All posts in category Satan

Let God control your narrative by resisting the devil

waterfall rainbowHave you ever noticed how the devil and those influenced by him love to talk, talk, talk? They seem to never know when to just shut up and get lost. Their messages and messengers often follow us believers around and, oddly enough, they can sometimes tell the truth plainly. But thank God he has given us the power in the name of the Lord Jesus to shut them up and send them on their way when it’s absolutely necessary to do so. We have several examples of this in scripture.

1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. …12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. Luke 4

Satan often does his most persistent temptation when he finds us in the wilderness with no one else around. But when we’re alone, we’re not really alone. Just as Jesus had the Holy Spirit with him, those of us who believe in Christ have the Holy Spirit with us at all times. When we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, he gives us the words (especially from scripture) to fend off attacks of temptation from the enemy. But we have to avoid resisting or quenching the Spirit in those times (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Satan wanted to control Christ’s narrative. He wanted control of Christ’s destiny, but Jesus was not having any of it. So he sent Satan on his way–for a season.

Satan wishes to control our narrative as well through our flesh and the world, but like Christ we can send him on his way to give control of our narrative in the correct hands–God’s hands. When we resist Satan, he will flee from us–at least for a season.

40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. 41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. Luke 4

Notice here how the devils were telling the truth. Jesus was indeed the Christ the Son of God. So why was it necessary for him to shut them up when they told the truth? Because their intentions for telling the truth were sinister. The devils wanted to control Christ’s narrative, his testimony. If he let them control his narrative, they would ultimately control his whole ministry and the people who were helped by his ministry and who were part of his ministry. So he commanded them to shut up to ensure that God and God alone would control his whole narrative.

This is why we should be careful about who we allow to speak about us when they are in our midst talking to those around us. If they are under the influence of the enemy, they may be speaking the truth about us, but their intentions may be to gain control of our narrative to make it easier to bring us down in the future in order to exalt themselves in the eyes of who we minister to. So, like Christ, we may need to silence them and send them from our presence in the name of Jesus to give God control of our narrative.

16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. 19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers… Acts 16

Once again, we have an example of someone being used by the devil to tell the truth. But Paul became fed up with it and sent the devil away in the name of Jesus. Why? The devil was trying to control the narrative of Paul and his fellow missionaries, to bring attention to itself by telling the truth about Paul and his companions. It was a way of mocking them and their godly goals. So the devil had to be cast out to preserve their narrative for God’s exaltation. But the results were mixed. The young lady was freed from spiritual bondage, but the citizens were ticked off and took them to court where they had an unfair trial and were imprisoned.

This tells us keeping our narrative in God’s hands won’t always be easy, but it’s worth it even when the results aren’t always peachy. Bad stuff sometimes comes with shutting the devil up, but God will still be glorified just like he was after Paul and Silas were thrown in prison for silencing the devil. More people just ended up being saved.

Harry A. Gaylord

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by Harry A. Gaylord on January 17, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, faith, God, persecution, religion, Satan

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on January 17, 2013

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/let-god-control-your-narrative-by-resisting-the-devil/

Christian radio host reveals the universal, NWO big picture

Paul McGuire, Christian radio host and author, published an article today revealing why we are witnessing all the changes going on around the world. Satan and his subordinates have upped the ante on his plans to be worshiped openly and are moving at seemingly breakneck speed to accomplish his wishes because he knows his time continues to grow shorter. Paul McGuire takes us all the way back to how these plans have unfolded through the ages. But no matter what, we as Christians can rest on the Lord’s guarantee– “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world,” [John 16:33].

McGuire’s article, “The Luciferian Elite and the Destruction of America,” is a very good summary of the NWO and everything that goes with it.

Harry A. Gaylord

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by Harry A. Gaylord on January 14, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Antichrist, apostasy, Bible, Christianity, End times, faith, God, religion, Satan
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on January 14, 2013

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/christian-radio-host-reveals-the-universal-nwo-big-picture/

The occultic foundations of modern atheism

There are certain historical figures that atheists tend to rally around who they often quote to inspire and encourage themselves in their worldview. Today’s atheists are very proud to hail these deceased famous people as heroes and pioneers of the cultural heritage of  the atheism and free thought movements. A close look at the lives and beliefs of these historical figures reveals why atheism is based on hypocrisy that goes way beyond the hypocrisy they happily accuse Christians of.

In my previous post, I made the observation that some tactics atheists use to attack Christianity are the same tactics used by new agers, witches, and freemasons. There’s a reason for that. Atheists contend they do not believe in spirit life of any kind and that this physical world is all there is. But here’s some information on a few of their heroes:

Annie Besant (1847-1933): She once said, “No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.” Raised in a British Christian home, she married an English clergyman when she was 20 but became dissatisfied with Christianity and joined the atheistic National Secular Society to further the atheist cause. However, in the midst of promoting atheism, she dabbled in the dark arts of occultism and eventually concluded there was more for her than atheism could satisfy. So under the tutelage of Madam H.P. Blavatsky, Besant joined the occultic Theosophical Society, which was infamous for its seances, spirit channeling sessions, and psychic practices. She eventually became president of the organization. In the end the quote she stated above was not at all what she practiced, but atheists still love the quote and still love Annie Besant. (The Theosophical Society, wikipedia)

Aleister Crowley (1875-1947): He’s famous for saying, “One would go mad if one took the Bible seriously; but to take it seriously one must be already mad.” His mother and father were wealthy Christians in a denomination derived from the Plymouth Brethren. His father was a circuit preacher who ran a brewery and read the Bible every day to his wife and son. Aleister forsook his Christian heritage and joined organizations such as Freemasonry and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an occultic secret society that had William Wynn Westcott as one of its founders. The Hermetic Order spent its time in astrology, tarot card reading, alchemy, astral travel (out of body trances), and homosexual activities.

He is considered one of the fathers of modern Wicca and the new age movement and was known for his ungodly practices. Among them were satanic rituals, human sacrifices, vampirism, bestiality, drug abuse, pedophilia, and magick. He established the mantra often used in Satanist and witchcraft circles, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” One of his most well known disciples was Anton LaVey, author of the Satanic Bible. Yet the atheists just love Crowley. An atheist church in Texas even states they agree with the teachings of Crowley’s disciple, Anton LaVey.

Mark Twain (1835-1910): Twain has a whole plethora of quotes atheists love. One of them is “[The Bible is] a mass of fables and traditions, mere mythology.” Born and raised Samuel Clemens in Missouri, he became one of America’s most beloved authors and humorists. However, Twain was an occultist. He was an active Freemason who eventually became a Master Mason. One of his closest friends was H.S. Olcott, the founder of the Theosophical Society and a Royal Arch Freemason.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900): The famous Irish playwright and poet lived up to his last name. One of his favorite quotes among atheists is, “When I think of all the harm the Bible has done, I despair of ever writing anything equal to it.” Among his famous works is The Picture of Dorian Gray about a young man who makes a deal with the devil, which could be said of the author’s life.

Although Wilde was married with two children, he thought it nothing to cheat on his wife with other men. Both he and his wife were members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the same secret society Aleister Crowley became part of. He was known for participating in occult ceremonies and psychic readings with the Order. He was also an active Freemason, being a Master Mason. (Neil McKenna. The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde: An Intimate Biography ; wikipedia.com)

Conclusion

The ultimate reason atheists use the same tactics as new agers, witches, and Freemasons is because they are all cut from the same cloth. They are all servants and children of the devil. Atheists love to boast of how educated they are and how knowledgeable they are, so how could this information be a secret to them? Yet they hold these people in high regard and quote them to further their cause. Since that is the case, atheists are not as atheistic as they claim. They are essentially occultists in disguise who just see atheism as a weapon in their vast arsenal to try to bring down Christianity. But they’re playing for the losing team.

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:10

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by Harry A. Gaylord on August 15, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in atheism, Christianity, End times, faith, freemasonry, God, religion, Satan, wicca
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on August 15, 2012

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/the-occultic-foundations-of-modern-atheism/

Mindbender, soul render: how Satan is blowin’ up the music charts

For a while now, I’ve avoided listening to secular top 40, R & B, & hip hop music because of its ungodliness.  It’s bad enough that there’s cursing, but I can definitely see how these people are just blatantly worshiping Satan.

This is nothing new. It really took off with the rebellion of the late 50s and 60s with Woodstock being one of Satan’s biggest accomplishments. Now decades after the whole Satanic backmasking craze started, the new generation of stars is bending the minds of the young to encourage them to serve the god of this world instead of the God of the universe. Here are some interesting lyrics I found topping the charts and what they mean.

Nicki Minaj–Starships

After the musical intro, Nicki Minaj begins her song with an opening statement, “Red One.” Who is that? The One who is always depicted in red–Satan.

(chorus) Starships were meant to fly, Hands up, and touch the sky, Let’s do this one last time, Hands up

In the secular music industry, wherever you see a reference to starships (e.g. ’80s rock group Jefferson Starship), this refers to Satan and/or his fallen angels. As John says in Revelation 12, “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.” Daniel 8:9-11 tells us that Satan (in a prophecy about the Antichrist) exalts himself to the host of heaven and casts those stars (angels) to the ground.

By telling us starships were meant to fly, hands up, and touch the sky, it is the desire for Satan and his fallen comrades to be exalted but also speaks of their flying capabilities.

Wiz Khalifa w/ Snoop Dogg featuring Bruno Mars–Young Wild and Free

(chorus) So what we get drunk?
So what we smoke weed?
We’re just having fun
We don’t care who sees
So what we go out?
That’s how it’s supposed to be
Living young and wild and free

The rest of the lyrics are explicit so I won’t put them here, but you get the picture. As I’ve said in previous posts on drugs, the abuse of alcohol and hallucinogens go hand-in-hand with witchcraft, satanism, and other pagan religions. 1 Corinthians 6 and Revelation 21 tells us drunkards and sorcerers aren’t allowed in heaven. Then there’s the fact that getting drunk and abusing drugs are harmful to one’s physical health also and they can cause a person to hurt others (e.g. if they decide to drive a vehicle).

fun. featuring Janelle Monae–We Are Young

Give me a second I,
I need to get my story straight
My friends are in the bathroom getting higher than the
empire state…

(chorus) Tonight
We are young
So let’s set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

In this song we see drugs mentioned again as the singer’s friends get high in the bathroom. Then there are the phrases “set the world on fire” and “we can burn brighter than the sun.” If you do a web search, you will find several satanic metal groups using “set the world on fire,” such as KISS, Megadeth, and Black Veil Brides. It refers to pagan mythology where Phoebus, the son of Helios, who is also called the “son of light” (i.e. Lucifer, the light bearer), is given permission to drive the chariot of the sun and he has the intent to use it to set the world on fire, but is struck down with lightning from Jupiter. Jesus said in Luke 10 that he saw Satan fall down like lightning from heaven. So Satan desires to set the world on fire, but has been hindered by God from complete control.

“Burn brighter than the sun” refers to Satan’s wanting to be like God in the sense of replacing him. In Acts 26:13, Paul says when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, Jesus shined “above the brightness of the sun.” So anyone wanting to burn brighter than the sun is saying they want to replace God and this mentality is inspired by the first person to ever want this–Satan.

Linkin Park– Burn It Down

The cycle repeated,
As explosions broke in the sky,
All that I needed,
Was the one thing I couldn’t find,
And you were there at the turn,
Waiting to let me know,

(chorus) We’re building it up,
To break it back down,
We’re building it up,
To burn it down,
We can’t wait,
To burn it to the ground.

The colors conflicted,
As the flames climbed into the clouds.
I wanted to fix this,
But couldn’t stop from tearing it down.

And you were there at the turn,
Caught in the burning glow.
And I was there at the turn,
Waiting to let you go.

(chorus)

You told me yes,
You held me high,
And I believed,
When you told that lie.

I played soldier,
You played king,
Struck me down,
When I kissed that ring.

You lost that right,
To hold that crown,
I built you up,
But you let me down.

So when you fall,
I’ll take my turn,
And fan the flames,
As your blazes burn. …

These are just a few of the lyrics. Notice how they are completely shadowy in how they can be interpreted, to cause confusion. It gives plausible deniability for the writers and singers if anyone says its satanic. The desire to burn and tear down speaks of an appetite for destruction and the Bible calls Satan the destroyer. There are some witchcraft symbols in this song and it could be taken as a member of a coven being upset with the leader of the coven. In a coven, there can be a designated “witch king” while the other regular members are called “soldiers.” The soldiers in coven rituals have to kiss the ring of their king. But however the interpretation of the song goes, it’s clearly full of anti-God wickedness.

Is it any wonder why the younger generation rebels against the truth after listening to this stuff? But in Christ we can be free from these mindbenders because Jesus said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you,” Luke 10:19.

For more information, watch this YouTube video [warning: it contains some vulgar language]:

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by Harry A. Gaylord on May 1, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Christianity, entertainment, God, music, religion, Satan, witchcraft
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on May 1, 2012

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/mindbender-soul-render-how-satan-is-blowin-up-the-music-charts/

Ties that blind: Wicca’s dance with the devil

We are once again in the season of Halloween, an un-holiday I hate because of its occultic overtones. It is one of the most celebrated days for Satanists and witches. Satanists mark it with a human sacrifice while witches celebrate with a sexual sacrifice.

The most prominent form of witchcraft in the Western Hemisphere is Wicca, which is touted as being the “good” or “white” form of witchcraft, like Glenda the “good witch” in the Wizard of Oz. But Wicca is just as evil as its sister religions of black witchcraft, voodoo, Satanism, and santeria.

What do they believe? Here’s a little sample contrasted with what God’s word teaches:

■ Reincarnation: their version of reincarnation differs from Hindus in that they believe humans die and come back as another human.

▲ Hebrews 9:27 says “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Ecclesiastes 3:19 says, “that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath…”

■ Animism, pantheism, panentheism, monism: the belief that all things have intelligence and a soul is known as animism. Pantheism is believing that everything is god, god being the universal life force. Panentheism is the belief that god (the universal life force) is in everything. These are the religions behind the global warming arguments and the environmental movement. Gaiaism, or the worship of Earth as “Mother Nature” or “Mother Earth” is a spin-off of these religions. Monism is the belief that all is One and is part of the god/goddess they worship, therefore nothing is evil.

▲ Jehovah proclaims in Isaiah 44:6, “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” He then points out how ridiculous such idolatry is–”He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak…He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: And the residue thereof he maketh a god…and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.” [Isaiah 44:14,16,17]

■ Militant feminism, abortion, anarchy: They believe females are superior to males, killing the unborn gives them spiritual power, and resisting proper authorities brings unfettered power.

▲ Genesis 2:18-25 talks about God creating woman from man’s rib as a helper and companion that is suitable for man, not as superior to him. Luke 1:41 says John the Baptist leaped in his mother’s womb before he was born, testifying to the fact that life begins at conception. Romans 13 commands us to have respect for proper authority.

■ Three-fold law of return: Whatever someone does to or for them, they believe in the right to return the favor three times, whether it’s good or bad. If someone gives a gift they return it in three times the amount of the gift. If someone does them harm, they return the harm three times as much.

▲ Jesus Christ taught us to bless those who curse us in Matthew 5 and in Hebrews 10:30, Christians are taught that “Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.”

■ Drug use: According to their Book of Shadows and Eight Paths of Realization, Wiccans believe the use of mind-altering drugs like marijuana, cocaine, et al. and the abuse of alcohol for social and religious purposes can give them psychic powers.

▲ The Bible teaches “be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit,” [Ephesians 5:18]. We are also commanded in 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant…” because being sober gives us an advantage against Satan devouring us, so lack of sobriety makes one an easy target for Satan’s destruction.

■ Sex magick: Wiccans believe all forms of sexual activity should be explored because all sexual activity strengthens power. To them, nothing should be off-limits, so they get involved with adultery, fornication, pedophilia, incest, homosexuality, lesbianism, and any other evil sexual practice their minds can conjure up. This is the spirit some people cling to that are behind the gay rights movement and the push for destroying age of consent laws to protect minors. Wicca also was prominent in the rebellious hippie “free sex” movement of the 1960′s.

▲ According to Genesis 2, God’s purposes for sex are stated in Genesis 1 and 2 so that a man and his wife will become united as one flesh in physical and spiritual intimacy and so they will be fruitful and multiply together. 1 Corinthians 6:9 says adulterers, effeminate, those who abuse themselves with mankind (i.e. a man who lays with other men), and all fornicators (anyone participating willingly in sex outside of real marriage) shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Even though Wiccans market themselves as harmless nature enthusiasts and swear up and down they don’t believe in Satan, he is at the heart of their religion even if they are unaware of it. Aleister Crowley, the famous Satanist of the early 20th century, was hired by Gerald Gardner, godfather of modern Wicca, to write the Wiccans’ Book of Shadows [Francis King. The Rites of Modern Occult Magic. New York: MacMillan. 1970, pp. 176, 179-80.].

How did they know each other? They were both members of the Theosophical Society, a Satanic social organization. Margot Adler, a famous Wiccan, and other Wiccans have spoken admirably of Crowley and his Satanic teachings in their books and have even recommended his writings for Wiccans to read. Lucifer is even one of the names of their horned god although they claim it was Christians who made him an evil figure.

Overall, Wicca is full of lies and deceptions to lure individuals into bondage to the Prince of Darkness and Halloween is a big recruitment tool. Although Wiccans promise power, their power, and the evil one who supplies their power, are no match for the power to be set free from our sins and to receive everlasting life that comes from confessing and believing that Jesus Christ is the only Lord. I praise the Father and his son the Lord Jesus Christ that he can even deliver Wiccans from their darkness, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil,” [1 John 3:8].

Sources:

William Schnoebelen. Wicca: Satan’s Little White Lie. Ontario, CA: Chick Publications. 1990.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on October 24, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Christianity, God, Halloween, religion, Satan, wicca, witchcraft
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on October 24, 2011

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/ties-that-blind-wiccas-dance-with-the-devil/

From light to darkness: how Lucifer became Satan

Is there a real devil or is the devil merely a personification of the concept of evil?  The Bible tells us that Satan’s existence is just as real as the existence of people on Earth. To help us understand how he came to be who he is today, God gives us two detailed accounts of Satan’s origins in the Old Testament (OT). In these two accounts, Jehovah also lets us know the ultimate end of the archnemesis of the household of God.

The first account is in Isaiah 14 where God tells a proverb about Satan’s ultimate defeat:

 4 …thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! 5The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. 6He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

This is a parallel prophecy of the fall of Belshazzar, last king of Babylon, and the fall of the spiritual entity who held him up–Satan.  Satan started all false religion and one of his great accomplishments was at Babel which became Babylon.  The ideas started there continue today.  Those who know God’s truth know that false teachers love to babble on because their doctrines are from Babylon.  The oppressor is Satan.  One day he and his earthly rulers will have their power taken away.  Satan loves to devour people in his unrelenting anger and that’s how he rules over the nations.  But one day the persecutor will be persecuted by God and no one one will stop it.

7The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. 8Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.9Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 10All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 11Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. [Isaiah 14]

When Satan is finally defeated, the whole earth will rejoice, including nature.  Even the trees will be safe.  In hell, the kings of nations who are there will see Satan being cast into the lake of fire where they are and will be amazed at how weak he really is in that he suffers the same fate as them.  Even the noise of Satan’s music industry, which predominates the airwaves of our world, will be silenced.

 12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.16They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;17That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? [Isaiah 14]

Lucifer, a name that means light-bearer, was so puffed up that he thought he could dethrone Jehovah in heaven and rule over his fellow angels.  Instead, God made his domain hell and one day mankind will see that although Satan talks a good game to boast about himself, to deceive people, and to make them fearful by his threats, his power will not even come close to Jehovah’s power.  The destroyer will be destroyed.  The one who makes people his spiritual prisoners will be imprisoned.

The second detailed account of Satan’s origins in the OT is in Ezekiel 28:

12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Jehovah tells us Lucifer was a created being among the class of angels called cherubs.  God created him with perfection.  Lucifer “sealest up the sum”, which is to say he was the pattern and example of perfection in his physical form, in his actions, and in his wisdom.  He was clothed in gems and precious metals of many colors.  Having a coat of many colors is symbolic in the Bible of God’s blessing and favor.  God created him with the ability to craft musical instruments like no one else to make beautiful music.  Is it any wonder that he controls the secular music industry and that they worship him? 

Jehovah created him to be an anointed cherub that covered the throne of God with his wings as symbolized in the ark of the covenant.  He was one of the highest ranking angels.  But all angels, like men, were created with a free will.  Lucifer became prideful because of his position, beauty, and good works.  He chose to sin and became sin’s originator.

16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.19All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. [Ezekiel 28]

Lucifer became Satan in his rebellion against God.  When he chose to rebel against the Most High, he enlisted 1/3 of the angels [Revelation 12:4] to start a war in heaven in an attempt to take God’s throne so he could rule the universe–a war they lost and they were kicked out of heaven [Revelation 12:7-9] since they did not keep their first estate, leaving their own habitation.  Some of them are roaming around freely while others are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day [2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6].

You can also notice in this passage that Satan is a merchant, a trafficker.  He has all kinds of sin to sell and often uses violence to promote his goods in his trafficking.  He also has “sanctuaries” throughout the earth where people worship at altars of their iniquity.  His sanctuaries of sin include mosques, pagan temples, false churches, your local adult video store, and secular radio stations, among other things.  But one day Satan’s wickedness will end and God will give him a perp walk before the rulers and sinners of the Earth before he is destroyed by fire.

So what good is it to follow Satan?  Compared to God, his power is useless and he’s such a loser.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on April 30, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on April 30, 2011

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unmasking Baphomet

BaphometBaphomet, the character pictured here, is a popular figure tied to many pagan rituals and organizations.  He has also been referred to as “the talking goat’s head”, “the goat of Mendes,” and “the horned god.”  Because this idol has ties to so many pagan groups, no one is 100% certain who used it first.  Groups throughout history who have used depictions of Baphomet in their rituals include (but are not limited to) Islamic mystics, the Knights Templar, Kabbalah, Roman pagans, Greek pagans, Druids, witches (both Wiccans and black witches), satanists, and Freemasons.  If anything, it shows that false religions have spiritual ties to each other and since they have those ties, it is no wonder that there is a push among all false religions to have a one world religion that preaches about all roads leading to “God.”

The picture here of Baphomet was drawn by a man named Eliphas Levi, whose name appears in the lower part of the picture.  He was a 19th century Kabbalah mystic in France who established many teachings followed today by those involved in magick and the occult.  His real name was Alphonse Louis Constant and he at one time had the desire to be a Catholic priest but eventually left the seminary and the Catholic Church to embrace occultic teachings, beginning with Rosicrucianism.  After leaving seminary, he changed his name to Eliphas Levi, which he thought to be the Hebrew version of his birth name.

This idol drawn by Eliphas Levi is chock full of occultic symbols.  One of the first things you will notice is the pentagram on Baphomet’s forehead.  The pentagram, whether upside down or right side up, is a very prominent occultic symbol.  According to Levi in a book he wrote on transcendentalism, the pentagram symbolizes the power of the mind to dominate the spiritual realm in order to interact with “legions of angels and hosts of fiends”, or, as we Christians would say, it is symbolic of interacting with devils.

On Baphomet’s right arm is the word “solve” while on his left arm is the word “coagula.”  Together the words form the phrase “solve coagula” or “solve et coagula.”  This phrase means “solution and coagulation” and is a philosophy based on medieval alchemist practices.  Alchemy was the belief that base metals could be changed to gold, that panaceas existed to cure all ills and needed to be discovered, and that with enough experimentation, one could discover an elixir to give longevity to life.  It also included the use of occult magic in an attempt to bring these theories to reality.  The phrase “solve et coagula” was the mantra used referring to the process of breaking down elements and hardened positions (solving) so those elements could be changed, or transmuted, to be united in a different form (coagula).  Levi thought this phrase applied to the religious/spiritual realm where people’s unenlightened beliefs could be broken down and then changed to more enlightened paths that would unite everyone to a new perspective that would put everyone into agreement.  In other words, he wanted to break down the Christian belief that Jesus is the only way to God, or other “divisive” doctrines, so that all mankind could unite to follow his god in a one world religion.

If you look at Baphomet’s hands, the index finger and second finger on each hand are up.  These hand signals (the “peace” sign) are  symbolism used in the occult world as well as in the Catholic Church and Eliphas Levi applied this signal to his own occultic ideas.  Actually, the two philosophies symbolized in this hand signal, whether they are used in the Catholic Church or in occultic settings, are both false doctrines.  The Catholic portrayal of Jesus below shows a Catholic Jesus (a false Christ) using the hand signal.  The two-fingered signals used by Baphomet and the false Christ symbolize 1)Apostolic Succession, and 2)Temporal Power.catholicjesus

Apostolic succession in Catholicism is the doctrine that only the Pope is the true head of Christ’s church on Earth and that he sits in the seat of Christ (i.e. he is the “vicar of Christ”).  Temporal power is the doctrine that the Pope has authority and sovereignty over all the rulers of every nation on Earth.  To the occultist bowing down to Baphomet, apostolic succession is translated into the belief that Baphomet is the god in every religion, therefore all religions lead to god.  The doctrine of temporal power is translated into the belief that Baphomet has the power to rule all nations.  It is only through the acceptance of his doctrines that peace, victory, and unity can take place on Earth, according to occultist teachings.

In Baphomet’s lap, you see two serpents criss-crossing up a pole with a hole in Baphomet’s abdomen.  Two serpents going up a pole is the ancient symbol of the staff of Hermes in Greek paganism, and the caduceus of Mercury in Roman paganism.  This occultic symbol means Baphomet opens the path to Kundalini energy (taught in Hinduism), also known as the “Serpent Power”, that when released causes the occultist to transcend to higher levels of enlightenment to unite the body, mind, and spirit in well-being.  It is also a phallic symbol representing the act of generation (especially sex outside of marriage) and promotes the occultic/pagan belief that sex brings the person who participates in it great power and control in their own lives and control over the individuals they have sex with.

Those who buy into all of these evil doctrines that Baphomet represents are terribly deceived.  Baphomet’s pentagram may promote contact with devils, but God’s word says, “…I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils,” [1 Corinthians 10:20-21].  Devils, although they transform themselves into angels of light, are nothing but deceivers who bring darkness and like thieves come only to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  But Jesus Christ has come so we can have life more abundantly [John 10:10].

Baphomet may claim he wants to “solve coagula”, but this is nothing more than a plot to blaspheme God’s name as he opposes God in a feeble attempt to exalt himself above God.  Those who follow Baphomet may seek to destroy the true church of Christ, but upon the rock of Christ God has built his church, and the very gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  Greater is he that is in Christian believers, than he that is in the world [1 John 4:4].

Peace, victory, and unity may be promised by Baphomet by his claims to have all power on Earth, but true peace can only come through Jesus Christ, the true Prince of Peace.  Real victory over sin, death, hell and every work of the devil only comes through the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone has been given all power in heaven and earth [Matthew 28:18].  True unity can only be displayed when there is unity of the Holy Spirit and of godly faith in the believers of Jesus Christ.

Baphomet promises enlightenment through his serpent power, but in reality it is the entrance of God’s word into our hearts that gives us light and understanding [Psalm 119:130].  God’s word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, providing us with more understanding than any ungodly teacher or ungodly elder [Psalm 119:99, 100, 105].

So who is this Baphomet?  None other than the great deceiver known as Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Belial, and the devil.

Sources:

Furnivall, F. J., The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1979.

Valiente, Doreen, An ABC of  Witchcraft, Phoenix, Custer, WA, 1988.

Grant, Kenneth, The Magical Revival, Samuel Weiser, New York, 1973.

Hall, Manley P., The Secret Teachings of All Ages…, The Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles, 1978.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on June 10, 2009  •  Permalink
Posted in Christianity, God, heresy, idolatry, religion, Satan
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on June 10, 2009

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/unmasking-baphomet/

Evil spirits in our midst, pt. 2

In pt. 1 of this two-part post, I discussed my belief that evil spirits are still roaming the Earth and highlighted some of the instruments they use to deceive people.  I now want to discuss some of the ways they manifest themselves in the scriptures when they influence people, vex them, or possess them and how a person can be delivered from evil spirits based on what the scriptures say.

1. Evil spirits make possessed people prophesy with ungodly intentions:  The first instance of this happening in scriptures is when King Saul made it his habit to disobey God.  After several instances of his blatant disobedience, the Lord’s presence left Saul and in his place he sent an evil spirit to vex the king [1 Samuel 16:14].  When it says God “sent” the evil spirit, it means God allowed an evil spirit to come upon Saul.  We find out how this spirit manifested itself in 1 Samuel 18:10 by making Saul prophesy in his house.  His prophecies were probably incoherent ramblings about religion or God, which was the evil spirit’s way of mocking God.

In the 16th chapter, we see the remedy that was given to drive away the spirit.  It was David’s God-anointed music.  Young David was called by Saul’s servants to play his harp skillfully whenever David saw the evil spirit manifest itself in Saul.  When David played his harp, his music gave praise to the Lord and drove the evil spirit away from Saul.  This highlights the importance of music in our times when we worship God and is one reason Paul encouraged us to use psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs when ministering to ourselves and to others.  However, Saul hardened his heart against God even more when he became jealous of David and David’s music no longer drove away the devil by the 18th chapter, causing David to flee for his life on several occasions when Saul tried to kill him with his javelin.

In Acts 16 when Paul visited Philippi, a young woman possessed by a spirit of divination followed Paul and his companions around prophesying.  After several days of this, Paul was fed up with the evil spirit and commanded the devil in the name of Jesus Christ to leave the woman.  What the devil was prophesying was true, but its intentions were false because the evil spirit may have used the prophesying as a way to attract more people to visit the young woman so she could tell their fortunes and make a fortune for her evil pagan masters.  The devil sought to glorify himself at Paul’s expense by mocking God and Paul was having none of it, so he used his God-given authority in Jesus’ name to get rid of it.  When Jesus encountered devils that prophesied about who he was, he commanded them to be quiet right before he cast them out (see Mark 1:34 and Luke 4:33-35, 41).  All believers have this authority if they ever need to use it.

2.  Evil spirits make possessed people want to harm or kill others:  We see this when Saul, under the evil spirit’s influence in 1 Samuel 18, tried to kill David with his javelin.  Luke 22 tells us that Satan entered Judas Iscariot at Passover and it was at this point that Judas had hardened his heart so much he wanted Jesus dead.  His satanic possession led him to make an agreement with Jewish leaders to betray Jesus into their hands when he felt the time was right.  The seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19 were beat up by a possessed man when they misused the name of Jesus in a failed attempt to cast out the devil.

Devils seeking to do bodily harm can either be avoided altogether, as David sought to do, but they often continue to look for opportunities to do their harm when not confronted.  Such devils can be cast out when a believer in Christ commands it to leave in the name of Jesus.  Had the sons of Sceva been believers, they would have had the authority to use Jesus’ name to send the devil fleeing.

3.  Evil spirits can cause the possessed person to hurt themselves: The man possessed by Legion habitually harmed himself by cutting himself, according to Mark 5:5.  The devil who possessed the boy in Mark 9:17-29 not only made him deaf and dumb, but made him try to commit suicide by throwing him in fire to burn him up or water to drown him.  Jesus cast him out and when the disciples asked him why they couldn’t get rid of the evil spirit, Christ told them that such a spirit could only be cast out by prayer and fasting.  We can then conclude that a person with a devil who causes suicidal tendencies and interferes with their senses, can only have it cast out when the believer who confronts it prays and fasts along with using the name of Jesus.  This proves the importance of staying in contact and fellowship with God so he can direct us how to handle situations through his Holy Spirit.

4.  Evil spirits can interfere with a possessed person’s senses and mental faculties, and can give them superhuman strength:  In addition to Legion and the boy mentioned above, there are other instances in the scriptures where people were made deaf, blind, dumb or mentally unstable by evil spirits (Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22).

Superhuman strength given to possessed persons is shown in Legion where the scriptures tell us that he was able to break the chains the people in his village bound him with [Luke 8:29].  The possessed man in Acts 19 displayed superhuman strength when he was able to beat up all seven sons of Sceva at the same time.  This lets us know that using the name of Jesus to cast out an evil spirit is much more powerful and gives better results than the use of physical force against a possessed person.

5.  Evil spirits can make a person physically sick:  In Luke 13:10-17, there is an account of a woman bent over who could not straighten her back.  We are told that she had a “spirit of infirmity” and Jesus said that Satan had bound her under the sickness for 18 years.  He healed her by proclaiming she was loosed from her infirmity and with the laying on of hands.

6.  Evil spirits can be cast out of a person and possess them again:  This was shown to be true in King Saul’s case.  When the devil left him because of David’s music, he returned.  Jesus explained in Matthew 12:43-45 that when a devil is cast out, he wanders around looking for a place to inhabit.  If he finds none, he can return to the person he left even if the person has made outward improvements to their lives.  The devil can even return to the person with other devils who are worse than him, causing the person to be worse off than they were under their previous possession.

The key to understanding how to keep a devil out once it leaves is the fact that the wandering devil Jesus spoke of found the person empty, with no spiritual inhabitant.  In other words, even if their life was cleaned up and improved, they still did not have Jesus Christ as their Lord and, by default, were not inhabited by the Holy Spirit who dwells in all believers.  So the devil had the opportunity to come back and to also invite other devils back with him.

7.  Evil spirits can encourage people not to believe in Christ without possessing them: Jesus made this point in the parable of the sower.  The seed that fell by the way side was the example of those who hear the word, then allow Satan to come along and snatch away what they learned so that they don’t receive salvation.  Paul also tells us in 2 Corinthians 4 that the god of this world, Satan, blinds the minds of those who refuse to believe in Christ.  

8.  Evil spirits can encourage people to actively resist the things of God without possessing them:  When Jesus spoke about his impending death in Matthew 16, Peter argued with him and basically told Jesus that he didn’t know what he was talking about.  Jesus then rebuked Satan because Peter was allowing Satan to influence his thinking to resist what Jesus said.

These are some of the basics about the influence of evil spirits.  Although the main weapon to cast out devils is the name of Jesus, God also has the power to work special miracles to cast them out like he did for Paul in Acts 19.  God has supplied us with the ability to get rid of devils, but we should never become puffed up when confronting them.  Jude 8-9 warns us against this.

My prayer is that this will help your understanding if you ever have to deal with an evil spirit.  If you study God’s word carefully, I’m sure he may show you even more than what I’ve mentioned here.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on October 19, 2008  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, God, religion, Satan

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on October 19, 2008

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2008/10/19/evil-spirits-in-our-midst-pt-2/

Evil spirits in our midst, pt. 1

Do demons exist?

In the past, I’ve had interesting discussions with believers in Christ and unbelievers about whether or not evil spirits, or demons, are real and active in today’s world.  People have given me opinions that range from a disbelief in their existence to evil spirits being present at every turn.  Some Christians have told me that when Christ came and died for our sins he got rid of all of the evil angels that were roaming the earth.  Unbelievers have expressed that since there were unexplained occurrences that happened in biblical times and they were not advanced scientifically, the writers of the Bible labeled these weird happenings as originating with demons.  Now that humans have advanced in the sciences, their opinion is that there is no longer a need to attribute strange behavior or strange occurrences as demonic, but tap into our scientific knowledge to explain these things.

My personal opinion, which is based on what the Bible says, is that evil spirits are real and active all over the world, but I don’t believe that people should blame them for their own bad behavior or that a devil is behind every tree waiting to pounce on every potential victim that passes by.  The spirit realm–including God, Satan, and their forces of angels–interact quite often with the affairs of men and it is necessary for Christians to be aware of how both sides operate so we can make choices that promote what pleases God.  There are several scriptures that point out the fact that evil spirits are still active on Earth and here are two scriptures written after Christ’s ascension to prove that Christ didn’t rid the world of them yet:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Ephesians 6:12

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  1 Peter 5:8

The principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness that Paul speaks of, since they are not flesh and blood, are evil spirits roaming the Earth and are like their leader, Satan, who is seeking people to destroy.  Revelation 12:9 also tells us these evil angels were kicked out of heaven with Satan into the Earth.

The devil’s devices

Satan and his devils have many tools at their disposal to deceive people and in some cases to possess them (i.e. inhabit their bodies).  Devils are very crafty and have had thousands of years to work out their various strategies.  Here are a few of their devices:

1.  Questioning/twisting God’s words:  This is one of their main points of attack and it’s used most often because they know that if people have doubts about God and what he says, they will be open to almost any of the other devilish devices and sin that is thrown their way.  Questioning and twisting God’s words were used to deceive Eve in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3 when Satan in his subtilty asked, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”  Then he went on to say, “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”  In other words, Satan was calling God a cosmic killjoy, standing in the way of what they should be allowed to do.

Satan used the tactic of twisting God’s word with Christ when he tempted him in the desert by telling him to throw himself off the temple in Matthew 4 where he misquoted Psalm 91:11 to try to make Jesus believe that God would send angels to rescue him.  This is also why the word of God fails to take effect in some people’s lives when it’s preached as portrayed in the parable of the sower since “Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.” [Mark 4:15]

One way he uses this tactic in modern times is by influencing “scholars” and publishers to release a whole array of Bible versions with the often quoted statement that a certain reliable version that has stood the test of time is not translated accurately or that it can’t be understood, causing believers to question it.  Then they scramble around to buy versions that omit words and misinterpret the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek of reliable manuscripts.

2.  Appearing as an angel of light:  Satan and his angels have the power to change their appearance to transform into angels of light [2 Corinthians 11:14].  By appearing as if they are good angels, they can easily deceive people who focus on outward appearances and can easily make them believe any ungodly message they speak.  This is why we are commanded in 1 John 4:1 to try (test) the spirits that speak to us to see whether they are truly from God.  Just because someone has a vision or apparition of an angel of light does not automatically mean the vision is legitimate.  Since devils have this ability, it should be no surprise that there are ministers who appear innocent, but preach dangerous false doctrines because they are under satanic influence [2 Corinthians 11:13, 15] as is witnessed on Christian TV every day.

3.  Metaphysical practices/curious arts:  These would include all practices used to convey or contact the evil forces of the spiritual world.  As stated in Deuteronomy 18, “There shall not be found among you any one … that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.  Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive [the heathens] out from before thee.”  What do all of these terms mean?

Divination is the practice of telling the future or revealing secrets.  It’s Satan’s counterfeit gift of mimicking God’s gift of prophecy and includes the use of tarot cards, crystal balls, tea leaves, and ESP or clairvoyance.  Observing times includes astrology and numerology.  An enchanter uses charms and spells to influence people or situations.  A witch, whether using “white” or “black” witchcraft, uses magick and rituals (holidays) to manipulate people and situations for selfish purposes (usually to become more powerful) and includes practicing Wicca, voodoo, vampirism, or santeria.

Charmers use objects they dedicate with magick for good luck or to ward off spells.  To consult with familiar spirits means a person becomes a medium for certain spirits or welcomes a particular spirit they become familiar with who accompanies them.  A familiar spirit can also be a devil masquerading as a person’s dead relative or friend.  Using a ouija board and candles or some other form of seance are popular ways of conjuring up familiar spirits.  Wizards use magick in much the same way as witches.  Necromancers are those who call up dead people who are really devils pretending to be the dead person supposedly contacted in the seance.

All of these practices overlap and are intertwined.  God hates all of them because they allow open access to satanic influence.  Rituals that accompany such practices can include premarital or extramarital sex, drug abuse, and sacrificing animals or humans.  A few other satanic practices are palm reading, transcendental meditation, and tantric yoga.

4.  False religion/paganism:  As the scripture says, “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles [unbelievers] sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.” [1 Corinthians 10:20]  Therefore, every false god is really a representation of an evil spirit who is hiding behind it.  A false religion is any religion that denies that there is one God who came to Earth as Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world and who rose from the dead on the third day.  Jesus Christ is the only way to God, according to the scriptures, and any religion that says otherwise is a false religion and is of the devil, according to the scriptures. 

However, this does not give anyone who may call themselves a Christian the right to hate anyone who is not a Christian.  Jesus Christ is love and anyone who would justify hatred towards another person needs to examine themselves.  We are commanded to love all people since Christ loved by dying for all of them, even if they bow down to false gods.  And those Christians who would justify their hatred should remember that all of us at one time were heathens who served Satan through our sinful nature.

5.  Music/Entertainment:  Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28:12-19 tell us about the origins of Satan, or Lucifer, or the devil.  In Ezekiel 28:13 we are told Lucifer had tabrets and pipes prepared in him in the day he was created.  He was all about making music to glorify God and brightly reflected God’s glory until iniquity, or evil, was found in him.  He ended up wanting glory for himself.  In the midst of him getting kicked out of heaven, God never revoked his gift to make music.  Lucifer just converted his skills to promote his own ideas and to attack God’s principles as much as possible.  Since he was so good at music, his talents transferred over to the entertainment industry in general.

If you travel all over the world, you can hear the music of people praising their sin–from worshipping their false gods to boasting about unjustified violence to bragging about sexual escapades.  You can also see movies that promote lying, fornication of every kind, violence, false religion, and other harmful ideas.  We owe it all to man’s sinful nature in partnership with the influence of devils.

But let me also add that all entertainment is not evil.  As a matter of fact, some of it is quite good and inspirational.  I just wanted to point out the true spirit behind the stuff that tends to be trash.

6.  Laying claim to physical territory:  The devil is called the prince of this world in John 12 and the prince of the power of the air in Ephesians 2, so we can conclude that he and his angels stake claim over territories around the world.  This is also implied in several other scriptures including Daniel 10 when God personally sent an angel to Daniel to answer his prayer about a timeline on Israel’s captivity.  The angel had to fight with the prince of Persia, an evil angel, for 21 days before Michael the archangel came along to help him fight off the prince so he could give Daniel his message.  As the angel was getting ready to leave Daniel he warned that the prince of Grecia (Greece), another devil, was going to arrive after his departure.

Jesus in Revelation 2:13 tells us that Pergamos is the city where Satan had his seat (throne) and was where he dwelled, or had his headquarters.  So at the time Revelation 2 was written (95 A.D.), Satan set up his territory in and around this city.  If we apply this information to today, it’s not such a stretch to believe that evil spirits can be assigned to a nation, city, or could even haunt a house of a person who may have been dedicated to Satan’s service at one time.

Back in 1996, I had the pleasure of visiting the D.C. area.  During that visit, I went to see a memorial building dedicated to one of our Presidents.  Upon arriving at the memorial with a friend of mine, we both felt a presence over the place at the same time and looked at each other and asked, “Did you feel that?” almost simultaneously.  There was a donation box right inside the door and I had my wallet out ready to give a donation when I had a strong feeling telling me to close my wallet and not give them any money.  This was the very moment my friend and I looked at each other.  We were hesitant to enter but were curious as to what was happening.  Knowing that God would protect us, we went in and it was then that we discovered that the memorial was run by the Freemasons and was also a Masonic temple where Masonic literature was sold.  That explained everything and it was then that we knew that God was warning us about an evil spirit assigned to the place.  We both felt God’s presence surrounding us in that place until we left.

7.  Imitating God’s spiritual gifts:  This devilish device was used by the magicians Jannes and Jambres when Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh to pronounce the seven plagues.  The magicians, with their devilish powers were able to copy some of the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron, like turning their rods to serpents, using enchantments to turn the Nile water to blood, and to bring up frogs.  Revelation 13 also lets us know that both the Antichrist and his sidekick, the false prophet, will be able to work signs and wonders to deceive the people of the world by Satan’s power.  Since signs and wonders can be used by devils to deceive us, Christians should not be so caught up in them that we don’t question them.  Although I have heard many a charismatic preacher criticize people for having what they call the “paralysis of analysis” to question so-called prophetic words and miracles, we have the right to test the spirits even if we are accused of not having faith to buy what they’re selling.

In pt. 2, I’ll highlight some of the ways we can tell that a person is being influenced or even possessed by an evil spirit.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on October 18, 2008  •  Permalink
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on October 18, 2008

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2008/10/18/evil-spirits-in-our-midst-pt-1/

God’s immeasurable mercies

Courtesy of republicdomain.com

Courtesy of republicdomain.com

Soiled garments, Satan, and salvation

And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.  And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.  And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.  Zechariah 3:1-5

This vision that Zechariah had about Joshua the high priest is one of the most inspiring visions recorded in the Bible, in my opinion.  In this vision, we see Joshua being summoned to appear before God in the spirit realm.  He was high priest during the time Zerubbabel and other Jews who had been in captivity returned to restore Jerusalem and the nation of Israel.  God had called Joshua to perform a ministry and when Satan got wind of it, he appeared to give God all the reasons why Joshua should not be chosen for ministry.  He aired all of Joshua’s dirty laundry and at the time of his appearance, Joshua was actually wearing some of that dirty laundry since he had on filthy garments.

In the midst of Satan’s unmerciful accusations, the Lord rebuked Satan and replaced Joshua’s filthy garments with fresh clothes to symbolize his grace toward the high priest in forgiving all of his sins.  Then Zechariah made the request that a miter, or diadem (crown), to be placed on Joshua’s head.

Just like Joshua 

All believers are reflected in this vision.  When God calls us to be saved, it means he has missions for us to fulfill.  In the moment his plans for us start to unfold, Satan shows up to resist the wonderful things God has called us to perform.  He highlights all of the times we lied, cheated, fornicated, used drugs, stole, or worse.  Then the Lord steps in to rebuke the devil, causing Satan to back off momentarily so God’s plans for us can move forward.  Like Joshua, we are a “brand plucked out of the fire.”  Joshua had been like a piece of wood burned in the fire of Jewish suffering in the captivity in the same way many of us Christians have been burned in the fires of life’s troubles and hardships brought on by our sins, from which God has chosen to deliver us.  This proverb of being plucked out of the fire could also refer to us being on the path toward hell and God’s choosing us to be spared.

At the moment God calls us to him through his son, we are clothed in the filthy garments of our sin.  The Lord, in the process of us humbling ourselves before him, sees fit to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and completely dismisses all charges brought against us by our adversary, the devil.  Then he spiritually clothes us with his righteousness, giving us the power to do what he calls us to do and to be what he calls us to be.  We don’t have the power within ourselves to clean ourselves from our sin.  We have to completely rely on God to do it for us.  No matter how many good deeds we do as sinners, whether it’s giving charitably, going to church, being good employees, or anything else, if we have not repented and surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ, all our acts of righteousness are like filthy rags and worthless in God’s eyes.  Yes, our good deeds may help improve our communities or the world, but they will not obtain eternal life for us; they will not get us into heaven.

In the same way that Zechariah requested a fancy headdress to be placed on Joshua’s head, we as brothers and sisters in Christ have the freedom to make special requests on behalf of our spiritual siblings to improve their ministries.  The mitre, which is an ornament of grace in this vision, symbolizes godly instruction (see Proverbs 1:8-9).

Joshua’s responsibility

And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.  Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.  Zechariah 3:6-8

After Joshua was cleansed, a relationship with the Lord had been established and with any relationship, there are responsibilities that are to be upheld for all parties involved.  The Lord lays out to Joshua what he expects from him and what Joshua can expect from the Lord if he fulfills his responsibilities.  The Lord wants Joshua to live in obedience to his will by obeying his word.  If Joshua does this, he can expect a place of prominence by overseeing parts of the Lord’s kingdom and to walk among “these that stand by.”  Since this vision takes place in heaven, “these that stand by” refers to the angels who are always surrounding the throne of God.  So Joshua was promised that he would walk among angels.

Joshua and his companions in v. 8 are referred to by the Lord as “men wondered at.”  This phrase means that they were people who were special displays of God’s power and they stood as godly signs for their generation.  They were “wondered at” because their ministries were a sign that God’s servant, the Branch, who is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, would appear to the nation of Israel to cleanse them from their sins.

Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth

God’s instructions to Joshua can be applied to us as well.  God calls us to a life of obedience to his commandments.  By reading, studying, meditating on his word, and praying, we discover what God expects us to do as a general part of the body of Christ and specifically in our own personal lives as we go about our daily tasks.  We won’t be on the mark 100% of the time because we still battle our sin nature, but deep down our spirit man will have a desire to do what’s right in God’s eyes out of our love for him, and we will always press toward the mark for the prize of our high calling in Jesus Christ.

As we complete the missions that God gives us in life, he will grant us greater responsibilities within his church and ultimately we will be in his court alongside Christ when we reign with him.  When we go to be with the Lord, we will be blessed to walk among the angels in heaven.

While we continue here on Earth in our ministries, we and our godly associates will continue to be “wondered at” by the world and by the angels.  Our godly lives are God’s special display to the world that God is real and is involved in the affairs of men, seeking to save the lost as we proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord and there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.  The angels see us as God’s fulfillment of the things he told them he would do before he formed the world, which things they have desired for ages to look into (1 Peter 1:12).  Through us he has shown the principalities and powers in heavenly places his manifold wisdom according to what he has always purposed to be fulfilled in us by Jesus Christ our Lord (Ephesians 3:10-11).

All of this is a magnificent display of God’s immeasurable mercy to sinful mankind who does not deserve his mercy.  But thanks be to God that he is gracious enough to give us what we don’t deserve if we embrace the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen!

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on September 21, 2008  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, God, religion, Satan

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on September 21, 2008

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2008/09/21/gods-immeasurable-mercies/

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