A House Divided

Division and distrust have seeped into the church, mirroring society’s turmoil. Discernment, truth, and a return to Scripture are essential to staying faithful amid rising deception.

Since COVID, I’ve noticed a growing divide among family, friends, and acquaintances. Some are drawn to ideas that strike me as conspiratorial, implausible, or even unusual. Yet, I recognize they may view my beliefs in the same way. And I must never assume I am beyond the possibility of being wrong. 

We’re fractured over so much—vaccines, politics, culture, and even debates over what should be canceled. Ironically, those who decry “cancel culture” also engage in canceling others. That irony underscores just how divided we’ve become. What concerns me most, though, is how these divisions have infiltrated the church.

A reflexive suspicion of authority—governmental, scientific, and even religious—now permeates the church, reflecting the tribalism of society at large. What divides us is no longer theology; it’s the same cultural and political battles raging outside. The church has become just another battlefield.

But who is right? That’s a question that arose during Lucifer’s rebellion in heaven, and it’s one many Adventists are asking today amid the conflicts we face within our faith community.

The Danger of Deception

It’s easy to assume we’d stand with Jesus if we had been in heaven during Lucifer’s rebellion. But deception is insidious—it takes root unnoticed and leaves us unprepared to resist it. Ellen White writes that even the loyal angels didn’t immediately grasp Lucifer’s true character. Many were misled. Would I have been any different?

Jesus warned His disciples of a time when people would kill in God’s name, believing they were serving Him (John 16:2). I think of Saul, later Paul—brilliant, educated, utterly convinced he was defending God’s cause while zealously persecuting Christians. It wasn’t until his encounter with Christ that he saw how blind he had been. That humbles me. It forces me to consider that I, too, could be certain of my rightness yet be completely wrong.

That’s the danger of deception: it doesn’t seem wrong—it feels right.

Truth Matters

In an age where misinformation spreads faster than ever, holding fast to biblical truth is essential for our spiritual survival. Jesus warned that in the last days, even the elect could be deceived (Matthew 24:24). Revelation describes deception as central to end-time events (Revelation 13:13-14). In a world flooded with conflicting voices, clinging to truth isn’t optional—it's a matter of life and death.

This means grounding ourselves in Scripture—not as a symbolic tradition, but as the lens through which we understand the world. Too often, we see professing Christians shaped more by political ideologies than by the Bible. Deception isn’t always about outright lies—it often comes wrapped in just enough truth to seem convincing. That's why Paul’s instruction to Timothy remains just as relevant today: “Study to show yourself approved, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Yet truth alone isn’t enough—its fruit must also confirm those who bear it.

Fruit Matters

Truth matters, but so does character. Being correct on an issue doesn't suffice—our lives must reflect the fruits of the Spirit: love, patience, kindness, and self-control. Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:20) and reminded His disciples that the world would know them by their love for one another (John 13:34-35). Truth and character are inseparable—each reveals the other.

This applies not only to individuals but also to movements. Over time, deception reveals itself—not just through words, but through the fruit it produces. Lucifer’s rebellion took millennia to be fully exposed, and it may be that we are living in a similar period of uncertainty within the church today. Fruit doesn’t mature overnight—it takes time, reminding me that patience and trust in God are essential to seeing the bigger picture. 

Mission and Message Matters

For Adventists, truth is more than belief—it's also a commission. We’ve been entrusted with a specific mission: to proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages, a call to prepare for Christ’s return. Yet along the way, this message has been hijacked, replaced with rhetoric reflecting political ideologies rather than our historic, biblical message and mission.

Today, our movement is drowned out by political strife, cultural clashes, and internal disputes. At times, we've shifted from proclaiming the Three Angels’ Messages to aligning with broader partisan and religious agendas. Rather than calling God’s people out of Babylon, we find ourselves emphasizing these platforms with other Christian groups—alignments that, while well-intended, risk entanglement with ecumenical movements united over shared beliefs as we see in the Christian world today  (see Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, p. 298). The Spirit of Prophecy warns that these developments will fruition as Revelation 13 unfolds. 

Ellen White’s words feel especially urgent:

This warning reminds us that deception is not always blatant; it is subtle and persuasive—requiring vigilance in both doctrine and spirit.

Discernment in the Last Days

Deception is persuasive because it looks like truth. It preys on confidence, certainty, and pride. That’s why none of us are immune. If even loyal angels struggled to discern Lucifer’s true character, how much more carefully must we examine what we believe and follow?

Jesus warned that in the last days, deception would be strong enough to mislead even the elect. That means falsehood won’t always be obvious—it will feel right, sound convincing, and appeal to our deepest convictions. But truth isn’t measured by how strongly we believe it. It’s tested by God’s Word and the fruit it produces.

Truth, fruit, and mission define God’s people in the last days. To stay faithful, we must be unshakably rooted in Scripture, unwavering in our calling, and relentless in testing every voice against the Word of God. The cost of getting it wrong is eternal. The time to stand firm is now.