“To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8: 20.
How many demoniacs did Jesus heal at the Gaderenes? One
(Mark 5, Luke 8)…two (Matt 8)? Not certain.
And did the sun really stand still?
Well, for the sun to have been made to stand still in the context of Joshua
10: 13, it would have had to be moving, right? It is common knowledge today
that the sun doesn’t actually move, but it is the earth that moves (rotating on
its axis, while revolving around the sun).
How do we relate to these inconsistencies in Scripture – can it be trusted
to supply us with pertinent truth so vital to our eternal salvation?
According to 1 Cor. 13:8 knowledge will become obsolete. But for the present what we now know is
relevant to the time and place of our existence. When we would have finally transitioned we
will no longer need many of the things we now depend on for our survival. The burden of Scripture is not to provide us
with an often unnecessary litany of facts surrounding a story or of a natural
phenomenon. Its purpose is to simply bear
witness to the fact that God is, and that He rewards those that earnestly seek Him.
Heb. 11: 6. The real truth then of the
sun “standing still” is that God controls nature, and when we have genuine need
he will reverse the course of natural occurrences to give us victory. The healing of the demoniac(s) speaks to the
difference that Christ makes when He comes onto the scene of our lives –
whether He healed one or two individuals, the point is He has the power over
the demons in our lives, be they legions or one.
Do not then become preoccupied with the accumulation of
facts that are going to become of none effect anyway. Look instead for the truth as it exists in
God’s Word.
Note, the preceding discussion in no way relates to the
issue addressed in Rev. 22: 18, 19.
Persons who wilfully distort or hold back on the facts surrounding an
event will be held accountable for this manipulation of Holy Writ.
While truth has a singular importance to those who would
discover God, fall within His divine will and approbation care must be taken to
preclude its misrepresentation by being wrest out of the proper context in
which be understood and received. Taken out
of its context, or being inappropriately aligned to falsehood truth can become
shrouded in darkness, and therefore ineffective to perform its important work
of sanctifying its discoverer (John 17: 17).
Jesus understood the importance of the timeliness of truth
being disclosed and so told His disciples, “I have yet many things to say unto
you, but ye cannot bear them now.” The
Apostles Paul and Peter themselves spoke of the milk (simple nature) of the
Word, which should be fed to new converts, who were to later move unto more
solid food. 1 Cor. 3: 2; 1Peter 2: 2.
Rev. 22: 18, 19 speak of distortion either by adding or taking away of
pertinent aspects of the truth of God’s Word.
So although truth may be covered in the mud of inconsistent
facts it does allow for us to handle it in any way that suits us – it must be
treated with care and caution, and not in a manner that would not prompt the
release of faith in accepting its principles.
Otherwise truth that is intended to be light (Ps. 119: 105), will be
nothing but darkness. God forbid.
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