Friday, February 29, 2008

The Subtlety of SIN

  • A woman drove much, MUCH too fast between the rows of parked cars at my Shop n’ Save. In her arms was a dog with one paw on the steering wheel and the other on the window ledge.
  • On Goshen Road of my town the big SUV in front had a sticker on the back window which proclaimed SAVE AMERICA….beneath it was "Impeach Bush". The flag was nice, tho.
  • The state highway passes close by my home. On it, and slightly in front of us in the inside lane is this woman driving a mini-van back and forth over the dividing line. At the stoplight we found out that she was still furiously using both thumbs for text-messaging.
  • A year ago our local Wal-Mart lost money in the fourth quarter. How is this possible at the world’s largest retailer? Our friend who works there knows: it was due to shoplifting. Will increased security be required for all schools, all retailers, all restaurants and all courthouses? Will our church be next?
  • The news report this week is that more than one out of every hundred Americans is in jail. I wonder how many more should be there, but get free passes in the justice system? This is costing a veritable bundle.
  • Evolutionary thinking and teaching has infiltrated our public school system at all levels. I wonder if those teachers know what is really at stake? How many of them have studied this controversy?
  • What does Planned Parenthood do when it’s not destroying unborn babies? It raises money to help elect politicians who will pass laws that will make it easier for Planned Parenthood to kill babies. …Gary Bauer
  • Pride, idleness, and luxury-are the three daughters which are bred by prosperity… Thomas Watson
  • "Sin first enslaves...then damns"......Thomas Watson

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Our Spiritual Battles - Concluded

THE RIGHT WAY TO DEAL WITH DEMONIC POWER - Ch 5
Biblical Discipline Against Demonic Activity
We cannot deliver anyone by ourselves. It is of God and of God alone. However, He uses his servants to accomplish His work. "There are diversities of gifts, administration and operations (ministries)...but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal! (1 Corinthians 12:5, 7) The author does not believe that this ministry is a spiritual gift but rather one of the diverse operations. There are false "exorcists" as in Acts 19:13. Josephus, a Jewish historian of the 1st century wrote: "by the name of Solomon, he exorcised the demons!" Even today there are false "deliverers". Some jeer and scoff at Satan even though Michael the Archangel himself could not do it (Jude 9). It is God who equips some of his servants for this ministry. It is not for everyone even though it should be more evident in our churches today. "We wrestle…with principalities and powers!"


THE AGENT: As an instrument in God's hands for this ministry, these qualifications are needed:
Born Again...Acts 19:11-16
A pure Heart...Psalms 66:l8
Courageous...Acts 16:18
Totally Consecrated…Matthew 6:24
Perseverance in Prayer and Fasting…Mark 9:29
Knowledge and Practice of the Word of God
Free of all Occult Practices
Experienced or helped by some one with Experience
Nervously Well Balanced
Clothed in all of God's Armor
Gift of Discernment
Steadfast in Faith…Matthew 17:20
Free of Pride...Luke 10:20
All these qualifications are from God. Luke 10:17; Jude 9

THE AUTHORITY
The power does not come by our prayers, our knowledge, our gifts or our hands, but by God. His power gives authority over evil spirits. Here are the seven authorities:
1) The Name of Jesus Christ: The disciples of the 1st century attributed the authority over demons to His Name. (Mark 16:17; Luke 17:17-18; 1 John 4:2-3)
2) The Blood of Jesus Christ: Revelation 12:11 tells us that "they over- came the devil by the blood of the Lamb". Even though this verse applies to another period, the affirmation is real today. (1 John 3:8b; Colossians 2:1 5). The prophecy of Genesis 3:15 is fulfilled in John 1 2:31. Satan was defeated when Christ's blood was shed on the cross.
3) The Word of God: The mediums use the Bible in their rites. Satan used it when he tempted Jesus. The false prophets as angels of light use the Bible. But it is not a magical book. It is when the Word is in our souls and quoted with authority that puts the enemy on the run. Jesus did it in Luke 4. Satan certainly remembers with bitterness the event in Luke 10:18-19. Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word the sword of the Spirit.
4) Prayer to God: When the disciple were not able to exorcise the child, Jesus declared: "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting!' Collective prayer is powerful (Matthew 18:19-20). When the conditions are accomplished, we can depend on Him by prayer. (Matthew 21:22; John 14:13-14; 15:7)
5) Fasting before God: Fasting is also included in Matthew 17:21. Some say that "fasting" is not included in the older manuscripts in this passage, but nonetheless, it is a Biblical principle. (Matthew 6:1 7-18). It is to spend time with God for our spiritual good instead of our body needs. Fasting doesn't move the hand of God. It is simply an act of obedience that moves our hearts. We wrestle with evil powers but it is God who gives the victory
6) Faith: One must have total confidence in the Lord. If not don't ever think of facing off Satan. We must hold high the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16). We must resist him with a steadfast faith (1 Peter 5:9) The victory is promised. We must take hold of it by faith. The just shall live by faith!
7) The Holy Spirit: "He that is in you is greater that he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). It is He who gives the power. Even Jesus cast out demons in the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28). We can be filled with His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) or we can quench His power (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30).

The servant of God called to this diverse ministry must employ these seven authorities from God, and the Lord will caste them out! But how does one go about it?
THE ACTION
For the believer, the battle is different. He must submit and resist, then God gives the victory. For a non-believer who is possessed, it is another case. Each victim is different as each demon has its own personality. Satan is crafty! No plan can be made as each case is so much different. But here are several principles to succinctly follow.
1) Prayer of Protection: (Psalms 44:5; Luke 10:9; Matthew 21:22; John 15:7) Before going into battle, one must pray for the Lord's protection for the counselor, his family, the victim, his family and all who are engaged in the combat. A call to the Almighty God for a wall of protection.. .the shield of faith...is the first necessary step.
2) Identification of the demon(s): Jesus insisted himself that the demon give his name and tell how many there were. (Mark 5:9) It is not spiritually healthy to dialogue with an evil spirit, but it is wise to know what we are up against.
3) Command: One of the Lord's servants said: "We have learned that it is insufficient to just pray and sing even if Satan hates these two things. We must resist the devil and demand that he leaves:' It was Paul's method (Acts 16:18). Jesus said one word: "Go!" (Matthew 8:32) Acts 19:12 may be an exception but in most Biblical cases the command to go must be executed. The laying on of hands to cast out demons is not Biblical and is even dangerous. In Luke 1 3:1 3 we find the only occasion that there was laying on of hands on a demoniac person. But the verse that proceeds this act reads: "Jesus called.. .and said unto her: Woman, thou art loosed!" She was delivered before He laid on His hands. The laying on of hands was to "make her straight" No text can be found in the New Testament that justifies laying on of hands to cast out evil spirits. When you command an evil spirit to leave, never accept a negative response. Sometimes the demon or the victim cries out: "We're too tired to go on" or "you can't do it. We won't go!" We must appropriate God's promises in Mark 6:7 when Jesus that He"gave them power over unclean spirits" It is important to continue until all have been cast out.
4) Confession: "Many of them that believed came, and confessed and showed deeds:' (Acts 19:18) Those who have practiced the occult must confess their act, destroy the objects, books, films, CDs, etc. that bond them. They then must confess Christ as their Savior and Lord.
5) Decision: Everyone who has been delivered is ready to repent of their sins and receive Christ as their Savior. If not, the teachings of Matthew 12:43-45 should be given.
6) Renouncement: A complete and sincere separation from Satan and from those who practice his evil ways must be made. One must cut all ties with them. "But have removed the hidden things (occult)" 2 Corinthians 4:2. It should be done out loud. Satan’s influence must be broken! (Luke 14:33)
7) Follow-Up: There can be counter-attacks by the evil ones. The delivered and saved one must be equipped. The whole armor of God must be taught (Ephesians 6:10-18). Teach them the need of prayer, Bible study, Christian fellowship in a good local church and how to witness their faith.
While awaiting Christ's return, we are called to wrestle with our enemy. This is OUR SPIRITUAL BATTLE. Christ admonishes us: "Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not. That the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice because you names are written in heaven:' Luke 10:19-20
We hope that this helps you to understand our enemy and how to do battle against them. ......Dr. Ivan (Pete) Peterson

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Saturday, February 23, 2008

Our Spiritual Battles Continue

THE RESISTANCE TO DEMONIC POWER - CH 4
Biblical Defense Against Demonic Activity


Definitions:
The word "possession" is not found in the Greek New Testament. But we understand the use of this word. The one being possessed belongs completely to the one who possesses. His faculties are under control of another. In this sense, a born again believer cannot be possessed. But we can be attacked, oppressed and influenced. Paul was (1 Corinthians 12:7), as well as Peter (Luke 22:31), Job (Job 2:7), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:9).

Demons can quote Scripture... Matthew 4:6
They can transform themselves into angels of light... 2 Corinthians 11:14
They can torment physically... 2 Corinthians 12:7
They can paralyze Christian activity... I Corinthians 5:5
They can cause impure thoughts.. .2 Corinthians 7:3
They can tempt by pride., .1 Timothy 3:6
They can seduce by worldly pleasures...1 Timothy 3:14-15
They can persecute.. Revelation 2:10
They can corrupt the thought process.. .2 Corinthians 11:3
They can lie...1 Thessalonians 2:9
They can set traps.. .2 Timothy 2:6


Doctrine:
A truly born-again believer cannot be possessed because of the following in the Word of God. If we base what we believe on experiences instead of Biblical doctrine we can go far afield. There is a similitude between demon possession of a non-believer and the attacks on a child of God, but that does not permit the affirmation that a truly born-again Christian can be possessed. Here are some Biblical proofs:

Security of the Believer.. Romans 8:38-39
Sovereignty of God...1 John 5:18
Sealed by the Spirit.. .Ephesians 1:13
Sufficiency of Christ's Blood...Revelation 12:11
Seated in Heavenly Places... Ephesians 2:6
Situation as God's Children. ..2 Corinthians 6:15
Superior as to Judge them...1 Corinthians 6:3; Romans 16:20
And 1 John 4:
4You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

SUBMISSION... RESISTANCE.. VICTORY
James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you!" 1Peter 5:6-10 "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God. ...Whom resist stedfast in the faith. ..the God of all grace will make you perfect, stablish. strengthen, settle you!' The Biblical way to defend yourself is evident. It is not binding Satan, being slain in the Spirit or receiving the laying on of hands. It is to submit to God, resist the devil and victory is assured by the flight of the devil and the uplifting power of the Lord.
SUBMISSION
All obstacles to a complete submission to God must be confessed, submitted and taken away. All sins must be confessed and abandoned. All bad attitudes and thoughts have to be purified by the blood of Jesus. The human will must be surrendered to God's will. All cares and worries of this life have to be cast upon God (1 Peter 5:8). Everything has to be in accord to His will. A partial submission is not enough. It is useless to resist until one is completely submitted to God. Deuteronomy 18:18; Luke 14:10; Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 2:20.
RESISTANCE
The Word of God does not teach that we can bind Satan. Jesus did teach in a parable that a strong man must be bound before you can take his house, but this is a parable. He also gave apostolic power only to his apostles to be able to bind things on the earth. But the weight of the New Testament is resisting and not binding. Here are 7 authorities in the New Testament by which we can resist:

The Name of Jesus Christ...Luke 10:17-18; 1 John 4:2-3; 1 Corinthians 12:15
The Blood of Jesus Christ.. Revelation 12:11; John 12:31-33; 16:11; Colossians 2:1 5
The Word of God.. .Luke 4:11-13; Mark 1:12-13; Matthew 4:1-11
Faith in the Lord.. .1 Peter 5:9; Ephesians 6:12
Prayer in His Name.. Matthew 17:21; 18:19-20; Mark 9:29
Fasting for God...Matthew 17:21; 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 7:5
The Holy Spirit... 1 John 4:4; Matthew 12:28


Deliverance from demonic holds for the Christian is altogether different than
the exorcism of a possessed non-believer. According to the Word of God it is
simply resisting in a state of submission. God then gives the victory. Victory
is assured because God has said so!
VICTORY
God will cause the devil "to flee from us"! He promised that after humbling ourselves, resisting with a steadfast faith that He would perfect us, stablish us,
strengthen us and settle us! What a victory! This victory comes from God.
Deliverance depends on Him! Luke 10:19-20

And tho this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us. We will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph thru us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure for lo! His doom is sure. One little word shall fell him! …Martin Luther

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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Our Spiritual Battles Continue

THE REASONS FOR DEMONIC POWER Ch III
Biblical Descriptions of Demonic Activity
The same question is asked today. What are the snares of the devil? They are numerous but we will examine 13 of them. If we practice the following, it does not necessarily mean that we will be possessed or attacked by evil spirits. But these practices do open wide the gate to them. (Ephesians 4:27; 1 Timothy 3:7; 2Timothy 2:26)
TRANSFERENCE
Several believe that the transfer of demonic power from one person to another is because of heredity. They insist that one must confess the sins of their ancestors. In Exodus 20:3-5 it tells us that the parents sins will consequentially fall on their children even to the 3rd generation. However, Ezekiel 18:2, 19-20 shows us that they should no longer quote these words. There is a transfer but not by the blood line but by association: that is, contact with someone who practices the occult. That is the reason we don't want small children present when there is a battle with demonic hosts. That is why we start every session with a prayer of protection. There is also the reality of casting a curse by mediums. A Christian should never lower the shield of faith. Happily the Word tells us that "He that is in you is greater that he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4)
IDOLATRY
In Leviticus 1 7:7 the word "devils is used as the object of their sacrifices. Idol is often the synonym for demons in the Scriptures. In 1 Corinthians we read: "What shall I say then? That the idol is anything or which is sacrificed to idols is anything... that which is sacrificed is to devils." Behind every idol (religious or pagan) hides a demonic power. Any image or any fetish that was used for occult practices must not be found in the home or on the body. Any idol can hide demonic influences. Deuteronomy 32:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:19-20.
CHEMICAL STIMULI
We have already discussed this instrument of Satan before as one of the symptoms to diagnose demonic activity. It is also an open door to their attacks. Alcohol is a drug. These drugs tend to drop the shield of faith and the fiery darts of the evil one can hit its mark. These drugs affect the control of the nervous system by impairing restraint and judgment as well as performance, speech, reflexes, thinking and memory. Thus, there is a breakdown of the will so that demons can do their work. Wine and satanic temptation are the symptoms in Proverbs 20:1. Drugs play an important part in voodooism and in the Satanic Church. Satan can use these drugs in the local bar as well as at a six course dinner. Don't open the door!
SEXUAL PERVERSION
A high priest in the Satanic Church who became a Christian said: "Many like me were attracted to the Satanic Church via sexual perversion". This area has already been discussed as a way to diagnose the presence of demons, but it is well to mention that it is an open door to the evil ones. Ninety percent or at least a large percent of demonic problems are linked with acts of sexual perversion. The devil is a tempter (2 Thessalonians 3:5; Ephesians 2:1-3; Genesis 3:1-6). Balaam's doctrine was exactly this (Numbers 25; Revelation 2:14). Mary Madeleine in Luke 8:2 had seven demons. If she is the same lady of Luke 7, then she was either a prostitute because of the demons or prostitution opened the door to Satan. Apparently some of the sex demons controlled the normal orgasm responses. In a woman like Mary Madeleine prior to her salvation, demonic possession would effect the erogenous zones of her body and stimulate her.
CULTS
"But I fear, that by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted.. .for if he that cometh preaches another Jesus...another spirit.. another Gospel.. .And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 14). Many cults condemn occult practices like the Jehovah Witnesses, the Adventists and a few others, but many do not hide their use of occult rites. Even though they condemn the occult if they deny, twist and take away the truth of the Scripture, they do exactly as the demons do. Both, demons and cults, deny these three vital doctrines.
*The Word of God, Genesis 3:3-6
*The Deity of Christ, 1 John 4:3; 2 John 9-11; James 2:19
*The Blood of Jesus, Revelation 12:11; John 12:31-33
EMPTY MINDS
Any effort to empty a person's soul opens it to demonic presence. Such movements such as Sylva Mind Control, meditation, hypnosis, yoga, etc. leads one to empty his soul and thus invites the evil in to take control. Matthew 12:43-45 tells us of a demon who left a soul, came back and found it empty, and brought with it 7 demons more evil than itself.
MUSIC OF OCCULT ORIGIN
Did you realize that there is a "rock concert" in the Bible? In Exodus 32:17-18 Joshua thought he heard war cries among the people. Moses replied that it was the people dancing and singing. It was before an idol, the golden calf, that they were acting like teenagers in a rock concert. It was a sexual orgy as we read in 32:6 that they "rose up to play". Many times the words (if you can hear them) cry out sexual perversion, drugs, violence and occult sciences exactly as the demons do. The subliminal messages are included in many of the songs. If you back-mask certain ones as "Stairway to Heaven'; you can hear the praises to the devil. A group "AC/DC" proclaimed "The Devil in Me" 18 times in one of their CDs. Such music is not an organization of neutral sounds. The rhythm is of demonic origin. It is the same which the witch doctors use in the jungles of Congo. But today there are newer styles so that "rock and roll" is passe’. There is "punk-rock, rap metal, electronia, ganstra rap, British rap and many more. They fall in the same category. One must study the CDs to see if they are demonic or just artistic. One must examine their...
Words: Do you find violence, sex drugs and the occult in them?
Rhythm: Is it animist or sensual?
Origin: Determine from where it comes!
And what about "Christian Rock"?
Does the music ridicule the BLOOD OF JESUS as the demons do?
Does the music deny the DEITY OF CHRIST as the demons do?
Does the music proclaim EASY BELIEVISM as the demons do?
Does the music have a QUESTIONABLE ORIGIN?
Does the music GLORIFY GOD or the artists
?
OCCULT GAMES
Games that practice divination are an abomination to the Lord. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) Any game that has to do with it is an invitation to evil spirits. There are many: Ouija; table lifting; voodoo kits; Dungeons and Dragons, numerous video games; etc.
OCCULT LITERATURE
The Believers in Ephesus burnt their magic books (Acts 19:17-19). Our libraries contain large shelves of such books. The books are numerous and dangerous. In Europe the "Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses is occult. The Satanic bible can be bought anywhere. Books for children as the Harry Potter series lead our children down the occult path! The printed page has a great influence and the devil is using it to get a foothold in the lives of many.
OCCULT FILMS
Either in the local movie theater, on TV or on the internet, they penetrate the soul! Such films as "The Devils Advocate (1990), "The Blair Witch Project" (1999), "Book of Shadows" "Blair Witch II" (2000), "Exorcist" (1977 and 2000), "Bedassel" (2000), "The Little Vampire" (2000), "Harry Potter" (2000, etc.) and many more can open the mind gate to evil. Television presents such films as "Haunted'; "Charmed", "X-Files" "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" etc. He can attack and invade your home by a click of the mouse. Just don't do it!
PSYCHIC HEALING
The Bible teaches healing in James 5:10-18. But Satan has his imitations. They are numerous such as the use of pendulums, magnetism, cosmic vibrations, laying on of hands, baths, talisman, etc. Don't practice them or go to those who do. You may be healed physically but you will pay the price by falling into the snare of the devil.
OCCULT PRACTICES
Dr. Peterson was able to study over 300 different occult sciences and there are new ones every day. "Occult" means "hidden'. The danger of such practices can be seen in Isaiah 47:13-14. If you associate with them you are opening wide the door to the enemy of your soul. The list is long but a few are listed above.
ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS
Many things we do and think can lend a hand to demons. If you study Ephesians 4 you will find that the key verse is 27 which says: "Neither give place to the devil!" Surrounding this verse there are several actions and attitudes that do give ground to the devil. They are...
vs 25... lying vs 30.. grieving the Holy Spirit vs 26.. anger vs 31.. bitterness vs28...stealing vs31... backbiting vs 29,30.. corrupt communication vs 32... unforgiving spirit
Remember Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5? Satan caused them to lie to the Holy Spirit. Disobedience is the same as divination (1 Samuel 15:22-14)! Don't open the door! The world calls out to your flesh. As you yield to this call, the devil does the rest.

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Monday, February 18, 2008

Our Spiritual Battles Continue

THE RECOGNITION OF DEMONIC POWER - Ch II
Biblical Discernment of Demonic Activity
In Matthew 4:24 "they brought to Him sick people that were taken with DIVERS DISEASES and torments, and those who were POSSESSED WITH DEMONS1 and those which were LUNATICK'S So there were and are physical, mental and demonic problems. How can they be diagnosed? It all depends on God! The Lord gives discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10) from Himself (1 John 4:3) and from His Word. We have discovered 6 principles that we can use as a guide in uncovering satanic takeover. All these 6 principles must be taken in consideration together.

THE PERSPECTIVE OF SPIRITUAL THINGS
In other words, what is their aversion or reaction to...
The Word of God...Mathew 4:11-12
The Name of Jesus...1 John 4:1-3
The Servants of the Lord...Acts 16:7
The Blood of Christ...Revelation 12:11
The Gospel of Truth...2 Corinthians 11:3-4
If they react to quotations from the Bible, the use of the Name and Blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit in the Lord's servant, or to Gospel truth in prayer, praise and singing of good Biblical hymns, we can start considering that we have a demonic case. Sometimes they confess Jesus, but is it the Jesus of the Bible? Everyone has their Jesus. Jesus of the Jehovah Witnesses is the archangel Michael.
Jesus of the Mormons is a god among many gods.
Jesus of the Spiritists is a superior medium.
Jesus of the Witches(Wicca) is a super-witch.
Jesus of the Christian-Scientists is a divine idea.
Jesus of the Baha'is is one of nine manifestations.
Jesus of the Theosophists is a reincarnation of the universal soul.
BUT THE JESUS OF THE BIBLE IS THE LORD YAWEH. . GOD INCARNATE!
PERSONALITY
When love suddenly becomes hatred; when courtesy changes to vulgarity; when intelligence gives away to folly with rapidity, one must examine to see if this comes from demonic sources. Caution is underlined these same symptoms are caused by schizophrenia. But with an opposition to the things of God intertwined with a quick change in personality we start to recognize that the trouble comes from a supernatural power other than that of the victim. It was the case of King Saul in 1 Samuel 16:5 and of Judas in John 6:70-71; 13:27. Dr. Unger wrote: "The automatic projection of a new personality in the victim is the chief distinguishing mark. The new personality reveals itself in a different voice and some- times uses different language on a completely different educational or cultural level!'
PHENOMENA AND LYING WONDERS
When strange and unexplainable phenomena is in or is around a person who has other symptoms, it may indicate the presence of evil spirits. Pharaoh's magicians did it in Exodus 7:11,22; 8:3, 14. It will be evident in the end of time as seen in Matthew 24:24 and 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10.
Signs are found 60 times in the New Testament
Wonders are found 16 times in the New Testament
Miracles are found 28 times in the New Testament
These were operated by the Lord but also by Satan and his agents (Matthew 7:22; Acts 8:11; 2Thessalonians 2:9; Mark 13:22; Revelation 16:14) Do not be fooled! If the phenomenon cannot be explained or if they are not in accord with the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 13:1-9), they could, with the other principles diagnose a demonic presence.
PRACTICING THE OCCULT
If the victim practices occult sciences, it could explain the presence of the phenomenon. The word, "occult" comes from the Latin meaning "hidden". The door is opened to Satan's attacks by seeing films on the occult, reading their books, playing their games; visiting their healers, mediums and fortunetellers. There are many occult practices and new ones appearing every day. Here is an abbreviated list of some of the 300 the author has examined.
Tarot Cards Astrology Table Tipping

Levitation Psychokinesis Palmistry
Meditation Witchcraft Hypnosis
Pendulums Reincarnation White Magic

Clairvoyance Crystal Gazing I Ching
Numerology Dream Analysis Telepathy
Astral Projection ESP Tea Leaves
Fetishes Phrenology Mind Control

Talismans Thought Transfer Colorology
Fortune Telling Seances Quija Board
Yoga Spiritism Voodoo

Materialization Necromancy Automatic Writing
Mysticism Clairaudience Horoscopes
Palm reading etc.


These practices coupled with the other symptoms reveal the presence of demonic activity. "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the rudiments of the world (THE SPIRITS OF THE UNIVERSE) and NOT AFTER CHRIST… Colossians 2:8
PERVERSION
In Ephesians 5:12 it speaks of "pleasures of darkness". They are called "seducing spirits" in 1 Timothy 4:1. This perversion manifests itself in sexual deviation, blasphemy, lying, violence and chemical stimuli like drugs and alcohol.
SEXUAL PERVERSION:
Demons are impure (Matthew 10:1), mean (Ephesians 6:12) and evil (Luke 7:21). This includes nudity (Luke 8:27), prostitution (Luke 8:2; 7:37) homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13,6,1 7) as well as masturbation, zoolophilia, and fornication.
BLASPHEMY:
Hal Lindsay writes: 'A continual compulsion to blaspheme the Name of God and of Christ, with the other symptoms is a sign of demon influence" Revelation 13:1, 5-6; 1 Timothy 1:20; Acts 16:1 7
LYING:
The devil is a liar from the beginning. He likes to continue this action via demonic influence. 1 Kings 22:21-22; John 8:44; Acts 5:3
VIOLENCE:
That was the case of the demonic in Mark 5:3-5. The devil is a murderer (John 8:44), It was an evil spirit that threw the young boy into the water and the fire (Mark 9:22).
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL:
The Greek word for "sorcery" is "pharmakia" that gives us "pharmacy" or 11drugs't Such is the case of the anti-christ in Revelation 18:23. According to the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse, "Alcohol is a drug!" The Michigan Substance Abuse Association tells us that "1 million Americans are addicted to alcohol". Any chemical stimuli that destroys the will of a person opens the door to the influence of evil spirits. This with the other symptoms starts to give us a picture of the demonic activity in a persons life.
PHYSICAL SIGNS
Hal Lindsay writes: "With the other symptoms, it is possible to observe demon activity in the victims face."
Seen in the body: Sickness (Luke 15:11, 16); Strength (Mark 5:4) Suicide (Matthew 17:15-18; Mark 9:22)
Seen in the eyes and face (Matthew 6:22-23)
Seen by the hearing (Matthew 9:32-33; Mark 9:25)
Seen by the speaking (Isaiah 8:19; 29:4)
The sound of speech, the context of what is said, the way and mannerism, the vocabulary and the accompanying body language helps us to discern the evil personality deep within the individual. How did the boy mentioned in Mark 9:14-22 become possessed?

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Friday, February 15, 2008

Our Spiritual Battle

BLAIRSVILLE, Georgia (CNN) -- A young hiker whose body was found in northern Georgia died from blunt force trauma to the head and was decapitated, an autopsy found Tuesday.
Meredith Emerson was last seen hiking with her dog on Blood Mountain in Georgia on New Year's Day. Meanwhile, charges against the suspect in the case were upgraded to murder, making Gary Michael Hilton, 61, potentially eligible for the death penalty, prosecutors said.

DeKalb, IL 2/14/08 Steven Kazmierczak. opened fire on a geology class Thursday at Northern Illinois University, shooting 21 people before turning the gun on himself. Six people were killed in addition to the shooter, who committed suicide. He carried three guns into the classroom, calmly reloading between volleys.

NYC 2/12/08 Dr. Kathryn Faughey, 56, was hacked to death with a meat cleaver inside her East 79th Street office around 8 p.m. Tuesday by an unknown man. She also was stabbed some 15 times. Police said the man apparently knew the layout of the building. He escaped through a back entrance. Dr. Kent Shinbach, who came to Faughey's aid, was also injured by the suspect.

The FBI statistics on violent crimes are claimed to be decreasing from 1973 to 2005 from just under 50 per 1000 to about 20 per 1000, children under 12 not included

Note: The violent crimes included are rape, robbery, aggravated and simple assault, and homicide. Deceiving: adjusted for population, not totals, does not include unreported estimates, severity or viciousness of individual crimes, molestation’s and children, backgrounds of criminals, or impact on individuals and communities. According to the Census Bureau, the US population increased by about 130 million from 1950 to 2000 from 150 to just over 281 million. The above statistic on crime is from the US Justice Bureau.

What does it all mean?

Dr. Peterson continues:

THE REALITY OF DEMONIC POWER-Ch I
Biblical Declarations of Demonic Activity
Are we living in a time of accelerated demonic activity? Does the teaching apply to us today?
DECLARATIONS FROM THE WORLD
The people of the world believe it! The magazine Newsweek tells us that "today tens of thousands across the U.S. are dabbling in Satanism, witchcraft, voodooism and other forms of black and white magic!' Time magazine consecrates a special edition entitled "The Occult Revival....Satan Returns!" The French magazine Evenenment de Jeudi" says that "73% of the French consult their horoscopes" Others as the Le Nouvel Observateur and France Soir consecrate many pages about demonic forces. The occult is present on the screens of our movie theaters, our televisions and our computers. The newspapers advertise the services of spiritual mediums, witches and fortunetellers. Charlatans abound but there are those who are for real. Films, book stores, horoscopes, mediums, healers, fortunetellers, etc., proclaim Satan's program and activities.
DECLARATIONS FROM THE WORD
If it were not so we must rip out many pages of our Bibles. "Demonia" (gr for demons) is found 60 times in the New Testament. "Diabolos" (gr for the devil), Satan, Lucifer, the dragon, etc. covers pages of the Bible. It is sufficient to read Ephesians 6:12, 5:8 and James 4:7. Other texts confirm this as 1 John 4:4; 2 Corinthians 11:14; Matthew 10:1; Luke 10:17; John 14:50; 2Timothy 2:26 and many others. The Old Testament likewise proclaims "The Lord has rejected you because you welcome foreigners from the east who practice magic and communicate with evil spirits" (Isaiah 2:16). The historical fall of Satan is recorded in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14.
The occult sciences can be summed up by the 8 ways it was practiced in Deuteronomy 18:9-14...

Divination (Ezekiel 21:26-28; 2 Kings 21:6; Acts 16:6)
Astrology (2 Kings 23:5; Isaiah 47:1 3-1 5)
Augur, Soothsaying (2 Kings 17:17-18; Isaiah 8:18-10; 29:4)
Magicians (Exodus 22:18; 1 Samuel 15:23)
Charmers (Psalms 58:4-6; Numbers 23:33)
Necromancers (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6; Job 7:9-10; 2 Samuel 12:23)
& Witch/Wizard/Sorcerer (Leviticus 20:6-27; 19:26,31; Isaiah 8:18)

Their methods are revealed:
They viciously attack... 1 Peter 5:8
They take advantage of our weaknesses...2 Corinthians 2:11
They blind spiritual vision.. .2 Corinthians 4:4
They steal away the truth... Mathew 13:19
They deceive...Revelation 13:9; 2 Corinthians 1:14-15
They hinder the witness of the Gospel. .2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
They afflict and destroy... Acts 5:3
They possess. Mathew 8:31
They tempt...Luke 22:33
They control...Mark 9:22
They speak... Mathew 9:32; Isaiah 8:19

The world believes it! The Word of God declares it! The existence and the activity of demons are realities! We must prepare ourselves to do battle against them. But in so doing we must realize that there are dangers to be avoided.

DANGERS TO BE AVOIDED
When dealing with the invisible world we must realize that they are subtle. We must not fall in a pit of false doctrine or practices. The Bible must be our guide, so watch out for the following devices of our enemy.

EXTREMISM:
C. S. Lewis: "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence The other is to believe and feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight."
"Demons, demons are everywhere!" Obsessed with the idea and suspect mental or emotional problems, all sicknesses, accidents, lust, etc. as demonic." They don't exist!" "They were for Bible times!" Then Deuteronomy 18:10-13; 2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:12; Mark 5, etc., are not true! Some have the theory of accommodation, symbolism or mental problems to try to prove they don't exist.
EXPERIENCES:
Real Bible students base experiences on Biblical doctrine and not doctrine on experiences which results in easy spiritual formulas as well as dangerous short cuts.
EXCUSES:
Blaming everything on the devil! We do have 3 enemies who are allies: Satan, the flesh (our selves) and the world. They all work together. But don't blame the devil if it is your fleshly desires or the lust of the world is at fault!
EGOISM:
When in such spiritual combat many times one feels that they have reached the summit of spiritual attainment. 1 Timothy 3:6 warns us ~. . Lest being lifted up in pride he falls into the condemnation of the devil. Jesus warns of this in Luke 10:20.
ERRONEOUSLY EQUIPPED:
According to 2 Corinthians 2:11 and Ephesians 4:27 you can be ignorant of his devices. That is the reason for this study. to equip us for the battle. The emphasis is on Jesus but we must know how the enemy works.

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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Our Spiritual Battle

OMAHA, Neb. — The teen gunman who killed eight people and himself in a mall last year once told social workers he was satanic and acknowledged that he often acted before thinking of the consequences, according to newly released court records. Robert Hawkins' file includes hundreds of pages of court transcripts, drug tests and letters from caseworkers, therapists and family members. They give the clearest picture yet of a young man who told a therapist in April 2005 that "he is not sure if there is a God or life after death and that when he dies, he'll probably go to hell." His anger boiled over.
More than two years later, on Dec. 5, the 19-year-old Hawkins walked into a department store in the Westroads Mall and shot 11 people, killing eight, then committed suicide.

The Colorado missions center shooter talked to his "voices" at night. He may have told a fellow trainee that he would "get even".

What about the Virginia Tech shooter, Cho Seung-Hui? On April 16, 2007, he killed 32 students and teachers, wounded a dozen or so more. He had been treated for an "anxiety disorder", and was filled with rage.

Tinley Park, Illinois (Jan 2008) – suspected robber kills 5 or 6, fondles one woman, in strip mall women’s clothing store

Baton Rouge, LA 2/8/08. This morning at 8:30 am a woman walked into the 2nd floor classroom, shot two students to death, then committed suicide.

What does it all mean?


Veteran foreign missionary, Dr. Ivan (Pete) Peterson in his booklet, OUR SPIRITUAL BATTLE:
"Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to SEDUCING SPIRITS and DOCTRINES OF DEMONS."….1 Tim. 4:1

We are now living in troubling times! For centuries, Satan and his demonic cohorts have manifested their power, but in the last chapter of history, they have increased their activities.
Many believe that if Christ is proclaimed, there is not necessity to bother with Satan and his demons. But that is an unhealthy and unbiblical attitude! Jesus Christ Himself has shown us the importance of this subject (Luke 10:18-21). The Bible is clear when it speaks of this battle: "For we WRESTLE not against flesh and blood, but against PRINCIPALITIES, against POWERS, against RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD, against SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS in high places." We are in a war! We must withstand! We must know their strategy! We must not give place to the devil! We must understand the reality of demonic power!

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Monday, February 11, 2008

John Lawrence: Demonology Part 5 of 5

Part 5
(b) The fact of what Christ stated concerning angels in the New Testament
Those who hold that angels are spirit beings that do not have bodies and could not take wives of the daughters of men refer to what Christ said as proof of the impossibility of angels propagating using Matt. 22:30; Mark 12:25; Luke 20:35-36. We consequently need to examine just what our Lord did say very carefully because much of the interpretation
hinges on these statements made by Christ.
When we consider the context of Matt. 22:23-33, Christ is saying to the
Sadducees that "Your question is out of order". The Law of Leviticus is made for earthly matters, and perpetuation of the human race and keeping of the land in the original family. This is an important dispensational truth. The question is out of order because in the resurrection there is no propagation at all: "just like the angels in heaven". The fixed law of the earth is for each to begat after their kind. However, animals do not begat angels. We do not know just what angels could begat if they did begat. We do know, nevertheless, that angels are seen as men, sometimes no different from those of the human race. It is certainly not impossible that wicked fallen angels could leave their proper realm and invade the human sphere in order to work such abominable confusion among humanity that the promise of Genesis 3:15 could never be fulfilled.
Christ said that the angels of God in heaven neither marry nor are given in marriage. The reason: angels are immortal and each is the direct creation of God. They do not propagate their company by having baby angels. There is no possibility of a marriage relationship among the angels in heaven for there are no female angels, and there is absolutely no need for such with the Creator there.
So very significant is the phrase "in heaven" that A. W. Pink makes the following pointed comment:
"Against the view that the sons of God refer to fallen angels Matt. 22:30 is often cited. But when the contents of this verse are closely studied it will be found there is, really, nothing in it which conflicts with what we have said above. Had our Lord said, "in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God" and stopped there, the objection would have real force. But the Lord did not stop there. He added a qualifying clause about the angels: He said as the angels of God in heaven. The last two words make all the difference. The angels in heaven neither marry nor are they given in marriage. But the angels referred to in Genesis 6 as the 'sons of God' were no longer in heaven; as Jude 6 expressly informs us 'they left their own principality’. They fell from their celestial position and came down to earth, entering into unlawful alliance with the daughters of men. This, we are assured, is the reason why Christ modified and qualified His assertion in Matt. 22:30. The angels of God in heaven do not marry, but those who left their own habitation did". Gleanings in Genesis, p 94-95.
Christ's statement about angels, rather than showing they cannot marry, enforces the position that some of them actually did "marry" (they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose) and are confined in Tartarus now for this wicked, wicked act. Such sin was immediately judged.
(4) The Nature of Satan and his activity favors this view
His principle scheme: Deception
His program requires evil spirits
Both the work and program of Satan throughout history favor the
position that the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 were fallen angels
who cohabited with women. When God gave the promise in Genesis 3:15 concerning the coming of the seed of the woman, Satan inspired Cain to kill his brother. Then he worked to corrupt the entire world of humanity so that there was a race of "monstrosities" and an impure race, trying to make it impossible for God to fulfill His word in the garden (cf. Gen. 3:15). If Satan could do this, he would have averted his eventual doom there prophesied. How nearly he succeeded is evident from the fact, that with the exception of one family, "all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth" (Gen. 6:12). Failing at this, Satan set out immediately after the flood with the Tammuz story (Ezek. 8:14): a counterfeit worship of one who was dead and resurrected and the
fulfillment of the promised seed.
This idolatrous worship filled the whole earth. It was out of this that God called Abraham and promised that the Coming One was to be a descendant of his (Gen. 12:3; Gal. 3:18). Satan's attacks were now concentrated on this one and his family. He failed to have the son of promise after the time of Life for both him and his wife Sarah. Nevertheless, God was faithful. This same barrenness was experienced by Isaac and Rebekah (Gen. 25:21), when God heard and intervened. Jacob experienced great difficulty with his brother Esau. Later, when his
whole family was in Canaan a great famine took place, which, except for God's working, would have annihilated them by starvation. Nevertheless, they disobeyed by leaving the land of promise. Being preserved in Egypt where they grow to a great nation, again Satan sought to destroy the promised seed by moving Pharaoh to seek to destroy all of the male children (Ex. 1:15,16). Having failed by outward pressures to extinguish them, Satan tried the method of joining them. The children
of Israel having left Egypt experience the leavening influence of the mixed multitude and their continual murmuring which nearly caused their entire destruction. When God narrowed the line to Judah, he became the object of Satan's attack. When it was narrowed to the family of David, the Satanic attack upon David became tremendous through Absalom and others as the result of David’s sin. In the line of David the lineage was often narrowed to one descendant to the throne because of Satan’s attacks.
We see that Satan has sought continually to oppose God’s will and God’s Word. The method of angels marrying women of the human race and producing offspring half human and half angel has been just a part of Satan's total working to nullify God’s Word and to thwart his own judgment and doom.
Satan undoubtedly had something else behind this action of permitting some of his angels to cohabit with women. Satan is not omnipotent nor is he omnipresent. Moreover, when he fell, only one-third of the heavenly host fell with him according to Rev. 12:4, leaving two-thirds with God. If Satan is going to be victorious, there is the great need for additional forces to be secured on Satan’s side – particularly spiritual forces that could do spiritual battle. This was a very ingenious way of accomplishing this. The offspring of this union would be of such a nature that even upon death would be spirit beings who would continue to carry on the work and program of Satan because they were wicked themselves, and different from pure human beings. We shall be discussing why they would not be confined in Sheol below.
Wait a minute, you say. Why could not God just create more forces of His own? Isn’t He the infinite God and Creator? I suppose He could, but YOU will have to ask HIM.
(5) The Results of the Union favors this view
If pious Sethites married unbelieving women of the family of Cain, there is no reason whatsoever that their progeny should be any different from the rest of humanity. However, if angels cohabited with women, it would be expected, and rightfully so, that their offspring would be very distinct.
What does Scripture say?
Genesis 6:4, "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."
We need to carefully look at this verse:
The word translated "giants" is "Nephilim"(plural). This is a verbal adjective or noun of passive significance and comes from "Naphal," which means "to fall". Hence, "Nephilim" means "the fallen ones."
The Septuagint translators rendered the Hebrew Nephilim by ‘gigantis’, and this suggested the translation "giants". The basic idea behind this Greek word is not monstrous size, which is a secondary and developed meaning. It is "earth-born" from the Greek ‘gegenes’, and was employed by the Greeks of the mythical Titans who were partly of celestial and partly of terrestrial origin.
What then does Genesis 6:4 mean? "There were fallen ones in the earth in those days." Newall points out that "earth" is the emphatic word here in the sentence: "in the earth" where they had no business to be.
The "fallen angels" had been cast down to the sphere of the earth, but now they had entered into a sphere where they had no right to be. In the language of the NT they had "left their own (R.V. 'proper') habitation" (Jude 6).
But even after that--i.e., even after God judged the fallen angels for this extreme wickedness, yet "fallen ones" persisted on the earth through the births that were produced.
Gen. 5:3, "Adam begat a son in his own likeness."
Just so these Nephilim would have produced offspring after their own likeness. Then the name "Nephilim" would refer to the offspring even as it did to the fathers after the fathers were off the scene. This is where the Greek word "earth-born" becomes involved.
Unger believes that Nephilim all the way through Genesis is a reference to the offspring and that the expression "and also after that" refers to the sons of Anak in Num. 13:33. I do not believe this is possible.
First, God destroyed all of this wicked mixture at the flood. Secondly none of the angels who practiced this sin are free to do it again, it is very unlikely that others would do it in light of the punishment inflicted upon the angels who did. The expression used in reference to calling the sons of Anak "fallen ones" might be a derived meaning because of their strength, size, and wickedness, etc., without being a direct indication that these were in anyway related to half angel and half human birth.
Regardless of whether the references to Nephilim refer to the fallen angels or their fallen offspring, or both, the end of the verse must be a reference to the offspring of this union.
"And they bare (children) to them, the same (became) mighty men which were of old, men of renown." Two concepts are referred to here:
(1) They were very strong.
(2) They were intelligent and leaders in wickedness.
At this point we need to review the doctrine of angels. Angels have:
(1) Great strength.
Ps. 103:20, "Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that
excel in strength . .
2 Pet. 2:11, "whereas angels, which are greater in
power and might. . ."
Rev. 18:21.
Matt. 28:2; Mark 16:4.
(2) Great wisdom or knowledge.
2 Sam. 14:20, "and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth."
With these things understood about angels, it is understandable that the offspring from such a marriage would be "mighty men which were of old." Thus, the nations all speak about this in their traditions as the Greeks do of the Titans; "men of renown," men of greater than normal intelligence or knowledge. However, this strength and intelligence was not used for God; it was used for wickedness and evil. Wickedness is the third result of this union.
"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Genesis 6:5.
There is no reason why this would be the outcome if Sethites married Cainites. However, it would have been impossible for it to have been otherwise for angels to produce Nephilim who reproduced other
offspring who continually were perpetuating evil. Consequently, the results of the union indicate that the angels were involved with humanity:
(l) They are called the same as their fathers: Nephilim,
(2) They are mighty,
(3) They are renown,
(4) They are wicked and leaders in wickedness.
(6)) The fact that God has various places of confinement favor this view. We need to carefully distinguish the places of abode in the underworld because they are not synonymous terms.
Gehenna = Lake of Fire: The eternal abode of all the wicked, prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matt, 5:22,29,30, 10:28, 13:9, 23:15,33.
Mark 9:43,45,47.
Luke 12:5.
James 3:6. ... What about Rev 9:14?
Tartaros, or Tartarus = Present prisonhouse (place of the dammed) for angels that sinned. 2 Pet. 2:4.
Hades or Sheol (OT) = Place of the departed spirits of man. Since the resurrection of Christ this involves only the unrighteous dead.
Abyss (Gr. abussos, appears 9 times in NT, meaning boundless or bottomless, transl. 7 times as "abyss" in my NASB)
(See Pember, pp. 75-6 for connection with the Sea),
Luke 3:31, translated "the deep."
Rev, 9:1-11 "bottomless pit" = "the pit or shaft of the abyss."
This is the release of demons who have been confined to the abyss and they are all freed in the middle of the tribulation period.
Rev. 11:7 with 17:8 = The Roman Empire.
Rev. 20:1-3, Satan kept in the Abyss during the Millennium.
Tartarus keeps angels, Hades keeps men and the abyss keeps demons, showing a distinction between each.
Christ had the power to send the legion of demons into the abyss, which Mark says was "out of the country," and there they would have been confined until the middle of the Tribulation. Luke 8:31, Mark 5:10.
Satan seems to have God’s permission in the middle of the Tribulation to release all the demons in the abyss. God allows this to show that He still is in sovereign control and that all the demons cannot change the course of events and the plan of God.
Whenever demons cry out to the Lord it was to acknowledge the fact that they knew who He was, and to ask if He had come to torment them before their time. Matt. 8:29.
Both statements would have been out of place for angels who present themselves before the throne of the Living God, being the direct creation of God, but very significant for demons who were not created by the Lord, but created by "fallen angels" through cohabiting with the daughters of humanity. This (verse) shows their great intellect and supernatural knowledge of things and even of their ultimate doom and torment.
Why would the Nephilim not go to Sheol or Hades when they died in the flood? Simply because Sheol was the place for the spirits of the human race; but with the intrusion of angels into humanity, the offspring was neither angelic nor human. They could be confined neither to Tartarus, nor to Sheol. Therefore, they were "free" to roam the earth following the flood as free spirits seeking a body to possess and control for wickedness and violence. Because of their wisdom they were able to deceive many as to their true nature. The Lord seemingly prepared a place for them, called the abyss, and while He was here on earth confined many demons to the abyss. These then will be freed in the middle of the Tribulation, and all confined along with Satan and his
angels to the abyss during the Millennium. These are all loosed again for a short season; then to be confined eternally to the Lake of Fire at the great White Throne Judgment.
The very fact that there are these separate places of confinement for angels, demons and mankind, is added confirmation that demons were the offspring of angels and members of the human race. Upon their destruction in the flood, they could not be confined either with angels, nor with mankind, but became free spirits to roam the earth.
What about Colossians 1:16?
"For by(‘en) Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by (di’) Him and for(‘eis’) Him."
According to this teaching demons were directly created by Him. Therefore, this must be a wrong interpretation of Scripture and a wrong view as to how demons originated???
Not at all! Man has the power of procreation and Adam begat a son in his likeness. Christ created Adam who procreated a son, etc. Christ also created the angels and seems to have given them powers of procreation even though these powers are not used in the angelic sphere. Christ is a man in heaven, but does not use His manhood; in the same way men and women will retain their sexual distinctions in the resurrection, but will not be used in marriage (Matt.22:30). Christ did not say that man and woman would be without sexual distinction in the resurrection, but only that they did not marry.
If God created angels and created man, He created also all that might be produced by them potentially in the original person. That is, Adam contained the world in his own body. All the offspring of Adam are subject to the sovereign control and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ as Creator. The same thing would be true of the offspring of such a union of angels and mankind. They are subject to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Demons recognized this and they bowed before Him. Mark 5:6.
They recognized His person. Mark 5:7.
They realized His power to punish and command them. Mark 5:7-10.
Demons are not out of the Sovereign control of the Lord. Colossians 1:16 is given to refute the Gnostic concept of dualism which held that there were other "gods" and powers eternally existent over which the Lord had no control or authority. This is unbiblical. Col. l:l6 in no way teaches against demons coming from a mixture of angels and human beings.
(7) The Judgments Inflicted on the Wicked Favors this View
There is both the judgment upon angels that are confined to Tartarus
and there is the Judgment upon humanity that resulted in the destruction of all with the exception of one man and his family that needs to be considered in dealing with this subject.
Unger commenting on this point says:
"...the divine account in the 0.T. and the inspired comments in the NT unanimously represent the whole episode as being a unique and shocking abnormality, breaking down every God-ordained law for both the physical and the spiritual realms, and producing outrageous confusion in both; so that unmitigated incarceration in the lowest pits of Tartarus is the penalty for the angelic offenders on one hand, and a
world-engulfing deluge the punishment for human folly on the other." Ibid, p. 51. Each dispensation is always and MUST be followed by judgement.
The judgment of only certain angels and not all fallen angels and Satan cannot be accounted for in any other way. Yet, from the very fact that it is introduced in the NT, without explanation, it is necessary to have an adequate Scriptural explanation. This view that the sons of God are angels alone gives us an adequate explanation and it is completely harmonious with all Scripture on the subject.
The judgment upon mankind must also have an adequate Scriptural explanation. The fact of Sethites marrying unbelieving Cainites, while certainly no small thing in God's sight, is nevertheless not something for which God destroys all mankind in righteous wrath. A righteous judge must have a punishment equal to the crime committed. If God were going to destroy the race, the sin of Adam and Eve was far greater in wickedness with everlasting results than that of Sethites marrying Cainites. A father who over punishes his son is just as wrong as a father who never punishes his child. God is infinitely righteous and the punishment shows the gravity and depth of the sin. When we look at the judgment of the flood upon humanity, only the position of angels cohabiting with humanity and producing confusion and wickedness would
account for such action on the part of the Creator. The nature of the judgment then is added proof that the sons of God are angelic beings.
(8) The inadequacies of the opposite position favors this view
Those who have held that the sons of God are simply godly Sethites and that the daughters of men speak of Cainites and these are the ones who intermarried include many such as:
John Chrysostom (the literalist interpreter of the Eastern Church), Cyril of the allegorical Alexandrian school, Theodoret, almost all the later theologians, and in modern times Hengstenberg, Keil, Lange, Jamieson, Fausset, Brown, Matthew Henry, C.I. Scofield, and many others.
There are certain objections to this view which have no adequate explanation if we hold that the sons of God and daughters of men refer only to believers and unbelievers respectively.
(a) It leaves unexplained why God's people were limited to
the male sex.
(b) It leaves unexplained why the daughters of men were limited to unbelievers.
(c) If the sons of God were believers then they perished in the flood, but 2 Peter 2:5 states otherwise that the flood came upon the world of the ungodly. This is unanswerable for the sons of God is never used of men who did not have positional righteousness and eternal life.
(d) There is no hint at all in the Divine record that God had yet given any specific command forbidding His people to marry unbelievers. In view of this silence it seems exceedingly strange that this sin should have been visited with such a fearful judgment. This is not God's way of righteous judgment or sovereign planning.
Moreover, in all ages there have been many (most?) of God’s people who have failed to keep themselves separate from unbelievers and yet will not suffer for it any calamity comparable with the Deluge.
(e) It also needs to be explained why the union of believers
and unbelievers should produce a race of giants or "fallen ones" who were of great strength and men of renown.
Why should all be wicked? Many times in Israel's History a wicked king would have a godly son.
Why should they all be strong? No reason genetically.
Why should they all be leaders? Usually a mixture produces just the opposite.
(f) It leaves unexplained also why the sons of God did not marry just one of the daughters of men or descendants of Cain, and why it was that they took them wives of all which they chose. There was violence in the earth in those days, and the Cainites, if they had been separate from the Sethites, could easily have destroyed them with their superior numbers and strength.
(h) It leaves unexplained how the Cainites remained separate and distinct during all of this time when Adam and Eve also had other descendants (Gen. 5:4) so that the world was divided into just Cainites and Sethites.
These are unanswerable questions! It unequivocally points to the fact that the sons of God were not men of any kind, but were fallen angels who left their proper habitation to work havoc among the human race in defiance of the Creator.
Regardless of how this passage of Scripture is approached, this position stands steadfast, while the opposite view will not stand the test of scrutiny. We conclude then that the sons of God were angels.
(9) The Nature of the Man of Sin favors this view
(This consideration might best be placed under the nature of Satan.)
There is one final reason for believing that sons of God in Genesis 6 are angels. When God gave the prophecy to Satan of the Coming of the Seed of the woman that would bruise the serpent’s head, He also said, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed . . ." (Gen. 3:15).
Not only is the woman to have seed which is the Lord Jesus Christ, but also the serpent is to have seed which is the Man of Sin, the Son of perdition. Just as the one is literal, so the other is literal. If literal, then the Man of Sin is evidently the actual seed of Satan or offspring of Satan here on earth.
Satan always imitates God and tries to be like Him. Just as God had His Son on this earth, so Satan will have his son on this earth. Satan's son will be bent on wickedness, but, like Satan, will be very deceptive as to his true nature and will deceive the world even as Judas deceived the disciples that he was the "son of perdition" and the one to betray Christ. The disciples never suspected Judas, so there is the danger for Israel to be deceived in the tribulation. (Matt. 24:24).
b. The Result of the union are the demons found around the earth today.
While Unger seems to favor in some ways the view that angels cohabited with women, he does not hold that the result of this union were demons.
He says; "To establish ...that demons were the result of these unholy alliances, is wholly impossible in the face of the silence of revelation. It is pure speculation to reason as does the writer of the Book of Enoch that the progeny were born wicked earth-dwelling spirits, or to imagine that the monstrous offspring became disembodied spirits (demons) when their corporeal bodies were destroyed in the flood, and instead of being consigned to Sheol as were other wicked antediluvians, as monstrosities, were left to plague subsequent generations of mankind as demons." Ibid, pp. 51-2.
What Unger seems to have completely overlooked is that the offspring were neither pure angel nor man. They were part one and part the other, They could neither be consigned to Sheol, the place for men who died nor to Tartarus, the place where the fallen angels who sinned were confined. They were, therefore, free spirits left after the flood to continue their wickedness, seeking a body to possess and control, showing that they originally possessed the same.
c. The Nature of demons.
Everything that demons are by nature fits the description of the world before the flood.
They are fiendish, Mark 9:17,18; Rev1 9.
They are called unclean, Mark 1:27; 3:11; Rev. 16:13,14.
They are leaders of faction and disorder, in the sphere of righteousness, James 3:14,15 R.V.
They are able to produce great strength, Mark 5:4.
They are termed seducing spirits, 1 Tim. 4:1.
They have great knowledge, 1 Tim. 4:1; Acts 16:16.
They incorporate sex sins with idol worship, Num. 25:1-3, 1 Cor. 10:14,19-21. This is told all through paganism, but is never dwelt on in Scripture.
They are opposed to God's work and promote Satan's work.
While demons are under the sovereign control of the Lord and they recognize Him and His authority, they, nevertheless, are allowed to remain free to extend the work of Satan at this present time. However, a place has been prepared to keep them, called the abyss, where some were confined evidently during our Lord’s ministry on earth. These will be freed during the tribulation period of Rev. 9.
The character of demons and their practice is summarized in these 7 or 8 forms: Magic
Divination
Sorcery
Witchcraft
Necromancy
Prognostication
Ventriloquism and Perhaps hypnotism
Perhaps mysticism

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Wednesday, February 6, 2008

John Lawrence: Demonology Part 4 of 5

DEMONOLOGY
Part 4
4. Demons are the offspring of a union between angels and women in Genesis 6.
This involves two things:
(1) that the sons of God of Genesis 6 are fallen angels who cohabited with mortal women and produced offspring, rather than the sons of God being righteous Sethites who married unbelieving daughters of Cain; and
(2) that the offspring of this unnatural union are the demons who are evil spirits today that roam the earth.
One may hold to the first position while not holding to the second. Examples of this are Pember and Larkin who defend the angel theory in Genesis, but hold that demons originated from a race that existed before Adam. Ryrie holds to the angel theory, but believes that demons are fallen angels. There are others who agree with Ryrie, such as Unger. These two doctrinal positions encompass the majority of Christendom.
We are not helped here by two errors in the notes of the Schofield Bible on Genesis 6. He says (italics mine), "Some hold that these ‘sons of God’ were the angels which kept not their first estate of Jude 6. It is asserted that the title is in the O.T. exclusively used of angels. But this is an error (Isa. 43:6). Angels are spoken of in a sexless way. No female angels are mentioned in Scripture, and we are expressly told that marriage is unknown among angels (Mt. 22:30). The uniform Hebrew and Christian interpretation has been that verse 2 marks the breaking down of the separation between the godly line of Seth and the godless line of Cain, and so the failure of testimony to Jehovah committed to the line of Seth (Gen 4:26). For apostasy there is no remedy but judgment (Isa. 1:2-7, 24, 25; Heb. 6:4-8; 10:26-31). Noah, ‘a preacher of righteousness’, is given 120 years, but he won no convert, and the judgment predicted by his great-grandfather fell (Jude 14,15; Gen. 7:11)".
First, the reference to Isaiah 43:6 is incorrect and without value. It speaks only of ‘sons’, and does not use the Hebrew for sons of God. All five references as ‘sons of God’ must be angels, as will be shown. Second, the ‘uniform Hebrew and Christian interpretation has been that verse 2 marks the breaking down of the separation between the godly line of Seth and the godless line of Cain’ is incorrect as will be shown. For the most part, many if not most of the Hebrew writers contradict Schofield, and many early church fathers deny his claim until about the 4th century. He also misses the point in Matt. 22, for it expressly says, ". . . as the angels in heaven". No marriage in heaven. Nothing is said about conditions and situations on earth.
Consequently, it will be necessary to show two things if it is to be shown that demons are the result of the union of angels and women in Genesis 6:
that the sons of God did cohabit with women and produced offspring; and
that the offspring of this union are now demons.
a. The Union of Angels and Women in Genesis 6.
(1) The History of the View favors it.
The view of angels uniting with women is of great antiquity. In fact it is impossible to trace back to its absolute origin. It appears to have existed from the time of the flood itself and was the basis for the countless legends of the loves of the gods in mythology. Those who were there at the flood and immediately following, would certainly be the best informed as to tell us the facts as they were. To claim that their accounts are totally false now in the 20th or 21st Century is to let reason and other things overrule the evidence.
(a) Greek mythology has many accounts of the gods cohabiting with women and producing offspring that is half human and half divine. Unger writes, "...one thing is certain, ancient classic writers obtained their conceptions of the gods and demigods, whose amorous propensities for members of the human race led to births half human and half ‘divine’, from some source originally pure and uncorrupted. It is not impossible that this might explain the origin". Biblical Demonology, p. 49.
The word in the Septuagint of Genesis 6 translated "giants" comes from the word meaning "earth-born" and this word was employed of the Titans in Greek mythology, who were partly of celestial and partly of terrestrial origin. These monstrous beings of mixed birth rebelled against their father Uranus (Heaven), and after a prolonged contest were defeated by Zeus and thrown into Tartarus. Ibid. p. 48.
This view explains the numerous passages in the Greek classics and also the ancient literature of other languages in which human families are traced to a half divine origin. Pember, p. 212.
(Ref. John Fleming, "The Fallen Angels and the Heroes of Mythology").
(b) The Septuagint Translation definitely carries this
concept, thus establishing that it was the view of the translators in the 3rd Century, B.C. "In regard to the Septuagint," Pember writes, "all MSS render the Hebrew 'sons of God' by 'angels of God' in Job 1.6, and 2:1, and by 'My angels' in Job 38.7--passages in which there was no dogmatic reason for tampering with the text. In Gen. 6:2,4, the Codex Alexandrius and three later MSS exhibit the same rendering, while others have 'sons of God,' Augustine, however, admits that in his time the greater number of copies read 'angels of God' in the later passage also (De Civit, Dei, 15.23). It seems, therefore, extremely probable that this was the original reading", Pember, p. 207.
(c) The Jewish Concept was universally this view.
It was held by the ancient Jewish Synagogue (Larkin, p. 26) and by Josephus who writes in "Antiquities)" I.3.1., "for many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength, for the tradition is that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians call giants."
It is very decidedly the view presented in the apocryphal Book of Enoch and in the so-called "Minor Genesis" showing that it represented the Jewish thinking of the day. It was held by Philo and most of the rabbinical writers and was also generally accepted by learned Jews in the early centuries of the Christian era.
(d) Many Church Fathers universally held this view also. It was the view of Justin, Tertullian, Cyprian, Ambrose, and Lactantius.
Larkin writes: "That the 'Sons of God' of Gen. 6:1-4 were ANGELS was maintained ... by the Christian Church up until the Fourth Century, when the interpretation was changed to 'sons of Seth' for two reasons. First, because the worship of angels had been set up, and if the 'Sons of God’ of Gen. 6:1-4 were angels and fell, then angels might fall again, and that possibility would affect the worship of angels. The second reason was, that Celibacy had become an institution of the universal Church, and if it was taught that the angels in heaven did not marry, and yet that some of them were seduced by the beauty of womanhood came down from heaven to gratify their amorous propensities, a weakness of a similar kind in one of the 'earthly angels' (Celibates) might be the more readily excused." The Spirit World, p. 26-7.
(e) The Restoration of the View.
Luther is said by Unger to have held this view, as well as a great number of modern exegetes as Koppen, Alford, Hofmann, Delitzsch,
W. Kelly, A.C. Gabelein, and others.
Certainly any unbiased student would have to state that this view has the weight of history on its side even if it has nothing else.
(2) The Scriptures favor this view.
(a) Direct Statements of Genesis 6:1-4.
Genesis 6 reads: "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the Sons of God saw the daughters of men..."
By "men" in both places in the text it is clear that all mankind is signified. The entire human race began to multiply on the face of this globe. It involves both the descendants through Cain and also through Seth, and also through other sons of Adam (Gen. 5:4).
There is absolutely no proof that the "daughters of men" were confined to the descendants of the Cainites. The text expresses the natural increase of the whole human family, not just the increase of a special
branch of it. For what reason should daughters just be born to the sons of Cain?
The Scriptures do not divide either the lines of Seth or Cain and say all the Sethites were godly and all the Cainites were ungodly.
Moreover, the assumption that the "sons of God" must mean the godly line of Seth is at variance with the uniform use of that term in the OT where it appears restricted to angels (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). Every place in the OT where the term "sons of God" is used, it without exception refers to angels. Now when there is a uniform usage of a term, the burden of proof is on the man who makes an exception to the usage to prove why it cannot be correct in a specific passage. In Genesis 6 it fits very well to take sons of God as referring to angels. We have previously seen that the Septuagint translation originally translated sons of God by "angels of God."
The passage in Genesis 6:4 states that the result of this union was "giants," mighty men who were of old, "men of renown". If the sons of God were only men who traced their ancestry back to Seth, and they married Cainite women, why should their progeny have been of such a special nature?
The text not only favors the view that the sons of God are angels, but nearly demands it. Further, let us consider the doctrine of the Total Depravity of man. Both Seth and Cain were under sentence of death due to the sin of their father, for the wages of sin is death. There are no exceptions. We understand that so were their children – all of them.
(b) The Context Preceding Genesis 6.
The context preceding Genesis 6 enforces the view that the sons of God are angels.
Those who hold that the daughters of men were ungodly Cainites and the sons of God were pious Sethites, say that Genesis 4:26 is to be connected with Genesis 6:1. They say that Genesis 5 is the genealogy book of Adam and is a unit by itself. By connecting 4:26 with 6:1 they say you can clearly see the connection and that no angels are involved.
There are some important things, however, that have been overlooked by all who do this. First, it certainly is true that Cain was godless and went out from the presence of the Lord to build a godless civilization where they would not retain the knowledge of God in their hearts. But God was going to have a godly seed on the earth through which eventually His own Son of promise (Gen. 3:15) would come. With the death of Abel, God selected another Son of Adam and Eve. And Scripture notes that it was in the days of the birth of Seth's son, Enos, that "men began to call upon the name of the Lord," or as the Revised Version reads, "to call themselves by the name of the Lord."
All this indicates is that there was a remnant who were believers. They were saved by grace through faith. This in no way indicates that all of Seth's children were godly. Adam had two boys and one was ungodly, and one was godly. The ungodly one murdered the godly one making himself the majority. The godly have always been in the minority. All Genesis 4:26 indicates is that there was a remnant who did believe in God and called upon Him, or themselves by Him. From this remnant came Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah and Noah’s sons.
Enoch was translated.
Methuselah and Lamech died before the flood.
Noah and his sons were believers and saved by building an ark.
Scripture indicates that no one in the Cainite civilization called upon the name of the Lord, but some did in the line of Seth, and this remnant was perpetuated down through the years, probably never being very large. Another thing that has been missed by all who consider the sons of God in Genesis 6 as only pious Sethites is that the world of mankind did not just consist of Cainites and Sethites. Adam had sons and daughters according to Genesis 5:4. There may have been some of Adam’s other sons and daughters who worshipped God also and some who did not. The point is that there would have been continual inter-marriage of all the sons and daughters of Adam and their immediate relatives. No clear cut line could possibly be maintained of Sethites and Cainites from the Scripture.
Lastly, the time element between Genesis 4:26 and 6:1 is never brought out by any who try to connect the two passages together, but it needs to be. There is about l300 years between Enos and Noah according to Ussher, when Noah was called to build the ark. This 1300 years is according to the chronology of the present Hebrew text, but it is nearly 1700 years according to the chronology given in the Septuagint!
Thus it will be seen chronologically that the two passages are not meant to be connected or identified together at all. There was a godly remnant on the earth even at the time of the flood and it was Noah
and his three sons, but they are never called "sons of God" .
The context preceding Genesis 6 enforces the view that the sons of God who cohabited with men are angelic beings and this took place when men--all mankind--began to multiply on the face of the earth. It was a population explosion!
(c) Subsequent Context
When we look at the verses following Genesis 6:1-4, we find that they also reinforce the view that angels are referred to by the expression "sons of God."
Gen. 6:9, "Noah was a just man and perfect (upright) in
his generations"
There are two Hebrew words often translated as "generation": The first used here is ‘toledoth’ (also in Gen. 5:1 for Adam), meaning genealogies from ‘yalad’, to beget. Hence, it implies (1) generations, families, races, or (2) history, origin.
The second is used in Gen. 9:12, ‘dor’, from ‘dur’, meaning period, or to dwell. Hence, it can be translated as age or generation.
In Noah’s generation it speaks of a specific ancestral line. Noah was perfect in his age. This statement implies that no one else was--all other lines were given over to lustful and fleshly desires. What verse 9 implies, verses 10-13 then state specifically. Notice carefully the expressions:
"corrupt before God"
"filled with violence"
"corrupt''
"all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth"
"the end of all flesh is come before me"
"filled with violence through them"
"I will destroy them"
While there is no mention of angels, there does not need to be. The angels who sinned could have been already judged by God (we will look at Jude 6) and only the wicked, vile, corrupt offspring were present on earth perpetuating that corruption and wickedness still further among the human race. If the angels that sinned from this union were bound by God, then the wicked offspring, half human and half angelic, could and would continue to intermarry with part angelic and part human offspring, or with humans – all wicked and evil. The human part would increase, while the angelic part would gradually decrease. This continued until the whole world was completely corrupt, except for Noah and his children and their wives. We have no evidence from Scripture that they did not, too, live long lives.
The Nephilim in Gen. 6:4 could also be translated "fallen ones". The progeny of this union was "fallen ones". These fallen ones continued to corrupt the earth through marriage and their subsequent progeny would not be quite as wicked as their fathers.
If this interpretation is correct, we should find that demons vary in degree of wickedness. Is there any Scripture that bears this out? The answer is yes there is, and there is no other way of accounting for the degree of wickedness in demons. Fallen angels vary in rank, but not in
wickedness; the same would have been true of a pre-Adamic race.
Matt. 12:43-45. "more wicked then himself."
Genesis 6:17 reads: "And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die"
It is noted that everything here in this part of Chapter 6 is referred to as "flesh." While this includes the animal world, this would also be the logical designation of a corrupted world of humanity--part angel and part man.
(d) The References in Job
There are three and only three places in the OT other than Genesis where the term "sons of God" are used. These three are all found in the book of Job: Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7.
The term is used in Job 1:6 and 2:1 to speak of all angelic beings regardless of whether good of evil. Since Satan is one of the angelic beings, "Satan came also among them". He did not come by himself but with "them". The same is true in 2:1.
Angels, whether holy or fallen, are the direct creation of God and are ultimately subject to their Creator directly. This is evidently the meaning of the term sons of God, and clearly fits all the NT references. Adam is called a "son of God" (Luke 3:38) and believers who
are individually born again as a direct creation of God are "sons of God" (John 1:12).
The important point concerning the references found in Job is that Job is probably the oldest book of Scripture and may have been written before the five books of Moses. The designation of "sons of God" therefore in Genesis 6 would automatically denote in the minds of all of those who heard these words the concept of angels. If they were not angels, but only the pious sons of Seth, then God deceived all of those peoples for nearly two Millenniums. This is unthinkable. W. F. Albright says: "The Israelites who heard this section recited unquestionably thought of intercourse between angels and women (like later Jews and Christians)." From the Stone Age to Christianity, p. 226.
But there is still something else that needs to be said. While the authorship of Job is not certain, the most logical person to have written the book would have been Moses himself.
Halley says: "Jewish tradition was that Moses wrote this book while he was in the wilderness of Midian, where he could easily have learned of Job and his great affliction." God did the rest.
A Guide for Bible Study writes: "Most of the arguments set forth for the Mosaic authorship of Genesis can likewise be used for Job. No one can study the book of Deuteronomy, especially the poetic portions, without coming to the conclusion that this eminent Hebrew scholar had both the information and the qualifications for the task. Besides early training in Egypt, Moses' forty years experience as a shepherd in Midian would explain the presence of so much natural theology and the many references to rural life with which the book of Job abounds."
Although authorship of Job cannot be firmly established, Jewish tradition indeed suggests a Moses author. Who wrote the last few verses of Deuteronomy? Maybe Joshua. Maybe Samuel. Maybe God did.
(e) References in the New Testament
There are several references in the NT that add great Scriptural support to the position that angels are referred to in Genesis 6. These passages are 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6.
2 Peter 2:4, "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell (Tartarus), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment."
Jude 6, "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitations, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
What angels are these that are bound and not free as Satan's angels are (Cf. Rev. 12:9)?
The only possible conclusion that we can draw is that there are two groups of fallen angels identified in Scripture. One group is free and serve Satan in the forces of unrighteousness. Another group is not free but are reserved in everlasting chains in Tartarus awaiting a final judgment. Scripture says that what caused this is that they "kept not their first estate, but left their own (proper) habitations". What does this mean? The context of both 2 Peter and Jude give us solid if not definite direction that it refers to the sons of God in Genesis 6.
The loose living of the Apostate teachers is linked to the kind of sin which angels engaged in and also Sodom and Gomorrah — an unspeakable, perverted sex sin. This is also connected with the time of the flood in 2 Peter 2:5.
These angels left their own sphere and entered the human sphere, and because they were "sons of Elohim" and responsible to Him, God directly judged them for this action by confining them so that they were no longer permitted to operate on earth. However, the result of their evil actions would continue to be perpetuated in humanity through their progeny.
If this is not the reason why some angels are free and some are confined, then there is no other reason found in any passage of Scripture. Since there is not other explanation, and some Scriptural explanation must be behind the statements of 2 Peter and Jude, the interpretation of Genesis 6 as angels is both logical, and also Scriptural. (See Unger page 53 for further discussion).
We state categorically that Larkin is incorrect when he considers that these angels that sinned were angels that did not rebel with Satan against God originally, but were additional "late" sinners to reinforce Satan. The entire doctrine of Angelology stands against this. The angels made one choice (one event) to serve God or to rebel and follow Satan. Those who did not rebel are confirmed in holiness, and are holy angels for all eternity. Those who rebelled against God are confirmed in wickedness and will be wicked for all eternity. Those angels who further apostatized had to come from those angels who originally sinned with Satan. Some of them were engaged in this further degradation which cost them their ‘freedom’, but, which was a very ingenious plan to corrupt all humanity and thus try to make it impossible for the promise of Genesis 3:15 of ever being fulfilled. (We must consider 3:15 further.) K. Wuest, The Practical Use of the Greek New Testament, pp 31-35 was consulted here.
(3) The Nature of Angels favors this view
The entire doctrine of angels favors the view that the Sons of
God of Genesis 6 refers to angels. We have seen that the use of the term "sons of God" in both the 0T and the NT are loose to serve Satan while others are confined to Tartarus. There are two other factors concerning the nature of angels that may be added as supporting this position: (1) the fact that angels are always seen as young men, and (2) the fact of what Christ stated concerning angels in the NT. Let us look at each of these separately.
(a) The fact that angels are always seen as young men.
Why is it that angels are always seen as being of the masculine sex and usually young men? Gender indicatives are used in both the Hebrew and the Greek, as opposed to the English language. It can only be that they are of that particular ‘sex’.
Mark 16:5, "a young man"
Luke 24:4, "two men"
Act. l:l0, "two men"
These last two references are the notes of Doctor Luke.
Angels are always spoken of in the masculine gender.
Genesis 18 and 19:
18:1 The Lord
:2 three men
:16 the men
:22 the men
19:1 two angels
:10 the men
:12 the men
:13 and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it
:15 the angels
:16 the men
:21 I will not overthrow this city
:22 I cannot do anything till thou be come thither
These angels were men. They appeared in every way as men unto the men of the city of Sodom, Gen. 19:5.
Angels seem to have a body (just like men do – maybe not?), but not existing on a blood and bones principle for life like ours. They eat food however, for manna was used as angels’ food in Ps. 78:25. They seem to have a body that is based on a spiritual principle even as Christ's was. Just as Christ's body after the resurrection was solid and visible at times, yet invisible at other times, so with the angels. Note that Christ did not cease to be a man even though he had a g1orified body.

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Saturday, February 2, 2008

John Lawrence: Demonology Part 3 of 5

DEMONOLOGY
Part 3
III. The Origin and Identification of Demons Based on Genesis 6
Various theories have been advanced as to the origin of demons. Some of these must be completely rejected in light of the Word of God, but others are certainly argumentative. In the final analysis it is impossible to be completely dogmatic concerning their origin. We shall look at the various theories and then consider their strengths and weaknesses in light of all the evidence that can be brought to focus on the subject.
A. Various theories as to the identification of demons; we maintain that only 1 and 4 below are Scripturally feasible.
1. They are evil (fallen) angels.
2. They are disembodied spirits of a pre-Adamic race.
3. They are the souls of evil men.
4. They are the offspring of a union between fallen angels and
women in Genesis 6.
B. Examination of the various theories,
1. Demons are evil fallen angels, and evil angels are demons.
Many theologians hold this view. However, it must be also stated that in many cases very little has been written about the subject in the majority of systematic theologies. For instance, Charles Hodge denotes 54 pages to demons in a three volume work of 2,260 pages. A few others, like Meryl Unger, have written an entire volume on this very subject and they hold this view. A favorite of mine is L. S. Chafer, who almost favors this view, but in his systematic theology is more non-committal. He has two sections of 9 and 4 pages, respectively.
a. The reasons proposed for holding this view:
(1) Satan and his host that rebelled are designated as:
"Beelzebub, prince of the demons" (Matt. 12:24).
"Satan and his angels (Matt. 25:41).
"The dragon . . . and his angels (Rev. 12:7).
(2) The organizational structure is stated to be gradated as "principalities," "powers", "world
rulers of this darkness," and "spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12 R.V,).
These various designations are said to be none
other than Satan's angels or demons with different
stations of rank and responsibility.
(3) When Satan fell, one-third of the heavenly host fell with him (Rev. 12:4). Some of Satan's angels are bound as described by Jude and Peter while others are
loose to roam the earth as demons. Those confined
are permanently confined because of their sin in Gen.
6 by sexual relations with women. Others have
been confined to the abyss and these will be
freed during the tribulation and all then confined
with Satan during the Millennium, loosed with him for
a short season and all finally confined to the Lake
of Fire forever. (We shall look in detail at all the passages related to this later).
b. The reasons for rejecting this view:
(1) Angels are never called demons in the Word of
God, nor are demons referred to as angels.
There is not one verse in Scripture that equates angels
and demons as there is, for instance, passages that
equate demons and evil spirits. Matt. 8:16.
Matt. 17:18/parallel: Mark 9:25 demons = unclean spirits"
Mark 5:2,12,13,15,etc. Luke 10:17,20, Rev. 16:13,14.
Scripture seems to be clear in keeping intact a
distinction between the two terms so as not to confuse them.
(2) Furthermore, Satan may be both the Prince of demons,
and also be the Dragon with his angels, and these two
groups not be the same.
We know that Christ is King of Israel, but he is
never once spoken of as King of or to the Church. In reference to the church,He is the Firstborn (Heb. 12:23).
In this passage in Hebrews, Christ has a relation to
angels, to the church, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect. These are all separate and distinct groups. Just so Satan may very truly have one re1ationship as leader of angels that have sinned, and another as leader of demons without the two being the same group.
Since we can find NO place where Scripture equates them as being the same, the burden of proof that they are the same rests upon those who say they are. It must be proved, not assumed. We do not believe that it can be proven!
(3) Demons have the characteristic of being disembodied
spirits that are always seeking embodiment while
angels (good or evil) do not have this characteristic.
Demons not only continually seek a body to abide in,
but to be cast out brings distress and suffering to
them. Mark 5:6-8. Matt. 12:43. This seems to point to the fact that they had a body at one time; do not have a body now; and feel an imperative need for a body.
Angela never express this craving. Holy angels are never
seen to have any need for a body and can carry on
their work without possessing a body. Neither does
Satan, the head of the evil angels, have any need to
possess a body. Satan is seen twice in Scripture possessing a body but never because of an intrinsic need.
Rather, it is to perform a specific task that could be
performed in no other way. These two occasions were the
possession of the serpent’s body in Genesis 3 and the
body of Judas in John 13:27.
Satan is spoken of under the figure of the King of
Tyre (Ezek. 28:12). This does not indicate at all
that he possessed a physical earthly prince (Ezek. 28:2). He was the spiritual force and authority working
behind the scenes. This is the same thing for the
forces of evil represented in Daniel 10:l3. This evil
angel did not possess the body of the king of Persia
and in that body withstand the angelic messenger from
God. Moreover, Michael did not possess a human body
in order to overcome the evil being who was unquestionably an evil being, greater in rank than the first one and less in rank from Michael.
The very fact that all demons have this craving shows
that they are different in nature than angels and cannot be equated with them.
(4) In Acts 23:8 and 9 we read that the Sadducees denied the existence of both angels and spirits along with a denial of the resurrection of the body, but that the scribes and Pharisees believed in both spirits and angels.
In this we may see the mind of the Jew of that day that believed the Scripture. They held to both angel and spirit distinctions and did not equate them as being one and the same. While this is not proof in itself, for the scribes could have been wrong, yet it does reveal a distinction which Scripture does not contradict.
(5) The different organizational structure ranks in Satan's forces as "principalities", "powers", "world rulers of this darkness," and "spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places" does not in the least prove that angels and demons are the same. There could even more likely be this gradation of spiritual wickedness with angels and demons being entirely distinct and separate entities. The gradation in and of itself proves nothing.
(6) There is another point that should be mentioned. Demons cried out in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ several times with expressions similar to the following:
"I know thee who thou art, the Holy one of God" (Mark 1:24)
For an evil angel that had been created by Him and worshipped before the Lord before the rebellion of Satan to say this is absurd. All angelic creatures, whether evil or good, know their Creator whether pre-incarnate or incarnate.
Angels (good and evil) are spoken of in the OT as Sons of God because God created them all directly and they are therefore accountable to Him. Since they are directly created by God and directly accountable to God whether good or evil, Job shows that they periodically present themselves before the Lord (Job 1:6, 2:1). Satan was there along with all the other Sons of God--angelic beings--good or evil. Consequently, all the angels, good or evil, knew the fact and the person of the incarnate Christ because He was their Creator. Satan never said: "I know who thou art, the Holy One of God." What he did say to Christ was, "Since you are the Son of God", (Matt. 4:4 Greek). Evil angels knew their Creator and all about Him. However, demons, not being created directly by His hand, yet having a very great and keen knowledge, would cry out: "1 know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." "I was not created by you, but I know you: You are the Holy One of God." Here again we see the great supernatural knowledge that demons possess.
In another case a demon said: "Jesus I know, and Paul I know . . ." (Acts 19:15). Paul is here placed on the same level with the Lord. It is not that they know their Creator and they know their Creator's
servant. Jesus had not created them and neither had Paul, but both cast evil spirits out of those possessed of them. As far as the demons relationship to expulsion from the body of a victim was concerned, both the Lord and Paul bore the same relationship.
(7) If evil angels and demons are the same, then demons have been present on this earth from the very beginning. However, nowhere does Scripture speak of demon activity until after the flood. Only then do you have false worship with its demonic activity that is behind it. Before the flood there was no worship, or atheism practiced. This is why Cain's descendents named their children in derision of God: Mehujael: "blot ye out that Yah is God."
Methusael: "He dies who is (was) of God."
The first can be translated variously as to strike, to rule; to erase; to abolish, blot out; destroy, wipe away. Yah means God or strength.
The second can be translated variously as to die; he suffers or they suffer; with the ending of God or strength.
Belief in demons never occurred before the flood and only gradually following the flood did their true nature become clear through observation and experience. This accounts for the change in the meaning of the term "demon" throughout the years following the flood, and an understanding of their evil nature become clear.
2. Demons are disembodied spirits of a pre-Adamic race.
This is the view of Pember in Earth's Earliest Ages, and Larkin in The Spirit World (as well as other writings). They hold that a pre-Adamic race existed on the original earth (Gen. 1:1) under the rulership of Satan in his unfallen state as "the anointed cherub that coverth" (Ezek. 28:14). This earth became the sphere of Satan's revolt and Satan and his angels were cast down to this earth with a resultant cataclysm to the earth and its inhabitants (Gen. 1:2). The race that was destroyed became disembodied spirits that are now free to roam the earth which we call demons. This race was not of angelic beings because angels do not lose their bodies at any time. This idea may have been indirectly, even unwittingly supported by footnotes on Genesis 1 in the Schofield Study Bible.
a. The reasons proposed for holding this view.
(1) Angels are not disembodied spirits, but clothed with
spiritual bodies; while demons are disembodied spirits. The children of the first resurrection receive spiritual bodies (2 Cor. 5:2-3) and are said to be like or equal to the angels (Luke 20:36, etc.). Therefore angels have bodies.
(2) The two classes of Satan's subjects are regarded as
different in both the 0T and the NT.
In the Old Testament angels such as Gabriel, Michael, the princes of Persia and Grecia are considered angels, while the ‘familiar’ spirits and the shedhim, seirim, and Lilith are of the order of demons.
(3) The classical meaning of the word demon signifies
"the spirits of men of the golden age" acting as tutelary deities.
(4) Certain Scriptures are used to support this view:
(a) Gen. 1:28, ". . . and replenish the earth."
(b) Isa. 45:18, "He formed it to be inhabited."
Jer. 4:23-27.
These passages are taken to refer to an original creation.
(c) 2 Pet. 3:6, "the world that then was"
This is taken to refer to an original creation, not pre-flood, but pre-cataclysmic.
b. The reasons for rejecting this view:
(1) Scripture nowhere speaks of such a race that populated
the earth.
(2) If there were such a race of people, God would have
been unjust to judge them for the sin of Satan whom He had placed over them as their governor.
God often judges people through their Leader, but always because the people themselves are evil in heart. Now If these people were on earth, and went along with Satan in his rebellion and consequently become involved in the conflict of the ages as disembodied spirits-~GOD HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO REVEAL THIS. This is a matter for revelation, not just curiosity. Nowhere is such a people referred to in Scripture.
(3) There may be a distinction between angels and demons
without the origin of demons being the disembodied spirits of a pre-Adamic race. Even if this distinction may be maintained, that angels and demons are different, it is not proof that demons came from a pre-Adamic race, for it must be proved that they did not and could not have come from the time of the flood, or from any other period.
(4) No demons are ever referred to nor is their activity ever seen before the flood.
If demons were in existence from the very beginning of Adam's history on this planet, it would seem only natural for them to manifest themselves, particularly because of their desire to control a body, and because the people who were on the earth were bent on doing wickedness. (Gen. 6:5,11). The nature of a being does not change toward good without God’s intervention (God's provision for sinners
is for them to have a new birth and therefore experience the creation
of a new nature created after godliness). The nature of demons would now be the same as before the flood, and before the flood the same as now. If demons were present, they would have had the same desire to possess and control a body for evil.
Since the sin of the pre-flood people of the earth is never stated to be that of demon worship, nor is demon possession seen at all, it must be concluded that demons were not in existence at that time. Therefore, they could not be the spirits of a pre-Adamic race any more than they could have been fallen angels, for both would have been in existence before the flood. (The only other factor that we can conceive of is that demons were present with the same desire to possess a body but were not permitted or allowed to do so because of some prohibition of their master or of the Lord. However, Scripture is silent on this. Therefore, it cannot be a solution.
(5) The classical meaning of the word demon, "the spirits of men of the golden age" is a tradition that can have a basis of truth behind it, even as other traditions have a basis of truth behind them. A basis of truth behind traditions does not signify that these spirits came from a pre-Adamic race. Again, in order to prove this, it will be necessary to prove that demons could not have come from the time of the flood, or from any other period of history.
(6) The Scripture references used to show the existence
of a pre-Adamic race, do not teach this at all. In other words, each Scripture passage used in support of this view may be better interpreted in another way. One of the basic rules of Bible interpretation is that when there may be more than one meaning of a passage, the correct one is that interpretation which is most normal to the totality of Scripture. Any extreme interpretation is always to be avoided unless there is specific, clear, and undisputed evidence with
Scriptural context and support elsewhere. Let us examine these passages separately and consider the clearest interpretation:
(a) Genesis 1:28, ". . . and ‘replenish’ the earth."
The Hebrew word ‘male’ really means to "fill." It is true that sometimes it is used of something that once was filled, and then it does mean to "refill" as in Genesis 9:1. However, the word itself does not tell you this; only the context does. But the context of Genesis 1:28 does not reveal that there was a previous race before Adam.
(b) Isa. 45:18, "He formed it to be inhabited."
This could be a reference just to the conditions of Genesis 1:1, or some have said this could be a reference to angelic beings who in- habited this earth before Satan's sin. At least Scripture is clear to reveal that Satan himself was in the Garden of Eden (Ezek. 28), and it
is very likely that he was not alone on earth but other angels were with him. However, against the view that angels might be the meaning of the passage it must be stated that angels were here on earth even in the midst of the chaos that this earth went through, and yet God still
classified it as being void.
So, we can truthfully state that God knowing the end from the beginning knew that He would be creating man on this earth, and that this was one of his purposes for the creation of this planet.
Cf. Matt. 25:34; Eph 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:1,2
(c) Jer. 4:23ff. What Jeremiah is doing is describing the devastation that will be coming upon Judah and Jerusalem (4:5, 14).
He likens this divine destruction and judgment to that of the pre-Adamic destruction. But the desolation is not just that of man; in fact man is not completely destroyed (Jer. 4:27). It is a destruction of vegetation and a chaotic state. This seems to be the significance of the comparison.
(d) 2 Peter 3:6, Even though this reference may refer to the earth of Genesis 1:1, the passage does not say the earth then had inhabitants just because it has inhabitants now. In all fairness we must conclude that these last three passages may be argued both ways. Therefore they cannot possibly be used to state anything conclusively in reference to the earth being inhabited before Adam. In order to prove this position, a clear and undisputed passage must be found. But none exists.
(7) There is one final thing: Scripture does speak about the history of this world "from the beginning" and nothing is mentioned about a previous race or the ‘chaotic destruction’ which it suffered.
Matt. 24:21, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was NOT since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."
Mark 10:6, "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female."
Mark 13:19, "For in those days shall be affliction, (of) such (a sort) as was NOT from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be."
Someone can say that in all of these passages Christ is speaking only from the beginning of the new world that God reconstructed. He is not speaking about the whole history of the earth. What is said that leads one to believe that it goes back to the construction (creation) itself? Do we have such a passage? Yes!
Luke 11:50,51. 50so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’ Cf. Zacharias ...But could argue that these were not prophets. See Matt. 23:35.
3. Demons are the souls of evil men who have died.
This concept developed from the ancient Greek concept of the gods. Homer’s (c. 850 B.C.) gods were but ‘supernatural men’ and these were demons or spirits of good and great deceased men. Gradually, as the centuries changed, the concept of demons as being only evil occurred. The idea developed also that these evil and vile demons were the spirits of wicked men. Josephus, for example, seems persuaded of this view when he speaks of demons as "the spirits of the wicked that enter into men that are alive."
a. The reasons for holding this view.
There is no Scriptural support whatsoever for this view as to the origin of demons. It is attributed to traditions of men.
b. The reasons for rejecting this view:
There is only one that needs to be mentioned which reveals the Scriptural impossibility: All mankind in the 0T went to a place identified as Sheol (and in the NT as Hades). This occurred regardless of whether the person who died was a believer or an unbeliever, whether he was righteous or unrighteous. The OT translates the Hebrew word "sheol" by three English words: "grave,"' "pit", or "hell." Ps. 9:17–wicked, 16:10 – Christ; Jonah 2:2 -prophet. Num. 16:30,33 - Korah and family.
"Sheol" simply means "the place of the departed spirits" and is equivalent to the Greek word "Hades" translated wrongly as "hell" in the NT. Christ informs us that Sheol or Hades is divided into two compartments--the righteous portion and the unrighteous portion (Luke 16). But the point of importance is that this place of Sheol or Hades is a place of confinement. All the dead were there until the resurrection of Christ when He rose and led captivity captive to heaven with Him. Eph. 4:8-9.
These are all of the righteous souls who were held captive by Sheol until the Lamb was slain on the altar and the blood was brought into the Holy of Holies to be placed upon the mercy seat. Then, and only then, could there be an entrance into the Holiest of all.
Paradise has consequently been changed from being ‘in the earth’ (Luke 23:43 with Matt. 12:40) to the third heaven, or the throne of God
(2 Cor. 12:2, 4).
It is clearly seen that the righteous are "held captive". That one is in torment and the righteous are " paradise" is also stated. Scripture is specific about this. But the unrighteous are also equally captive and will not be released until the second resurrection. Prov. 27:20, "Hell and destruction are never fu11." The idea is that they hold their victims, however.
Ezek. 31:14b. Not free to roam the earth.
Heb. 2:5. A description of gathering and holding and
yet wanting always more.
The account of the rich man settles it once and for all. Luke 16:22-31.
The rich man died and he was in torment. He could not free himself of this torment either, nor could he return to the earth to tell his brothers about what Hades was like. If he could return, he would not be deceiving his brothers at all; he would be working on God's side for righteousness, not for Satan and for wickedness. Therefore, demons cannot be the souls of wicked men.

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