|
Counterfeit
Spiritual Dynamics and
Their Influence T H
E O C C U L T Detrimental knowledge
of the evil of
“the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” The cursed world system, led by Satan, is diametrically opposed to the kingdom and rule of God. Satan’s kingdom (government system) is by nature deceptive, often masquerading as a place of light, solutions, remedies, success, and happiness. Second Corinthians 11:14-15 informs us that, “…Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness…” The basic plan of the cursed world system is to make the things of Satan appear to be something different than what they really are. This is not intended to be a complete lesson in the occult. Hopefully however, it will arm you with some solid, basic knowledge of several reasons the occult is forbidden by God for His children. First consider reviewing some truths about God’s program of salvation. What Are the Implications of the Cross?
When we refer to the cross, we are referring to the sacrifice that Y’shua Messiah (Jesus the Christ) made there on our behalf. Let's make a personal application. The Bible teaches at 1 Corinthians 1:23, "We preach Christ crucified." Preaching or teaching or counseling may sound nice, but in the long run it will accomplish nothing. The only source of the power is the cross. Then the Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 1:25: "The foolishness of God is wiser than humans, and the weakness of God is stronger than humans." The cross is the foolishness and weakness of God. What could be more foolish than for God to permit His Son to be crucified by sinners? What could be weaker than the spectacle of a man hung on a cross, his body lacerated and bleeding, dying in agony? But the weakness of God, Paul says, is stronger than humans. The foolishness of God is wiser than humans. The real source of strength and wisdom for the Christian lies in the cross. Without the cross we can have good morality, a host of good intentions and a lot of nice sermons, but we will have no significant results. Atonement or At-one-ment (Lev. 17:11)
The words atonement and blood are used 523 times in the Bible. The following points reveal the blessings of the blood of Y’shua Messiah (Jesus the Christ), which come through faith: 1. Remission of sins (Rom. 3:24, 25; Heb. 9:22; Eph. 1:7; 1 John 1:7). 2. Salvation from wrath (Ex. 12:13, 23; Rom. 5:9-11; 1 Thess. 5:9-10). 3. Deliverance from Hell (Zech. 9:11; Rom. 5:1-11; Rev. 5:8-10). 4. Sanctification (Heb. 2:11; 10:14, 29; 13:12). 5. Justification (Rom. 3:24-30; 5:9-11; Acts 13:38-39; Gal. 2:16-17; Titus 3:4-7). 6. Citizenship (Eph. 2:12, 13; Phil. 3:20-21; Gal. 3:27-29). 7. Peace with God (Rom. 5:1; Col. 1:20). 8. Purging of the conscience (Heb. 9:14). 9. Redemption (Rom. 3:24, 25; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:18-23; Rev. 5:8-10). 10. High priestly benefits (Heb. 4:14-16; 9:21; 10:1-18). 11. Access to God (Heb. 10:19; Eph. 2:14-18). 12. Power to become the elect of God (1 Pet. 1:2). 13. Washing from sins (Rev. 1:5; 7:14; 1 John 1:7-9; Eph. 1:7). 14. Atonement for the soul (Lev. 17:11; Rom. 5:11). 15. Life eternal, abundant life (Rom. 5:1-11; Col. 1:20). 16. A new covenant (Matt. 26:28). 17. The new birth (1 Pet. 1:18-23). 18. Righteousness (Rev. 7:14; 19:8). 19. Overcoming power (Rev. 12:11). 20. Membership in the body of Christ (Acts 20:28). 21. Salvation (includes deliverance and healing) (Ps. 51; Acts 4:12; Eph. 1:7; Mt. 13:15; Jas. 5:14-16; 1 Pet. 2:24). All this is what
God has done for all human beings alike, and on the same basis. Out of this one provision comes 750 promises in the New
Testament, and 58
promises in the Psalms! May God help each
of us not to neglect any marvelous aspect of His great salvation. The Deliverance From “the Flesh”
As we now are very aware, there are many aspects of the atonement –
what took place when Jesus died on the cross! Derek Prince explains in
his book Bought with Blood: There are five different deliverances
listed in Galatians that God offers us through the application of the cross
within us: 1. Deliverance from this present evil age
(Galatians 1:4) 2. Deliverance from the law (Gal. 2:19) 3. Deliverance from self (Gal. 2:20) 4. Deliverance from the flesh (Gal. 5:24) 5. Deliverance from the world (Gal. 6:14) Wonderful! Now let’s look at the fourth deliverance, found in Galatians 5:24: Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Consider for a
moment what deliverance from the flesh means. It does not mean we are
delivered out of our physical bodies. The
flesh can be interpreted, rather, as the way the ‘old nature’ (the
rebellious nature that each one of us has inherited by descent from Adam)
expresses itself in and through us. The
flesh and the old nature are
closely tied together. And the original Greek word here interpreted, “crucified” means “denied.” We as Christians “just say ‘no!’” to the thoughts (and therefore, their accompanying emotions) that are offered-up by our “flesh.” Since this verse says that "those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh," we have a distinguishing mark of those who belong to Christ. In I Corinthians 15:23, speaking of the order in which the dead are to be resurrected, Paul uses the same phrase: But
each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits
[who has already been resurrected], afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. Christ is coming back as a thief, in the sense that He will return at an unexpected moment; but there the likeness ends. He will take only those who belong to Him. Returning to
Galatians 5:24, we discover the kind of persons for whom Jesus is coming:
those who "have crucified [denied] the flesh with its passions and
desires." Belonging to
Christ, then, is not a denominational matter. Jesus is coming back not
specifically for Protestants or Catholics or Baptists or Pentecostals, but
for people who voluntarily fulfill a particular condition: They have denied
their flesh with its passions and desires. Four
Works of “the Flesh” Earlier in Galatians 5 the Bible gives us a list of
the works of the flesh—the way the fleshly nature expresses itself in our
lives. "The works of the flesh "are evident." All too evident,
I would say. Not always evident to the one who practices them, but evident to
everybody else. These works are adultery, fornication, uncleanness
[original Greek: akatharsia:,
whatever is opposite of purity; including sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism,
pederasty, bestiality, and all other forms of sexual perversion], lasciviousness [original Greek: aselgeia: the promoting or partaking of
that which tends to produce lewd emotions, anything tending to foster sex sin
and lust], idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like; of which I tell you
beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice
such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. verses 19‑21 You can search in vain for anything good in this
list. Nothing good ever comes out of the flesh. It is incapable of producing
good. It is clear that you cannot live according to the flesh and inherit the
Kingdom of God. They are mutually exclusive. Remember the key word that describes the old
nature: corrupt. Anything the flesh produces is corrupt. It cannot produce
anything good. Listed in Galatians 5:19-21 above
are four main categories of the works of the flesh: sexual impurity, the
occult, division, and self-indulgence. Those who practice or repeatedly do these things are
excluded from the Kingdom of God. [God wants us to know that while he has provided a
place of safety, there is also an edge beyond which the covering does not
reach. This inspired diagram helps us see clearly the covering and its edges. A shortcoming continued becomes sin,
and is not covered by the blood. A shortcoming discontinued becomes obedience
to God's wishes, and is covered by the blood. “…You can choose sin (with
death) or else obedience (with acquittal)...” (Romans 6:16). A work of the flesh, for example, continued,
gets us out from under the covering.] Sexual Impurity …Those who practice sexual impurity are excluded from the Kingdom of God. [Consider reviewing the original Greek descriptions of ‘sexual impurity’ Galatians 5:19 listed above.] Counterfeiting—The Occult The second category of the works of the flesh is the occult: idolatry and sorcery. An alternative translation for sorcery is witchcraft. Initially witchcraft, though a satanic activity, is a work of the flesh. Its objective is to manipulate and control. Once the flesh comes into operation, however, the satanic moves in and takes over. Recall that the
first desire of Adam and Eve that led them into trouble was to know. That is a desire of the flesh.
Uncounted millions are captivated by the occult because they want to find out
things God has not permitted them to know—the knowledge of the evil of “the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil.” Going to a fortuneteller is motivated by
the fleshly desire to know—a work of the flesh. The same applies to
consulting the horoscope. [Gene B. Moody
writes: “Occult means unseen, so
all the occult practices are unseen traps to involve humans in Satan’s evil world,
to make the human think that he, the human, has it all.”] Sometimes people are inclined to plead ignorance as an excuse, saying, "I didn't know there was anything wrong with that." But ignorance is no excuse. In 1 Timothy 1: 13‑15 Paul acknowledges that he was the chief of sinners for things he did "ignorantly in unbelief." The
original Greek word translated sorcery and witchcraft in
Galatians 5:20 is pharmakeia, the word from which we get pharmaceutical,
or remedy. It’s
important to note that the remedies of which the Bible warns us includes all-natural remedies, as pharmaceutical chemical remedies
were not invented until nineteen centuries later. The cult of remedies is sorcery.
Those who practice or
repeatedly do these things are excluded from the Kingdom of God. …Unless
we simply, earnestly turn back to God’s ways in attitude and deed, renounce,
and confess it as such. The following is a very clear
history lesson of eleven popular occult practices that have originated out of
the need to know about “health remedies:” The Origin of Human
Remedies
The origin of the idea of remedies dates back to approximately 2,000 B.C. in India when
fifty-two Shaman and Hindi “priests” congregated and meditated. Their
meditation had a common purpose: to obtain the knowledge to
eradicate all forms of disease. Shamanism is the ancient way of divination
(consulting the demonic spirit world) and out of it comes all forms of the
occult, mythology, philosophies, and etc., which includes Hinduism. During this meditation of the fifty-two Shaman and
Hindi men, a so-called “god” appeared to one of them and gave the oldest
recorded alleged “healing system” named Ayerveda. The term Ayurveda combines two Sanskrit
words—“ayur,” which means “life,” and “veda,” which means “divine knowledge from
the gods.” This Ayerveda “healing system” founded
the beliefs that the environment – “elements of air, space, fire, water,
and earth and their relationships” form the basis of healing. This Ayerveda healing system had eleven original components: 1. Aromatherapy 2. Astrology 3. Detoxification 4. Energy [balancing] Therapy 5. Gemstones (now known as Crystal Work) 6. Herbs 7. Karma Therapy (includes meditation and
worship) 8. Nutrition/Foods/Diets 9. Planet Worship 10. Sweat Therapy 11. Yoga From India 4,000 years ago, Ayerveda or its modalities spread to every part of the
world, including Egypt. “Destruction is certain for my
rebellious children," says the LORD. "You make plans that are contrary to my
will. You weave a web of plans that are not from my Spirit, thus piling up
your sins. For without
consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt to find help. You have put your
trust in Pharaoh for his protection. But in trusting Pharaoh, you will be
humiliated and disgraced…” –Isaiah 30:1-3 "Listen to me, O my people, while
I give you stern warnings. …It was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. But no, my people wouldn't listen.
Israel did not want me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and
they walked in their own counsels. But oh, that my people would listen
to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my ways! How quickly I
would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes!”
–Psalm 81:8-14 Ayerveda or its modalities spread to every part
of the world, including the Roman Empire and the Greeks. Hypocrites (460 –
370 B.C.), an ancient Greek physician, was credited by the disciples of
Pythagoras (founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism) of
allying philosophy and medicine. He “separated the discipline of
medicine from religion,” believing and arguing that disease was not a
punishment inflicted by the gods but rather the product of environmental factors, diet and living habits (Ayerveda modalities). The “Hippocratic Oath,” a seminal document on the ethics of medical practice, was attributed to Hippocrates in antiquity. While the Oath is rarely used in its original form today, its derivatives are regularly taken today by medical graduates about to enter western medical-style practice. Hippocrates is often referred to as “The Father of Medicine.“ As you know, the Bible’s New Testament original
language was Greek. Perhaps now the above scripture passages become even more
clear—including the “strange doctrines” of Hebrews 13 and the “doctrines of
demons” recorded in 1 Timothy 4. Modern “western medicine” or “allopathic medicine”
is an offshoot from the Greek’s and “The Father of Medicine” (Hippocrates).
Today, western medicine includes double-blind studies and pharmaceutical
remedies. The author of 1 Timothy 6:20 instructs, “…Guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless,
foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called
‘science.’” Today, modalities of Ayerveda
make up what’s called “Alternative,” “Holistic,” “Complimentary” Health Care,
and “Naturopathy.” Another all-natural modality, ”Homeopathy,” was founded by
the spiritist, medium, and Freemason (occultist), Samuel Hahnemann (1755 –
1843). Samuel Hahnemann was a
translator of (Ayervedic) medical text. “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of
light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform
themselves into ministers of righteousness…” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) Satan,
who causes issues and health issues by demon oppression, can
take off what he puts on without opposing himself or casting himself out.
When he can damn a soul by getting a person to deny the essentials of the
Bible that will save the soul, then it is to his advantage to deceive by
taking away the sickness. Many accept false religions or philosophies that
promise healing and other benefits. Satan cooperates with these beliefs,
which he himself has founded to deceive people. He heals people without their
faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. Such people naturally think
that they are in the true agency. They reject Christ and see no need of
getting saved from sin or following Christianity. They will be damned for
doing so, Satan having won their souls. Demons can depart and return to a
person of their own accord (Matthew 12:26; 43-45). Satan in the last days
will thus deceive people by giving them power (Matt. 24:24; 2Thess. 2:8-12;
Rev. 13:2; 16:13-16; 19:20). Toxic External Environmental
Factors
“The Good News tells us how God protects us under
the covering. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith in God’s
faithfulness. As the Scriptures say, ‘The just shall live by faith’”
(Romans 1:17). (See also 2 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Timothy 4:4-5 above.) Jesus the Christ Himself also states that those believers
exercising their faith in Him even have provision around toxic external environmental factors: “...Those who believe ... if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them...” (Mark 16:17-18) He’s assuring that believers are
protected against all opposing forces. (See
also Luke 10:19; Acts 28:3-6; 2 Kings 4:38-41; Psalm 91:1-16.) “There is Nothing New Under the
Sun”
(Ecclesiastes 1:9) “Now a certain woman had a flow of
blood [an issue] for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many
physicians [remedy practitioners]. She had spent all that she had and was no
better, but rather grew worse.” (Mark. 5:26-34) Occult
Check List
Thank you Jubilee Resources - and see also how to renounce & pray around these practices Twelve Forbidden Practices 1. Enchantments-practice of magical
arts (Exodus 7:11,22; Exodus 8:7,18; Leviticus 19:26; Deut. 18:10; 2
Chron. 33:6; 2 Kings 17:17; 2 Kings 21:6; Isaiah 47:9,12; Jeremiah 27:9;
Daniel 1:20) 2. Witchcraft-practice of dealing
with evil spirits (Exodus 22:18; Deut. 18:10; 1 Samuel 15:23; 2 Chron. 33:6; 2
Kings 9:22; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4; Galatians 5:19-21) 3. Sorcery-same
as witchcraft (Exodus 7:11; Isaiah 47:9,12; Isaiah 57:3; Jeremiah 27:9;
Daniel 2:2; Malachi 3:5; Acts 8:9-11; Acts 13:6-8; Galatians 5:19-21; Rev.
9:21; Rev. 18:23; Rev. 21:8; Rev. 22:15) 4. Soothsaying-same
as witchcraft (Isaiah 2:6; Daniel 2:27; Daniel 4:7; Daniel 5:7,11; Micah
5:12) 5. Divination-the
art of mystic insight or fortune telling (Numbers 22:7; Numbers 23:23;
Deut. 18:10-14; 2 Kings 17:17; 1 Samuel 6:2; Jeremiah 14:14; Jeremiah 27:9;
Jeremiah 29:8; Ezekiel 12:24; Ezekiel 13:6-7,23; Ezekiel 21:22-29; Ezekiel
22:28; Micah 3:7; Zech. 10:2; Acts 16:16) 6. Wizardry-same
as witchcraft. A wizard is a male and a witch is a female who practices
witchcraft. Both were to be destroyed in Israel (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus
19:31; Leviticus 20:6,27; Deut. 18:11; 1 Samuel 28:3,9; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Kings 23:24; 2 Chron. 33:6;
Isaiah 19:3) 7. Necromancy-divination
by means of pretended communication with the dead (Deut. 18:11; Isaiah
8:19; 1 Samuel 28; 1 Chron. 10:13) 8. Magic-any
pretended supernatural art or practice (Genesis 41:8,24; Exodus 7:11,22;
Exodus 8:7,18-19; Exodus 9:11; Daniel 1:20; Daniel 2:2,10,27; Daniel 4:7,9;
Daniel 5:11; Acts 19:19) 9. Charm-to
put a spell upon (same as enchantment), Deut. 18:11; Isaiah 19:3) 10. Prognostication-to
foretell by indications, omens, signs, etc. (Isaiah 47:13) 11. Observing
times-same as prognostication (Leviticus 19:26; Deut. 18:10; 2 Kings
21:6; 2 Chron. 33:6) 12. Astrology
and star gazing-divination by stars (Isaiah 47:13; Jeremiah 10:2; Daniel
1:20; Daniel 2:2,10; Daniel 4:7; Daniel 5:7-15) All the above practices were and still are carried on in connection with demons, called familiar spirits. All who forsook God and sought help from these demons were to be destroyed (Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:6; Deut. 18:11; 1 Samuel 28; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Kings 23:24; 1 Chron. 10:13; 2 Chron. 33:6; Isaiah 8:19; 19:3; 29:4. See also 1 Tim. 4:1-8; 2 Thes. 2:8-12; Matthew 24:24; Rev. 13; Rev. 16:13-16; Rev. 19:20). “Our fight is not with people. It is against the leaders and the powers and the spirits of darkness in this world. It is against the demon world that works in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12). See the reality of evil. An Abbreviated List of Bible Scriptures
Genesis 3:5 Exodus 7:11-12 Exodus 20:3-5 Exodus 22:18 Exodus 30 :22-31 Leviticus 18:20-22 Leviticus 19:26-28 Deuteronomy 7 :26 Deuteronomy 18:9-14 1 Samuel 15:20-29 1 Samuel 28:3-19 2 Kings 17:17 2 Kings 21:1-6 2 Kings 23:5 2 Chronicles 33:6 Proverbs 14:12 Isaiah 2:6 Isaiah 2:8 Isaiah 2:19-20 Isaiah 5:13 Isaiah 5:20-21 Isaiah 8:19-20 Isaiah 19:3 Isaiah 30:1-3 Isaiah 47:9 Isaiah 47:12-13 Jeremiah 10:1-2 Jeremiah 14:14 Jeremiah 27:9 Jeremiah 29:8-10 Ezekiel 8 Ezekiel 12:24 Ezekiel 13:1-23 Ezekiel 21:21-23 Ezekiel 22:25 Ezekiel 22:28 Ezekiel 34:1-10 Daniel 2:27 Daniel 4:7 Daniel 5:7 Micah 5:12 Zechariah 10:2 Malachi 3:5 Matthew 5:18 Matthew 7:22-23 Matthew 24:5 Matthew 24:24 Luke 11:15-26 John 10:10 Acts 8:9-13 Acts 13:6-11 Acts 16:16-18 Acts 19:19 Romans 1:24 1 Corinthians 10:21-22 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 2 Corinthians 11:3-5 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 Galatians 5:6-21 Galatians 6:1 Ephesians 5:11 Ephesians 6:10-18 Colossians 2:8 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 1 Timothy 4:1-4 2 Timothy 3:8 Hebrews 4:12 James 4:7 1 John 2:18-19 1 John 2:22-23 1 John 2:26 1 John 3:8 1 John 4:1-4 Revelation 16:14 Revelation 18:23 Revelation 19:20 Revelation 21:8 Revelation 22:14-15 This site relies mostly on the message of the “King James Version” (KJV) of the Bible. Here are some of the reasons. Thank you Finis Jennings Dake and Dake Publishing |
|