Volume 42   Number 10                                                                                     June 2000

A very curious thing happened this May in our nation’s capitol: the House of Representatives passed a bill which eliminated a tax that not only never existed, but was never even proposed by a Representative. The bill, H.R. 3252 (Internet Tax Elimination Act), did, among other things, amend the Internet Tax Freedom Act to make permanent and extend its moratorium on certain taxes. Why would the House pass such a bill, especially in light of how difficult it is to get a bill before the House and into law?

The answer to this mystery can be found in the gullibility of mankind. Someone made up a story and circulated it through electronic mail, deceiving many people into believing that there was an attempt to tax communication through the Internet. The resulting concern over this matter was so great that the offices of House Representatives were flooded with requests to not pass this piece of (nonexistent) legislation. As odd as it may sound, the House decided the best thing to do was to take action and vote on the (nonexistent) tax. Though there was no proposal to tax electronic mail, and though the one man who was mentioned in the hoax, Representative Tony Schell, did not even exist, a bill was overwhelmingly approved to defeat the (nonexistent) attempt to tax the Internet.

Skeptical minds might not consider any news from Washington as being odd, but we are still left with a story which demonstrates not only the ability of man to deceive and be deceived, but also the ramifications of such deception!

Because a substantial number of citizens had been fooled by the Internet Tax hoax, elected officials had to act as though the imagined crisis was real, either too afraid or too lazy to do otherwise. What kind of commentary is this on man; what does this say about the power deceivers have over man, and what does this reveal about the gullible people who willingly go along with most any proposition that comes along?

Adam & Eve had not been here very long when deception first reared its ugly, serpentine head in the Garden of Eden and the woman was “deceived” by the subtlety of our adversary, the Devil (Gen. 3; II Corinthians. 11:3; I Tim.2:14.). We see in the first pair how gullible man can be, as well as discovering the source of our lying ways; ways which we copy all too well.

Jesus taught us that our adversary is “a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). The plain truth is that all liars and those who make and believe lies are following the Devil to Hell, and will have their part in the Lake of Fire (Rev.21:8; 22:15).

Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself was confronted by deception here on earth in various forms, especially hypocrisy, and He warned us against this insidious practice in Luke 12:1. When it came time for Jesus to be delivered into the hands of sinful man, deception played a part when Judas, “my own familiar friend”, betrayed him with a kiss. And yet the Savior still gave His life on the cross so that making and loving lies could be forgiven!

These and other examples, coupled with our own disappointing experiences in being deceived, should cause us to abhor deception and resolve to always speak and practice the truth. Whether it is an outright lie, exaggeration, minimization, or just twisting and spinning the truth a little for our own “profit”, we who follow “the Truth” (John 14:6) should not be known for deceptive speech or practices; rather, for our honesty and integrity.

But even if we resolve not to deceive others, how do we guard against being deceived ourselves? The best thing for us to do is to listen to Jesus! He warned us regarding the subject of the Destruction of Jerusalem and His Return in Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” If we listen to Him, we will not be deceived (Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8).

But history bears out the prophetic words of Jesus who said that “many shall be deceived”, by religious teachers who capitalize on the fears of religious people and draw a following through their deceptive handling of the Word of God (II Corinthians. 2:17; 4:1,2.). Hoax manufacturer’s and their consumers will pay!

We will take the words of Jesus seriously if we love the truth. But those who don’t love the truth are described in II Thessalonians. 2:7-12, where the Bible says they will be sent “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” Do not fall for the delusions of the Devil, love the truth!

Love the truth about God, do not cling to your own imaginations about who He is and what He requires. Love the truth about who you really are in the sight of God, rather than picture yourself as someone you are not. Love the truth about others, instead of misunderstanding and mistreating them.

If we love the truth, we will be eager to read and study the Bible. Yet so many religious people never really study their Bibles. Instead, they are given bits and pieces of the Word by someone they trust or through some religious literature, and then they imagine that they know the Will of God. But if you have never really read the Bible for yourself, how do you know you have not been deceived? Do you think Jesus is responsible for the many and varied religious doctrines and practices in the world today?

Religious men and women lie in wait to deceive with cunning craftiness and sleight of hand - all in the Name of the Lord! Have they fooled us (Ephesians. 4:11-16)? The only way to know the truth is to know His Word so that we will mature in Christ and no longer be gullible children in our thinking. But if we remain immature spiritually, we will end up losing our souls because we believed something as bogus as the Internet Tax hoax; or even the title of this article! Please take the eternal Words of Jesus seriously: