Gibeonites at the Door

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:15

There is a story in the book of Joshua that I have been thinking about all week. It begins after Moses died, when Joshua was leading Israel into the land God promised them. God commanded Israel to destroy certain nations in Canaan because they were corrupt and dangerous. They were enemies, and Israel was not to make alliances with them under any circumstances.

The Gibeonites were one of those nations. They lived nearby, but when they heard what God had done for Israel, they became afraid. Instead of fighting, they decided to deceive. They put on worn-out sandals, carried moldy bread, and dressed in old, patched clothing. Then they approached Joshua pretending to be travelers from a distant land. They lied and said, “We have come from far away,” even though they were neighbors who lived only a short distance away.

The Bible highlights something important. It says the men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. They trusted what they saw. They relied on appearances. They believed the performance and the disguise. Because of this, Joshua made a covenant with them, and the nation became bound to people who had deceived them.

Israel discovered the truth three days later, but by then the damage was done. The Gibeonites remained in the land. They lived among Israel. They served in their communities. Their deception produced consequences long after Joshua’s lifetime. In the days of King Saul and King David, the covenant Joshua made was still binding, and the nation suffered because of it. A lie that began quietly eventually created a national crisis.

I could not help but think about that this week. We are living in a time where deception works the same way. It does not always announce itself boldly. Sometimes it creeps in quietly. Sometimes it dresses itself in the right language, the right outfit, or the right gestures. Sometimes it pretends to be harmless long enough to gain trust. Deception today moves the same way it did in Eden and the same way it did with the Gibeonites. It starts small. It starts subtle. It starts with something that looks almost true.

That is the pattern I kept seeing this week. The Gibeonites are at the door, and they are not just outsiders crossing our borders. They are inside our political parties and sitting comfortably at our tables.

We are living in a moment where deception is everywhere. It does not always appear in loud or obvious forms. It often shows up in quiet and subtle ways. Truth gets bent, stretched, and reshaped until it barely resembles what it once was. The most disturbing part is that we are expected to accept these distortions as the real truth, while the actual truth is pushed aside as something we should ignore.

The serpent in the Garden did not come with an outright lie. It came with a question and a twist. It slithered around what God said and then pretended innocence. That same energy is everywhere in our media right now.

One place where that twisting appeared this week was in the media narrative surrounding Michael Wolff.

One Example: Michael Wolff and the Serpent’s Whisper

Michael Wolff is important to me because he is a writer, just like I am. Whether you write non fiction, fiction, or children’s stories, an element of truth is always required. When you write what is supposed to be non fiction about political figures, that standard becomes even more important.

Michael Wolff has not only proven himself to be a liar (allegedly). He has also shown a willingness to embellish stories while presenting them as factual.

This week, because of the release of the Epstein emails, Wolff found himself in an awkward position. His name appeared in what many are calling the trash heap of those emails. His connection to Epstein resurfaced publicly. Instead of addressing that directly, he rushed onto social media to defend his narratives about Donald Trump and his own credibility.

He did not release anything new about Donald Trump this week. The controversy came to him because the Epstein emails forced him into the spotlight. He is now trying to explain away his connection to Epstein while standing firmly on his past claims about Trump.

Wolff insists that his interactions with Epstein were purely journalistic and handled ethically. Even in the middle of this controversy, he doubled down by appearing on several social media podcasts to defend his innocence and professionalism. He also promoted his lawsuit against Melania Trump. He posted on Instagram speaking about his integrity and suggesting that none of this should reflect on his work.

It all feels detached from reality.

However, Michael Wolff was not the only example this week.

Jasmine Crockett, Stacey Plaskett, and Selective Outrage

Jasmine Crockett, another rising figure in the Democratic Party, went before the House to defend Delegate Stacey Plaskett from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This is where deception became even more obvious.

Epstein’s island is in the Virgin Islands. Plaskett clearly had a relationship with Epstein in the past (allegedly). Reports show that Epstein assisted her politically after Cecile de Jongh, the First Lady of the Virgin Islands at the time, allegedly reached out to Epstein to help Plaskett in her run for the Senate. Plaskett lost that race, but the assistance did not stop.

She received donations from Epstein and his staff long after Donald Trump’s relationship with Epstein had ended. In 2015, when she ran for the House of Representatives, she accepted donations from Epstein and from individuals tied to him. She has even admitted that she went to Epstein face to face seeking a thirty thousand dollar donation after he had already been accused.

If Trump is guilty by association and Republicans are guilty by association, then why is Plaskett not treated the same way?

There is more. Plaskett was exposed after her own staff members leaked nude photos of her and photos of her husband wearing makeup. Those staff members were convicted in a court of law. Their convictions confirm that the images were real and that the incident took place exactly as reported.

Jasmine Crockett then stood on the House floor and claimed that Republicans received donations from “an Epstein.” When she was challenged, it was revealed that one of the individuals she listed received a donation from a man named Jeffrey Epstein in New York who was not the Jeffrey Epstein. She did not correct the record.

Even more concerning, Jasmine Crockett is now running for the Senate. She has not passed meaningful legislation. She frequently disparages white individuals. She went on television saying white nationalists should be deported. She refers to white voters who supported Donald Trump as racists. Her language is consistently inflammatory. It is wickedness in the House of Representatives.

The Seditious Six and Their Message to the Military

Shortly after all of this, something even more alarming appeared. A video surfaced from six Democrats who are now being referred to as the Seditious Six. All six previously served in the military. In this video, they spoke directly to current service members and told them that they “do not have to follow illegal orders.”

The word “illegal” was inserted the same way the serpent inserted the word “surely” in the Garden of Eden. It was not placed there to clarify. It was placed there to manipulate. It acted like a dog whistle. It carried layered insinuation. It planted doubt while pretending innocence.

Their message essentially said, “We are not telling you to disobey orders. We are only telling you to think carefully.”

In reality, they were speaking directly to the military in a way that is unheard of in modern American political history. Government affiliated individuals do not use the media to tell soldiers what orders they should or should not obey. The boldness of that message was astonishing.

When criticism came, they refused to address the unethical nature of their words. Instead, they blamed Donald Trump’s response. They portrayed themselves as victims. It was another example of the serpent pretending it never hissed.

Jake Tapper, Nuremberg, and False Comparisons

To justify the actions of the Seditious Six, Jake Tapper referenced the Nuremberg Trials. He pointed out that several defendants attempted to excuse their crimes by saying they were only following orders.

This comparison is not reasonable.

Carrying innocent Jewish civilians to concentration camps, overseeing gas chambers and firing squads, and participating in mass murder is not the same as following an order to stop a boat allegedly filled with drugs. It is also not the same as removing illegal immigrants from the United States.

From the Bay of Pigs to Operation Iraqi Freedom to Desert Storm to modern drone strikes, the United States has taken military action to protect the nation. Every president has made difficult decisions. Some of those decisions were unjust and some were necessary. Pretending that we now live in a world without conflict is a delusion. War has existed since the days of Lamech.

Watching Misinformation Unfold

Watching everything unfold this week felt like witnessing an entire chain of misinformation being created in real time. Michael Wolff became defensive. The message from the Seditious Six spread across social media. Selective retelling surfaced. One sided framing grew louder. Insinuations multiplied, and emotional manipulation was packaged as truth.

These events formed a case study in how misinformation is built, packaged, and pushed. It rarely happens through outright lies. It happens through omission, tone, framing, emphasis, and carefully crafted suggestion.

The Larger Issue and Your Revised Ending

This is not about defending any one political figure. I am not here to elevate Donald Trump, although I voted for him. This week an awful tragedy happened in Washington, D.C. Two National Guard members were shot. One of them, a young woman, was killed by an Afghan nationalist. This individual came to America on the planes that arrived from Afghanistan in 2021 when Biden was in office.

He managed to hide like a snake. He disguised himself as a loyal supporter of the United States, and because of that disguise, he was granted citizenship in April 2025 under the Trump administration. There are people who hate this country and pretend to be loyal Americans while waiting for the opportunity to harm or kill Americans. This is sad, but it is true. We need to pay attention to individuals who come here motivated to play the game, manipulate our systems, and use this country for their own purposes.

Just like the Gibeonites fooled Joshua, we are watching modern versions of that same deception play out in real time. People come into this nation pretending to be something they are not, and by the time the truth is revealed, the damage has already been done.

This is about the serpents who follow this same pattern. This is about the way they lie and disguise themselves as innocent individuals who love America. This is about those who steal resources, build networks, and ultimately harm or kill our people.

This is also about how media, commentary, and political messaging work together to shape what we see, what we think, and what we never even question. This is how we end up with a media landscape built on misdirection. This is why we live with one sided narratives that suffocate the full story. This is how misinformation spreads even when every piece of it is technically public information.

Without a doubt, we are living in a world where deception surrounds us on every side. The only version of truth we are told to ignore is the one right in front of us. We are encouraged by left wing supporters to ignore these ideas so we never look closely at what is happening. Now more than ever, we must open our eyes and see the snakes that are right in front of us.