THIS IS A DEVOTIONAL THAT YOU MUST FORWARD TO EVERY PERSON THAT YOU KNOW TO SHINE THE LIGHT OF TRUTH ON THE ALL-OUT ASSAULT ON GOD'S WORD TAKING PLACE IN OUR CULTURE TODAY.  THE BIBLE IS GOD'S INSPIRED, INERRANT WORD, REPRESENTING ABSOLUTE TRUTH AND OUR FINAL AUTHORITY IN ALL MATTERS.  THOSE WHO REJECT GOD, WHO REJECT JESUS CHRIST AS LORD, WHO REJECT HIS TRUTH, MUST ALSO REJECT THE BIBLE SINCE IT IS THE VERY BOOK THAT CONDEMNS THEM!!!

DAILY DEVOTIONAL    WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2003
(2 Peter 2:1-3, 1 John 2:21, Titus 1:14, 2 Timothy 4:4, Romans 1:25, John 17:17) 

*READ EVERY VERSE SLOWLY AND MEDITATE ON EACH ONE!!!

But there were false prophets, too, in those days, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly tell their lies about God, turning against even their Master who bought them; but theirs will be a swift and terrible end. Many will follow their evil teaching that there is nothing wrong with sexual sin. And because of them Christ and his way will be scoffed at. These teachers in their greed will tell you anything to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago and their destruction is on the way.

I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.

Stop them from listening to Jewish folk tales and the demands of men who have turned their backs on the truth.

They won't listen to what the Bible says but will blithely follow their own misguided ideas.

Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they prayed to the things God made, but wouldn't obey the blessed God who made these things.

Make them pure and holy through teaching them your words of truth.

SOURCE #1: (2 Peter 2:1-3) The Children's Living Bible, ©1970 Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187
SOURCE #2: (1 John 2:21) The New Student Bible, ©1992 Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids Michigan 49530
SOURCE #3: (Titus 1:14b, 2 Timothy 4:4, Romans 1:25, John 17:17) The Children's Living Bible, ©1970 Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187

Exchanging the truth for a lie. One of the hottest books out today is a book called, "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Due to the controversy surrounding this book, I bought it over the weekend and read it. Let me point out what is probably the most important fact of all about this book. It is not found in the pages of the book, but on the cover. In big gold letters on the cover is the name of the book, and next to it, in very small white letters are two words, A NOVEL! Before we go any further, please understand that this book is A NOVEL, it is FICTION. IT IS NOT HISTORICAL FACT!!!

The problem with this book, and the reason I am dealing with it today, is because of its controversial content regarding the truth of the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. The author, Dan Brown, does not hold any theological degrees, and he was an English teacher before he began writing books. There is no information available about his personal theological beliefs, and repeated calls to his office asking that question were never returned.

In this FICTIONAL work, the author has Emperor Constantine as the one who decided on the content of the Bible for purely political reasons. In this FICTIONAL work, the author has Jesus married to Mary Magdalene and they have a child.

Now, let's deal with FACTS, NOT FICTION. The FACT is, Constantine had nothing to do with the content of the Bible. By 300 B.C. at the latest, all of the Old Testament books had been written, collected, revered, and recognized as official, canonical books. Many believe that the prophet Ezra led the first recognition counsel. During the Third Council of Carthage, held in 397 A.D. the 27 books of the New Testament were declared canonical. It must be understood that the Bible is NOT an authorized collection of books, but rather a collection of authorized books. The 27 New Testament books were not inspired because the Carthage Council proclaimed them to be, but rather the Council proclaimed them to be such because they were already inspired! There are MANY great books on the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible at your local Christian bookstore, and I suggest that ALL Christians make the time to read such books so you never doubt that the Bible is exactly what it claims of itself, GOD'S INSPIRED, INERRANT WORD!!!

Another FACT is, Jesus was NEVER MARRIED! Mary Magdalene was NOT His wife. They did NOT have a child together. The really sad thing is that I even have to expose such blasphemy. As I have shared with you, the largest percentage of two full generations in this nation do not go to church and are NOT Christians, this is NOT A CHRISTIAN NATION! That is why a book like this is so dangerous. People who read it, who are Biblically illiterate, think this work of FICTION is actually fact!

Even worse, you have the major television networks that are taking this work of FICTION and proffering its contents as possible historical fact! This is not only journalistic malpractice, it can only be a conscious and orchestrated attack on the truth of God's Word by people that do not hold the Bible to be true. The ABC Special on this issue Monday night was not only blasphemous and an abomination to God, but a tool satan will use to take people of no faith and make them believe the lie to be the truth. No doubt all the other broadcast networks will pick up on this topic and also proffer the content of this work of FICTION as fact, and the general public will hear it enough times from enough different sources to believe the lie to be the truth.

This is the very reason I am so passionate about the television program I do 5 nights a week and why I do it on a COMMERCIAL television network. This is why I am working daily on expanding the program into new markets. THERE NEEDS TO BE A WITNESS FOR THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD ON SECULAR TELEVISION TO AT LEAST EXPOSE THE LIES OF THIS WORLD FOR WHAT THEY ARE!

The people at ABC, the other major networks, even at the 24-hour cable news networks including FOXNEWS would never have the guts to put someone like myself on, that can articulately make the case for the truth of God's Word and expose these lies for what they are. The commercial television networks are simply pawns satan uses to sell the lie as the truth. Read John 8:44, satan is the "father of lies."

"For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth--there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars."

Sadly, the world's largest Christian television network is more interested in preaching to the choir so they can hold a telethon every other month, instead of using that great resource to reach the lost. 98% of their audience is already Christian. They need a fresh vision to reach the lost in this world. Simply charging Preacher Bob money to put on what amounts to a Christian infomercial is not programming that the lost will ever watch. They are watching ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, UPN, and the WB! That is why I do my program on those networks, to reach the hurting and lost of this world with the truth of God's Word, and the hope and love of Jesus Christ.

I love you and care about you so much. I have told you often that for the person who rejects God, who has rejected Christ in their life, and who live in rebellion to the truth of God's Word, they MUST reject the Bible since it is the very book that condemns them. Taking a book of FICTION like "The Da Vinci Code," and proffering that fictional story as historical fact is exactly the kind of thing a non-believer will do to try and discredit God's Word and thus justify their rejection of its truth. Of course, the mainstream media is only too happy to participate in this process of taking the lie, and making people accept it as the truth.

I will pray for you today. If you do not understand yet that there is a major battle going on, WAKE UP! The Bible clearly tells us that our battle is not of flesh and blood, but a spiritual one. It is "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." The people of God, who possess the only real truth there is, must become bolder to take that truth to this lost and hurting world we live in. We must speak out! We cannot, and we MUST NOT sit back and watch the enemy exchange the truth for a lie!!!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com.

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