Holy or Satanic?
Have you ever wondered why it is popular, even fashionable for the post modern church to condemn fantasy literature, movies, or games. There was a time when it was The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, then it was Harry Potter, and now it seems to be Vampires. Fantasy is not real witchcraft. It’s all a waste of time! It’s the “world”; were you expecting it to be perfect, clean, and bright?
What the post modern church does not do is watch diligently for the things within the church that go against God’s Word. The Bible wasn’t written in an attempt to rule or control the world. The Bible was written for believers as instruction in how to worship God and get along with each other.
Many Christians today are still hung up on the absurd ideas born out of the Middle Ages about witchcraft. Anything and everything is condemned with the use of words such as witch, witchcraft, sorcery, Satanism, and satanic, etc. These words have been thrown around for so long that have no real meaning.
The point of all things pagan, heathen, or satanic is to replace God and the Bible as the source of direction. As ladies of the harem we are to know our Lord’s plans and purposes, and not be looking to someone or thing other than our Lord for that information.
God’s prophets stand in marked contrast to the pagan prophets — the Canaanite Baal-prophets, the Greek soothsayers, the African rainmakers, the American medicine-man, the Islamic dervish, or our Western spiritualist. A true prophet does not seek rain or some other act or information. He merely stands and proclaims God’s word. If he says it will rain, you might want to get that umbrella out, for the rain is sure.
As for the Biblical prophecies that were left to the generation of believers many are cloaked in symbolic language that take years of study to ascertain the meaning. But they will always come to be. There is no ambiguity about that. The events may be sealed, even by an oath to God [Dan 12] but they are guaranteed with His eternal life.
So lets see what we are really up against. These are the words that are in question.
“There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer.” Deut. 18:10-11
“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” Exodus 22:18
These words are often used interchangeably in scripture. But we are going to look at what the words have come to mean in more modern times. So that we can avoid bringing them into our hearts and our congregations.
While it is no longer fashionable to put your child in a fire, we in the church should be careful about incorporating pagan ritual into our celebrations and worship. (See Also: The Pagan origins of Christmas) While the nasty, bloodletting rituals may have been cleansed from among us that does not mean that we are “washed white as snow” yet.
These pagan practices often surround and influence believers who are unaware of the truth. We are predisposed to the intellectual, sensual and sensuality of the these false concepts. The more we have contact with these forbidden practices the more they seen normal and the teaching of the Bible seem odd. We want or need to “fit in” so we quietly compromise and fill our hearts, and our faith, till our doctrine is full of lies and nonsense. When we no longer have integrity we no longer have the victory. This is because we have let our faith decay into paganism with Christian names and titles.
Divination:
This is prognosticating by use of inanimate objects, e.g., tarot cards, Chinese fortune sticks, pendulums, spirit or Ouija board, dowsing crystallomancy (reading of a crystal sphere), lithomancy (reading of stones or gems) new one cybermancy (by computers) , etc.
An awful lot of time is wasted worrying over what the future will bring. An entire theology has been made up just to tell us what to expect in the future. Books are sold by the millions to people hungry and fearful of what lies in the future. E.g. Late Great Planet Earth, Left Behind , etc.
Soothsayer:
Sooth mean truth, this is someone who claims to speak the truth. They hear voices or have visions, they claim that they have a word of knowledge, or some other secret knowledge by special means.
These same teachers and book writers who specialize in what lies in the future for Christian’s often claim special revelation, or a word of Knowledge, with no scriptural witness to their wild and scary claims. A great many so called prophecy preacher actually fall into this category. They have been telling us of a soon Rapture for 150 years now, but has anyone denounced them? Have they been kicked out from among the believers? NO! When they write another book the church people run out and buy the new book even though the first one turned out to be wrong!
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book” Rev. 22:18
Tell me why would God have put this clear warning at the end of His book written in the first century if 1800-1900 years later He planned on giving new visions? Next time someone claims Divine inspiration or visions from God remember this verse. If you can’t prove what is being said by 2 or more witnesses in the Bible that person is a soothsayer! Don’t take their word for it do your own research; soothsayers are really good liars, and some can use the Bible to back up their lies.
Augur:
One who makes prognostications using natural happenings or objects, e.g., cloud formations, animal organs, lunar and solar eclipses, stars, (horoscopes) pyromancy (gazing into fire), omens.
Forget the obvious disgusting act of playing with animal organs. We’re talking here about the subtle acts found in the church. Has anyone ever told you that they will pray about something and then randomly open their Bible and point to a verse without looking? Did they tell you they were expecting their answer to be found within that verse? Are you waiting for a sign? There are Ten Commandments that are their to guide our lives. As long as we walk with the Ten as our guide we will be in God’s will.
Sorcerer:
A general all purpose word for people who practice all of these, in the Bible the priest of Egypt, Babylon, and Jezebel, are all called by this same word that includes astrology.
What is the difference between reading tarot cards or your daily astrology report? Assigning yourself to an astrological sign? There are those who get overly obsessed with the Hebrew Mazzaroth [names of the constellation] and try to predict events with it or look for Bible codes for everything under the sun.
Charmer:
A maker of magic charms, talismans, magic circles, pentagrams, knots, stones or amulets
Don’t get me started! One could fill pages with pagan charms and talismans. But our purpose here is about the church. Here is a small list, you will get the idea… Holy water, prayer clothes, anointing oil, patron saint medals, rosary and crosses, statues of patron saints or angels, wearing a guardian angel on your lapel.
E.g. bury a St. Joseph’s idol upside-down in the yard of a house you’re trying to sell. So it will sell faster.
The use of anointing oil (this may hurt a few peoples feelings) But we are not about feelings here, we are about what the Text says about how we should live. The anointing oil was for anointing the high priests and the kings, and no one else. Messiah Himself was never anointed by anyone (even though messiah means anointed) the closes thing to this kind of thing is the Holy Spirit descending on him. [Matt. 3:16 ]
Praying for the sick with anointing oil; Many congregation do not read this passage carefully enough, and have come to think that certain oils have some magical property to heal. In the book of James we were told to anoint someone and pray for them, this was not special olive oil or spiced oil and it certainly wasn’t anointing oil from the Temple; it was medicinal ointment. (In the first century the only medicine they knew was ointments or teas.) Notice that when this passage goes on to explain the prayer it is not just for physical healing for this particular sick person. Everyone was to confess their sins, not just the sick person.
13 Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. 17 Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit. James 5:13-18
Medium, Wizard, or a Necromancer:
In the Hebrew this is three words strung together to describe the person who talks to the spirit world either the dead, or animals, or beings of one kind or another, séances, channeling, Indian or Native American Sweat Lodges, we can add aliens now days.
Big problem here for some churches! Praying to a dead person is a bad thing! Mary is dead! The so-called patron saints are dead. The only person who has risen from the dead and stayed that way is Christ / Messiah Himself.
“The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any that go down into silence.” Psa. 115:17
“And when they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the wizards who chirp and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?” Is. 8:19
“I am the way, the truth, and the life no one comes to the Father, but by me” Jn 14:6
The one New Testament verse
. . . idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, Gal. 5:20
Sorcery:
In the Greek the word for sorcery here is pharmakeia, from which we get are word pharmacy i.e. drugs. This refers to the practice of getting high in order to contact the gods or spirit world.
Any altered state of mind, whether by drugs or meditation, such as Yoga or Transcendental Meditation would fall under this. We are to meditate on the Word of God.
My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to thy word!
When I told of my ways, thou didst answer me; teach me thy statutes!
Make me understand the way of thy precepts, and I will meditate on thy wondrous works.
My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to thy word!
Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me thy law!
I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set thy ordinances before me.
I cleave to thy testimonies, O LORD; let me not be put to shame!
I will run in the way of thy commandments when thou enlargest my understanding! Psa. 119:25-32
While we sit here thinking that no one is using hallucinogens to reach a higher state of enlightenment. Think about those services where they sing one or two phrases over and over again remember that is just a subtle form of mass hypnotism. “Our God is an awesome God” could be sung about Allah or Buddha. Singing such a simple phrase over and over is just self hypnotism. Leaving one open to whatever you are being told, without any critical thinking on your part. Then don’t forget to stand, raise your hands, or clap on command. Our minds will now be fertile ground for whatever the teacher wishes you to swallow, hook, line, and sinker. Psalms and hymns are not mantras they are long and make one think.
“. . . and in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the gentile do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Mt 6:7
“addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart” Eph. 5:19
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Col. 3:16
When in doubt, stick with what you know to be Biblical; things that are known to be righteous before the Lord. The Bible clearly teaches that we are to thoroughly examine all teachings and motives.[I Thess 5:21]
In conclusion:
If you are involved in any of above mentioned abominations, stop right now, confess your sin to God, repent and never go back to it! Oh… it is probably a good idea to pray that if anything evil has attached itself to you, because of this sin, that God send it away. You may need help with that one.
The church should not waste its time worrying about stories of fantasy but instead teach their children what is actually forbidden in the Bible. People who get involved in Wicca and the Occult have done so because they have either little or no religious training or they are in rebellion against those who claim religious authority. Not from reading some story books or watching movies.
If the church would spend as much time to examine themselves and their activities as they do pronouncing fire and brimstone over the world they would service their people better. We, humans, get very involved with labeling our sin with values from 1 to 10; one being not very bad to 10 being the worst. But is that what the Bible says? Instead shouldn’t we be worried about our own missing of the mark? How can we be that, “Light unto the world” if we are missing the mark?
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” Matt. 23:27
“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matt. 7:4-5
“O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the godless chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith.” 1Tim. 6:20-21
The first century church was born in the midst of a pagan culture. They did not prohibit the people from knowing about the pagan gods. They did not hide it from their children. They taught them the whole Bible and encouraged them to become knowledgeable to know the difference between the two. The books they burned were not story books. They burned books of instruction in how to worship pagan gods and how to mix brews whose only purpose was to achieve an altered state of consciousness, leaving the user open to the spirit realm.
Some churches may avoid this direct brand of teaching because then they might have to start questioning the brand of so called “gifts” being sported in their own midst. Some of these “gifts” look more like the forbidden things listed in the Bible than they do the permitted things.
Their prophecies are nothing more than chirping and muttering like the Oracle of Delphi. When the prophecies are prove to be wrong the speakers of those prophecies are not even put out of the congregation. At the very least you would expect the shepherds of that congregation to silence them the next time they open their mouths with a so-called prophecy.
The church has wandered so far from the Bible that they, like the children of Israel before them, have gone a whoring after false prophets and soothsayers. It is easier to listen to one of these claiming” words of knowledge” or “God told me” then to read the Bible for our self. God gave all the knowledge He intended for us in the Bible. This is what the Reformation was all about to break free of men who claimed superior knowledge and who lorded over the people of the church.
Many a sheep sitting in the congregation of today’s churches have little or no first-hand knowledge of the Bible; God’s Word. They come trustingly in the church expecting to be fed with truth. This blind faith has left them vulnerable to whatever spirits have been invited into that church by the use of hypnotic mantras, [by the worship team], false prophetic utterances, and the misuse of prayer.
The post modern church today is following every wind of doctrine because she is being lead by ignorant or greedy men. The church is tilting at windmills, instead of staying the course and fighting the good fight. The result has been that the church can no longer recognize evil; because they are evil in their own hearts. The principalities and powers of this earth wonder freely in our churches because they have been invited in.
“For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Eph. 6:12
Return to the Bible and return to the One and Only God who created the Universe; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Leave behind the hirelings that merely prey upon you instead of praying for you. Find a pastor, a true shepherd who can read Greek and Hebrew, and then study, study, study on your own.
Throw the soothsayers out!
The Song of Songs 