"For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him. . ." Numbers 23:9

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THE MOUNTAIN MESSENGER

October 2005
Volume 2..........................Number 10
Crum, West Virginia

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"We’re Fighting Ignorance . . . And Ignorance Seems To Be Winning!"

By James E. Farley

The above statement was made to me just a few weeks ago. An acquaintance of mine, a retired school teacher with over 35 years of experience, related to me how his father had said this years ago. His father was also a school teacher for many years.

At first consideration, one may think this a crude and unfair statement, but I ask you to consider it carefully, for there is great truth in it. Every day since my friend told me what his father had said, this statement has rolled over and over in my mind. Let us now take time to think more about the statement . . .

The Bible says that the devil is our adversary . . . our enemy . . . and that he is as ". . . a roaring lion . . ." walking about ". . . seeking whom he may devour . . ." (I Peter 5:8). One of the devil’s most effective tools in this great work of his is ignorance. Now, ignorance is not a synonym for stupidity nor idiocy. The word "ignorant" simply means that one does not know something. It may very well be because he has not yet been taught it. All of us are ignorant of some things. I know very little about jet propulsion, for instance. Oh, I can open an encyclopedia and read about the mechanics of it, but still I would be ignorant about how to build a jet engine. It would take years of training for me to learn all I needed to know in order to accomplish such a daunting task. Will Rogers was certainly correct when he said, "Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects."

Everybody just cannot know everything about everything, right? But friends, what a terrible tragedy to be ignorant of God’s Will for mankind. The devil has been very successful in keeping even religious people ignorant of God’s Word, and therefore keeping them in error . . . and error will cause one to be eternally separated from God. (James 5:19-20; Proverbs 14:12).

Satan is real! And . . . he is really working today. (I Peter 5:8). Hal Lindsey wrote a book called, "Satan Is Alive And Well On Planet Earth." I disagree with that title, for while Satan is alive, he is certainly not well, for our Lord delivered a death blow to the old serpent and he knows his time is limited. (Hebrews 2:14-18; Revelation 12:12). Satan is a liar, and indeed the father of it. (John 8:44). He and his ministers (and he does have ministers working in this world - 2 Corinthians 11:13-15), are busy telling lies to keep people in ignorance. Satan likes ignorant people, for he can control them through their ignorance. The religious world is divided and sub-divided today primarily because of ignorance of the Word of God. People are living in moral decadence all around us, and the basic and fundamental reason for it is ignorance of God’s Will. Now, to be sure . . . some have chosen to be ignorant of God’s Way. That is, they have decided not to have a knowledge of God and His right ways. (Romans 1:16-32). These are they whom the apostle Peter referred to as "willingly ignorant." (2 Peter 3:5). Some choose not to have God in their knowledge, for to admit that there is a God, and One who has revealed His righteousness, would mean that they would have to stop their ungodly way of life, or in the very least, feel guilty for living contrary to God’s Way.

But my friends, God wants people to be "in the know". God does not want people to be ignorant. Take a minute to look up and read Romans 1:13; Romans 11:25; I Corinthians 10:1; I Corinthians 12:1; I Corinthians 15:34; 2 Corinthians 1:8; I Thessalonians 4:13; I Peter 1:14; 2 Peter 3:8; 2 Peter 2:12; etc. Read

these and you will readily see God’s view of ignorance. It is a foolish thing to not try to understand the Will of God. (Ephesians 5:17). We can understand God’s Will only through reading what was verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit through the apostles and prophets. (Ephesians 3:3-5; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Indeed we CAN know the Truth and become free from the guilt, burden, shame, and condemnation of sin. (John 8:31-32). THE BIBLE IS RIGHT!

During the time of Jesus some of the Sadducees came to the Lord to try to trip Him up. This was a haughty bunch indeed! The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection from the dead. Still they tempted Jesus with the scenario of a woman who was the wife of seven brothers, each having died. In their story, the woman died too, and then they arrogantly asked the Lord, "Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her." The Lord’s answer is as applicable today as it was 2,000 years ago. "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:30). A terrible and remarkable result of not knowing the Scriptures is ERROR . . . and again, error will cause one to "die" or to be separated from God. (James 5:19-20; Proverbs 14:12; 2 John 9).

At another time, the Lord was confronted by the Pharisees. Their purpose was also to try the Lord . . . to tempt Him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" (Matthew 19:3). Jesus answered them with, "Have ye not read . . . " (vs. 4). The implication is certainly if the Pharisees had read the Scriptures they would not have been so ignorant on the topic. Oh, they were readers alright, but they were reading the writings and traditions of their own leaders, and were not concentrating on the Word of God. I fear that such is the case even today concerning this very topic. Many are busy reading after men on the subject of marriage, divorce, and remarriage, and have not spent sufficient time studying and meditating upon the verbally inspired Word!

Ignorance of God’s Will is certainly a dangerous thing! It was the ignorance of the Jewish people that caused them to cry out for the Lord’s crucifixion. (Compare Luke 23:34 and Acts 3:17). Saul of Tarsus violently persecuted the church of Christ through ignorance. (I Timothy 1:13; Acts 26:9). The erring church at Laodicea was wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked in God’s sight, but they were ignorant of it all and thought they were doing well. (Revelation 3:16-19).

In the Old Testament the people of God went into captivity because they were ignorant of God’s right ways. (Isaiah 5:13; Compare Jeremiah 4:22 and Hosea 4:6). God says that it is the fool who hates knowledge. (Proverbs 1:22). However, having said all of that . . . God will allow people to be ignorant if they choose to be ignorant. (I Corinthians 14:38

People can be and often are VERY SINCERELY AND ZEALOUSLY IGNORANT and therefore sincerely and zealously in error. But sincerity and zeal are simply no substitutes for knowledge. Paul wrote concerning his kinsmen, "Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." (Romans 10:1-3).

There are religious people who are very sincere and very zealous, but they have little or no knowledge of God’s right ways revealed in the Word. As a result, they have no recourse but to try to figure it out by themselves . . . to try to "establish their own righteousness". . . and, in so doing they are not submissive to God’s right ways . . . for they are ignorant! Ignorance is a spiritual killer!!!

Friends, I would like to continue these thoughts in November’s issue of The Mountain Messenger. I want for us to consider some of the ways the devil uses ignorance to further his cause.

James E. Farley -To Contact Jim by email, click here