In a time which people are calling “post” truth (after truth), where there is so much untrue in the world, so much fake pretending to be real, so many “gonga” things and so many people pretending to be those they are not, how do we know if something is real or fake? How do we know true from deceptive or simply dangerous?
It is not easy, but the first step in being careful is to know what is out there, to know what dangerous schemes are around and to be able to identify them. Another part of keeping safe in this world is to know how to identify truth from fake.
With so many scams and “fake” news articles in circulation, I thought it important to speak on this subject to the youth at the Boy’s camp this year. In doing so I used some nicely created videos by “Truth or Fake” which airs on the France 24 news channel. They are helpful to start each person down the road of being careful about what they believe.
Truth in life…
Here are some of the shows we watched which I feel would be a helpful start to anyone who wants to know how to identify truth from fake in this world. Though they are a bit old, they are a good introduction to the world of being a detective into what is true:
Truth or Fake 2018: How to investigate the images you see online
Truth or Fake 2019: Four tips for detecting fake news online
Truth or Fake 2020: 4 tips for detecting fake news
In general we find that we need to identify:
- the source of the picture/video through a reverse lookup. This gives us the original context and often will help us decipher the truth in it.
- the purpose for the picture/video being posted. There is always a purpose to post sensational videos and this can often help us to identify how real it is.
Most often, if you see or hear something that completely shocks or surprises you then do a double check as it is such images or videos that are often designed not for the sake of truth, but for the sake of money, fun or deception.
Be a detective and don’t let them deceive you!
If there are such things as fake phones, fake brand name shoes and fake news designed to trick, deceive or just get money for nothing, how much more will we need to be careful with the more important things in life?
Most Important Truth…
The most important choice someone can make in life is to trust the Lord Jesus as their personal saviour. However, there is a powerful force trying to deceive each person into either not believing the Lord Jesus or believing a “fake” Jesus so that they are tricked out of the salvation which they think they have.
The Lord Jesus while He was alive was explaining about the future (now) when He said to His disciples:
“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” (Matthew 24:4b-5)
Paul added to this by saying:
“Evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13)
Already today there are many people claiming to be Jesus Christ, some even here in Ikelenge! Some do miracles, signs and wonders, but none of these prove that they are the Christ, however many are deceived into believing them!
If someone dresses up and tries to trick you into saying they are your mother, would they succeed? Most likely not, because we know are mothers very well and even the slightest hint of something different would help us realize that the person is a fake. So also, the more a person knows the Lord Jesus, the easier it is for them to identify the true Christ from the many false christs around this world.
The True Jesus Christ
Here are some identifying features of the Lord Jesus Christ which should help each know that those of today are not the true Christ:
- He did no sin (1 Peter 2:22), knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) and in Him is no sin (1 John 3:5)
- Still bares the marks of Calvary (John 20:27)
- When He comes next to the earth He will touch down on the Mt. Of Olives and it will split in half (Zechariah 14:4)
It is my prayer that you would come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal saviour and get to know Him in such a deep way that when the ‘false prophets’ or ‘false christs’ come around you would be easily able to identify who they really are.
