The Illusion of Knowledge

I enjoy watching the TV show the Brain Game.  One episode dealt with the illusion of knowledge.  The illusion of knowledge is the tendency to think we have a better understanding of a subject than we actually do.  Most often people will mistake a surface understanding of a subject with a deeper understanding. Some will go so far as explain a subject without even a surface knowledge just to keep from saying “I don’t know.”   It has been my experience as a teacher that most people given a little access to the web think they have a greater understanding of a subject matter because information is given in surface-bites which are short and to the point without the depth of thought.

The foundation of any subject must first be established before one can build the structure of understanding.  I don’t think this is an original statement but I have stated this to my students for years.

I attempt to teach basic guitar to young students who have a desire to play.  Almost always they have this thought that they will pick up the guitar and start playing songs.  They always assume that it will be easy.  The problem comes when they find their fingers are sore, the strings sound dead, and they cannot move from one cord to another without messing up.  The complications were not part of their knowledge of the guitar.  The ease in which the experienced player exhibits his or her skill makes the young student think that they too can play with the same ease of playing.  The problem is in the underestimation of how long it is going to take to learn how to play. The proficient player did not gain their ability by reading a few books and buying an expensive guitar.  They spent years of practice improving their skills.

Many students have started and quit when the realized it is not as easy as they first thought.  They practiced a few hours, their finger become sore and they now realize they will not be successful without hours of practice.  They have knowledge of the guitar, they can name all the components, they know the names of each string and its placement on the fret board, they can even form the basic cords but they cannot play.  What I have found is those who have a foundation in music are more successful in learning than those who think it is just a matter of pushing down some strings and strumming.  Understanding the theory of music is more than a surface understanding of playing the guitar.  The illusion of knowledge fooled them into thinking they understood how to play a guitar.

As a student of the Bible for over forty-five years I have tried to avoid giving the illusion of knowledge.   The more I study the more I understand I do not have a depth of understanding that makes me an expert.  Every book, chapter and verse is filled with information that shows I have only a surface understanding of much of what is contained in the Scriptures.  That is not to say I am lacking in knowledge of the subject, I do have a greater depth than most.  What I realize is that the depth of understanding the Word of God is far greater than I have reached in my over forty-five years of studying. God reveals His Truth to us as needed.  

The knowledge that we should have is not based on what I “imagine” or on my personal experience of life but rather upon the Scripture.  The Psalmist has warned of the imagination of the heart, “The heart is deceitful above all things. Every imagination of the thoughts of the heart is evil continually.”  The knowledge of Christ is not based on how I interpret the Scriptures or my own subjectivity but as revealed by the Holy Spirit.  2 Peter 1:20-21 “²⁰ Knowing this   first that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  ²¹ For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

The Apostle Paul experienced individuals who had an illusion of knowledge when he confronted those who seemed to be experts in what you could or could not eat.   Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. ² If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. ³ But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 

The illusion of knowledge will “puff up” those who imagine they know something when in reality they lack an understanding of the subject.  The warning that is given by acting like you know something in depth but only have a surface knowledge is dangerous.  , “. . . so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. ¹² Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.”  We should be careful in giving “opinions and preferences” when speaking about what God has said.  

Those who have been in the church and have gained a little knowledge can experience the “puffing up of knowledge” and be very proud in their ability to expound on their surface knowledge.  Most of these people have sense of self-importance and are admired by their followers who have only a surface knowledge and are unwilling to search the scriptures and discover the depths of truth for themselves. The real discovery of truth has been sacrificed for a surface understanding on the altar of an illusion of knowledge.  

Don’t give the false impression that you understand the subject when all you have is an illusion of knowledge.

2 Tim. 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

America, Syria and the Road to Destruction

I am teaching a class on the Minor Prophets and the main message of all twelve prophets is repentance.  Repentance was the only way to advert the judgment of God upon the nations in question.  The spiritual and political condition found in the Minor Prophets is similar to the condition of America and world today.  

The underlying message in the Minor Prophets is that authentic spirituality radiates from an individual’s hearts, not our traditions or forms of worship.  Christians today are no different from Judah and Israel during the time of the Minor Prophets.  When confused about where to look for real answers many Christians satisfy themselves with spiritual placebos and politically correct sermons.  Today we have self-appointed shepherds who cannot recognize the truth.  Their failure to guard the flock isn’t in their ineffectiveness in the spiritual, social, or political realms, but the struggle with obedience to the will of God.

Just as Judah and Israel went through the motions of religious worship today we have substituted real worship with platitudes, meaningless busyness of religious works.  There is an absence of genuine connection to the LORD.  Our generation has been given to such deep lies both in the political and religious areas that all our efforts now are aimed at restructuring these lies to fit our illusions and rid us of a guilt coming from a condition we have declared doesn't exist---sin. This prevents us from calling out to the God we need more every day.  We are admonished to repent. 

Our problem today is both a theological and political one.  Our theology determines, not the emphasis merely, but the character of our message and the end and purpose of our ministry which has a direct impact on how we are governed. In a word I believe that the issue is between the gospels of Jesus Christ, attested by Christ and His Apostles, and recorded in the New Testament, and another gospel, which is not a gospel, but a perversion of the truth as it is in Jesus. This other gospel is the product of a theology that is, at every vital point, diametrically opposed to the doctrine we hold and results, not in a diluted gospel merely, but in a negation of all that is distinctive of Early Christian beliefs.  The idols of the American Christian are sports, entertainment and material gains.  We have allowed our leaders both political and spiritual to divide us from devotion to God and set us on a course for destruction.

This past few weeks has proven the paradox of lies existing along with the truth.  Americans have watched as the leaders of our country have lied before Congressional hearings about our invasion of privacy, the corrupt actions of the IRS in targeting conservative organizations, and the neocons that are ready to go to war with Syria.  Americans have fallen prey to the deception of those who are motivated by something more than liberty and freedom.  When Jesus made the statement that in the end time, if it were possible the very elect would be deceived (Matt. 24:24), he knew there would be those who would process the lies and find the truth.

Isaiah gives us warning concerning leaders who spread falsehoods.  Scoundrels use wicked methods; they make up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just. What is interesting is that history is repeating daily in American politics and religion.  To the student of history the events of today do not seem unfamiliar; in fact the conditions of the day depict the happenings of the end times as recorded by both Old and New Testament writers.

In reading the Old Testament prophets the ancient people and places have changed their names and are not the same names used today.  The best way to identify the nations and people spoken of by the prophets is to compare the ancient description with the modern people and places.

One nation that is mentioned in the tenth chapter of Isaiah is the Assyrian nation.   The country known as Syria was incorporated into the Assyrian Empire and was called by Greeks and Roman Syria, short for Assyria because it had been under Assyrian rule.  The name Syria is derived from the older Assyria.  This country will play a major role in the fulfillment of end time prophecy.  The Assyrian empire became great and powerful with Nineveh as the center of the empire.  The prophet Jonah was sent by God to warn them of the judgment of God if they failed to repent.  Nineveh repented and was spared from the judgment of God until its destruction in 612 B.C as predicted by the prophet Nahum. 

Nahum addresses Judah to announce the destruction of Assyria and its capital Nineveh. Judah, along with many other countries, had suffered from Assyrian tyranny and violence. The question of whether or not anyone can escape the cruelty of Assyria is answered by God's standing against Assyria. The destruction of Assyria is announced through speeches formally addressed to the king of Assyria and Nineveh, but the actual audience is Judah. Both the past affliction that Judah experienced and the coming destruction of Assyria are the work of God, as well as the usual ebb and flow of turbulent political forces.

What is interesting is that God was not finished with the Assyrians and would use them again in the end times.  In the tenth chapter of Isaiah the Assyrians are again used by God to bring punishment upon the nations.  The world has turned upside down.  Today the eyes of the world are on Syrira.

If the Syrian government crumbles and falls, violence will spread to neighboring countries of Iraq and Lebanon, there is also a huge possibility that Al-Qaeda is involved in the Syrian revolution and if Syria falls it will open the door for the Muslim Brotherhood to gain a foothold just like it has in Egypt. Isaiah gives us some insight into what would be happening world-wide.

“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.  What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar?  To whom will you run for help?   Where will you leave your riches?  ⁴ Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain.  Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.”

It should be understood that the conflict in Syria is a religious war between two Muslim factions—Alawite-Shitte and Sunni-Muslims.  Behind the scene the CIA has been delivering weapons to the freedom fighters and is aware that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and other countries are sending aid as well. However, most of the armed shipment has been sent from Saudi Arabia and Qatar and are going to die hard jihadist the very groups we are fighting in Afghanistan.

What is hard to understand is why the United States has sided with the rebels.  This revolution is actually a proxy war formulated by the west along with Qatar and Saudi Arabia to destabilize the Syrian government for their own selfish means.  The “rebels” are not just Syrians there are foreigners from Libya, Jordan, Chechnya, Turkey and other Islamic nations. King Abdullah from Saudi Arabia proclaimed that those who do jihad in Syria will be guaranteed to have breakfast with Allah and will have their 72 virgins waiting for them in heaven. King Abdullah also granted Fatwas allowing Jihadist to have sex with women who are not Sunni, making Alawites Shitte, Christians and Druze fair targets.

So why has the United States sided with King Abdullah who mainly wants Bashar out of power so an extremist Sunni can control Syria and impose Sharia law onto the country?  He also has brainwashed the uneducated poor to do Jihad in Syria and to kill as many pro-Bashar supporters as possible, which is why all the main attacks in Damascus and Aleppo are in pro-Bashar areas.

The ‘freedom fighters’ are not fighting for democracy or freedom as Americas are being told, they are fighting to destroy a secular Syria. Saudi Arabia does not want any Christians in Syria. Over 1000 Christians have been killed; over 200,000 have fled the country leaving. Recently the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia called for all Christian churches to be destroyed in the whole Arabian Peninsula. And let us not forget that Saudi Arabia was the birthplace of 15 of the 19 hijackers of 9-11 and also of Osama Bin Laden.

So are the Sunni Muslims through the Muslim Brotherhood going to be the hand of God on the judgment of the nations? I know they are not in the lineage of the Assyrian but they have the same evil heart of cruelty the early Assyrians displayed during Biblical times.

 “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath!   I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets.   But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. ‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says.   ‘Has not Kalno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus?  As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria— shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’”

The spiritual mentor of the worldwide Muslim Brotherhood movement has risked further inflaming sectarian tension across the Middle East by using highly charged religious rhetoric to call for a Sunni "jihad" in Syria.

Yusef al-Qaradawi, who is based in Qatar and has been a leading voice supporting the Arab Spring, warned that Iranian Shia were trying to "eat" Sunni Muslims, who are a majority in the Muslim world.

He referred to Alawites, the followers of the Muslim sect to which President Bashar al-Assad of Syria belongs, as being "worse infidels than Christians or Jews". He also used the deliberately contemptuous term "Nusayris" when talking about them.

He was particularly critical of the roles played by Iran, which is largely Shia, and the Lebanon Shia militia Hizbollah whose name translates as Party of God but which he called "Party of Satan", in supporting the Assad regime. The hatred in the voices of the Sunni Muslim is heard throughout the world.  They main goal is to destroy and put an end to many nations.

The fear that “Arab Spring” will spread to all Muslim countries is becoming a reality.  Many Arab countries have recently been victimized due to the countless terrorist attacks that have taken place in the Middle East. The Arab Spring has sparked countless revolutions that spread to neighboring countries like an epidemic and the puppet master is Saudi Arabia.  Saudi Arabia has been behind the fake revolution in Syria.

Having said that, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Israel along with the Western powers have formulated a proxy war to take down President Bashar Al-Assad out of power.  Why was this proxy war created in the first place? It is because of power and resources?  Syria lies in the heart of the Middle East and plays a crucial role in Middle Eastern politics and has oil? The so called Syrian ‘rebels’ are not Syrian, majority of them are Muslim jihadist sent from Libya, Jordan, Turkey and other Islamic countries. These terrorists have blown up churches, schools, mosques, and have destroyed most of Syria. Not to mention the kidnappings, beatings, and violence these terrorists have caused. Aside from that, they capture innocent civilians who support Bashar and behead them while screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’.

Will Saudi Arabia bring down all the Shitte Muslims nations and continue to bring misery to countries like England, Germany, France, and the United States? It looks like this is the direction the world is going.  However, they are creating the foundation for their own demise.  Isaiah looking through the telescope of time sees the end to the “King of Assyria”.  God will destroy them to the point very few will be left.  Their courage will come from bringing misery, death and destruction on the nations of the world and then to attack Israel.  It will be this move that will bring about their destruction.  It will not come from the United States, the United Nations or a collation of nations—it will come from the hand of God and not man.  The Arab Spring will turn into the Arab destruction.  To avoid this we as a nation must repent of the evil within our government and in our hearts.

An Apocalypse Coming To You In The Near Future

I have often wondered what it would have been like to have lived in America during the late 1600's when my 12th Great Grandfather was living in Virginia. As a Quaker he was persecuted by both religious and government officials. Quakers were not accepted by the Puritans. In fact, in 1659 Virginia enacted anti-Quaker laws, including the death penalty for Quakers. What has changed in the 354 years of our country?

The difference my 12th great grandfather faced and what I face is the Puritans are not trying to kill me but my government has indicated that there is a possibility that due to my political and religious beliefs that I may be a terrorist. According to the Department of Homeland Security I have the attributes of a terrorist. Here is what can put you on their watch list:

1. Christian who believes the Bible is the Word of God. I am a Christian that believes in the absolute truth of the Word of God.

2. In the past few years I have come to agree more with the Libertarian political views than the other two parties. This put me on the terrorist list.

3. As an elected official I took an oath to support the Constitution and will support the Constitution against foreign and domestic enemies of freedom. I make the list again.

4. I support the ideas of Ron Paul on limited government. This again puts me on their list.

5. I do like to grow and own food and support the Second Amendment. Another characteristic of a homegrown terrorist.

6. Do I question the government authority? More often than not. By now you should expect me to be a violent and bitter individual this could be a reason they think I am a terrorist but I am not violent nor bitter.

Even though I may be classed as a terrorist I have no actual desire to bring harm to anyone. This week I read an article that called for the second American Revolution. The tyranny we are face with is not foreign but domestic. There are those who feel we have already entered into the beginnings of revolution. Since I have never been involved in a revolution I have no idea when it starts. Is it when enough people are discontented with the ruling elite that they riot, or when the first shots are fired or when we have mass demonstrations? I don’t know.

What I do know is that there are many people who have been placed on the Department of Homeland Security's list of possible terrorist and these patriots don't like their loyalty to America challenged by a government that ignores the Constitution. All across America people are stock piling weapons, ammunition, digging bunkers, and hiding food. Americans have lost their faith in our government leaders. The approval rating of Congress is almost non-existent. Our president is covered in scandal, cover-ups and lies.

My concern is that there will be a revolution perpetrated upon the American people by a corrupt government. As Americans, everyone should be concerned about the direction this government is heading.

Today we live in a world constantly threatened by terrorism. The resent bombings should open our eyes to amount of hatred the world has for America. We only have to look at our own country to see the hated we have one for another. Our cities are filled with hate crimes, drive by shootings, mothers killing their own infant children, parents killing their children, children killing parents, inhuman behavior is becoming the norm, we are a people having no restraints. In America we approve over a million abortions each year. Our President has given his stamp of approval on the "day after" abortion pill. Why? There is no law, no real accountability; it’s lawlessness from the highest office in our country to the lowest government bureaucrat. The more tolerance today the less morals we have. There is a relationship between the two, no standard and anything goes. People are turning to suicide because they have no hope. Euthanasia is becoming an accepted alternative. Light is called darkness and darkness is light. We are confronted with an age of terrorism that is not isolated but sweeping the planet. There are those who practicing their religion zealously see it as their duty to rid the world of those who they view as infidels by the use of force. Is there an end to this madness? Yes, and it may be coming soon.

We have been warned by the Bible (believing this book can put you on the terrorist list) that judgment would come upon the world. In the near future we will see every infrastructure created by man brought down. We will watch as the structure of our world is devastated-- crippled-banking, communications destroyed, manufacturing halted, travel and shipping coming to a dead stop. You ask when? It may be nearer than we realize.

When a major global player with direct ties to the White House, Wall Street, and the banking system starts off-loading stocks and starts stacking gold, it suggests a very serious market move is set to happen. When billionaires are unloading their stock as quickly as possible something is about to happen. Are we about to witness the end—it is possible.

It is interesting that men who have spent their life analyzing the economic system are telling us that in the near future there will be a major collapse of the world economic structure. When this happens there will be world-wide panic. If our government continues to view its citizens as the enemy then we are in serious trouble.

Maybe the problems my 12th great grandfather faced will not be as great as the ones his descendants will be facing if this country does not find its way back to liberty and freedom.