let us stop and analyze how
Satan accomplishes that. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10:
"Even him, whose coming is after the working of
Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And
with deceivablenessness of unrighteousness in them that
perish; because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved." Ignorance is pervasive
in Satan's kingdom of darkness. Destruction comes
through ignorance, and ignorance is the judgment that
God sends to those who "love not the
truth."
We must wrestle against the devices of Satan which keep
us ignorant of the truth. How do we do this? We should
cry out to the Lord for wisdom, for knowledge, for
understanding -- and a heart that is tender. We must not
only receive His truth, but walk in it.
Satan is extremely cunning. He distracts with the riches
and the cares of this life. We read in Mark 4:19:
"And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness
of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in,
choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful." The
Adversary keeps us so busy with the things of this world
that we get choked off from God's Word; he thus holds us
occupied, entertained, ignorant of the truth, and
unfruitful.
Satan's mission is to cast a stumbling block before
God's people. When the Lord sent Moses to deliver
Israel, Satan sent the "wise men" and the
sorcerers to resist him. Likewise, when the Lord sends
His messengers with the gospel, Satan is right there to
distract. He confuses and prevents the Word's
progress. In Exodus 7:11-12 we read, "Then Pharaoh
also called the wise men and the sorcerers; now the
magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with
their enchantments. For they cast down every man his
rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed
up their rods." The Lord prevailed, but Satan tried
to distract and confuse.
When Paul preached the truth, Satan sent Elymas "a
sorcerer" to withstand him. See this in Acts 13:8;
"But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by
interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the
deputy from the faith." Satan sends his deceivers
when the Lord sends His messengers. The Devil makes
every effort to pervert and confuse the meaning of the
Word of God.
If he can, Satan will use our friends to keep us
ignorant of the truth. The Lord says, "Come out from
among them and be ye separate." We must listen to
the Word of God first, and not allow ourselves to be
distracted -- even by our friends.
Luke 6:22-23 shows us: "Blessed are ye, when men
shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from
their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your
name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in
that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is
great in heaven: for in the like manner did their
fathers unto the prophets." The prophets of the
Lord were murdered; they were "stoned, they were
sawn asunder," Hebrews 11:37. The false prophets
were exalted.
Satan uses delay to keep us ignorant. When we delay, we
put things off until tomorrow because we don't think we
have time today -- often never returning to the
important task we put off. In Hebrews 3:7-8 we find,
"Wherefore as the Holy Spirit saith, 'To day if ye
will hear His voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the
provocation, in the day of temptation in the
wilderness'." The Lord is telling us to hear His
voice today. Satan says, "Do it tomorrow. You are still
young. Wait a week or two."
Satan loves compromise. If he can't get you in any other
way, he will get you to compromise. He causes us to
think that there is no problem in compromising a little
and not being so straightlaced on the truth. "After
all," he says, "are we really sure what we think is
truth is true?"
We read in Exodus 8:28: "And Pharaoh said, I will
let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God
in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away:
entreat for me." The Pharaoh was telling them that
he would compromise and give them their way, but they
had to come right back and not go too far. He expected a
compromise in return.
Satan has his own gospel -- peace without repentance.
Satan's gospel does not lead away from sin. Satan's
gospel is, "Accept Jesus and be saved -- Just as you
are." He will preach peace through the blood of the
cross, as long as you don't depart from
sin. Satan doesn't mind repentance,
... "only ye shall not go very far away." Just
don't walk too far away from sin!
Jeremiah 23:21-22 reads, "I have not sent these
prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet
they prophesied...." How do we discern whether
someone is sent by the Lord? How do we judge their
speech? The next verse tells us, "...But if they had
stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my
words, then they should have turned them from their evil
way, and from the evil of their doings." This is
how we sort out the truth tellers from the deceivers
(intentional or also deceived). Do they get people to
turn from their sins, or do they compromise and say
"don't go too far away"?
Christ must be our King. Jesus Christ must be our
Lord. We must serve our Lord only. We cannot serve God
and mammon. We must understand that there is only one
way to walk in the light -- God's Way. We are to walk in
the light of His Laws -- under the Kingship of
Christ. We read in Exodus 10:26, "Our cattle also
shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left
behind." Moses had to tell Pharaoh that he would
not compromise.
We too must obey the Lord; we must go and take
everything with us, for there is no returning; there can
be no looking back. If we put our hand to the plow and
look back, we are not fit for the kingdom of
heaven. This is what the Lord told Moses: "...there
shall not an hoof be left behind."
The sinner must leave all sin behind, leaving no
occasion for return. Luke 11:52 tells us, "Woe unto
you, lawyers! For ye have taken away the key of
knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that
were entering in ye hindered." Can we see that the
Lord is pointing out that ignorance is a terrible trap
foisted on us through Satan and his kingdom of darkness?
The lawyers not only refused to enter in themselves, but
they hindered those that would. They took away the key
of knowledge. How did they hinder them? They perverted
the truth, arguing against the Lord Jesus Christ and the
gospel He preached.
The knowledge of Christ and His Way opens the door to
our freedom. Willful ignorance shuts out Christ and
opens wide the door for Satan. The knowledge of Christ
delivers and brings the way of freedom from sin, from
self and from Satan. Through ignorance, men serve the
devil in the kingdom of darkness, regardless of whether
or not they realize it. Jesus tell us in John 14:6,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me." Our Lord Jesus
Christ opens wide the way; Satan attempts to close the
way.
Those laden with sin live in ignorance. They are never
able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Such are
deceived -- and the deceived don't know they are
deceived, or they would not be deceived!
If we are going to walk in sin, we are by default going
to be living in ignorance. We will never able to come to
the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:6-7 says:
"For of this sort are they which creep into houses,
and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away
with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come
to the knowledge of the truth." We cannot walk in
sin and walk in light. If we are to avoid sin (as we
ought), we can not be ignorant -- ignorance is not
bliss!
David L. Taylor can be reached for comment at the
following phone numbers: (401) 348-8385 Phone
(240) 248-8174 Fax/Voice Mail.
Or, he can be reached via email through the Bible
Sabbath Association's email address and through the
editor's, < rmitchel@flash.net >
TSS
July - August 2000 The Sabbath Sentinel
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