Originally Posted by johnlf
This is a very disturbing topic for some. Nevertheless, I believe there are some very important issues here for Christians to discuss. I have studied this topic on and off for the last ten years or so and have become fairly settled in my view of these matters.
First off let me say, since most of this borders on the occult, we need to tread carefully. Occult means hidden. And I believe these things are hidden for a reason. God explicitly condemns and prohibits occultism throughout the Scriptures. A Christian has no need of "intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head"(Colossians 2:18).
As Christians we can get all our answers directly from God and his Word because of Christ our head "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge"(Colossians 2:18). That being said, God's Word is not at all silent on these issues. Christ dealt head on with the forces of darkness in his day, casting out devils and healing people of evil afflictions. The Gospels are filled with information about these confrontations.
Now some have offered the explanation that the great deal of occult activity during our Lord's day was due to his presence. In other words, much of the satanic realm had gathered for his incarnation to put up a fight. I find that explanation sorely lacking. I don't find the attitude of the legion being that of a viscous mob, but rather of a cowering crew:
"And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine"(Matthew 8:29)
These devils were quite aware of the INFINITE power of The Son of God and they were trembling in fear I believe. So it is my opinion that far from wanting to be near Him, these devils would have liked to be as far from him as they possibly could get. But there was a man in that graveyard whom Jesus Christ came to set free. And no matter how many devils were in that man they could not keep him from falling at the feet of the Son of God:
"1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit"(Mark 5)
Men are drawn to Jesus but devils fear him. For that reason I do not buy the argument that the minions of hell were gathered in Israel. Those devils were there because Israel had DISOBEYED the Lord. First of all, they never completely removed the satanic Canaanite influence on that land because they never completely destroyed them and all of their satanic traditions and rituals. Secondly, Israel had begun to practice those same abominable and detestable practices for themselves just as the Lord had predicted:
"50 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: 53 And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it. 54 And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit. 55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. 56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them."(Numbers 33)
"1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name. 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 7 And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: 8 Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. 9 But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel."(2 Kings 21)
Israel learned the abominable practices of the heathen nations whom before her the Lord had cast out, and came to be in a similar state herself. We should not find it surprising at all then that devils were all over the place by Christ's day. So rather than liken the Israel of our Lord's time as a gathering of hell's minions, I see it more as like the turning on suddenly of a VERY BRIGHT LIGHT and all the critters scurrying for cover. Christ's presence REVEALED what was there all along, a satanic host bent on destroying the lives of men whom Christ loved.
Now how does this relate to the topic at hand? I believe it does because I believe we(the Church) are now in a very similar state as Israel was then. We aren't seeing all these satanic minions because THE LIGHT IS TOO DIM! And why is the light too dim? Because Christ's light isn't shining because his churches have no place for him anymore.
These things are all around us now, but we just don't see them because WE HAVE NO LIGHT! Let me give you some examples. I turned on the TV the other night and there's this girl who has "tourrettes" who is uncontrollably spewing out the filthiest language I've ever heard in a different person's voice than her own. And they call this AN ILLNESS! My friends, that's no illness, THAT'S DEVILS!
Then you have Charmed, the TV series about 3 teenage witches that's all the rage. Medium is one of the most popular shows these days! Harry Potter is an absolute occult dynasty sucking in MILLIONS OF CHILDREN. Our own military is exploring "remote viewing", which is nothing other than astral travel which is PURE WITCHCRAFT! I could go on for hours listing this stuff, but you get the point. THIS STUFF IS ALL AROUND YOU! But the Church has her eyes closed so she can't see it.
Charismatics are running around "slaying" people in the spirit and they are rolling around on the floor foaming at the mouth and barking like dogs. But fundamentalists are still arguing that those things are not for our day! The enemy is having a field day like never before. He can put this stuff right in people's faces, even in Christian's faces, AND THEY STILL CAN'T SEE WHAT IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEIR OWN EYES!
It truly saddens me that the Church has become so weak and ineffective in the face of this kind of enemy onslaught. It is my sincerest hope that in these last days the Lord might restore to the Church an understanding of her power against the enemy. A power that was so evident in the days of our Lord and of the Apostles. If the Christians only knew the authority they have in Christ over the enemy, I believe we would actually see a revival in this country.
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