Angel of Light

In Philippians 1, we read where the apostle Paul encouraged the people of God to have discernment -
and to make the choice to "approve" what is "excellent..."
8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ...

We have the choice - to determine what we expose ourselves to and to believe or disbelieve the messages that are being sent to us.  But, we recognize that the enemy would want to cloak himself in a form of light, so that we do not see the pitfalls of his activity - he will tantalize us with what the Bible calls the "pleasures of sin for a season" (Hebrews 11).  By His Spirit, God will give us wisdom and discernment to be able to identify the operation of the enemy, so we can use our spiritual resources to resist him.

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We can be reminded that things are not always as they seem, and that the enemy will try to put a
positive face on his dark activity, and motivate those to do his bidding to do the same. 2nd Corinthians 11 says:
12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

Eric Metaxas, who is heard regularly on the Breakpoint commentary on Faith Radio, has been pounding social media recently, for good reason.  He's one of seemingly many that are trying to counter the media narrative coming out of South Korea during the Winter Olympics.

No, we're not talking medals here...no, it's a response to the media coverage of what can be termed a "charm offensive" of North Korea.  He retweeted several negative responses to a CNN article which begins with these words, "If 'diplomatic dance' were an event at the Winter Olympics, Kim Jong Un's little sister would be favored to win gold."  Oh, by the way, she, according to CNSNews.com,

...heads up the regime’s department responsible for lying to its people about the behavior of a regime whose atrocities have been described as “without parallel in the modern world.”

That entity, the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea’s propaganda and agitation department (PAD), lays down monthly guidelines that all media in the country must follow.

Eric himself tweeted out:

The sadistic torture & murder & persecution that goes on in North Korea is as evil as anything on this planet. The idea that we could put that aside for the Olympics is itself evil. Kim Jong Un brilliantly sees this as an opportunity for propaganda. Hitler did the same in 1936.

He also tweeted out a link to a story at The Federalist, which said:

...Witness this story from CNN today, with its dripping credulousness in attacking Mike Pence with a story sourced entirely to a diplomatic source close to the North Korean regime.

“The senior diplomatic source said Pence “degraded the image of the United States as a superpower” by meeting with North Korean defectors along with Otto Warmbier’s father, and by speaking strongly against North Korea on multiple occasions.

“Fred Warmbier accompanied Pence during his visit to South Korea. His son Otto was jailed in North Korea and died upon his return to the US last year after suffering extensive brain damage…

This regime, that has teamed up with its neighbors to the south, using them for a propaganda feast, is attempting to recast its image, with the help of some in the American media.  But, facts are facts, and as Open Doors USA reports, North Korea is the top nation in persecuting Christians.  It states on its website:

The main driver of persecution in North Korea is the state. For three generations, everything in the country focused on idolizing the leading Kim family. Christians are seen as hostile elements in society which have to be eradicated. Due to the constant indoctrination permeating the whole country, neighbors and even family members are highly watchful and report anything suspicious to the authorities. Children are especially vulnerable to the heavy indoctrination. Reports show that some children report their own parents for religious activity. Therefore, many parents prefer not to tell their children anything about their Christian faith until they’re older.

But, help is on the way, even though it may be limited.  And, the light is shining - through information.  Perhaps you've heard about the balloons containing Scripture that are launched from South Korea on a regular basis.  A few years ago, Melanie Kirkpatrick of the Hudson Institute was a guest on The Meeting House, discussing her book, Escape from North Korea.  She posted some excerpts on her website.  She writes:

In South Korea, the North Korean diaspora has established an array of nonprofit organizations aimed at prying open North Korea by providing its citizens with information banned there. Four independent radio stations, founded and staffed by refugees, broadcast from Seoul to North Korea. A Web magazine run by exiles is publishing information gathered by a stable of covert reporters operating in North Korea. A think tank is developing back-channel lines of communications with intellectuals and military officers in North Korea.

Kirkpatrick states that, "North Korean exiles perform three essential functions in opening up their homeland." These functions are: "they are conduits of information;" she says that, "When North Koreans hear a trusted relative describe his life in South Korea, his conversion to Christianity, or his new understanding of North Korea’s history, they are likely to believe what he says, even when it contradicts Pyongyang’s propaganda."

Also, "North Koreans who settle in South Korea serve as a 'bridge population,' in the words of the president of the National Endowment of Democracy, Carl Gershman; and, "as a population acculturated to the South but with roots in the North, the refugees are preparing for the eventual integration of North Korea into a united Korea."

When you consider this "underground railroad" concept of people leaving North Korea, you have to think of people like Steve Kim of 318 Partners, whom I met and interviewed at ICRS in St. Louis a few years ago.  He is involved in helping smuggle North Koreans out of the country into safe places in China.  He actually spent some time in jail as a result of his efforts, but he is apparently undeterred.

There are a few principles that we can extract from this information:

Don't always believe the propaganda.  This doesn't apply just in the political realm.  Satan has been attempting to deceive humanity since the Garden, and we have to be discerning and established in truth in order to resist his painting of a pretty picture about sin.

Specifically, it is encouraging to see North and South Korea competing under the same banner in the Olympics.  The South Korean leader was invited to come to the North for a visit.  But, the road to unification, while possessing some positive prospects, does seem to have an "oil and water" aspect to it - you have peoples who are united in ethnicity, but their countries have moved in different directions.

We can also be challenged to consider the plight of persecuted Christians in North Korea and respond to the promptings of the Spirit to pray for them and to continue to be informed.

Finally, step by step, the light does appear to be shining.  People from around the world are disseminating information, including the message of the gospel.   And, a CBN News story states:

Dr. Eric Foley, head of Voice of the Martyrs Korea, says the door for the gospel in North Korea is open wider than many people believe.

"People tend to think about North Korea as a country with a big barbed wire fence around it, where nobody goes in, and nobody comes out," Dr Foley told Hope 103.2. "And that's not a very accurate picture."

Despite constant threats of death, Foley says North Korea's Christians are strong and creative about sharing their faith. He writes about this in his book, These Are The Generations.