Fraud

Charles Dawson, an amateur archaeologist and fossil collector, supposedly “discovered” in 1912 the remains in Sussex, England, of a half-man, half-ape called the “Piltdown Man.”[1] He claimed it was proof that Charles Darwin’s theory that mankind evolved from apes was true, and for more than forty years, this specimen played a key role in defending evolution. It was a key piece of evidence in the Scopes Trial in Tennessee in 1925, which resulted in evolution being taught in public schools throughout the U.S. This so-called evidence, when carefully examined by an evolution-oriented scientist in 1949, was discovered to be a primitive specimen that was really less than 10,000 years old, with a human skull, the jawbone of an orangutan, and teeth that were filed down, stained so as to look old, and impregnated with grains of sand to “imitate” fossilization. In 1953, the embarrassing hoax was finally revealed, but irreparable harm had been done to over two generations of students who had been taught lies about their origin.

Meditation
Acts 13:8-11--But Elymas the sorcerer (this is the meaning of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul—also called Paul—filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at the sorcerer and said, “You son of the Devil, full of all deceit and all fraud, enemy of all righteousness! Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord? Now, look! The Lord’s hand is against you. You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.” Suddenly a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
 
Elymas was a fraudulent sorcerer committed to opposing the gospel. He, like Charles Dawson, fills an endless line of those the Devil delights in using to subvert truth, destroy faith, and promote unrighteousness. This is why it is so important that, as followers of Jesus, we follow Paul’s example. “Instead, we have renounced shameful secret things, not walking in deceit or distorting God’s message, but commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in God’s sight by an open display of the truth” (2 Corinthians 4:2).
            
Whenever a supposed “fossil find” or “new” message or teaching (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Falun Gong, Soka Gakkai, Church of Scientology, Unification Church etc.) is promoted that contradicts the Bible with a “revelatory” word, we can be 100% sure that Satan is at work doing what he does best—promoting fraud. He lied to Eve in the garden, and that practice of distorting truth is his favorite go-to technique for confusing and ultimately destroying mankind. 
 
Inspiration
“The worst type of fraud is the religious fraud.”—Oswald Chambers in Thy Great Redemption
 
©2026 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  To receive these devotionals, go to www.firstcause.org and click the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10—"The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.”  (Holman CSB)
 
[1] Von Vett, J. and Malone, B. (2022). Without Excuse: The Compelling Evidence For Creation. February 5. Search for the Truth.