Reality and Illusion

By: Irnawan Silitonga

In John 14:6, it is written, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life….” The word ‘truth’ in Greek is ALETHEIA, which also means ‘reality’. According to dictionaries, the meaning of ‘reality’ is ‘the quality of being real’, or something that truly exists—not something that merely appears to be, or is misunderstood by people. Meanwhile, the definition of ‘illusion’ is ‘the seeing of something that does not really exist, or of something as different from reality’. In other words, it is seeing or understanding something incorrectly, not as it truly is. Therefore, illusion is the exact opposite of reality.

A person who sees and understands things as they truly are is someone who sees ‘reality’; while one who sees or understands things as something other than what they truly are is living in ‘illusion’. From our verse above, we understand that ‘Reality is Christ Jesus’. Reality is not theory, doctrine, or knowledge—it is a ‘Person’. We can explain the matter of reality and illusion by returning to the two trees in Genesis 2:9. The Tree of Life clearly symbolizes Christ Jesus Himself. Jesus said in John 6:54, “Whoever eats My flesh…has life….” Whoever eats from the fruit of the Tree of Life has life. Conversely, whoever eats from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil experiences death, for the wages of sin is death.

Death is not merely physical death—it is a kind of life under the power of the devil (Hebrews 2:14). Therefore, if reality is the life of Christ Jesus, then illusion is also a kind of life (death) under the power of the devil. The Tree of Life is ‘Reality’, while the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is ‘Illusion’. We must understand clearly that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is the root of all religions in this world—including Christianity—because religion teaches the knowledge of good and evil. But Jesus did not come to teach the knowledge of good and evil; He came that we might have ‘life’ (Reality).

If we know Christ Jesus, we will walk in reality (Truth), be led by Reality, see Reality, and not be led by religious knowledge of good and evil—which is, in fact, an illusion. Let me give some examples that can help us discern whether a person abides in Reality or merely possesses religious knowledge of good and evil, which is only an illusion.

‘Example 1’: The Bible says that ‘the earth is full of the glory of the Lord’ and that ‘the earth is full of His works’. If a person sees the world as full of suffering, injustice, sickness, and the works of the devil, this shows that the person does not see Reality and does not live in it. Such a person lives in illusion.

‘Example 2’: The Bible says that we ‘are already’ in Christ by God’s doing (1 Corinthians 1:30), and that ‘if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come’. If a Christian still feels like a sinner, weak, full of flaws and uncleanness, then he does not see Reality but lives in illusion.

‘Example 3’: Ephesians 1:3 says, “…who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. If a Christian is still seeking spiritual blessings here or there, perhaps in one church service or another, or from a certain preacher, then he still lives in illusion—the realm of religious knowledge.

‘Example 4’: The Bible says that in Christ we have already been blessed. But if a Christian believes he must pay tithes, firstfruits, or go to certain buildings to receive God’s blessing, then he is living in illusion—the realm of religious knowledge.

We have seen that ‘reality’ is what something truly is, not what is mistakenly perceived. Illusion is the opposite—it occurs when one understands something incorrectly. In John 17:17 it is written, “…Your word is truth.” The Greek word for ‘truth’ here is ALETHEIA, meaning ‘reality’. Thus, if we understand or speak about something that is not according to the Word of God, we are living in illusion. Let us take an example of illusion from Revelation 3:17: “Because you say, ‘I am rich, I have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”

Here we see that the church in Laodicea was under an illusion, thinking they were rich and lacked nothing. But the Word of God—the Reality—said the opposite. Reality declared that they were actually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Let us investigate why the Laodicean church fell into such illusion. If we study God’s Word correctly concerning His church, we find that the church began to depart from the Word (Reality) even near the end of Paul’s ministry (around AD 66–67). In Acts 20:28–30, it is written that ‘savage wolves’ would attack the church through some of its leaders who would teach false doctrines to draw disciples after themselves. In Paul’s last letter (2 Timothy 1:15), he wrote that ‘all Asia’ had turned away from him—including the elders in Ephesus to whom he had spoken those very warnings in Acts 20.

Later, the Apostle John ministered in Asia Minor around AD 90, when the church had already fallen due to three false teachings: the teachings of Jezebel, the Nicolaitans, and Balaam (Revelation 2–3). In such a condition, the church no longer lived in Reality nor fully in the Word. When the church ceases to live in the Word, it easily falls into illusion, as seen in the Laodicean church. Today, the church has fragmented into thousands of denominations because of those same false teachings—Jezebel, Nicolaitan, and Balaam. It is no wonder that God’s people today live under illusion, like the Laodicean church. Perhaps grand denominations, vast congregations, or magnificent buildings—all these can easily fall into the illusion of Laodicea. Why? Because the church has strayed from the Word, which is Reality.

How can we avoid falling into the illusion of Laodicea? In addition to rejecting the false teachings of Jezebel, Nicolaitan, and Balaam, we must ‘grow in the Word’, ‘grow in Reality’, ‘grow in Him who is Reality’. Let’s examine Colossians 1:19. The Indonesian translation (LAI) reads: “…and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God”. The Greek text for ‘grows with a growth that is from God’ is AUXANO HO AUXESIS HO THEOS, which literally means ‘to grow with the growth of God’. The Young’s Literal Translation renders it: ‘may increase with the increase of God’.

This means we grow by the increase of God’s life. It is not about growing in theological knowledge or religious activity, but about growing in the divine life of God that dwells within us. Christ Jesus said, “I am the Reality”. When we grow by the increase of Christ’s life within us, we grow in Reality, which is Christ Himself. Such growth draws us deeper into Reality and farther from illusion. Yet all this is by grace. The chosen people of God have an anointing within that teaches them all things. I am confident that God’s chosen ones will grow in Reality and understand all things correctly. Hallelujah!

Next, we will discuss ‘light and darkness’. Ephesians 5:9 says, “For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth”. The Greek text KARPOS HO PHOTOS EN means ‘the fruit of the light consists in’—implying that the main characteristic of light is goodness, righteousness, and truth. In other words, light’s chief characteristic is truth—or, in our theme’s language, light is ‘Reality’. Light is truth, or ALETHEIA, or Reality—the quality of being real. Darkness, the opposite of light, is ‘the seeing of something that does not really exist’. Thus, darkness exists only while light has not yet come. When light comes, darkness vanishes. John 1:9 says, “The true Light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the

world.” Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Later, He said, “You are the salt and the light of the world.”

Indeed, the ‘church is light’—the church is ‘Reality’. The presence of the church in the world gradually dispels darkness, because darkness is merely illusion. Darkness exists only until the light arrives. The church has been in the world for 2,000 years. Has darkness vanished? Historians tell us of a ‘Dark Age’ of the church lasting about 1,000 years—from the 5th or 6th century until the Reformation under Luther (1517). But could the church, which is light, truly be overcome by darkness?

Actually, ‘the true church cannot be overcome by darkness’. Jesus said that the gates of Hades (the realm of darkness) will not prevail against His church. Darkness can only overcome what is ‘not’ the church. Let us turn to the Book of Revelation to understand that the church, being light, cannot be overcome by darkness. In Revelation 2–3, we see that in every church age, the Lord calls forth His ‘overcomers’. Although most of the church may have fallen into false teachings—Jezebel, Balaam, and Nicolaitan—God still has His overcomers who have not defiled themselves with such doctrines.

These overcomers represent the true church as light continually swallowing up darkness. They are symbolized by the ‘woman in Revelation 12:1: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars”. This woman, symbolizing the church, is clothed with the sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2), having subdued the moon (a mere reflection of light) under her feet. She is led by ‘twelve stars’, representing the sons of God. Eventually, this woman gives birth to sons of God who ascend to the throne (v. 5) and overcome the devil, the ruler of darkness.

The church, as light, will surely overcome darkness. If we now see the ‘Christian world system’ filled with the teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and Nicolaitan, that is ‘not’ the church that Jesus said, “I will build My church.” The true church, which is light, ‘cannot be swallowed by darkness’. What is swallowed by darkness is not the true church. The current state of Christendom is described symbolically by the ‘woman in Revelation 17 and 18’.

Praise the Lord—the church is light! And light will surely overcome darkness. The church, as light, has, is, and will completely dispel all darkness until the Father becomes ‘all in all’. Amen.