Last evening, my daughter and I went to the White House. We walked the entire perimeter of the White House, waiting for Marine One to land. When I took this picture, there were trans people on bicycles loudly saying, “How do you feel about the death of Charlie Kirk? I feel great!” They laughed and were so proud of themselves. I know they are just deceived; they could be forgiven and transformed by the power of the gospel. But I saw, and I heard the hate, so did my daughter; we were not surprised. Just an hour earlier, we were at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, and we prayed for America.
There are only two types of people: those who speak the truth in love and those who accuse, the accusers. There isn’t a gray area from which to stay neutral; this issue goes back to the very beginning, at humanity’s creation. If you are already thinking, “yeah, but”, consider the biblical worldview arguments. I have written about this before; in fact, it is the reason The True Witness exists.
Truth is the foundational essential of life. Believing that truth is subjective or personal is the ultimate hypocrisy. Each person expects society to uphold the accuracy of truth in every area of life. We hope our pilot will obey the laws of physics, our pharmacist believes the laws of chemistry, our banker obeys the laws of mathematics, the person driving opposite of us on a highway obeys traffic laws, and even our person at the drive-through to give us what we ordered, no less or no more. If someone claims not to believe in the truth, especially moral truth, challenging them in any way will likely provoke the wrath of their hypocrisy. This is precisely what Charlie Kirk did so effectively; it is why he was murdered, and it is why the truth suppressors of our world hated him. It is precisely what Jesus established, “‘You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” John 18:37. Charlie Kirk clearly understood the mission and was martyred for it.
If something is true, it must be valid for all people, at all times, and in all situations. For example, it is always evil to abuse a child, cheat on one’s spouse, or murder another person. If someone justifies any of these wicked behaviors, they have suppressed reality. They have suppressed the truth and the reality of how things actually are.
Post-Truth
Author J.K. Rowling recently felt the wrath of the cancel culture when she responded with the tweet “citation needed” to a transgender activist who attacked her on social media with the tweet “I am more than a woman than J.K. Rowling’s will ever be.” Rowling’s tweet reveals what is missing in our culture: “citation needed.” In other words, Rowling was pointing to a fact that anyone with a graduate degree knows: some sources are reliable, while others are not because they are merely unsubstantiated opinions.
A cultural shift came when the 2018 Oxford dictionary introduced a new word phrase: “Post-truth; Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” As the culture moves from individual rights to individual truth, everyone becomes a liar. How is this possible? The question must be asked: How does anyone know a lie from the truth? That leads us to the biblical standard, one that has been forgotten for the most part. I have been attending church for over three decades, and I almost never hear a pastor preach on the subject.
The Forgotten Commandment
The forgotten commandment is in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is rarely taught, preached, or even remotely understood. This almost unknown commandment is the single most neglected commandment of our age. This critical yet neglected commandment is the foundational procuring cause of the fall of man in the garden of Eden, and the moral awfulness in society. It is the catalyst for all political anarchy, spiritual apostasy, and individual suffering that is rapidly destroying whole societies. Ultimately, it is decimating lives by robbing the souls of mankind of the one thing that makes right our fallen world, hope. The atheist philosopher Nietzsche said that “hope is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torment of man.” Nietzsche was the accuser of those who trust in the Divine hope of the Gospel. In contrast, Winston Churchill said, “Whether you believe or disbelieve, it is a wicked thing to take away Man’s hope.” This is the collision of the two worldviews; this is where there is no middle ground. Either the promises of eternal life are true, or we are all doomed to return to dust.
Every occurrence of moral awfulness in our world finds at its inception a violation of the forgotten commandment in one way or another. The examples of the violations in our world are endless. Each time a person uses an illicit drug, has a marital affair, abuses a child or spouse, takes their own life, commits murder, theft, gossip, or makes accusations against others, the principle of the commandment is violated.
The further mankind strays from the Biblical command, the more significant spiritual atrophy results in worldwide deception, the most critical contributor to all false teachings, false religions, counterfeits of Christianity, and lies people believe both of others and themselves. This one broken commandment is the most significant contributor to anxiety, fear, hatred, and all perversion. The Father of this violation has masterfully interpolated the culture as well as the worldviews of many Christians with counterfeit truth claims.
The Law of the Malicious Witness
What is this commandment? It is the Law of the malicious witness. It is essential to understand that the Law of the Malicious Witness is the ninth commandment given to Moses.
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).
That commandment is the most violated Law of the 21st century, and its origin is with the Father of Lies, the serpent. The serpent is the persona of the original malicious witness right at the onset of the fall of man. In contrast, Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Consider this: it was the false witness of Satan that brought sin into our world. In contrast, it was the love of God that brought salvation. See John 3:16.
The origin of the false witnessing is at the beginning, in the book of Origins, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). “Yea, hath God said…” One of the characteristics of a malicious witness is that they falsely accuse the brethren. The essence of falsely accusing others is so crucial to the story of mankind. The first and last mentions of Satan in the Biblical metanarrative have Satan accusing God and deceiving Eve into believing God is somehow holding back on her. Likewise, at the last mention of Satan in the Bible, he is cast into the lake of fire for his continual accusing of the brethren (being a malicious witness). “…for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10).
True Witness
The opposite of a malicious witness is the faithful witness. The biblical standard for the faithful witness is “by two or three eyewitnesses…” This is the idea behind J.K. Rowling replying, “citation needed.” This is the Biblical standard for all truth claims. Anytime a lone individual makes a truth claim, they are a false witness by default. “By two or three eyewitnesses” is the God ordained standard.
Historically, we can see how this has played out. Satan was the first malicious witness in the garden, bringing into question what God said to Eve and deceiving her. (As one individual, the serpent made a truth claim against God.) This was just the beginning. The corresponding result is that all false prophets are one individual making a truth claim with the subtle underlying goal of leading souls into believing a false truth claim and rejecting God’s Word. Ironically, they were most likely self-deceived, believing their own lies. Where do we find false prophets today? At public colleges and universities. I remember a conversation I had with a professor, who said, “Remember, teachers teach, professors profess.” Professors make truth claims daily, citing figures like Nietzsche to validate them.
Media Prophets
Where false teachers abound in the modern age, the issue remains the same. Today, however, the sheer number of individuals making truth claims through all forms of media has made it seem impossible to discern what is true and what isn’t, given the vast amount of information available. Unwittingly, this is precisely why lies are permeating our culture, religion, politics, media, and education system in the current times, affecting every area of our lives.
In our world, despite the vast amount of information produced, people are no longer capable of discerning the truth, mainly for one simple reason. The standard outlined in Scripture for determining truth has been suppressed by the unrighteous of men who do so to deceive the multitudes. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18) ESV. Why is this issue of such great importance? Hope not based on truth is meaningless. The ultimate hope of every believer is the truth claim of Jesus, “I am the light of the world…” (John 8:12).
The Witness Commandment
The context of the following verses makes it very clear what the standard of a faithful witness is; the commandments that are broken are very clear:
Moses
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16).
“One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established…” (See full context Deuteronomy 19:15-17)
Jesus
“…It is also written in your Law, that the testimony of two men is true. I bear witness of myself and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.” (See full context John 8:12-19)
The Apostle Paul
The Apostle Paul, the culmination of the entire Old Testament and New Testament, repeats the command to the Corinthian church, 2 Corinthians 13:1 “This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
A Call to Integrity
To push back against the growing tide of falsehood, we must recommit ourselves to objective truth—truth that transcends personal preference or emotional appeal. We need a revival of the true witness: people of integrity who speak honestly, verify their claims, and resist the temptation to manipulate facts for selfish gain. Only by restoring a culture of truth can we begin to rebuild broken trust, heal fractured relationships, and confront the moral and spiritual crises of our time.
The law against the malicious witness is as relevant today as ever. It challenges us to reject deception and uphold the truth—not just in speech, but in how we live, lead, and love. The first malicious witness we must address is the one in our own wicked and deceitful hearts. This is why we must give our hearts to Jesus; that’s what Charlie did.
