CULTS
John Edmiston This book – Cults is © Copyright
AIBI-International 2008 – 2010 This article may be freely reproduced
for non-profit ministry purposes but may not be sold in any way and must be
reproduced “as is” without alteration. Just e-mail us at johned@aibi.ph Table
of Contents Marks of a Cult 3 How Cults Convert People 7 Cults and Crazy Thinking 10 Understanding Those Caught in Cults 12 When a Church Goes Wrong 17 Classic Cults 19 Commercial Cults 29 Mystical and New Age Cults 33 Spiritual Warfare 36 Discerning Good from Evil 45 Evaluating Revivals 48 False Miracles 51 The Occult – What’s Wrong With
Exploring the “Other Side”? 57 Angels 61 UFOs and Cults 65 Is Jesus God? 70 Marks of a Cult Cults are
unfortunately big news these days. People are desperately searching for God and
there are some really dangerous frauds, con-men and lunatics out there fleecing
the flock. This article deals with how to spot cults and false teachers by
referring to biblical warnings about their characteristic behaviors. Thieves
and Wolves When Jesus
talks about the Good Shepherd, He talks about "the thief", and
"the wolf' that comes to destroy the flock and says John 10:10 The thief
comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full. In Matthew 7:15-16 He declares: "Watch out for
false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. And in Acts 20: 28-32 Keep watch over
yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I
know that after I leave, savage wolves will come among you. The phrase
"wolves in sheep's clothing' originated with the Greek storyteller - Aesop
, and one of his fables where a cunning wolf used to dress up as a sheep in
order to get close to the flock and kill them. It became a watchword people who
were outwardly nice but whose real inner intent was to devour those around
them. In this
article I shall tackle the question of what is a cult from two aspects -
distortion of truths concerning God, and the characteristic behaviors of cults. Attacks
on Jesus and On God All cults
draw the person away from the truth concerning Jesus Christ; this is done in a
number of ways: (1) By
denying Jesus Christ is God. (2) By
identifying Jesus with other bible characters or spiritual people e.g. by
saying that instead He is the archangel Michael or Satan's brother conceived
when the Father had sex with Mary. (3) By
saying that Jesus was god with a small “g” and that we all can become god, as
the Mormons (Latter Day Saints) believe. (4) By
saying God is "The Force" or some sort of creating/evolving energy,
not personal, does not possess the ability to love, forgive, hold judgment etc.
(5) By
saying Jesus did not come in the flesh but is instead a divine principle a
Cosmic Christ or other such being. (6) By
seeing Christ as just human nature achieving at top potential - human
potential. we all have "Christ in us" and our job is to "get in
contact with it" and achieve our inner potential. However, this
"Christ" is not a historical person but (7) Jesus
not historical - "Christ consciousness" is substituted for faith in a
historical Jesus. (8) Jesus
not God, became the Christ when he attained Christ-consciousness at age 30. (9) Two
Jesus theory - outer historical and inner mystical Jesus. (10) Jesus
one of many ascended masters (11) Jesus
just a good man, prophet or teacher. (12) Holy
Spirit not God but a force emanating from God. If a group
teaches any of these things it is NOT historical, biblical Christianity. Such a
group is not teaching the truth about God as recorded in the Scriptures and
should be avoided by Christians. The
Characteristic Behaviors of Cults Cults are
remarkably alike in that they exhibit certain "odd' behaviors in order to
appear more spiritual than the truth and freedom that is in Jesus Christ. In
the end though these "super-spiritual behaviors" are profitless and
often make a person eccentric, bizarre and spiritually proud. (1 Timothy 4:1-7 NASB) But the Spirit explicitly says that in later
times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits
and doctrines of demons, {2} by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their
own conscience as with a branding iron, {3} men who forbid marriage and
advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created to be gratefully shared
in by those who believe and know the truth. {4} For everything created by God
is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; {5}
for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. {6} In pointing
out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus,
constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which
you have been following. {7} But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit
only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of
godliness... Our first
four behaviors from the above passage are: 1.
Involvement with spirits - which deceive them. 2.
Forbidding marriage. 3. Dietary
restrictions on normal foods. 4. Ungodly
Superstition. We see
cults forbidding marriage, or arranging marriages or in the case of David
Koresh claiming all women belonged to him. Most cults have some dietary
restrictions and forbid certain kinds of foods, not out of common sense or
health reasons but out of the desire to "be spiritual" or attain
"energy" or to seem pure and exalted above the common lot of mankind.
Thus people substitute food for character and handling for holiness. They think
"I am good person because I do not eat pork" rather than "I am a
good person because I love God and my neighbor." This leads to a false
sense of spirituality that is so common in cults. In his
letter to the Colossian church Paul writes: (Colossians 2:16-23 NASB) Therefore let no one act as your judge in
regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath
day-- {17} things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance
belongs to Christ. {18} Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by
delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on
visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, {19} and not
holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held
together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
{20} If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world,
why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees,
such as, {21} "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" {22}
(which all refer to things destined to perish with the using)-- in accordance
with the commandments and teachings of men? {23} These are matters which have,
to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement
and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly
indulgence. Here Paul
lists a few more behaviors associated with the false spirituality of cults: 5.
Legalism - do not handle, do not taste, do not touch. 6. False
humility. 7. Harsh
treatment of the body -especially for so called "purification". 8. Worship
of angels (and other such beings). 9. People
going into great detail about what they have seen in the spiritual realm. 10.
Enormous spiritual pride. 11.
Experience takes over, Christ is no longer central and no longer a source of
life. 12.
Emphasis on religious festivals, new moons and Sabbath days. 13. Their
regulations appear to be wise but are in fact ineffective for restraining
fleshly indulgence. 14.
Self-made religion - worship made up by man rather than truly revealed from God
and inspired by God The
apostle Peter also had a few words to say about this self-delued form of
worship: (2 Peter 2:18-19 NASB) For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they
entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones
who live in error, {19} promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves
of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. Thus we
see that cults are frequently: 15.
Boastful 16.
Promise false "freedom" - many cults do this. 17. Appeal
to the lusts of the flesh - a wise sales tactic 18. Slaves
to sin and corruption The final
words must be with Jude the brother of Jesus who writes: (Jude 1:8-16 NASB) Yet in the same manner these men, also by dreaming,
defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. {9} But
Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the
body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said,
"The Lord rebuke you." {10} But these men revile the things which
they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like
unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. {11} Woe to them! For
they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the
error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. {12} These men are
those who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without
fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds;
autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; {13} wild waves of the sea,
casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black
darkness has been reserved forever. {14} And about these also Enoch, in the
seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came
with many thousands of His holy ones, {15} to execute judgment upon all, and to
convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an
ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken
against Him." {16} These are grumblers, finding fault, following after
their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of
gaining an advantage. 19.
Boastful to the point of rejecting all authority, even that of angels. 20.
Pollute their own bodies 21.
Without shame 22. React
abusively against whatever they do not understand. 23. Live
by instinct and run headfirst into evil. Some cults
involve the promotion of the grossest immorality under the banner of
"love-ins' and David Koresh's gross immorality was so he could
"experience the depths of sin" for the world. These 23 points cover
most of the behaviors commonly associated with cults in Scripture. Any one of
them should be a "red flag" to a Christian. When three or more of
them are present, the group is almost certainly wandering away from the will of
God. How Cults Convert People Many
people now agree that cults frequently psychologically manipulate their
membership to ensure conformity and control. Steve Hassan's excellent book
"Combating Cult Mind-Control" is a great starting point. The
following points come from numerous sources. Not all of these are found in
every cult but enough of them are found in most cults to make them very
frightening places that inflict deep psychological damage on their membership. 1.
Submission to Leadership - Leaders tend to be absolute, prophets of God, God
Himself, specially anointed apostle, or just a strong, controlling,
manipulative person who demands submission even if changes or conflicts occur
in ideology or behavior. 2.
Polarized World View - The group is all that is good; everything outside is
bad. 3. Feeling
Over Thought - Emotions, intuitions, mystical insights are promoted as more
important than rational conclusions. 4.
Manipulation of Feelings - Techniques designed to stimulate emotions, usually
employing group dynamics to influence responses. 5.
Denigration of Critical Thinking - Can go so far as to characterize any
independent thought as selfish, and rational use of intellect as evil. 6.
Salvation or Fulfillment can only be realized in the group. 7. End
Justifies the Means - Any action or behavior is justifiable as long as it
furthers the group's goals. The group (leader) becomes absolute truth and is
above all man-made laws. 8. Group
Over Individual - The group's concerns supersede an individual's goals, needs,
aspirations, and concerns. Conformity is the key. 9.
Warnings of severe or supernatural sanctions for defection or even criticism of
the cult - This can go so far as to apply to negative or critical thought about
the group or its leaders. 10.
Severing of Ties with Past, Family, Friends, Goals, and Interests - Especially
if they are negative towards or impede the goals of the group. 11.
Barratrous Abuse - Some cults use "cult lawyers' to sue ex-cult members
and critics often using fabricated evidence and causing financial stress by
repeated trivial law suits. The cult's aim is not so much to win the lawsuit
(though they often do) as to harass and intimidate their critics into silence. Cult
Conversion Techniques Conversion
into a cult is usually the result of two interacting dynamics. The first is the
personal vulnerability of the potential recruit. This vulnerability may be
enhanced by, but not limited to, transitional situations such as divorce,
abuse, job or career change, moving away from home or leaving college, an
illness, or death of a loved one. The second
dynamic are the tactics used to convert, indoctrinate (brainwash) and hold the
members. Some groups attempt a radical and rapid conversion over an intensive
week-end or week, such as The Forum or Scientology. Others have a more subtle
approach which may take weeks or months, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses. The
following are techniques of unethical thought reform and mind control: The
importance of cognitive dissonance Any person
will act so as to reduce conflict between their thoughts, their emotions and
their behavior. When these things are at odds with each other a person
experiences 'dissonance" (the opposite of harmony). Cognitive dissonance
is when what a person knows is right is at odds with either what they feel is
right or what they are doing. Cults quickly move to control four key areas of a
person's life during the conversion process - Behavior -
by intense involvement in activity and isolation from others. Behaviour is
closely prescribed and carefully supervised. Emotions -
a new recruit is often "love bombed" and greeted enthusiastically and
told they are very special. They are made to feel that everyone in the cult
loves them and that "nothing could be wrong with such a loving group of
people". However, this does not last. Emotions are sent on a rollercoaster
and the only hope of emotional stability is total conformity and pleasing the
cult leadership. Thought -
indoctrination, extended "teaching sessions", memorisation of cult
dogma, "auditing sessions" where inner secrets are revealed and
thought processes exposed - all are a part of attempts at thought control so
that the thought life of the convert is taken up entirely with the group. Information
- isolation from peers, TV, radio, newspapers, (often labelled as
"Satanic") and careful control of associations ensures that little or
no material critical of the cult reaches the new recruit during the conversion
process. The
combination of all these factors make it very likely that if the new recruit
stays in the cult for any length of time they will come to believe in it
utterly. We are not as objective as we like to think and when all these
powerful forces combine ven very intelligent people will be
"converted" but not by God. A Quick
List of Nasty Practices 1. A Focus
on felt needs, defects, with exaggerated promises of fulfillment. 2. Rigid
Control of Time and Activities - Often physically and emotionally draining
activities leaving little time for reflection, questioning and privacy. 3.
Information Control - Cutting off or denigrating outside sources of information
especially if it is critical of the group. This can also include
misrepresentation and information overload. 4.
Language Manipulation - Ascribing new "inside" meanings in ordinary
words or the use of an exclusive vocabulary subtly moving a person to want to
become an insider. 5.
Discouraging Critical, Rational Thought and Questions - For instance, comments
like, "Satan is the cause of all doubt; he wants to keep you from the
Truth", or, "one must move beyond the cognitive left-brain and get in
touch with one's higher self, his right-brain, intuitive self for true
knowledge". 6.
Instruction and Repetition in Trance Induction Techniques - These include
progressive relaxation, chanting, hypnosis, meditation, trance states, guided
imagery or visualization, deep breathing exercises, all of which make a person
highly suggestible, often unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality,
and can cause psychopathology such as relaxation induced anxiety. 7.
Confession Sessions - Promoting full disclosure of all secret sins, thoughts,
temptations which can become a powerful tool to manipulate, blackmail, and
emotionally bond people to the leader or group. It is actually a
depersonalization or stripping of the inner self , a forced submission to the
group. 8. Guilt,
Fear - Weapons used to maintain group loyalty, suppress questions and
defections. 9. Control
of Sexuality and Intimacy within the Cult - This may extend to marriage
decisions (Moonies), sexual relations, promiscuity (Children of God), group sex
(New Age Therapy groups), child sex, adultery, and polygamy (Branch-Davidians).
10.
Excessive Financial Obligations - More and more money is needed to attain
higher degrees of spirituality (Scientology), or complete submission to God
requires one to give up everything to the group or leader (pp. 26-29). The more
points of ideology and conversion methodology that are in place, and the degree
of intensity of their application is proportionate to the effect and damage of
mind control. These
factors tend to make normal evangelism, or even dialogue, much more difficult.
Therefore, some people have looked to deprogrammers or exit-counselors to help
break the mental head-locks of their loved ones in an attempt to rescue them
from the cult. Can an
Orthodox Christian Group Get Like This? Yes they
can!!! Just because the theology is straight down the line does not mean the behavior
will be. I was in a mission society that in a particular place under the
influence of a leader with a great deal of charisma and authority became
"cultic" for a year or so. That has been corrected but much damage
was done. Some
Christian groups start off great -like the "children of God' and end up
utterly wrong and evil. The church needs strong leaders, but they must always
be accountable to Scripture and to other wise Christians. We must
allow people to be critical, to think for themselves and to understand
scripture freely apart from the dictates of any leader. We must allow a great
deal of emotional and intellectual freedom and renounce our desires to control
others if we are to have healthy churches where people rejoice in the Truth. Cults and Crazy Thinking This is a
simplified and "Christianised" model of three dimensions to ethics
and mental health. The Love-Hate dimension is probably better labeled Unconditional
Love vs Paranoid Thinking. The key test is the question "How do they
treat their enemies?'. A paranoid group goes from suspicion to suspicion,
living in fear and employing "guilt by association" to mark people as
those to beware of. A paranoid cult group is preoccupied with its fortress
mentality, its thought life is disproportionately centered around warding off
evil rather than pursuing good. While guarding against sin and compromise is an
essential part of the Christian life being paranoid is not! Jesus was sinless -
but He still loved His enemies and prayed for those who persecuted Him. The second
dimension is that of Wisdom versus Foolishness. More technical names
might be "embracing Truth
wherever it can be found" versus "idiosyncratic reality".
Cults tend to create "worlds of their own", bizarre conspiracy
theories, quaint world-views, mystical and other-worldly perspectives. While
the man or woman of faith will sometimes see life very differently they do not
disregard the insights of others. The fool says "my system is all I
need". There is no searching for objective Truth , rather there is a loud
and clamant glorying in one's own "wisdom". Such people are among
those that bombard the Internet with posts all in caps and full of strange
sounding jargon that sets you on edge when you read it. Their claims are often
untestable as they may be set in the future or in dreams or visions that the
reader has no way of verifying. When their claims. can be checked out, they
generally prove to be inaccurate. Cults limit the outside information available
to recruits and enmesh them in this alternate reality. It is often the quest
for objective truth that causes some recruits to question and finally to leave
the cult. The third
dimension is that of mercy versus cruelty. These terms are quite
accurate in my view. All you need to do to be cruel is to think exclusively of
yourself. People in cults don't "hate" their families in general -
they just do not see them, care for them, or meet their needs. Cults develop a
very inward form of thinking where the recruit spends most of their time either
working for the cult or pondering their own deficiencies. This phenomenal
self-absorption can cause parents to neglect their children and several have
died as a result of parents refusing basic medical treatment on religious
grounds. Jesus never asked anyone to throw away their medicines! Cults neglect
the needs of the outer world and their social action programs are practically
non-existent. Where they do exist they tend to focus on cult members or be
thinly disguised recruiting mechanisms. The "mainline churches" are
extensively involved on caring for those outside of their membership and many
of the best hospitals, schools and rehabilitation programs are run by tem.
Though cults are large (about a quarter of the size of the mainline churches)
their contribution in these areas is small indeed. Let’s
consider someone like Jim Jones or David Koresh. Both had well-defined
"enemies" which they guarded against and were pre-occupied with. Both
had their own reality that they followed in total disregard of objective Truth
and biblical wisdom. Both were cruel men who isolated others from their
families and eventually caused the death of their followers. Hitler again had
his own strange truth, a concoction of Neitzsche and Schopenhauer and others.
Hitler was cruel and expected cruelty of others, and Hitler was pathologically
paranoid and filled with hate. Whether it be Hitler, Stalin, or cult leaders
this model points out their pathology quite clearly. On the
other hand we have Jesus - full of mercy, wisdom and love. He is at the exact
opposite corner of the diagram from Hitler or David Koresh. A cult like the
Branch Davidians may be Christian in name but in nature it can be shown to the
polar opposite of Christianity when this model is used. Understanding Those Caught in Cults A good
Christian couple find that their young and intelligent son or daughter no
longer listens to them and is caught up in a group that raises deep concerns
within them. They are "no longer themselves" and when the wrong
theology or poor morals of the group are pointed out the parents are called
"agents of Satan". Finally their son or daughter leaves them and
joins the group full-time. Their child seems lost to them forever. This
article will look at what happens to people who join cults and why they join.
It will also help you develop some coping strategies. A cult is a mind-control
trap. The person entering the cult did not want to enter a trap. They are
deceived people. They thought they were entering something wonderful but they
in fact have entered something very destructive. Their emotions, thoughts, access
to information and behavior are often tightly controlled through isolation from
others, a very prescriptive lifestyle, indoctrination and emotional
game-playing of a very sinister kind. A very full analysis of cult mind control
techniques can be found in Steve Hassan's invaluable book "Combating Cult
Mind Control". If you
have relative or friend in a destructive cult you may be wondering about how
they have changed and how they are "no longer themselves". This is
because the indoctrination process used by cults produces a second personality,
one that Steve Hassan calls John-cult, the real personality
"John-John" is still there but is suppressed. Accessing the real self
is the key to helping your loved one leave a cult. Here are some pointers to
help you understand what you are dealing with. 1. The
person you know is "still there" but a second "cult
personality" has been superimposed over the top of it. The "cult
personality" has an enormous need to conform in order to receive approval
from the group and/or its leader. 2.
"Cult personalities" are cheap imitations and look plastic. For
instance the whole group may use the same clichés, wear similar clothes, smile
the same way, laugh the same way and have the same intensity about them. Normal
churches are a mixture of sad and happy, grumpy and kind, extrovert and
introvert and so on. Cults destroy this natural diversity. They replace it with
an artificial and manageable persona. 3. The
superimposed cult personality is not very robust outside the group. The
"real personality" has enormous energy and wants to reassert itself.
It’s like keeping a spring down - you need force. This is why cults manipulate
people. If the person can be lovingly re-united with old friends and family,
sometimes for as little as 3 days then the real self gets "fresh air"
and will resurface. This however, may not be easy to manage. Also deep and
fearful suggestions are planted so that the person may truly believe that their
life is of little or no value outside of the group. 4. The
super-imposed personality has its foundations in unmet emotional needs for
affection and approval and frequently has a very limited critical or reflective
ability outside of cult dogma. Direct confrontations based on reason,
therefore, probably will not work if the "cult personality" is the
one you are dealing with. 5. The
‘real self' who is your best ally has been badly hurt by the coercive and
freedom denying manipulations of the cult. The "real self" is thus
almost hyper-sensitive to manipulation. But it will probably be deeply
gratified by true and genuine love. 6. While
the cult personality largely falls apart after they come out of the group it
still will have extraordinary power in some areas. People frequently feel they
are "outside God's will" or "unsaved" or "no longer
part of God's plan for this generation". They often feel they have made a
huge compromise by leaving the cult and that life from now on is essentially
trivial and meaningless. This is because the cult has planted these suggestions
deep in their subconscious as part of the indoctrination process (cult
good-world evil) and these suggestions may take years to be erased. However, if
the techniques of mind-control are carefully explained and good counseling
offered then people will often see these thoughts and feelings for what they
are . This will enable them to resist going back to the cult as a source of
meaning. Now you understand
this you may be asking "How can I get him/her out?". That question
takes a lot longer to answer than I can ethically put in this article. The
process has so many variables that you really need to sit down with someone
specializing in cults, or a good minister and work things through. There are
four absolutely fundamental things I ask people to do. A. Create
a welcoming environment. Do not be angry or confrontational. People change in
response to love not anger. In the story about the wind and the sun trying to
get a man's coat off the harder the wind blew the tighter the man held his coat
whereas the sun just smiled and shone and soon the coat was gone. The cult
personality is like that coat. Your anger will cause it to be wrapped around
the person even more tightly and you will probably just be labeled as
"agents of the Devil". Your love will cause the cult personality to
have little or no reason to be there. The emotional needs they long for will
have been met and the coat will drop away. Step two is part of creating a
welcoming atmosphere - get help with your family dynamics. B. I
advise families with a member in a cult to try at least three sessions of family
therapy with a good counselor if they can afford it. This accomplishes a few
purposes. Firstly, it helps the family face any conflicts they may have with
the member in the cult. Secondly it helps them understand how groups work and
gives them a basic knowledge of group dynamics. Thirdly, if successful, it
makes home a more comfortable place for the person to return to. It will
generally do no harm and potentially can do much good. C. Get as
much information about the group, how it operates, its indoctrination
techniques, its leadership etc that you can. Talk to former members. This is
important as it will give you a good idea how cult members are programmed to
react and which approaches will work best. Do some research in Scripture about
the beliefs the cult holds so that you can show from the Word of God that their
beliefs are erroneous and that the group takes verses out of context etc. To
help someone leave a cult both the head and the heart need to be spoken to. D. Form a
prayer group of say six people to specifically pray for your loved one. Try to
meet each week and pray for the following: (a) That the deception may be broken
and that the person may spot the inconsistencies, lies and selfishness that
exist at the core of every cult. That the spiritual forces of darkness may be
bound and broken. That the manipulations may lose their power over the
person.(b) That the person may remember the good times and good conditions they
had at home. (c) That there may arise a deep dissatisfaction with the cult and
a great desire to leave the group. (d) That they may be given the courage to
act and that God would sovereignly arrange some good opportunities for them to
leave. (E) For physical, emotional and spiritual protection for you as you
tackle this very real evil. God can reach people through their spirit and even
through dreams when we cannot communicate with them. He can arrange
circumstances when all we feel is frustration. He is LORD! The next
thing you have to do is some very specific research. Here are 20 questions that
will help you understand yourself, why your loved one entered the cult, the
group itself and help anyone helping you to get them out. The answers to these
questions can serve as a basis for further action and prayer. Emotions
and Relationships 1. What
stresses was he/she going through in the two years prior to joining the cult?
Death of a loved one, divorce, relocations, work stresses, illness, legal
involvements etc 2. Was he
/she generally a happy and successful person? Were loneliness or depression a
problem? 3. Could
the person often be easily duped in "tricks" at home? Were they very
gullible and trusting? How strong are the critical faculties of the real self?
Are the critical faculties unevenly distributed e.g. are they very logical and
sharp intellectually but emotionally vulnerable and prone to forming unwise
relationships? 4. Did
they seek to escape reality through day-dreaming, drug-use, fantasies, alcohol,
promiscuity or other behaviors? If so - why was reality so bad for them? Were
they bullied or abused in any way? 5. Were
they happy at home? Were they constantly feuding with siblings or parents? Did
they express love for their family? Were they sure/unsure of the families love
for them? The
Cult Itself 6. Did
they enter the cult suddenly or gradually over a period of time? How long did
it take? 7. What
were the first changes you noticed? 8. How did
things develop from there? Write out a detailed sequence of events as you
perceived them. Compare this with the sequence of events as seen by other friends
and family. Collate as much information as you can. 9. Which
of the following mind control techniques do you sense/know are being used? a. Control
of access to information - restricted access to media such as TV, newspapers. b. Control
over behavior - very prescriptive lifestyle. Happiness through performance. c.
Emotional manipulation - approval followed by disapproval etc. Fear and guilt. d. Indoctrination
with a rigid belief structure. False teaching. e.
Painting life outside the group as evil, fearful or demonic. f. Abuse
of authority. Person cannot do even small things without asking a superior. g.
Chanting, hyper-ventilation, hypnosis, long work hours, starvation, sleep
deprivation. h. Is the
person being humiliated, used sexually, or abased in other ways? i. Are
finances being tightly controlled? Is the person expected to "give
all"? j Elitism
- is the person being made to feel part of an elite group? k. Group
will over individual will - who has the final say? l. Modeling
the leader - do they all look the same? m. Strict
control of marriage, sexual practices, diet & food. n. Experiences
(rather than character qualities) made the basis of status in the group.
Visions, dreams etc the basis of spiritual authority and prestige. This makes
it incumbent on the member to "have" these experiences. 10. Would
the real person (John-John ) object to how he is now being treated? If so, what
would annoy him most? This may become an important part of your communication
strategy. Getting
Them Back Home 11. Are
you looking after yourself properly and strengthening your resource base? Or
are you "thrashing around" depleting yourself worrying about
"the cult"? Are other family members being neglected? Don't make this
crisis your whole life. He/she is going to be attracted out of the cult by your
happy, functional and welcoming lifestyle. Work hard on being happy, healthy
and functional. Prepare yourself and your family for constructive
action-taking. 12. Can
the police, tax department or other authorities be called in to investigate
this cult? Would the media be interested? Start with your LOCAL papers not
"60 minutes'. A local paper will be more likely to pick it up and to
devote real time and energy to the story. Local papers are read by bigger
concerns and wire networks. It is surprising what can happen when you start
small and let God take it from there. 13. How
much can you afford, realistically, to spend on your campaign and how will it
best be used? Draw up a "cult campaign budget" and ask God to provide
the funds. Include counseling fees, travel, books, phone calls, accommodation
in some cases - whatever you think will be needed. 14. Do you
know any former members of the cult? Would they be willing to help you get your
loved one out? What do they have to say about conditions inside the cult? 15. What
sort of family occasion would be most likely to attract them to visit home
again? Is there any honest way they could be away from the cult for three days
while they were spoken to by counselors, family, friends and a good pastor? The
Follow-Up Period (up to two years) 16. Have
you developed basic skills in listening? Many places offer six week courses in
listening skills or basic counseling. The ability to reflectively listen so
that you can quickly build rapport and understanding is a critical skill.
During the first few hours of contact they are frequently very nervous about
what you might have to say about the cult. You need to be able to skillfully
build communication bridges. 17. Do you
notice the person in the cult reacting strangely when certain trigger words are
used or music is played? For instance a former "Moonie" may think of
the cults founder the Rev Moon every time the word "moon" is used in
normal contexts, or modern pop songs or beach sound used during indoctrination
may have powerful impulses and associations. The way out is to help the person
build new associations that are more constructive or pleasant. Teach them to
think of something pleasant when they hear the music or trigger word. Most good
psychologists will be able to help them get over this cult flashback experience
known as ‘floating". 18. Do
they have nightmares? Guilt? Emotional problems? Counseling may be called for
if this is the case. 19. Can
they read as well as before? What is their concentration and memory like? This
may take some time to be restored. 20. Is
there a group that can help them make it back into the real world and a more
normal life? A mainstream church? A support group for ex-cult members? Good
friends? As you can
see there is a fair bit of work involved. It’s now up to you. Seek out all the
help you can. Read the other articles in Asian Internet Bible Institute on
cults - you can find them indexed on the "Articles On Cults" index page. When a Church Goes Wrong My name is
Brent. Last year my wife and I started attending a new church. It has been a
difficult transition for us. The people in our new church are so different from
the people we have come to know so well for the last six years in our old
church. At times we have wondered if these people love God at all, or are they
just acting. You see,
we learned how a Christian should be from our old church. We learned how a
Christian should be: 1. Completely submitted to the authority
appointed over them. 2. Doing all things in agreement with the
church, for unity's sake. 3. Attending church whenever the doors
are open, unless given permission to be absent by the pastor. 4. Having no fellowship with darkness.
(Unsaved loved ones) Unless preaching the Word to them. 5. Willing to forsake all for the vision
of the ministry. (Jobs, family, personal choice, etc.) 6. Willing to back up the leadership,
especially the pastor. (Cover up faults and flaws) 7. Faith in the leadership is a must.
(they are Gods ministers, called to lead us) 8. Ready to proclaim the gospel in and
out of season. (The gospel is an offense, so it's not our fault if people are
offended!) Our new
church has some different ideas. They talk to each other sometimes without even
pointing out each other’s faults. I guess they don't know that we are supposed
to rebuke and exhort each other. Sometimes after service people even ask the
pastor to clarify what he said during his message. Maybe they are rebellious or
just lack the faith to trust in Gods messenger. One of the strangest things is
that the pastor admits he makes mistakes sometimes. I've always been taught
that Gods messenger is to be trusted in all things. My wife
sometimes seems like she wants to go back to our old church. Whenever we talk
with old friends they say we should too. It doesn't seem like we see our old
friends any more. Our old pastor told us if we left our old church we would be
cursed. I think our old friends are afraid they might be cursed as well. Maybe
they just think of us as backsliders. That's how we always thought of others
who left. Of course there are a few close friends who still say hi when we see
them at the store. We call or
exchange email with a couple sometimes. Of course they are just being
rebellious, disobedient to their pastor. We always talk of doing
"something" together. We never do. We try to keep our distance. We
wouldn't want them to get in trouble with their pastor. We can't say much
without seeming to be causing division or being troublemakers. We wouldn't want
to invite anyone to visit our new church. That would be stealing sheep. We have
been spending more time with our families lately. My mom has even asked me to
pray for her. No matter how much I preached to her before she never asked me to
pray for her. She always told me to stop trying to push my religion on her.
This is a strange change. My dad is
a Christian. Even though I've been taught that He attends a "dry
bones" denomination, I can tell he loves us. He always seems to be there
for us to talk to lately. I don't know why I never really took him too
seriously before. I'm glad he's there for us now. Our new
pastor isn't as forceful as our old pastor. But he seems to have a real concern
for us. He seems to smile and nod a lot as he listens to what we have to say. I
like that. We're used to a stern gaze and a harsh rebuke. I always ridiculed
those "lovey dovey churches". Isn't the Word of God a double edged
Sword? A consuming Fire? I think
our new church will do just fine. Classic Cults Classic
Cults are cults of long standing that deny the basics of the faith and which
can be easily traced back to early heresies of the Church. Such cults include
the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians, Mormons etc. This article is in two parts
firstly Rod Cook's article "Who Said Jesus Is God" that looks at the
deity of Jesus which is contested by many cults. Then an article from the
Christian Research Institute on the Mormon "high Christology" and why
it just doesn't fot with Scripture. Betwene these two articles you should be
able to refute most arguments by traditional cults. Past
One: WHO SAID JESUS IS GOD? (Originally
prepared by Rod Cook, Townsville) "Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, the Son
of the living God, first did and the taught, as Luke testifies, 'whose praise
is in the Gospel through all the Churches.'" (Chapter 15) *A
Summary Critique* Although a
god allegedly told Joseph Smith in his first vision that he should join none of
the Christian denominations, Stephen Robinson now wants "to show that the
arguments used to exclude Latter-day Saints from the 'Christian' world are
flawed" (p. vii). Robinson, chairman of the Department of Ancient
Scripture at Brigham Young University, has taught religion at Presbyterian and
Methodist-related schools. He may be the only Latter-day Saint (LDS) to earn
tenure in a non-LDS college. Among a host of recent efforts by Mormons to gain
acceptance for their church as Christian, Robinson's book is surely the most
important and sophisticated. WHAT IS
A CHRISTIAN? Crucial to
Robinson's argument is his understanding of the nature of Christianity and what
a Christian is. In chapter 1 he proposes a generic definition of Christianity
that fits all who are usually classed as "Christian": Protestants --
from liberal to evangelical, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox. With such
an inclusive definition, Robinson succeeds in showing that LDS may be regarded
Christian. An
Issue that “Really Matters” – One’s View of Christ After
attempting to answer many charges and alleged misrepresentations, Robinson
thinks he gets down to the core issue in his "Conclusions" (111-14):
"Surely by now it will have dawned on the discerning reader that of all
the various arguments against Latter-day Saints being considered Christians,
not one -- not a single one -- claims that Latter-day Saints don't acknowledge
Jesus Christ as Lord. Consider the enormous implications of this fact. The only
issue that really matters is the only issue that is carefully avoided!"
(111) Is a
“High” Christology Sufficient? The first
Christians believed that Jesus was Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). They also
believed in one God, and Jesus was included in the Godhead. A "high
Christology" is not necessarily enough to fit the evidence that He was far
more than the first or highest being in creation; He is the God-man. Do
Christians Affirm Deification? Generally
speaking, Robinson accurately says, "No two denominations, and few
individual Christians agree on every detail of Christian doctrine" (57).
Given the freedom people have in Christ, diversity of beliefs often appears in
details. Robinson correctly reports that Christians "do not agree among
themselves upon exactly what the standard is" (58) -- that is, there is no
single, complete standard of Christian doctrine for all Christian
denominations. Admittedly, "the doctrine of Christians is not always
true" (59). Christians affirm inerrancy only of Scripture. In the
full sense, eternal progression is enjoyed only by those who receive
exaltation. Exalted persons gain the fullness of the Father; they have all
power, all knowledge, and all wisdom; they gain a fullness of truth, becoming
one with the Father… Those who gain exaltation, having thus enjoyed the fullness
of eternal progression, become like God. THE
GOOD NEWS OF JUSTIFICATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH Robinson
claims that Mormons teach salvation by grace and not works, and so are well
within the spectrum of views that are generally accepted as Christian. How can
Mormons claim to teach salvation by grace alone? Robinson answers: "It is
impossible to earn or deserve any of the blessings of God in any sense that
leaves the individual un-indebted to God's grace" (105). "We
participate in our salvation as we attempt to keep the commandments of God, but
we can never earn it ourselves or bring it to pass on our own merits, no matter
how well we may think we are doing" (106). Robinson also holds that
redemption is not of individual effort; one must be born again and so grace is
an essential condition for salvation (106-7). As good as these statements
sound, they do not uphold salvation by grace alone. If the
object is not really trustworthy then the faith is a false faith. It is
perfectly true that such a false faith will often help a man. Things that are
false will accomplish a great many useful things in the world. If I take a
counterfeit coin and buy a dinner with it, the dinner is every bit as good as
if the coin were a product of the mint. And what a very useful thing a dinner
is! But just as I am on my way downtown to buy a dinner for a poor man, an
expert tells me that my coin is a counterfeit. The miserable, heartless
theorizer! While he is going into his uninteresting, learned details about the
primitive history of that coin, a poor man is dying for want of bread. So it is
with faith. Faith is so very useful, they tell us, that we must not scrutinize
its basis in truth. But the great trouble is, such an avoidance of scrutiny
itself involves the destruction of faith. For faith is essentially dogmatic.
Despite all you can do, you cannot remove the element of faith from it. Faith
is the opinion that some person will do something for you. If that person
really will do that thing for you, then the faith is true. If he will not do
it, then the faith is false. In the latter case, not all the benefits in the
world will make the faith true. Though it has transformed the world from
darkness to light, though it has produced thousands of glorious healthy lives,
it remains a pathological phenomena. It is false, and sooner or later it is
sure to be found out.
Commercial Cults (1 Timothy 6:8-10 NIV) But if we have food and
clothing, we will be content with that. {9} People who want to get rich fall
into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that
plunge men into ruin and destruction. {10} For the love of money is a root of
all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs. Cults
aren't always religious. Destructive cults fall into several different
categories, including: 1.
Religious 2.
Therapy/Self-Awareness 3.
Political 4.
Commercial 5. New Age
6.
Satanic/Ritual Abuse In this
article we will deal with group 4 - Commercial cults. Because of Australian
libel laws I am not able to identify and firms on line. I have replaced the
names of firms in some extracts with the term "Business X". Here are
some things to watch out for when a less than honest commercial cult approaches
you: * They are
less than direct in naming their organization or their product. * If
meetings have a "religious fervor" and seem more like a church
service than a business meeting. If hype heavily outweighs hard-headedness. * If a
clearly defined and intrusive hierarchy is part of the deal. Particularly if
they are to be unquestioningly obeyed. * They
start encroaching on your time far more than was originally said. * If
"little extras" that you need to "be a success" keep on being
introduced - (and they often start adding up financially). * They
tell you not to associate with certain people branding them as
"negative", or as "losers". If they warn you about
ex-members of the organization take special not and special care. * The
advice they give over-steps the mark on normal business advice and deals with
issues that would normally be regarded as personal. * The
feeling that you are being surrounded by these people and that your normal
friendships are diminishing as a result of involvement with this group. If the
group tells you to lie to your friends in order to recruit them, or even to
exaggerate your earnings, or if acceptance or rejection of friendship is
dependent on purchasing the product or being involved in the business - then
leave fast. * Stand
back and ask "What are these people living for?". If the answer is
money and the "business" then the business has them - they don't have
the business. You will probably end up in the same mess if you join them. Then
ask the question about "intensity". Is this a normal intensity to
live at or has this group made some sort of a time-consuming life-dominating
fetish out of their company? The
Cult Personality To put it
briefly cults create a second-skin personality that slips on over the outside
of a persons true self. The cult personality is very conforming and unthinking
and has its critical faculties reduced to a minimum. There is a lack of
"genuiness" and "realness" in the cult personality which
frequently appears "plastic" and "always positive". A
normal group has its grumblers, its misfits, it’s not so attractive people and
they are accepted as part of the group life. When a group is always attractive,
positive, smiling etc then something abnormal and unnatural is happening. If
people all look, sound and dress the same then they are being conformed and
have put their own personality to one side and slipped into the approved
"cult personality". As one person has said: "When
you meet the friendliest people you have ever known, who introduce you to the
most loving group of people you've ever encountered, and you find the leader to
be the most inspired, caring, compassionate and understanding person you've
ever met, and then you learn that that cause of the group is something you never
dared hope could be accomplished, and all of this sounds too good to be true,
it probably is too good to be true! Don't give up your education, your hopes
and ambitions, to follow a rainbow." -- Jenne Mills, former member of the
People's Temple and subsequent victim of assasination a year following the
November 18, 1978 Jonestown suicide/murders of 911 adults and children. The
Internet has many sites where the perils of belonging to commercial cults are
discussed, here is an extract from one of them: In his
book "Fake It 'Til You Make It," Phil Kerns compares Business X to
Jim Jones' People's Temple. Page 57 I
remember the telephone call I received from a woman in Salem, Oregon. She was
calling me about my book on the Jonestown tragedy. I was new in the [Business
X] business, having been in only a week. "I
hope that I am not disturbing you, Mr. Kerns. I got your telephone number from
your publisher in Plainsfield, New Jersey. I read your book on the People's
Temple, and I just wanted to give you my condolences on the loss of your mother
and sister in Jonestown." Towards the end of our telephone conversation,
she asked, "Oh, buy the way, are you aware of the Business X
business?" "Yes,"
I replied, but I did not tell her I was in the business. "You know,
every time I go to one of their meetings, it reminds me so much of your
book--al the chanting and the way they malign and twist the holy scriptures for
gain. I feel that this business is a cult. I think you need to tell the world
about this company." Inside I
was chuckling to myself. "This is so far from the truth," I thought.
"This is just a soap business--an opportunity." I
dismissed her statements from my mind because I felt they were unfounded and
drifting somewhere between "Star Wars" and the "Twilight
Zone." However,
today I know better; I wish I had not shunned this woman's notion to abruptly.
I hope that if she read this books, she will call back so I may apologize. Could this
organization be classified as a cult? There are, without a doubt, many
different characteristics utilized within this integration of salespersons
which could lead many individuals to arrive at the same conclusions this lady
did. Now I
realized there was more to this business than just soap and spinoffs. There was
POWER!
And
here are a few more extracts from real live folks on Internet land who think
Business X isn't as harmless as it makes out (they are as originally posted): My wife
and I are attempting to cope with our close friends in Business X. Originally
the idea was to become financially secure and in doing so provide free time to
visit friends such as us. Now all they can talk about are *friends in the business*.
Can't knock them for their motive for providing for themselves but it becomes
all consuming to the point that anything not associated with Business X is not
worth investing time in! If they
buy one more self-help/motivational book/tape I'm going to scream!! Any
suggestions?? Maybe you
should see about having them deprogrammed. I understand a lot of what they do
to make a faithful sales force is like what the cults (David Koresh, i.e.) do
to their initiates. Business X is like their new "religion". My husband
and I tried Business X - it sounded sure fire. But it turned out to be too
"cult-ish". The set up for ordering and seminars and training took incredibly
too much time - busy normal people with other parts to their lives could not
abide such day long affairs every month. Besides, the stuff that was pushed for
training emphasized glorifying your up-line, who often was not smarter than
you… We didn't make money, despite spending a lot of time. And we did try hard!!
The clincher was the pseudo-religious tone, and sometimes outright Christian
preaching, of the seminars. We are not Christian, and there is no reason for us
to be in such a business if it is not non-sectarian. But Business X folks don't
discuss things like that. My advice... try it – you won't like it. A
co-worker of mine has a gung-ho Business X rep for several years. One day we were
talking about my collection of Grateful Dead tapes which numbers over 450 (go
ahead, take your cheap shots) and she said, "well, I'm catching up to
you--I've got 250 Business X tapes. The only difference is, you don't make any
money off yours." Well, there are lots of other differences, but I ignored
them and asked her to add up how much she had spent on all those tapes,
seminars, and various other Business X materials and compare it to her Business
X income. The next day she came in rather sullen-looking. After some prying on
my part she eventually admitted that she had taken my challenge and discovered
that she had lost a great deal of money due to her involvement with Business X.
Just how much she wouldn't say, but she allowed as how it was a lot more than
the cost of my tape collection. When
Does a Multi-level Marketing Organization Become a Cult? The quick
answer is when the profit motive is superseded by an ideological commitment.
When people who are LOSING money don't get out. When it’s not a business but a
all-encompassing lifestyle. When the business runs you instead of you running
it. When those over you in the business take over your personal life. Business
is just business. Business is not everything. When a business becomes
everything then it’s no longer a business but a mammonistic philosophy. Multi-level
marketing does not always equal a cult. There are some firms that use
multi-level marketing honestly and well. They are in the minority. There are
also some businesses using conventional structures that are extremely
exploitative and cult-like in their approach. Use the tests at the start of
this article to gauge whether the group you know of is legitimate. Look at
their actions, not at their words, their "invasiveness" not at their
promises. Mystical and New Age Cults (1 John
4:1-3 NIV) Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to
see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into
the world. {2} This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit
that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, {3} but
every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the
spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is
already in the world. Mystical
and new Age cults are ancient and many of their teachings pre-date the
Christian era. Christianity had three main competitors among the religions of
its day. - Judaism, the Roman "State religion" based on a pantheon of
Greco-Roman gods with /Emperor worship thrown in, and "mystery
religions" such as the pantheistic Gnosticism that filled Ephesus and
Colossae. The mystical and new age cults closely resemble these ancient and
complex philosophical formulations which sought salvation through mystical
knowledge and religious experiences. Today
Eastern religious terminology e.g avatar, guru etc has been blended in with the
primal and the philosophical to create an apparently benign and all-embracing
system of worship that does not need a crucified Jesus. Jesus is, at best, an
"ascended master". There is no need for an atonement just for a
"purification", but the purification is not from sin but from
ignorance or from "memory traces". Guilt is avoided at all costs. Our
accountability to our Creator is never faced or dealt with. The
Christian Research Institute produced the following list of New Age beliefs and
they are a good starting point for us: The Bible verses next to each point are
there to help you refute these teachings should you come across them. A. All is
one (monism). Reality is a seamless garment (Gen.1:1ff.). B. All is
God (pantheism). God is an all-pervading impersonal Energy, Force or
Consciousness (Rom. 1:18-32). C. Self-deification/self-salvation.
We look within for power, knowledge and healing (Ezek. 28:1-9; Eph. 2:8-10). D.
Paranormal potential. We can experience ESP, telepathy, spirit-contact
(spiritism), etc (Deut. 18:9-14). E. Ethical
relativism. Moral absolutes can be transcended (Matt.5:17-20; Rom. 13:8-10). F. Cosmic
evolutionism. The human race is progressing toward a "New Age" of
planetary peace and prosperity. (1 Thess. 5:3; Matt.24:3-31). G.
Religious syncretism.* All religions are really one, and teach the above (A-F).
Jesus was just one of many mystical masters. Reincarnation is stressed. (John
14:6; Acts 4:12; Heb. 9:27) People
involved in mystical/new age cults are often very gentle searching people who
need to see Jesus as real and relevant to them and who are turned off by the
harsh dogmatism of so many churches. People in the New Age want to experience
love and peace and joy. Thus the key to bringing them out of the cult is to
show them that in Christ there are real, lasting and truly satisfying and
logical experiences of love, peace and joy. Most Westerners are still very
rational in their approach to life. Even those deeply involved in cults may
question the New Age doctrine that everything that happens to you, good or bad,
happens because some part of you wants it to happen. The death of a child,
senseless violence, world hunger and disease challenge this core notion and
much mental energy must be expended to maintain it. Because New Age doctrines
are difficult to maintain for many Westerners many cults use heavy indoctrination
and "thought blocking" processes. Thought blocking is a way of
re-routing the mind and deliberately distracting it from the troublesome
thought. For instance if you try very hard not to think of white rabbits you
cannot help but think of them. However, if you concentrate on saying Om very
loudly it will work - you will not think of white rabbits. You will concentrate
on your mantra and eventually forget the troubling thought. This can be quite
innocent. As a young man attempting to keep his way pure I found that lustful
thoughts could be put out of my head if switched thought tracks and
concentrated intently on trying to solve a moderately difficult problem in
integral calculus in my head. The required concentration on an
"unsexy" thought worked. The problem with cults is they overdo it so
that the rational thinking faculties are not sharpened but rather suppressed.
Speech controls large portions of the brain so most effective thought blocking
techniques seem to involve some repetitive and nonsensical speech pattern.
Thought blocking processes are taught to new members so that when they
experience doubt or negativity they can chant, speak in tongues, enter a
trance, etc. Often these are associated with popular songs so that if they try
to leave the cult they will constantly hear music that "triggers"
them to think of it again and again. Mystical
and new age cults are often very exacting and legalistic in their requirements.
Strict diets may have to be followed, equinoxes, new moons and other
astrological events remembered, and sexual abstinence for long periods (even
for married couples) may be imposed. The
Colossian church seems to have been troubled by something similar. (Colossians
2:16-23 NIV) Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or
with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
{17} These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however,
is found in Christ. {18} Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and
the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into
great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with
idle notions. {19} He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole
body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God
causes it to grow. {20} Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of
this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its
rules: {21} "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? {22} These
are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands
and teachings. {23} Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with
their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of
the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. These few
verses are of great help to Christians confused and bombarded by mystical
teachings. The things that the New Agers teach are a shadow - and Christ is the
substance. When we have Christ we have the real thing. They have only a shadow.
Something that resembles the truth but which is in fact dark and empty.
Christians must move beyond "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not
touch!" to a religion based on being "in Christ" who is in God (see
article "The Inner Man" for details). New Agers
tend to place Jesus "up there" as a ‘master" but not as a flesh
and blood historical person who died on the cross and rose from the dead. When
the Ephesians were struggling with Gnostic tendencies in the church the apostle
John wrote... (1 John
4:1-3 NIV) Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to
see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into
the world. {2} This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit
that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, {3} but
every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit
of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in
the world. How can
you help people in the New Age? Pray for them that they be brought to enquire
about the historical Jesus and the meaning of His existence. Pray that the blindness
may be lifted and the bondages of sin broken. Pray that they may have an
experience of God in a dream, vision, etc that points them to the cross and
salvation. Many New Agers record their dreams and it is a way that God could
speak to them and they would listen. And go in their midst gently. Do not judge
them, it is very offensive to them. Give them the experience of love, joy and
hope that they are seeking. Spiritual Warfare Demons are
variously caricatured as "naughty spirits" and even portrayed as
"sources of wisdom" in some New Age teachings. The Bible however,
sees demons as truly evil and deceptive beings arrayed in rebellion against God
and whose fate will be eternal torment imprisoned in a lake of fire. This
latter view is far closer to the reality experienced by demon-possessed people
and those who have dealt with demons in others. A demon
possessed person is often deeply deceived - thus showing the deceptive nature
of demons, a demon-possessed person often engages in activities that display a
lack of conscience toward others or a delight in the evil and the bizarre. This
betrays the evil, amoral and actively wicked attitude of the demonic. A
demon-possessed person is often angry at ministers, scornful of Scripture,
fearful of communion, mocking at morality and may hold bizarre views of Christ.
Christian praise and worship can cause strong negative reactions. This displays
the demonic hatred of God and rebellion toward His legitimate authority over
this Earth that He made. Those who deal with demons sometimes find that demons
are both aware of and terrified of the eternal fate that awaits them. They
believe in the lake of fire even if some theologians do not. This article will
look at what the Bible says about demons, their fate, and how we can stop them
hindering our Christian life. Let's
start with the positive... Jesus'
Triumph over the Demonic Realm (1 John
3:8 NKJV) He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might
destroy the works of the devil. (1 John
4:4 NKJV) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He
who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John
5:18 NKJV) We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has
been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. The book
of 1 John was probably written when the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian
really began to bite. Satan and his instrument - the pagan Roman Empire seemed
to be indefinite ascendancy over the church, God and all the forces of good. 1
John is thus a very radical and bold epistle in its claims to victory in
Christ. There are three realities described here: 1. The
reality of Christ's mission in particular His incarnation. The reason Jesus
Christ was manifested in human form was so that He could tackle Satan on his
own turf and destroy all his works. Like a hand-grenade exploding in the
Devil's face the incarnation brought the awesome power of the Son of God into
proximity with evil so that it might completely destroy it. 2. The
reality of Christ in us the hope of glory. He who is in us is He who came to
destroy the works of the devil. Jesus overcame the world then, and now, He is
in us, and continues to overcome the world. 3. The
reality of the indestructibility of our real eternal selves which are based on
Christ in us. A person who has been born again has a new self that is created
on a new order and a higher plane. It is eternal, imperishable and
indestructible, it cannot be defiled. It is sinless and cannot sin. It is born
of God and partakes of the very principles of the nature of God (but on a much
different scale). (1 John 3:9 NKJV) Whoever
has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot
sin, because he has been born of God. This new self battles with the flesh in a
life long struggle for dominance (Galatians 5:16-18) so Christians still do sin
but this sin is not a part of them that will still be with them in Heaven.
There will be no need for Purgatory, the new self has been sinless from the
"new birth". This new self cannot be "touched" by the evil
one. The person we will be for the next ten million years cannot be affected by
sin , defilement or temptation and it has already passed out of the judgment of
God (John 5:24, Romans 8:1,2). While Satan can destroy your flesh (1
Corinthians 5:5) he cannot touch the real eternal you.(See article on the Inner
Man for more detail) These
three powerful realities mean that even though Satan and his demons are at
times quite formidable foes they ultimately cannot harm us. They are defeated
rebels whose rebellion will come to nothing in the end. Jesus Christ came to
destroy ALL the works of the devil and through His church that task is being
completed and will be finally climaxed at the return of Christ. Let's look at
how the devil lost the weapons from his armory. (Hebrews
2:14 NKJV) Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He
Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him
who had the power of death, that is, the devil. The
incarnation gave Jesus the flesh and blood He needed so that through death He
could defeat Satan's ability to wield the power of death, keeping the world in
fear and abject slavery. (Colossians
2:13-15 NKJV) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of
your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all
trespasses, {14} having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was
against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way,
having nailed it to the cross. {15} Having disarmed principalities and powers,
He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (For
further expansion on this verse see the article The Cross In Colossians) These
verses in Colossians indicate that the weapon of accusation has been removed.
Satan has been disarmed by the forgiveness we have received. He no longer has any
basis for accusing us. The Charge sheets are all nailed to the Cross. Satan's
ultimate defeat will be an ignominious vanquishing (Revelation 20:10 NKJV) The
devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where
the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night
forever and ever. The
Christian's Power and Authority over the Demonic Realm The
Christian's power and authority over the demonic realm is not based on having
more "might" than the demonic realm (I do not know of any Christian
with the spiritual might anywhere near that of Satan) but on authority. The
distinction is important. Joash became king of Israel when he was 7 years old.
Though physically puny and intellectually hardly a match for bad queen Athaliah
he had more authority than her or any of his rivals. He was king. Similarly
even a "baby Christian" has more authority in the spiritual realm
than the biggest baddest demon on the block. As a small child is more important
than the largest fiercest lion so God has deemed that even the least Christian
outranks the mightiest power and principality. The authority comes because of
their position in the heavenly hierarchy. In God's household we are the
"sons" and angels, even the mightiest of them are just servants of
God. And sons outrank servants. (Hebrews
1:14 NKJV) Are they (i.e angels) not all ministering spirits sent forth to
minister for those who will inherit salvation? (1
Corinthians 6:3 NKJV) Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much
more, things that pertain to this life? We have
undergone a spiritual transformation as a result of the gospel. In the Old
Testament we were "a little lower than the angels", we were like
children who, in their minority, have less status than say the butler and are
expected to treat the household servants with respect. But with the gospel we
have come of age and are now full-fledged sons of God (John 1:12
NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children
of God, to those who believe in His name: (Galatians
3:24-26 NKJV) Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we
might be justified by faith. {25} But after faith has come, we are no longer
under a tutor. {26} For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. This
transformation means that a huge change in status has occurred so that
inhabitants of the Kingdom of God are truly awesome spiritual beings. (Ephesians
2:6-7 NKJV) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus, {7} that in the ages to come He might show the
exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians
1:20-21 NKJV) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and
seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, {21} far above all
principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (Matthew
11:11-13 NKJV) "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there
has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater than he. We have
been raised up with Christ and seated at His right hand in the heavenly realms
far above all principalities and power and might and dominion so that Jesus
could say of us that the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the
mightiest of the Old Testament saints. This is "amazing grace" and is
God displaying His kindness for all the world to see. Wielding
Our Weapons With this
in mind let's look the authority we have been given and how we are to wield it.
(Luke 9:1
NKJV) Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and
authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. (Luke
10:1, 17-24 NKJV) After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also,
and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He
Himself was about to...Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord,
even the demons are subject to us in Your name." {18} And He said to them,
"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. {19} "Behold, I give
you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power
of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. {20} "Nevertheless
do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice
because your names are written in heaven." {21} In that hour Jesus
rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed
them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. {22}
"All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who
the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one
to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." {23} Then He turned to His disciples
and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see;
{24} "for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what
you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard
it." Jesus
commissions the twelve and then the seventy to have power of evil. In these
verses we discover three things: 1. The
power we have over the demonic realm is a gracious gift from Jesus "I give
you..." to equip us for ministry (it is in the context of a ministry
trip). 2. This
power is both offensive. I give you the authority to trample on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and defensive and nothing shall
by any means hurt you. 3. That
our operating principle is not to be power consciousness but instead humble
gratefulness for the grace of God."Nevertheless do not rejoice in this,
that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are
written in heaven." Binding
and loosing... The
Apostle Peter (Matthew
16:18-19 NKJV) "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
{19} "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will
be loosed in heaven." Christians
in general (Matthew
18:18-20 NKJV) "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will
be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
{19} "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning
anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. {20}
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in
the midst of them." Binding
Satan and his demons (Matthew
12:27-29 NKJV) "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your
sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. {28} "But if I
cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon
you. {29} "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his
goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his
house. (Luke
11:19-22 NKJV) "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your
sons cast them out? Therefore they will
be your judges. {20} "But if I cast out demons with the finger of God,
surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. {21} "When a strong man,
fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. {22} "But when
a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his
armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. Thus we
see that the power to bind and to loose has been delivered over to God's church
(Matthew 16:18-19) and can be exercised by any two or three Christians coming
together in agreement before God (Matthew 18:18-20). Because of the authority
we have been given on the basis of the completed work of Christ we can come
against Satan as "someone stronger" and overpower him, binding his
activities (Matthew 12:29), neutralizing his weapons (Luke 11:22) and taking
back the things he claims ownership of. (Luke 11:22). In The
Name Of Jesus (John
14:13-14 NKJV) "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son. {14} "If you ask anything in My name,
I will do it. (John
15:16 NKJV) "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that
you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever
you ask the Father in My name He may give you. (Luke
10:17-19 NRSV) The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name
even the demons submit to us!" {18} He said to them, "I watched Satan
fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. {19} See, I have given you
authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the
enemy; and nothing will hurt you. (Acts
16:18 NRSV) {18} She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much
annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus
Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. The name
of Jesus is the delegated authority of the Son of God. In the Gilbert and
Sullivan opera "The Pirates of Penzance" the pirates are arrested and
the police say "We charge you yield in Queen Victoria's name...".
They confront the pirates in the delegated authority of Her Majesty Queen
Victoria. When we come against Satan and his demons we can say "We charge
you yield in the name of Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God, King of Kings
and Lord of Lords". The "name that is above every other name" is
the ultimate source of authority. Say the pirates in the opera had
answered...we resist in the name of the Pirate King...then there would have
been a clash of authority (in fact they said "we love our Queen...it was
very sarcastic...) In such a clash of authority it is the "highest
name" that wins. A queen outranks a counts who outranks knights of the
realm that outrank commoners etc. So it is in the heavenly realms. Such is the
privilege of Christians that we are allowed to use "the name that is above
every other name" when we challenge demonic authority. We come bearing the
highest authority in the Universe. (Philippians 2:8-11 NKJV) And being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of
death, even the death of the cross. {9} Therefore God also has highly exalted
Him and given Him the name which is above every name, {10} that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of
those under the earth, {11} and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So to use
the name of Jesus in prayer is a declaration of authority. Even Jewish
exorcists found it had enormous authority until it was challenged (Acts
19:13-18). They were operating on "bluff" they were not converted and
had no right to use the authority of Jesus name in exorcism. The basis of
praying in Jesus name is , first of all, being converted. Jesus name can be
used in two ways 1)In declarative mode "In the name of Jesus I
command..." e.g. when Peter healed the lame man at the Gate Beautiful
(Acts 3:6 NKJV) Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what
I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and
walk.". Secondly it may be used to request things from God eg, in the
verses from John's gospel above "And whatever you ask in My name, that I
will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.". The difference between
command mode and request mode is that we command lesser beings but command
greater ones. So when addressing a demon, a disease or a mountain or a storm we
operate in command mode as sons of God proudly bearing the authority of Jesus
name. When addressing the Father or Jesus we do not presume on the authority we
have been given but we come humbly as expectant children with every right to
ask and to receive but always in wonder and awe for we have a majestic God. Go boldly
into the battle armed with the name of Jesus Christ. Tearing
Down Strongholds (2
Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh. {4} For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, {5} casting down arguments and
every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, Strongholds
are built out of thoughts (Gk. noema). When Satan builds a stronghold in a
human heart, a church, a nation or across a whole planet he uses thoughts.
Thoughts of fear, hatred, envy, enmity and strife. Thoughts that create
jealousy and distrust. Thoughts that turn people against God. Thoughts that
entice to pride and rebellion. Greedy thoughts, lustful thoughts, evil and
cruel thoughts. Brick by brick, thought by thought, constellating together into
a demonic aggregate, a wall that blocks out the light and keeps a world in
darkness. Note that they are described as "arguments and every high thing
that exalts itself". A spiritual stronghold is often characterized by a
form of pride known as hubris that exalts itself against God. Herod in the book
of Acts is an example of this when he accepted worship from men and was struck
dead by God. (Acts 12:21-23) The Gnostic heresies of Colossae (Colossians 2:8,
18-23) the bizarre "knowledge" of Corinth (1 Corinthians 8:1-3) and
the "teaching of The Nicolaitans (Rev 2:6,15) seem also to fit this
category. Those with religious delusions are nearly always full of pride and
impossible to reason with. That is why Paul calls it a "stronghold".
Bible-based apologetics has its place here on demolishing the "lofty
arguments" and replacing them with truth. Jesus' confrontations with the
Pharisees and Sadducees and His teaching on the Sermon On The Mount were real
"stronghold busters" (You have heard it said...but I say to you...). Thoughts
control emotions and actions. If your doctrine tells you that you are no good
then you will feel worthless. If your doctrine demands perfection you will feel
constantly guilty. This will lead to actions based on your thoughts and
feelings e.g a life of constant striving. A stronghold can become so intense
that the person loses touch with reality. To see this in action we need only look
at the severely demon-possessed with their destroyed thought life, shattered
emotions, lack of contact with reality and constant fear (Mark 5:1-20). Satan
controls us to the extent that he can control our thinking. Yet God has given
us weapons against this that are "mighty in God for the pulling down of
strongholds" so there is no problem with our weapons! Let's learn to use
them. The weapons are listed in Eph 6:10-18. (Ephesians
6:10-18 NKJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of
His might. {11} Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. {12} For we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly
places. {13} Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. {14} Stand therefore,
having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of
righteousness, {15} and having shod your feet with the preparation of the
gospel of peace; {16} above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. {17} And take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; {18}
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful
to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. The
strongholds of Satan are pulled down by people whose lives show moral integrity
and faith and who know the word of God and can pray in the Spirit at all times.
It is a soldierly combat. For example say Satan has established a stronghold of
lustful thoughts in your mind. You need to pull down those lustful concepts
about the opposite sex through a thorough study of God's word and knowing what
the human body is, and is not, meant for, (see article Your Body Is A Temple Of
The Holy Spirit) then you need to fill your mind with things that are noble and
lovely and true (Phil 4:8)) praying in Jesus name for God to demolish this
stronghold in your life. If the stronghold is in your church - say a spirit of
parsimony and greed then you may need to teach on generosity and giving prayerfully
wielding the sword of the Spirit until the false concepts of stewardship have
come tumbling down and the church is renewed in faith. If the stronghold is in
your nation you may need to debate publicly, use the media and refute the lies
that keep people bound while guarding yourself and your own life from the
counter-attacks that w ill come. As I said earlier our weapons are "mighty
in God" they are amazing weapons if wielded rightly. Do not be intimidated
the authority of Jesus and the "big guns" of God's weaponry are on
our side. A
Tactical Armory The
following table summarizes the ways Satan attacks and the way we should respond
to these attacks. I have called it a tactical armory since it tells us which
weapon to select for the battle. You may notice that many of the Scriptures for
Satan's tactics also contain the remedy for it close by or in the same verse!
God is wise.
Conclusion I hope you
are feeling a bit more confident in spiritual warfare by now. Please answer the
following revision questions. They will help you learn the material. 1. What was one of the purposes in
Christ's coming as a human being? (1 John 3:8 , Hebrews 2:14) 2. What victories did He win? (Eph 4:8;
Colossians 2:13-15, John 16:33, 1 John 5:4) 3. What change took place in the heavenly
status of believers between the time of John the Baptist and the day of
Pentecost? (Mt 11:11-13) 4. Are Christians greater or lesser than
angels in authority? (1 Cor 6:3, Heb 2:14, Eph 2;6,7) 5. What is the importance of authority in
spiritual warfare? (See section on the power and authority of the Christian) 6. What are strongholds made of? How do
we combat them? (2 Cor 10:3-5) 7. What are the two ways of using the
name of Jesus? (Acts 3:6; 16:18; John 14;13,14; 15:16) 8. What is meant by binding and loosing?
(Matt 12:27-29; 16:19; 18:18-20) 9. Why can the demonic realm "not
touch us"? (1 John 4:4, 5:18) What is
the right tactic for combating involvement in the occult? (See diagram above) Discerning Good from
Evil Spiritual
manifestations tend to alarm and puzzle us unless we have some way from sorting
out the good from the bad from the indifferent. This is actually a Christianize
version of an in-service I took a few years ago when I spoke to the
psychiatrist and staff at Townsville General Hospital about demons, exorcism
and religious idealization. I'm afraid some medical terms have been left in and
it may sound a touch clinical. I was very well received by them and enjoyed the
hour or so we had together. Good Writers That may
help with an understanding of spiritual perspectives - Rev. Dr. Martin Israel
(Lecturer Pathology, Royal College of Surgeons) and author of Summons to Life,
Precarious Living, The Pain That Heals, Smoldering Fire and The Spirit of
Counsel. Dr. Paul Tournier Swiss -based physician and counselor author of The
Meaning of Persons, The Strong and The Weak, Guilt and Grace, A Place for You,
Marriage Difficulties, et. al. and a leading exponent of the "medicine of
the person" movement. In North America Dr. John White -Christian
Psychiatrist -author of The Fight, Eros Defiled, The Shattered Mirror et.al. On
the Australian scene Dr. William Wilkie - Christian psychiatrist author of
Understanding Psychiatry, Understanding Stress Breakdown and Dr. Kath Donovan
Growing Through Stress present credible combinations of Christian insight and
medical practice. Helpful
Bible Passages The
Temptation of Christ in the Wilderness - Mark 1:12,13, Matthew 4:1ff, Luke 4:1
ff Jesus and
the Gadarene Demoniac - Mark 5:1-20 The
144,000 - Revelation 7:1-8, 14:1-5 The Two
Witnesses (Prophets) of Revelation - Revelation 11:1-14 The
Psychic Servant Girl - Acts 16:16-21 The
Unpardonable Sin - Matthew 12:30-32, Mark 3:29,30 , Luke 12:8-10 The Ill
and the Demonized - Matthew 4:24 Exorcism :
Matthew 8:16, 12:22 ff. , Acts 19:13ff, Mark 9:17-27 Authority
: Luke 9:16ff, Matthew 10:17 Not just
mental illnesses: Luke 13:11 Results of
demonic influence (Obsessiveness etc.) : I Timothy 4:1ff Tests for
demonic influence: Matthew 7:16-23, 1 Corinthians 12:3, 1 John 4:1-6 Sorting
out the possibilities (A) If the
person has been involved: in the occult or an extreme sect, or in gross sexual
promiscuity, in drugs or alcoholism. (B) And
can speak in a voice other than their own or know a language they have not been
exposed to. (C) And
find great difficulty in prayer or Bible-reading and react strongly against
Christianity. Then
classical demonization is a possibility. Seldom are healthy, normal people
obsessed or possessed by the demonic. As a rule of thumb there must be some
preexisting instability. Bizarre
conduct is insufficient evidence. Voices and
visions are insufficient evidence. Violent
fits are insufficient evidence. Intractable
guilt is insufficient evidence but frequently accompanies it. Absence or
presence of reaction to treatment/medication is inconclusive. Real
guilt disguised as demonization The person
comes from a religious background. They have not been involved in the occult,
speak in voices other than their own, can still pray and read the Bible.
However, they hear voices and claim demonization. Generally, it is sexual sin,
either premarital sex, adultery or masturbation that haunts them and which they
cannot resolve. Often they cannot admit to themselves their character flaw. Depression
and religious ideas Those from
a Christian background can, during bouts of depression, turn to Scriptural
passages on judgment, Old Testament prophecies and the book of Revelation being
favorites along with "the unpardonable sin". It generally will pass
with the depression. It can be very acceptable to guide them to new beliefs
consistent with their faith e.g. if a person with depression has the belief
"I am utterly worthless...”, the it is quite acceptable to guide them to
"for you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belonging to God" (1 Peter 2:9). Countless other examples are possible. Schizophrenia Wilkie
(see references at start) sees schizophrenia as a form of minimal brain
dysfunction and in the majority of cases I find this argument convincing. Most
people with schizophrenia do not speak in other voices, neither are they
hostile towards the things of God though they may be confused, sometimes
terribly confused in this area. Some seem to be especially sensitive to demons
and are preyed upon by them though not actually possessed. What
the cure has to say about the disease If a
patient hearing voices is cured by normal treatments then we can say that no
occult subjection was involved. If however, a pastoral interview, with thorough
confession, renunciation and a trusting appropriation of salvation, leads to a
wonderful liberation then we can say occult subjection was involved (procedure
from Dr. Lechler). When is
it God? Jesus was
often accused of being demon possessed (e.g. Matthew12:30, Mark 3;29) and many
great men of God -the prophets and mystics have seen visions and had special
revelations, hearing voices. The following are indicators of whether a person's
experiences are from God or from an inferior source. As a preliminary note it
is best to make these observations over time. The
following is a check list that can help determine whether a person is hearing
from god or from "inferior source" such as a demon or a repressed and
split-off part of their own personality.
This is by
no means a total treatment of the topic but I hope it has given you "a few
things to think about" and a few tools for working out when a person is
demoniacally subjected, when they are just having a bad time with their body
chemistry and when they might be one of the Lord's more unusual servants. Evaluating Revivals The
Toronto movement and Brownsville Pensecola have generated an enormous amount of
heated discussion amongst Christians. Most of this has been predictable - once
the person’s personal temperament and prior theological stance is known. And
most have made the error of judging the whole from the parts or the general
from the particular. One blessing does not equal a revival and neither does one
bizarre manifestation equal a cult or heresy. This
article shall attempt to evaluate revival movements by the following 6 biblical
criteria: 1. Are the
revival leaders “workers of righteousness” or “workers of iniquity”? Are
they characterized by financial greed or good works? (Matthew 23:25, 1
Thessalonians 2:5) Good doctrine or fables? (1 Timothy 4:1-8) Deep Christian
character or selfish ambition? (James 3:14-18) Are they “law-full” or “lawless”
? (Matthew 7:15-23) 2. What
are the long term fruits in terms of Christian character - especially
faithfulness, truth, love, mercy, and righteousness.(Matthew 7:16-20, Galatians
5:22,23, Ephesians 5:9, James 3:14-18) 3. Does
the movement as a whole display a love of sound doctrine? What is the
movement’s attitude to Scripture? (2 Peter 3:13-18, 1Timothy 4:1-8)) 4. Does
the movement have a clear aim? Is it taking people somewhere? Can the results
of the movement be built on by later generations? Is it a “house of straw” or a
well-constructed foundation for the future? Is it built on Christ i.e.
.the historical Jesus of Scripture? (Matthew 7:15-29, 1 Cor 3:10-17) 5. Does the
movement have a sound morality? Does it manage to avoid the twin dangers
of moral licentiousness on one hand or overbearing legalism on the
other.(Colossians 2:18-23, Jude 1:4) 6. What is
the attitude of the movement to the rest of the body of Christ? Is it
humble or proud? Is it boastful? Does it separate itself? These tests are
probably best applied to the movement as it is affecting your own congregation.
It is much more difficult (unless you are very well informed) to judge the
movement as a whole and the Bible warns us against such judgments. The
“judging” we are not permitted to do is called “krino” in the Greek and it
means to judge the person/thing as a whole e.g. “he is absolutely no good”. We
are permitted to judge particulars which is called “dokimazo” judging “that was
a good action”, “this person has strong faith” “that person has a wrong
doctrine in the area of ....” etc. For instance I will not say that the
“Toronto Blessing” is absolutely no good but I will say that I have many
serious concerns about its leadership and it attitude to other Christians. It
seems a very mixed (or even mixed up) blessing. More on that later. Here are
some common ways that people make mistakes in judging movements of God. ·
Believing
rumors, unreliable sources and unsubstantiated reports. ·
Making
judgments based on one powerful personal experience either good or bad. And
applying that to the movement as a whole. ·
Saying
that "If people are getting saved it must be of God". This is
definitely a good sign but people have been "accidentally" saved by
the emotive preaching of some of the worst of heretics. God can use anyone for
his purposes. We need to look at how those salvations hold up and the long term
result. Jesus indicated this when He said of the Pharisees converts that they
were “twice as much the sons of Hel" (Matthew 23:15) as even the
Pharisees. Conversion was not the goal - loving disciples and mature fruit was.
If the fruit of the conversion as a “son of Hell" then the conversion was
not of the right type. ·
Judging
the movement by a single person in that movement. "He's a nice person and
he believes in XYZ movement so it must be OK". Good people can
occasionally make bad judgments. ·
Because
a movement is growing rapidly and is "international" it must be good
- or must be bad. Both god things like a genuine revival can grow quickly and
bad things - like Communism, can sweep across nations. Growth rate is no
indicator of truth or falsity. ·
Financial
blessing - since I believed in X I have prospered financially. Prosperity can
come from many sources - God, the Devil (who offered Jesus great prosperity)
and from human ingenuity. It is no indicator of divine favor. None of
the above factors are reliable indicators of a genuine spiritual experience or
a true revival. Deep repentance, holiness, sound doctrine and deep discipleship
that results in changed lives are a far better indicator. Is the cross preached? Are basic
Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the inspiration of the Scriptures and
justification by faith taught and taught as essential? Is there a clear commitment to
righteousness and truth? Many
revival movements are populist expressions of religious sentiment and not
genuine works of God. In Asia, where I work, they may be mixed in with tribal
deities, local heroes such as the Philippine national leader Jose Rizal or even
with the demonic. This mixed up spirituality can spread like a virus, seem to
be a "gospel movement" but in the end turn very sour indeed. In the
West the Toronto blessing, which has faded since the first writing of this
article, was in my opinion a false revival. Most of the churches that went into
it eventually were damaged by it. It was unbalanced, overemotional and had too
much emphasis on experiences rather than Scripture in the majority of cases
that I saw. It did not seem to result in definite moral development or a
greater consciousness of righteousness and justice or ethics in daily life. It
was not the great work of God that it was made out to be. For more on it read Andrew Stroms' evaluation. When we
examine a revival we need to ask the 6 deep questions about leaders, fruits,
doctrine, being built on Christ, morality and attitude mentioned earlier. Lets
apply this to the Toronto movement. Leaders -
Rodney Howard Browne was clearly materialistic and said that he was a
'bartender of the Holy Spirit" and that God would slay those who criticized
him. This does not seem like sound leadership in the Toronto movement. Fruits -
very patchy, some lives impacted, many made trivial and shallow, some ruined.
Overall mildly negative. Doctrine -
almost completely lacking, shallow, blown here are there, insubstantial. Being
built on Christ & the historical Jesus - there was little or no teaching on
the historical Christ, his incarnation, life, cross, resurrection, rather it
was encountering an undefined spiritual presence. This lack of content about
God, this lack of the knowledge of who God is and what He expected from us was
a most disturbing part of this movement a I saw it practiced in Australia. Morality -
while repentance was certainly an aspect of many Toronto meetings deep moral
development was not. Being drunk in the Spirit was not a state in which one
could do much ethical or moral reflection or apply your faith to daily life and
business. It has not changed the political landscape or built social
institutions - as the genuine revivals under Wesley and Booth and others did. Attitude -
when this article first came out in 1997 I received over a dozen death threats
from members of the Toronto movement. The emails were hostile, vitriolic and
full of curses. This only confirmed my suspicions. The Toronto blessing saw
itself as untouchable, holy, the greatest movement of God. It created
"Toronto" and "non-Toronto" churches and significant
division in the body of Christ. It openly claimed that God would slay its
critics. Such an attitude is neither humble or holy. Thus I
have significant and I believe biblical grounds for being very reserved about
the "Toronto blessing" and similar experiential revival movements. In
evaluating revivals we must look past the hype and to Christ and the
Scriptures. False Miracles 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 NKJV) And then the
lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His
mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. {9} The coming of the
lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and
lying wonders, {10} and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish,
because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
{11} And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should
believe the lie, {12} that they all may be condemned who did not believe the
truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Satan is a
great counterfeiter. He devises false teachers and false prophets (2 Peter 2:1)
, false apostles with false gospels (2 Cor 11:1-15) and false miracles (2 Thess
2:9). In the end times these will combine into a powerful deception that will
even seem to threaten the existence of the church itself. Scripture states
seven times that false miracles will mislead many (Matthew 7:21-23, 24:24, Mark
13:22, 2 Thess 2:8-12, Rev 13:13,14, 16:14,19:20) and it seems that this will
involve a large section of the world's population (the Greek word for many has
the connotations of a majority). Those deceived will believe that they are
serving God in the name of Jesus when in fact they are "workers of
iniquity".. This article is aimed to help make you aware of that
deception. It is not an article against miracles, or against Charismatics. It may
seem that way and some may choose to use it that way. However, let me state
that I believe that God does far more miracles than the Devil. True miracles
are in the majority. This is an article calling God's people to exercise
discernment in the last days. Take it that way and you will be reading it
aright. An
Artist's Impression (based on the Scriptures) Here is a
"artists impression" of what I believe this final deception will be
like. It will be breathtakingly spectacular with great wonders happening. Fire
will fall from heaven to earth on command. People will be spectacularly and
genuinely healed. There will be triumph over the forces of nature and a sense
that a new "magical realm" has arrived on earth. It will appear to be
a wonder-full breakthrough into the instant and easy life. Many people will
talk of Utopia being realized and world peace a certainty. The Beast, an
apparently benign dictator will appear to be both militarily and spiritually
invulnerable. There will be a centralized rule of law on earth under him. The
slogan will be something like "Peace through strength" ... "and
they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to
make war with him?" (Rev 13:4) The world will sparkle with magic and
dazzle the senses. God and Christianity will seem strangely irrelevant, morals
as things of the past. The promise of instant gratification will over-ride
everything and people will wonder and be in awe of this marvelous new age, its
"promise" and its "freedom". It will suddenly feel OK to be
selfish and wonderful to take part in magic. A false prophet will emerge who
will at first appear to be saintly, lamb-like, and meek.. "He had two
horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon." (Rev 13:11) He will win the
trust of many. When all the world is convinced then he will lead them into
worshiping the image of the Beast. People will follow first of all because of
the cunning promises, then because of the great signs he performs and lastly
out of the sheer power of economic compulsion. Then as blasphemy increases and
Christians are persecuted God's judgments will be poured out on the Earth and
the "magical kingdom" shown to be a powerless sham. Few will repent.
Most will try harder in their magic and harden in their rebellion until on one
day they all assemble at a place called Armageddon to do battle with God - and
lose. Now I will
go from the picture to consider each of the seven main verses it is based upon
they are: The Day
of Judgment (Matthew 7) (Matthew
7:21-23 NKJV) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. {22}
"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
{23} "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me,
you who practice lawlessness!' The word
for many in verse 22 is "pollous" 4183. polus, pol-oos'; includ. the
forms from the alt. pollos; (sing.) much (in any respect) or (plur.) many;
neut. (sing.) as adv. largely; neut. (plur.) as adv. or noun often, mostly,
largely:--abundant, + altogether, common, + far (passed, spent), (+ be of a)
great (age, deal, -ly, while), long, many, much, oft (-en [-times]), plenteous,
sore, straitly. Comp. G4118, G4119. (From Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary) And the
word for iniquity or lawlessness in verse 23 is "anomia" 458. anomia,
an-om-ee'-ah; from G459; illegality, i.e. violation of law or (gen.)
wickedness:--iniquity, X transgression of) the law, unrighteousness. On
"that day", the Day of Judgment, Jesus Himself (v23) will tell- a
large number, possibly even a majority, who call Him Lord, that they are "workers
of lawlessness"! They will be people who use His name and work miracles,
prophesying, casting out demons and doing many wonders. But they will be guilty
of "anomia" the utter disregard for God's standards. This is
sobering. It is a natural assumption that if we are doing miracles in the name of
Jesus we are in God's will. Jesus, Paul and the apostles all did miracles and
these miracles were good and advanced the Kingdom of God. The fault does not
lie with miracles but with the heart of those who performed them. Perhaps these
rejected people have evil hearts full of envy, pride and boastfulness. They
certainly have scant regard for true holiness and a God-disciplined life. They
seem to be "Christian magicians" using the name and power of God
divorced from the character, will and purposes of God. The
Deception of the Church (Matt 24; Mark 13) The next
two almost identical verses concentrate on the end-times deception of the
Church: Sectarian
leaders posing as "messiahs" and "prophets" and working
powerful miracles ("great signs and omens") will attempt to lead
astray everyone, including even the people of God. However, God has chosen
those who will be His and though imperiled there is the implication that they
will also be preserved. These signs will be powerful enough to deceive all
believers unless God Himself preserves them. Every book
in the New Testament with the exception of Philemon warns vigorously against
false teachers who will try to deceive God's people. It is a major if not
over-riding emphasis of many of the epistles (Colossians, Jude) However,
critical assessment of doctrine and teachings is often seen as
"negative" or contentious. At times it undoubtedly has been.
Discernment is an essential part of our discipleship in Christ (Philippians
1:9-11 NKJV) " 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, {11} being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus
Christ, to the glory and praise of God." (See also Col 1:9-10) We need to
judge rightly everything that claims to be "spiritual" or "of
the Holy Spirit" (1John 4:1-3). This world's standards blind us and
confuse us. Right and wrong, good and evil, false and true are getting harder
and harder to figure out for the average Christian. With the current animosity
towards doctrine, theology and Bible teaching in many areas of today's church
people are ill-equipped to deal with what will be a powerful and subtle
temptation. The temptations will possibly be as crafty as the ones Satan tried
on Christ. These subtle temptations to self-gratification were only rebuffed by
spiritual discernment based on a thorough knowledge of the Word of God. How then
can we discern those who will seek to deceive God's church? The first rule of
thumb, and perhaps the best, is the test of the two great commandments
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind
and ...love your neighbour as yourself...". (Matthew 22:37-40). While not
intended as a test of who is in and who is out it is the heart and soul of
Christianity and sooner or later it is violated or "replaced" (e.g. the
emphasis is shifted to power or comfort instead of love) by those who seek to
deceive. Apart from this general rule of thumb Scripture gives some more
specific tests that help us identify false miracle workers in our midst. They
revolve around tests of true doctrine, true lifestyle and true fellowship. The
tests are: 1) Does
the miracle worker testify that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 4:15) 2) Does
the miracle worker believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh? (1 John 4:1-4) 3) Does
the miracle worker claim to be the Messiah, 'a Christ' or in some way on a par
with Jesus Himself? (Matthew 24:23,24; Mark 13:21,22; 2Corinthians 11:13-15) 4) Does
the miracle worker have a life full of "good fruits" such as love,
mercy and faithfulness? Or are they law-less and self pleasing? (Matt 7:15-20) 5) False
miracle workers regularly display hate towards other Christians/ministries.
This may involving "cursing" or threats that God will slay their
critics. This is a sure sign that they are not of God and are in fact "in
darkness". (1 John 2:8-11; 3:15-18; 4:20,21) 6) False
teachers are noted for enslaving people to quaint and unnecessary practices
with regard to food, marriage, festivals, the Sabbath and even circumcision.
(Colossians 2:16-23; 1 Timothy 4:1-7). True miracle workers set people free!
(John 8:32-36, Galatians 5:1) 7) Does
the miracle worker seek followers for themselves or for the Lord? (Acts 20:30) 8) Is the
miracle worker greedy for financial gain? Or worldly? (Titus 1:11, 2:12; Jude
1:11, James 4:4; 1 John 4:1-6) 10) Does
the miracle worker love other Christians and actively fellowship within the
Church? Or has he "broken away" from all forms of external
accountability - especially to the Body of Christ? (1 John 2:18,19; 4:6) (Matthew
7:15,16 NRSV) "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's
clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. {16} You will know them by their
fruits... The false prophets have false lives. They are greedy, immoral,
rebellious, deceptive and divisive. Jude describes them as....(Jude 1:4-19
NRSV) For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were
designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God
into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ... {8} Yet
in the same way these dreamers also defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander
the glorious ones... {10} But these people slander whatever they do not
understand, and they are destroyed by those things that, like irrational
animals, they know by instinct. {11} Woe to them! For they go the way of Cain,
and abandon themselves to Balaam's error for the sake of gain, and perish in
Korah's rebellion. {12} These are blemishes on your love-feasts, while they
feast with you without fear, feeding themselves. They are waterless clouds
carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted;
{13} wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering
stars, for whom the deepest darkness has been reserved forever... {16} These
are grumblers and malcontents; they indulge their own lusts; they are bombastic
in speech, flattering people to their own advantage...{19} It is these worldly
people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. When so
called "miracle-workers": Then you
have every right to doubt their authenticity. A true miracle worker will
display a life of generosity, love and integrity. A true servant will be
Christ-like and humble. It is not "a sin against the Holy Spirit" to
test them. We are enjoined to test out that which claims to be spiritual (1
John 4:1-4) and "not to believe everyone..". (1 John 4:1). However,
the testing we are to conduct is to be positive, we are to test them with the
intent to find them genuine. That is what the original Greek implies. It is a
friendly thorough examination - not a witch-hunt. The
Deception of the Whole World (2 Thess 2; Rev 13, 16, 19) (2
Thessalonians 2:8-12 NRSV) And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the
Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the
manifestation of his coming. {9} The coming of the lawless one is apparent in
the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, {10} and every
kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to
love the truth and so be saved. {11} For this reason God sends them a powerful
delusion, leading them to believe what is false, {12} so that all who have not
believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned. The power
behind false miracles is clearly Satan. The character of these miracles is
deception leading to lawlessness. The victims of the deception are those that
"refuse to love the truth". Strangely, even though the delusion is
clearly Satanic in origin, Paul attributes its ultimate origin to God "For
this reason God sends them a powerful delusion...". God does not honor
intellectual laziness and ethical slothfulness. Those who are apathetic about
truth will fall victim to the forces of evil. (Revelation
13:11-18 NRSV) Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two
horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. {12} It exercises all the
authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its
inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. {13}
It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the
sight of all; {14} and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of
the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image
for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived; {15} and it was
allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast
could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast
to be killed. {16} Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and
poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, {17}
so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of
the beast or the number of its name. {18} This calls for wisdom: let anyone
with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a
person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six. (Revelation
16:12-14 NRSV) The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates,
and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
{13} And I saw three foul spirits like frogs coming from the mouth of the
dragon, from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.
{14} These are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of
the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the
Almighty. (Revelation
19:20 NRSV) And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had
performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received
the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown
alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The false
miracles at the end of the age will have one main object - the deception of the
whole earth into following an idolatrous system of worship - " it deceives
the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had
been wounded by the sword and yet lived;" (Rev 13:14) . The end-times
religion will be both idolatrous and magical. Idolatry is the substitution of
the creature for the Creator. Magic is any system that claims to give people
access to God's power without having to accept God's will. This false religion,
led by a false prophet will have enormous power and be able even to call fire
to fall from heaven in the presence of all (Rev 13:13). The deception will be
enhanced by appearing to have a superficial resemblance to Christianity (Matt
24:24) and may even use the name of Jesus in its magical formulas ...
"have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and
done many wonders in Your name?" (Matt 7:22). The "masterminds"
will be an "unholy trinity" - the dragon, the beast and the false
prophet. They will be potent sources of demonic spiritual power which will work
false miracles. (Revelation 16:13-14) The focus
of this deception will be the world leaders, the deceiving spirits will "go
abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle". However,
the net is a wide one and will catch everyone who is greedy for economic gain.
"Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free
and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can
buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the
number of its name" (Rev 13:16-17) . In fact unless God has written your
name in the Book of Life you will fall under this deception. (Revelation 13:8 )
It will be a multi-faceted assault on the Truth by the forces of evil. Paul
describes it as "every kind of wicked deception for those who are
perishing," ( 2 Thess 2:10) there will not be a deception missing from
Satan's plan -every kind of deception will be there! And prominent among all
these deceptions will be "all power, signs, lying wonders" (2 Thess
2:9). Conclusion We are
confronted with a frightening picture of a powerful and almost totally
successful deception. Should we then despair and distrust all miracles? I don't
think so. Despair is rarely good counsel. We need to do the opposite. We need
to so acquaint people with genuine miracles and true servants of God so that
the fakes will be obvious. We need to bring into being a powerful but balanced
and informed faith. The Church should now pursue both power and righteousness,
both miracles and character, both Word and Spirit, both doctrine and
experience, and both love and discernment. Some weeds
will be planted by the Enemy. Not all in the garden called revival will be
roses. I hope you take a wiser and more sober approach to miracles in these
last days. And yet I also earnestly hope that, you declare the gospel of God
"not in words only but in power". Let me leave you with Paul's
attitude to the proper use of miracles. (Romans
15:18-21 NRSV) For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ
has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and
deed, {19} by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of
God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully
proclaimed the good news of Christ. {20} Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim
the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build
on someone else's foundation, {21} but as it is written, "Those who have
never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall
understand." The Occult - What's
Wrong With Exploring The "Other
Side"? People are
fascinated by the occult - the dark, the mysterious, the X-files, the tarot
cards and the Ouija boards. But "the truth is out there..." - is a
falsehood! The truth is in Jesus who said "I am the Way, the Truth and the
Life, no-one comes to the Father but by Me" (john 14:6). Participating in
the occult is very dangerous - not just because of what may or may not occur -
but because it brings God's anger down on you and your children for up to three
or four generations. (Exodus 20:4-5 NKJV) "You shall not make for yourself
a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is
in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; {5} you shall
not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and
fourth generations of those who hate Me. When
Israel was about to go into the promised Land Moses gave these warnings against
ebbing involved with idols, images or occult practices. (Deuteronomy 7:23-26
NKJV) "But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, and will
inflict defeat upon them until they are destroyed. {24} "And He will deliver
their kings into your hand, and you will destroy their name from under heaven;
no one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. {25}
"You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not
covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you
be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. {26} "Nor
shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to
destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it
is an accursed thing. Notice the
penalty for bringing an object of occult worship into one's house "lest
you be doomed to destruction like it... for it is an accursed thing".
Idols carry the curse of God on them as do Ouija boards, tarot cards, things
used in Satanic rituals, crystal balls, magic books, divination instruments
etc. When these things are present in the home, alcoholism, mental illness,
chronic diseases and even suicide soon follow. But you
don't have this stuff in your house - you just "get your cards done",
have your palm read, read your horoscope etc...(Leviticus 20:6 NKJV) 'And the
person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with
them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his
people." Consulting mediums and spiritists was so serious that it resulted
in God's wrath falling in a particularly severe form - banishment forever from
Israel. Here is
a catalog of verses about the occult.
The
Torah (Leviticus
19:26-31 NKJV) {26} 'You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you
practice divination or soothsaying. {27} 'You shall not shave around the sides
of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. {28} 'You shall
not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you:
I am the LORD. {29} 'Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a
harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of
wickedness. {30} 'You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am
the LORD. {31} 'Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek
after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus
20:6 NKJV) 'And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to
prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut
him off from his people. (Deuteronomy
7:5 NKJV) "But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their
altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images,
and burn their carved images with fire. (Deuteronomy
7:25,26 NKJV) "You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire;
you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for
yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the LORD your
God."Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be
doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor
it, for it is an accursed thing. (Deuteronomy
18:10-14 NKJV) 10 "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his
son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or
a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,11 "or one who
conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.12
"For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because
of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. 13
"You shall be blameless before the LORD your God.14 "For these nations
which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you,
the LORD your God has not appointed such for you Old
Testament History (2 Kings
17:17 NKJV) And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire,
practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the
sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. (2 Kings
21:6 NKJV) Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying,
used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the
sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. (2 Kings
23:24 NKJV) Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and
spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen
in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the
law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house
of the LORD. (2
Chronicles 33:6 NKJV) Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the
Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and
sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of
the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. Old
Testament Prophets (Isaiah
8:19 NKJV) And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and
wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God?
Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? (Jeremiah
14:14 NKJV) And the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My
name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy
to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their
heart. (Jeremiah
27:9 NKJV) 'Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your
dreamers, your
soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, "You shall not
serve the king of Babylon." (Ezekiel
12:24 NKJV) "For no more shall there be any false vision or flattering
divination within the house of Israel. (Ezekiel
13:6-7 NKJV) "They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying,
'Thus says the LORD!' But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the
word may be confirmed. {7} "Have you not seen a futile vision, and have
you not spoken false divination? You say, 'The LORD says,' but I have not
spoken." (Ezekiel
13:18 NKJV) "and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the women who
sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of
every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep
yourselves alive? (Ezekiel
13:20 NKJV) 'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against your
magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will tear them from
your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds. (Ezekiel
13:23 NKJV) "Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice
divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know
that I am the LORD."' " (Malachi
3:5 NKJV) And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who
exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an
alien; Because they do not fear Me," Says the LORD of hosts. New
Testament (Acts
19:19 NKJV) Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books
together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of
them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. (Revelation
21:8 NKJV) "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually
immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake
which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation
22:15 NKJV) But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and
murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. What
Should I Do? The early
church used to have as part of the baptismal formula "I renounce all the
works of the devil" and those becoming Christians were required to destroy
any idols or charms or magic books that they owned (see Acts 19:19 above for an
example). Because the sins of idolatry, witchcraft, and involvement in magic or
the occult are "abominations" that is very offensive to God - then
they must be confessed and sometimes using a prayer for spiritual cleansing can
be a big help. Here is a procedure for dealing with any occult involvement. 1. Do a
personal inventory of both your involvement and your families involvement in
the occult - could your grandmother tell fortunes, did you have an uncle who
was a magician (not tricks - real magic), were your parents members of an
organization like "The Spiritualist Church". remember the punishment
for these sins goes down the generations and could be affecting you. Confess
all these that you know of to God and ask His forgiveness. 2. Burn
everything that is associated with the occult -jade Buddhas, temple wind
chimes, tarot cards, magic books, demon masks, even the "dark" kind
of heavy metal music, things with pentagrams on it (the five pointed occult
star), astrology books, love magic , charms, books from cults such as the
Jehovah's Witness or Mormons, when in doubt destroy it. Many people are trapped
by the value of these items as they can be covered with gold or silver or be
"old and rare books" etc. The Ephesian Christians burnt 50,000
drachmas (about 5 million dollars worth) of magic books when they became
converted. The Bible tells us (Deut 7:25) that we are not to covet the silver or
the gold that is on them – it’s tempting but it’s dangerous. 3. Set
yourself a program of bible reading and prayer and ask God to renew you
spiritually and be Lord of your life (John 3:1-17). 4. Ask God
to fill you with the Holy Spirit so you can know the true spiritual power that
is from God and serve Him. Bible Study – Angels The
Spiritual Realm "Heaven
is a wonderful place, full of glory and grace..." so the song goes. What
is it like? What sort of beings dwell there? What is happening there now? Let's
look at just a few of many possible Scriptures. As we look at each text write
down the most prominent characteristics of the spiritual realm as described in
that particular passage. Revelation
chapter 4 _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Hebrews 12:22-24
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________ Isaiah 6:
1-6 _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Ezekiel
1:1-3:15 _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
What are
some things that seem to be in common between these very different passages? How did
reading them make you feel? What do
you think the spiritual realm is like? Angels What are
they? (Hebrews 1:14; Revelation 22:8,9) ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________ How do we
relate to them? (Psalm 8; 1 Corinthians 6:3) ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
From the
references in the first few examples what sorts of angels are there? ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________ What about
guardian angels? (Matthew 18:10; Psalm 91:11-13; Daniel 10:13; 20,21) ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
According
to Daniel what is happening in the spiritual realms? (Daniel 10:1-21) ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What
attitude do angels have toward Jesus? (Revelation 5:8-14; Hebrews 1:4 ff) ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What
attitude are we to avoid concerning angels? (Colossians 2:16-22; Revelation
22:8,9) ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
The power
of angels (Revelation 7:1; 8:4,5; 9:15; 10:5; Isaiah 37;36) ____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
What are
some of the functions of angels: Genesis
16:7-11 __________________________________________________________
Genesis
24:48 __________________________________________________________
Genesis
31:11 __________________________________________________________
Exodus
14:19,20 __________________________________________________________
Exodus
23:20-23 __________________________________________________________
Numbers
22:22-25 __________________________________________________________
2 Samuel
24;16 ff __________________________________________________________
1 Kings
19:5ff __________________________________________________________
Psalm 34:
7 __________________________________________________________
Daniel
5:28 __________________________________________________________
Zechariah
3:1-6 __________________________________________________________
Matthew
28:2 __________________________________________________________
Luke 1:19 __________________________________________________________
Luke 2:23 __________________________________________________________
Luke 22:43
__________________________________________________________
Acts
12:7-11 __________________________________________________________
1
Corinthians 10:10 __________________________________________________________
Matthew
13: 47-50 __________________________________________________________ Revelation
14:14-20 __________________________________________________________
Luke 16:19-31
__________________________________________________________
Revelation
18:1-3 __________________________________________________________
Revelation
20:1-3 __________________________________________________________
Practical
Pointers How has
this study changed the way you think about God, Heaven and angels? Do you
feel that "God is on your side" and sending angels to help you? Did you
know that we can ask God to send angels to help us in times of need? (Matthew
26:53) Point - praying to angels is wrong, praying for God to send them to minister
to you (which is their function) is O.K. Discuss
what you have learned tonight, share a point each that has impressed you the break into
groups for prayer. UFOs and the Cults The
suicide of 39 people associated with the "Heaven's Gate" UFO cults
has brought cults back into the spotlight. UFO cults are a good example of
syncretistic Christianity where Christianity is mixed with and adapted to fit
into another philosophy - in this case a belief in extra-terrestrials. UFO's,
extra-terrestrials, angels, demons and the Bible have been mixed together since
at least 1882 when the book 'Oahspe'came out. Von Daniken's "Chariots of
the God's" was one of the more well known of these UFO-Bible theories
though later it was exposed as fraudulent. (Clifford Wilson "Crash Go The
Chariots"). Christians and UFO followers both share the outlook there is
"something out there that is greater than us". This apparent
similarity can be quite deceptive. Where they differ is in their attitudes to
the historical person of Jesus Christ the Son of God, come in the flesh. UFO
cults trivialize Him while Christians worship Him. The UFO cults have used
science-fiction, not Scripture as their explanatory framework. This is added to
by the quite idiosyncratic, loud and clamant "revelations" of their
leaders. This article will attempt to look at what the Bible says about UFO's
and also answer some of the questions emerging out of the Heaven's Gate cult. Q. Does
the Bible mention extra-terrestrial life-forms.? A. The Bible certainly talks about
sentient beings other than humans and there are certainly beings who are wiser
and more powerful than we are. But these are spiritual beings not little green
men or flying saucers. These spiritual beings seem to fall into classes such as
angels(Hebrews 1:13,14), demons (Luke 4:33), living creatures (Rev 19:4),
elders (Rev 19:4), ghosts (Deut 18:11, Luke 24:39), departed spirits in Sheol
(Deut 18:11, Isaiah 14:9-20) righteous men made perfect and living in heaven
(Hebrews 12:22-24) and martyrs(Rev 6:9-11). They have different domains but the
domains are not mentioned as being other planets, stars or other worlds. They
dwell "in the heavens" which seem to be dimensions of reality
parallel to our own and which at various times are "opened" so that
people can see into them. (Acts 7:56, 10:11) Travel to the heavens is nearly
instantaneous and does not need any kind of vehicle. (Acts 1:9-11, Rev 4;1,2;
2Kings 2:11) Many of these beings have wings.(Isaiah 6:1-3, Ezek 1:6) and some
have strange "combination bodies" (Ezek 1:10, Rev 4:6-8). Ghosts do
not possess bodies but are discarnate entities (Luke 24:39) demons are also
discarnate but seek a body to dwell in (Luke 11:24-26). Angels have bodies
which can be human in appearance so that they can be mistaken for ordinary men
(Genesis 19:1-26, Joshua 5:13-15) or distinctly heavenly. (Daniel 10:5,6 Isaiah
6:1-3). These beings belong to two "kingdoms' - the Kingdom of Light
headed by God and the Kingdom of Darkness headed by Satan (Colossians 1:13,
Ephesians 5:8)). These two kingdoms are at war. (Ephesians 6:10-21) Satan is
seeking to take over heaven (Isaiah 14:13-15) while God is seeking to defeat
him and the powers of evil (1 John 3:8). The human race is at the center of
this contention. It is unique in being made "in the image of God"
possessing His likeness and a portion of his authority. (Genesis 1:26-31) There
is no suggestion of any other beings being made in the image of God. This image
was retained after man sinned but has been damaged in some way. (Psalm 8).The
human race is divided into two races depending on which Master they follow
(Romans 8:14, Galatians 3:26, 1 John 3:8-10, John 8:44) they are "sons of
God"(Christians) or "sons of the Devil" (unbelievers). No other
beings possess the central importance of Christians, not even angels
(Hebrews1:13,14). Christians are renewed in the image of him who made them
(Colossians 3:10) and have regained the authority lost in Eden, (Ephesians
2:6,7) consequently they will become very powerful and one day they will judge
the angels(1 Corinthians 6:3)whose job is to serve Christians (Hebrews 1:13,14)
and with Christ shall rule the nations of this world.(Revelation 2:26,27,
19;15). The human race and particularly those who are "born again" is
portrayed as the pinnacle and the center of Creation such that our destiny
affects all things (Romans 1:18-25; Psalm 8). Thus we need to see ourselves as
incredibly important elements in a cosmic struggle whose center-point is the
cross. (Col 1:19, 20; 2:13-15) and whose consummation is the return of Jesus
Christ to judge the world. (Revelation 19-21). Q. But
aren't spaceships and "chariots of fire" mentioned in the Bible? A. This is a well worn 'urban
legend" that has taken on the status of "fact' in some circles. Let’s
look at the two most commonly quoted Scriptures in support of this. Ezekiel 1
deals with "the glory of the Lord" this is not a spaceship but a huge
throne attended by mighty supernatural creatures. It is very incompletely
described but the basic elements are four mighty angelic beings, some curiously
designed wheels that were under the command of the angelic beings and the
throne of God. It is a glorious version of a royal entourage with chariot,
throne and attendants except these attendants are "ministers of
fire". There is no suggestion that it has arrived from another planet. It
appears several times in the book of Ezekiel (Ezek 3:23, 8:4, 43:2-7) and the
impression is given that this "mobile throne" is the center-point of
God's Presence on earth at any particular point in time. (Ezek 43:7) The throne
is not occupied by a race of extra-terrestrials but by the Creator of the
heavens and the earth. The other misquoted reference is 2 Kings 2:11,12 where
Elijah is taken up into heaven by "chariots of fire".(2 Kings 2:11-12
NRSV) As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of
fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.
{12} Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of
Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped
his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. The description "chariots of
fire and horses of fire" fits better with the "glory of the
Lord" vision seen in Ezekiel than with a spaceship. The chariot was drawn
by angelic horses not propelled by an ion drive! Elijah and Elisha were separated
by it while walking along. It was Elijah's transition into the next life after
years of fruitful ministry. He did not "come back with a message" it
was a one-way trip to glory. He was taken up in a whirlwind to the Presence of
God not beamed up to a spaceship of aliens This is no suggestion in Scripture
that this was in some way an encounter with "another race" but rather
it is portrayed as an encounter with YHWH and those who serve Him.. The
'advanced civilization' is that of Heaven itself! Q. Why
is it wrong to mix Christianity with a belief in extra-terrestrials? A. This is what is called
"syncretism" when Christianity is interpreted through the eyes of
another belief system or philosophy or closely allied with it. Buddhism and
Christianity are often mixed up in Vietnam, spirit worship and Christianity in
the Caribbean and materialism and Christianity in the prosperity cults. These
are only a few of the myriads of possible combinations. The tragedy is that
when the pagan philosophy fails it takes Christianity with it. For instance say
a cargo cult waits by an airstrip for Jesus to come in an airplane bringing
great wealth. When the wealth does not materialize not only has the cargo
cult/magical provision mentality failed but "Jesus" has failed and
Christianity is marred. To marry Christianity with a belief in a spacecraft
coming to take you to heaven is to invite disappointment and hurt. Here is a
real-life story of one such disappointment. This
particular cult family was convinced that their deceased daughter was a high
raised angel in the spirit world and received messages from her daily. This
cult family believed that their daughter had instructed them to take all of
their money out of their life savings and buy camera equipment. These purchases
of camera equipment were to record the celestial event of a huge UFO spiritual
space craft landing in Orange County, California. According to the "Channeled"
messages, the family's deceased daughter was supposed to be piloting this
angelic space craft, and she wanted her father to photograph her arrival in
Orange County, California. Needless to say, that when the appointed hour
arrived when the angelic space craft was to appear, nothing happened.(From
"Cults and the Oahspe Bible") Q. What
do you think underlies the almost fanatical belief in UFO's we see today? A. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NKJV) 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. {15} Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers
also transform themselves into "ministers of righteousness", whose
end will be according to their works. Many of
these groups that claim to "see the light' are seeing the counterfeit “angel
of light" - Lucifer, otherwise known as Satan or the Devil. Deception is
one his strategies and getting thousands of people to believe in
extra-terrestrials and to take contact with them extremely seriously is Satan's
way of deluding people into "contacting" evil, deceptive and
malignant spirits from his realm. UFO's point people away from Christ and the
cross to a god of technology and "power". They direct us to look away
from our character and its development to having encounters with alien beings and
"brain surgery" and instantaneous zaps. However, you cannot shortcut
personal growth and a mentality of the quick fix from outer space just
contributes to emotional immaturity. The other responses that concern me
include idolatrous worship of aliens and "higher intelligences" which
are really demons. The Heaven's Gate cult were in awe of the Level Above Human.
The other response is that of fear and paranoia, distrust of other people,
churches, governments and anyone who does not hold to the UFO theory. When so
much paranoia is present, the Devil is not far off. Q. Is
there an ongoing battle between good and evil beings? A. This earth is temporarily under the
control of dark forces which are attempting to throw off God's rule and
authority. (1 John 5:19) However, God is ultimately in control and will finally
take over completely.(Rev 19:11-21) The Bible calls this period when the earth
is subjugated to Satan as 'this present evil age'(Galatians 1:4). Evil
spiritual beings who are cruel, greedy and who ruthlessly lust for power are
the controlling forces behind many of the key structural principles such as
international trade, arms and agriculture (see the word "trade" in
Ezek:28:5-16). This view is supported by two key New Testament references..
Firstly before the cross in Satan's temptation of Jesus.(Luke 4:5-8 NRSV) Then
the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the
world. {6} And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and
all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I
please. {7} If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." {8}
Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve
only him.'"Secondly after the cross in about 90 AD as the apostle John was
writing to a persecuted church. (1 John 5:19 NRSV) We know that we are God's
children, and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one. The
controlling level of "intelligence" that is contacted by UFO cults is
in fact the demonic realm of dark principalities and powers that control this
present evil age. The cross has fatally weakened their power (Col 2:13-15)and
set in motion the destruction that will finally and completely dislodge them
from their strongholds. The Christian church is God's "resistance
movement" on earth. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) When the church has done its
job Jesus will return with His heavenly armies to "retake earth"(Jude
1:14,15). This will be fiercely resisted by the devil and all who follow him.
But they shall lose. (Revelation 19:11-21).Part of the deception of UFO's is
the portrayal of a good earth invaded by bad aliens. This is the opposite of
what will happen at the return of Christ. Satan may try to portray the hosts of
heaven as "alien invaders" as part of the deception that gathers the
kings of the earth for war against God. (Rev 16:13,14) The war against the
"alien invaders" will in fact be a hopelessly unequal war against
God! (Revelation 19:11-21). People who do not want God's authority over their
lives will be destroyed at this time while those on the side of Jesus Christ
and the Creator's legitimate claim to rule this planet will be
rewarded.(Matthew 13:41-43 NRSV) The Son of Man will send his angels, and they
will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, {42} and
they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. {43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the
kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! Q. So
why is it all happening now? A. The Bible speaks of powerful
deceptions being let loose in the last days along with many false cults and
Messiahs. Here are just a few verses to back this up.(See my article on “False Miracles In The End Times” for more info) (2
Thessalonians 2:8-12 NRSV) And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the
Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the
manifestation of his coming. {9} The coming of the lawless one is apparent in
the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, {10} and every
kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to
love the truth and so be saved. {11} For this reason God sends them a powerful
delusion, leading them to believe what is false, {12} so that all who have not
believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned. (Matthew
24:24 NRSV) For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great
signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. The UFO
phenomenon is part of Satan's murderous hall of mirrors. It is not his main
delusion but it is a powerful and well crafted one that can be turned to all
sorts of ends and could perhaps even provide a false framework for explaining
the rapture and the return of Christ. Lies that attack key points of doctrine
can be very effective weapons. For example - the lie propagated by the Jewish
authorities that Jesus had not risen from the dead but that His body had been
stolen by the disciples. (Matthew 28:12-15) It kept many people from believing
in the resurrection. (Matt 28:15) Lies are useful to hinder the work of God, to
cause people to go astray and to lead them into death and destruction. UFO's
are one of the Devil's more effective lies. Q. What
can I do to escape all this? A. Become a committed Christian. Faith in
Jesus Christ makes us a son of God and puts us on the winning side in this
conflict.(John 1:9-18 NIV) The true light that gives light to every man was
coming into the world. {10} He was in the world, and though the world was made
through him, the world did not recognize him. {11} He came to that which was
his own, but his own did not receive him. {12} Yet to all who received him, to
those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
{13} children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's
will, but born of God. {14}The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among
us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the
Father, full of grace and truth. {15} John testifies concerning him. He cries
out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has
surpassed me because he was before me.'" {16} From the fullness of his
grace we have all received one blessing after another. {17} For the law was
given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. {18} No one has
ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made
him known. You need
to believe in Jesus. You need to believe that God sent Jesus to earth as the
"true light" and that what Jesus says is true in every sense of the
word.. Secondly you need to believe that Jesus is the Son of God full of glory,
grace and truth. Thirdly you need to receive Jesus. That is to take him into
your life as a guest who stays forever. You can do this by praying the
following prayer: " Dear
God I would like to become a Christian. I know that I have not lived as you
want me to. I know I need you to forgive me for all the sins I have done. I ask
that you will please forgive me because of what Jesus did on the cross. I
believe He died on that cross to take my sins and that You raised Him from the
dead. I want to have eternal life from God so that I can follow Jesus and obey
Him forever as my Lord. I want to receive Jesus into my life, become a son of
God and live a life full of grace and truth. Please hear this prayer and make
me a Christian now. Amen." Is Jesus God? He claimed great things about Himself... Was He Mad? Was He Bad? Was He God? Carefully Read and Think About The Following Bible Verses..... (John 3:13 NKJV) "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down
from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (John 7:16 NKJV) Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not
Mine, but His who sent Me. (John 14:6-10 NKJV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. {7} "If you had
known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and
have seen Him." {8} Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father,
and it is sufficient for us." {9} Jesus said to him, "Have I been
with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has
seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? {10} "Do you
not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I
speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in
Me does the works. What did Jesus claim about: Where He
came from? (John 3:13) What He
taught? (John 7:16) His role
in helping people to know God? (John 14:6) The
similarities between Him and God the Father (John 14:7, 10) His
authority and where it came from? (John 14:10) These are
BIG claims to make! If they are true Jesus is much more than just a good person
- He is God. If they are untrue He is either crazy or telling lies on a grand
scale. There are only three main choices... 1. They
are not true and Jesus knew they were not true - that
is He was a liar- He was BAD. 2. They
are not true and Jesus did not know they were not true
- that is He was deluded and crazy
like someone who thinks they are a hamburger - He was MAD. 3. They
are TRUE- Jesus was claiming to be God- therefore Jesus is God. Let’s line
this up with the facts..... Jesus
was not bad! When Jesus
challenged hisENEMIESto find any
sin in Him they could not do so!(John
8:46 NKJV) "Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why
do you not believe Me?In fact Jesus was always recognised as being
someone who was without sin. Even Judas, Pontius Pilate and the guards that
executed Him acknowledged this! (Matthew 27:4,24,54). The Bible records Jesus
as being perfectly without sin.(Heb
4:15 NKJV) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Jesus
was not mad! People who
are insane do not give the world's greatest moral teachings such as the Sermon
On The Mount (Matthew 5-7) and they are not followed by people for very long.
People soon detect when someone is crazy and they will not die with or for a
madman like Jesus' disciples did. Mentally ill people with religious delusions
are generally distressingly self-centred, loud and clamant and very ineffective
in their lives. This is the opposite of Jesus who was loving, humble and lowly.
(Matthew 11:28-30) The quality of Jesus' life and teaching that has stood the
test of time as the world's best ethical system proves He was not insane - in
fact He was very wise. Jesus
is God! The Bible
backs up Jesus' claim that He was God. Lets look at just three Scriptures: (Col 1:15-20 NKJV) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
over all creation. {16} For by Him all things were created that are in heaven
and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. {17}
And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. {18} And He is the
head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. {19} For it pleased the
Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, {20} and by Him to reconcile
all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
having made peace through the blood of His cross. (Col 2:9 NKJV) For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; (Rev 5:6,13 NKJV) And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne
and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb
as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the
seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth...And every creature which is
in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and
all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and
power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and
ever!" From just
these three Scriptures we see that: Jesus is
the image of the invisible God. These 12
things back up Jesus' claim to be God and indicate that Jesus Christ is God.
Jesus is not a mere human and He is not an angel (Hebrews 1:4-14). He is God's
Son and the One all heaven worships. Since God says "I will not give my
glory to another" (Isaiah 48:11) then if Jesus is worshipped in Heaven
then He must be God. Check out
the following two Scriptures and write out what they say about Jesus' claim to
be God. (John 1:1-3 NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. {2} He was in the beginning with God. {3} All things
were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (Heb 1:1-3 NKJV) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in
time past to the fathers by the prophets, {2} has in these last days spoken to
us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He
made the worlds; {3} who being the brightness of His glory and the express
image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He
had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on
high, What
special name was Jesus called? (John 1:1) List four
things John 1:1-3 says about the Word? What
special name or title does Hebrews call Jesus? How much
power and authority what kinds of power and authority does the Son have? What do
both verses tell us about Jesus' role in Creation? What do
both John and Hebrews tell us about the similarities between the nature and
personality of Jesus and the nature and personality of God? If someone
is all-powerful and exactly like God in nature and is worshipped in Heaven -
then who are they? Conclusion Do you
think that Jesus' claims to be God are true or untrue? If untrue why do you
think He is either mad or bad? If true - will you now follow Him?
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