Saturday Song: David Byrne and Brian Eno, " The Jezebel Spirit"

The horror movie, The Exorcist, popularized the casting out of demons back in 1973 but this has been done as early as the first century. Of course most of these exorcisms have been faked by spiritual con artists.

David Byrne and Brian Eno examined the topic of religions in their album, "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" which they recorded in 1981. One track featured an exorcist on a radio broadcast. Listen to it here.

According to the Bible, Only Jesus and his disciples were able to cast out demons. We read one encounter in Mark 5:6 and 7 (BBE) where many wicked spirits dwelt in a man, tormenting him relentlessly. "And when he saw Jesus from far off, he went quickly to him and gave him worship; And crying out with a loud voice he said, 'What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God's name, do not be cruel to me'"

We also read where the devils knew exactly who Christ was. One example is in Luke 4:41 (BBE). "And evil spirits came out of a number of them, crying out and saying, 'You are the Son of God.' But he gave them sharp orders not to say a word, because they had knowledge that he was the Christ."

Demons also knew who followed Christ. Acts 16:16 and 17 (BBE) tells of a demon-possessed woman from whom Paul cast out a devil. "And when we were going to the place of prayer, we came across a girl with a spirit which gave knowledge of the future, whose masters made great profit from her power. She came after Paul and us, crying out and saying, 'These men are the servants of the Most High God, who are giving you news of the way of salvation.'"

But we read of one exorcism gone horribly wrong in Acts 19:14 and 15 (BBE) when fake exorcists tried their witch doctor act on a possessed man. "And there were seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jew and a chief priest, who did this. And the evil spirit, answering, said to them, 'I have knowledge of Jesus, and of Paul, but who are you?'" Then he beat them up and tore off their clothes, sending them away naked.

People who call themselves deliverance ministers ply their trade today. Folks with mental issues or habitual sins are their prey. But as I experienced, nobody was ever freed from what they should have repented of. Week after week, these victims were prayed over and non existent demons were rebuked.

On Monday, if Christ hasn't returned, I plan on publishing about what spiritual warfare really is.

Sin Kills but Christ Makes Alive

As I've written before, God told Adam and Eve that they would die if they ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. We also know how Satan deceived Eve and Adam joined her rebellion. Though the first human parents didn't drop dead immediately, the relation between humanity and God was severed.

We also know that humanity had become so corrupt that the Lord destroyed all but eight persons. Genesis 6:17 (BBE) says, "For truly, I will send a great flow of waters over the earth, for the destruction from under the heaven of all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything on the earth will come to an end."

When the Israelites kept rebelling against the Lord, all but Joshua, Aaron, and Caleb of that generation were saved. What god rewarded in them, as with Noah's family, was obedience.

Though death is the punishment Adam brought down on humanity, God made a way of salvation through Christ. John 11:25 and 26 (BBE) tells us, "Jesus said to her, (Martha) 'I am myself that day and that life; he who has faith in me will have life even if he is dead; And no one who is living and has faith in me will ever see death. Is this your faith?'"

Since only the bodies of believers die and their spirits go to be with Christ, we can face death with confidence. As Paul rejoiced in 1 Corinthians 15:53-55 (BBE), we win in the end. "For this body which comes to destruction will be made free from the power of death, and the man who is under the power of death will put on eternal life. But when this has taken place, then that which was said in the Writings will come true 'Death is overcome by life. 'O death, where is your power? O death, where are your pains?'"

Because we believers know this great truth, we understand how the persecuted saints had such boldness. Revelation 12:11 (BBE) tells us, "And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness; and loving not their lives they freely gave themselves up to death."

If Christ hasn't come by Saturday, I'll post about those who mess with the occult without knowledge or protection.

Why We Must Be Angry At Hell

As I wrote before, the saddest aspect of hell is that even nice people end up there. Continuing to refuse Christ's magnanimous offer of salvation un till death is an insult to the Holy Spirit who draws people to Christ. And since it's impossible to repent after death, it's the ONLY unforgivable sin.

This is why Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 12:31 and 32 (BBE), "So I say to you, Every sin and every evil word against God will have forgiveness; but for evil words against the Spirit there will be no forgiveness. And whoever says a word against the Son of man, will have forgiveness; but whoever says a word against the Holy Spirit, will not have forgiveness in this life or in that which is to come.

Religious people never think they need saving.  The same applies to whomever trusts in their own goodness. As Christ said in Luke 12:23 and 24 (BBE), "And someone said to him, 'Lord, will only a small number have salvation?' And he said to them, 'Do your best to go in by the narrow door, for I say to you, A number will make the attempt to go in, but will not be able to do so.'"

The only way to salvation is through Christ. He's our password that gains us access to heaven. As he himself said in John 10:9 (BBE), "I am the door: if any man goes in through me he will have salvation, and will go in and go out, and will get food."

Belief in the Lord and obedience aren't a New Testament requirement. We read this in Hebrews 3:19 (BBE) where those Israelites who disobeyed God died in the desert instead of the promised land. "So we see that they were not able to go in because they had no belief."

We also read what grants us entrance into heaven in Revelation 22:14 (BBE). "A blessing on those whose robes are washed, so that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may go in by the doors into the town." That "washing" is Christ's forgiveness and gift of righteousness.

If Christ doesn't come by Thursday, I hope to post about how God provides salvation from eternal punishment.

Saturday Song, The Beacon Street Union, "South End incident"

This is another song I discovered while shopping at a used record store. I'd never heard of this band but I took a chance on buying the disk. As things turned out, I loved the psychedelic sound and the compelling story of this song. Listen to it here:

I'm sure that any of us would be afraid if we witnessed a murder and we weren't sure if the killers saw us watching them. And though it's easier said than done, we do have one we can turn to in any crisis.

Saint Peter, no stranger to life-threatening situations, wrote in 1 Peter 5:6 and 7 (BBE), "For this cause make yourselves low under the strong hand of God, so that when the time comes you may be lifted up; Putting all your troubles on him, for he takes care of you."

Our Master also encourages us not to worry in Matthew 10:28 (BBE). "And have no fear of those who put to death the body, but are not able to put to death the soul. But have fear of him who has power to give soul and body to destruction in hell."

In the first century, many Christians were murdered by Romans and Pharisees alike. As Jesus warned in John 16:2 (BBE), "They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure."

And thanks to the Apostle Paul, we have the assurance of stepping from life into the presence of our adored Master when we die. Philippians 1:21 (BBE) reads, "For to me life is Christ and death is profit."

For those who doubt that saints go straight to heaven, We have Saint John's vision in Revelation 6:9-11 (BBE) proving this. "And when the fifth stamp was undone, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been put to death for the word of God, and for the witness which they kept. And they gave a great cry, saying, 'How long will it be, O Ruler, holy and true, before you take your place as judge and give punishment for our blood to those on the earth?' And there was given to every one a white robe, and they were ordered to take their rest for a little time, till the number was complete of the other servants, their brothers, who would be put to death, even as they had been."

How nice that even if death comes, we don't just fade to black or sleep until the resurrection but dwell with Christ.

On Monday, if Christ doesn't return yet, I hope to post about why we must be mad at hell.

Illusion of Virtue

What makes you angry about hell? For me, it's that so many "decent" people end up there. Almost nobody grieves for a tyrant or mass murderer when they die. We feel they got what they earned for their wickedness. But when it's an unsaved friend who perishes, people feel offended when they hear the truth about hell.

The Bible is crystal clear about God's holiness. His dwelling cannot tolerate any impurity. Speaking of God's holy city, Revelation 22:15 (BBE) reminds us that, "Outside are the dogs, and those who make use of evil powers, those who make themselves unclean, and the takers of life, and those who give worship to images, and everyone whose delight is in what is false."

People who claim to be believers also will be excluded because they never knew who the Lord truly is. Matthew 7:22 and 23 (BBE) reminds me of charismatics who are obsessed with signs and miracles. "A great number will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, were we not prophets in your name, and did we not by your name send out evil spirits, and by your name do works of power?' And then will I say to them, 'I never had knowledge of you: go from me, you workers of evil'".

What those who claim to be believers need to do is examine themselves. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 13:5 (BBE), "Make a test of yourselves, if you are in the faith; make certain of yourselves. Or are you not conscious in yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, if you are truly Christ's"?

In truth, nobody is even close to being pure. As Isaiah 64:6 (BBE) explains, "For we have all become like an unclean person, and all our good acts are like a dirty robe: and we have all become old like a dead leaf, and our sins, like the wind, take us away."

Even more shocking is that we mortals dare to quarrel with our creator. Romans 9:20 (BBE) says, "But, O man, who are you, to make answer against God? May the thing which is made say to him who made it, 'Why did you make me so?'"

Some mainstream denominations even deny that Jesus was the anointed son of God. As we read in 1 John 2:22 (BBE), this is the test whereby we know who's genuinely saved. "Who is false but he who says that Jesus is not the Christ? He is the Antichrist who has no belief in the Father or the Son."

And if Christ doesn't return by Saturday, I hope to post about a song where a man witnesses a murder and fears for his life.

Hell is Endless

Some Christians believe, as I once did, that hell isn't forever. The cultic house church minister whom I followed taught that everybody would eventually repent and God would then let them out of hell. This doctrine is called Universalism. People like it because they can't handle the truth that most humans will suffer conscious torment for the rest of eternity.

What then does the Bible, our only sure source of truth, say about hell? Those who think their works will save them are in for a rude shock. Christ condemned the ultra-fastidious Pharisees in Matthew 23:33 (BBE) when he warned, "You snakes, offspring of snakes, how will you be kept from the punishment of hell?"

We also learn from Scripture that hell was originally meant for demons. Jude 1:6 (BBE) describes it this way. "And the angels who did not keep to their kingdom but went out from the place which was theirs, he has put in eternal chains and in dark night till the great day of the judging."

But disobedient sinners will also be there forever. Christ warned in Mark 9:43 (BBE) of the endless agonies unsaved people will suffer. "And if your hand is a cause of trouble to you, let it be cut off; it is better for you to go into life with one hand than to have two hands and go into hell, into the eternal fire."

And need I remind those who doubt the eternal nature of hell about Hebrews 9:27 and 28 (BBE), "And because by God's law death comes to men once, and after that they are judged; So Christ, having at his first coming taken on himself the sins of men, will be seen a second time, without sin, by those who are waiting for him, for their salvation."

The Devil and all those who don't obey the gospel won't ever escape the agony of hell. As Revelation 20:10 (BBE) reads, "And the Evil One who put them in error was sent down into the sea of ever-burning fire, where the beast and the false prophet are, and their punishment will go on day and night for ever and ever.

And as hell is eternal, so is heaven. Revelation 22:5 (BBE) encourages faithful folks, "And there will be no more night; and they have no need of a light or of the shining of the sun; for the Lord God will give them light: and they will be ruling for ever and ever."

On Thursday, if our Lord hasn't returned, I hope to post about how those we call decent will still face hell.

Saturday Song: Alice Cooper, "Dead Babies"

In spite of his stage act, Alice Cooper cares about injustices. This song is about a woman who left her toddler at home while she went to work at a bar. And as children will, her daughter got into something deadly on a shelf and died.

Here's the link to the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkbS2Zrcl6g

Though some parents either don't care or can't care for their children, we needn't worry about our heavenly Father. As Moses said in Deuteronomy 10:17 and 18 (BBE), "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, strong in power and greatly to be feared, who has no respect for any man's position and takes no rewards: Judging uprightly in the cause of the widow and of the child who has no father, and giving food and clothing in his mercy to the man from a strange country."

And as we read in the oft-quoted Psalms 68:5 (BBE) he's, "A father to those who have no father, a judge of the widows, is God in his holy place."

But we Christians aren't excused when it comes to caring for widows and orphans. James 1:27 (BBE) admonishes us that, "The religion which is holy and free from evil in the eyes of our God and Father is this: to take care of children who have no fathers and of widows who are in trouble, and to keep oneself untouched by the world."

I'm sure that many women these days have run-away husbands who don't support them. This is all the more reason those who are good caretakers of children should lend a hand.

Provided that Christ doesn't return for us, his children, by Monday, I hope to post about the eternality of hell.

Why Are Fortune Tellers And Spiritists Dangerous?

 "It's only harmless fun," I hear various people say when talking about the occult. Some folks, including those naming Christ's name, read the horoscopes to find out what they predict for them that day.

Little do such fools realize that these things are Satan's bate. Instead of trusting God, people tend to trust in what these sources of divination advise.

Scripture has much to say about the dangers of the occult. For example, Leviticus 20:6 (Bible in Basic English) warns, "And whoever goes after those who make use of spirits and wonder-workers, doing evil with them, against him will my face be turned, and he will be cut off from among his people."

We also learn how repulsive such deliberate sins are to God in Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (BBE.) "Let there not be seen among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter go through the fire, or anyone using secret arts, or a maker of strange sounds, or a reader of signs, or any wonder-worker, Or anyone using secret force on people, or putting questions to a spirit, or having secret knowledge, or going to the dead for directions. For all who do such things are disgusting to the Lord; and because of these disgusting things the Lord your God is driving them out before you."

We also read that the gods and goddesses worshiped by pagan people were in fact demons. Leviticus 17:7 (BBE) clearly states, "And let them make no more offerings to evil spirits, after which they have gone, turning away from the Lord. Let this be a law to them for ever, through all their generations."

Deuteronomy 32:17 (BBE) also proves that false gods are in fact demons. Speaking of wicked Israelites, "They made offerings to evil spirits which were not God, to gods who were strange to them, which had newly come up, not feared by your fathers."

Just by these scriptures, it's clear that the occult isn't our playground but a spiritual mine field.

If Christ doesn't return by Saturday, I'll probably post about an Alice Cooper song and the fait of deceased infants.

Eternal Life Verses Eternal Judgement

Since all people have immortal souls, how can only some be said to have eternal life? Hank Hanegraaff has a good answer to that. Eternal life is more than mere existence. It's the quality of that existence.

This quality is expressed in John 12:25 (BBE). "He who is in love with life will have it taken from him; and he who has no care for his life in this world will keep it for ever and ever."

When Christ spoke of the resurrection and final judgement in Matthew 25:46 (BBE), he showed the kind of eternal existence the wicked will experience. "And these will go away into eternal punishment; but the upright into eternal life."

Jesus used metaphors to impress upon us the utter horror of hell. He said in Mark 9:48 (BBE) that it's, "Where their worm is ever living and the fire is not put out."

Darkness is another metaphor for the extreme misery of hell. We find  it described in regard to the eternal destination of the wicked in Jude 1:13 (BBE). He called such wretches, "Violent waves of the sea, streaming with their shame, wandering stars for whom the darkest night is kept in store for ever."

Peter also described the wicked and their eternal fate in 2 Peter 2:17 (BBE) with these metaphors. "These are fountains without water, and mists before a driving storm; for whom the eternal night is kept in store."

Light is always a metaphor for holiness and truthfulness. That's why Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 5:5 (BBE), "For you are all sons of light and of the day: we are not of the night or of the dark."

We need to understand the Bible's metaphors or we'll become confused. Many false prophets misuse these to trick believers into following their teaching instead of what the Bible says.

On Thursday, if Christ hasn't returned, I plan on posting about the danger of spiritists.

Saturday Song: The Classics IV, "Spooky"

This song from 1968 was perfectly timed for the Halloween season. The band didn't have many hits but this song was played often during that October. Listen to it here:

Though we Christians shouldn't be fixated on occult matters, we do need to understand our adversary the Devil and his limitations. One of the most important restraints is shown in Job 1:8-11 (BBE) "And the Lord said to the Satan, 'Have you taken note of my servant Job, for there is no one like him on the earth, a man without sin and upright, fearing God and keeping himself far from evil?' And the Satan said in answer to the Lord, 'Is it for nothing that Job is a god-fearing man? Have you yourself not put a wall round him and his house and all he has on every side, blessing the work of his hands, and increasing his cattle in the land? But now, put out your hand against all he has, and he will be cursing you to your face.' And the Lord said to the Satan, 'See, I give all he has into your hands, only do not put a finger on the man himself.' And the Satan went out from before the Lord."

Since the Devil can't do anything beyond what God will allow, we have confidence in knowing that we can endure whatever happens to us. Like an electrical breaker or fuse, 1 Corinthians 10:13 (BBE) assures us, "You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test a way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it."

Furthermore, our Lord knew that men like the Apostle Paul could handle a demon-possessed woman because of the Holy Spirit empowering him. Acts 16:16-18 (BBE) tells us, "And when we were going to the place of prayer, we came across a girl with a spirit which gave knowledge of the future, whose masters made great profit from her power. She came after Paul and us, crying out and saying, 'These men are the servants of the Most High God, who are giving you news of the way of salvation. And this she did on a number of days. But Paul was greatly troubled and, turning, said to the spirit, 'I give you orders in the name of Jesus Christ, to come out of her.' And it came out that very hour."

But Acts 19:15-17 (BBE) warns those without Christ's protection, "And the evil spirit, answering, said to them, 'I have knowledge of Jesus, and of Paul, but who are you?' And the man in whom the evil spirit was, jumping on them, was stronger than the two of them, and overcame them, so that they went running from that house, wounded and without their clothing."

If the Lord doesn't return by Monday, I hope to post about eternal life verses eternal judgement.

We Don't Become Angels When We Die

One of many silly beliefs in the public mind is that people become angels when they die. The Bible doesn't say that at all. And since it's God's word, we must heed it.

We know that angels were never born. Some did appear in material bodies but never were they born to human parents.

Unless the Lord allows them to have physical bodies for a time, angels are always spirit beings.  Psalms 104:4 (KJV) tells us it's God, "Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:"

Furthermore, Angels are the Lord's servants. Jesus tells us this through Matthew 13:39 (KJV) what these spirits will do. "The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels."

Now some folks might point to Matthew 22:30 (KJV) as their proof text. But it merely means that there won't be any wedlock in the world to come. "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." It also shows that angels don't marry one another.

Angels never die either. Ponder what Jesus said in Luke 20:36 (BBE). "And death has no more power over them, for they are equal to the angels, and are sons of God, being of those who will come back from the dead."

Additionally, the Apostle Paul grouped humans apart from angels in 1 Corinthians 4:9 (BBE). "For it seems to me that God has put us the Apostles last of all, as men whose fate is death: for we are put on view to the world, and to angels, and to men."

It's clear to me that people who think we'll become angels when we die are ignorant of Holy Scripture's contents.

And if Christ hasn't come by Saturday, I hope to post about demonic possession and one spooky woman.

Trust God. He Knows What He's Doing

My friend John Peters introduced me to a hilarious police comedy called Sledge Hammer. The protagonist is a cross between Maxwell Smart and Dirty Harry. You can imagine the results of that combination.

The reason I mention this American TV show is that Sledge Hammer's catch phrase is, "Trust me. I know what I'm doing." Coming from him, it's laughable. 

But God must be trusted because he really does know what he's doing. First of all, he never lies. Jesus said in his prayer in John 17:17 (BBE), "Make them holy by the true word: your word is the true word."

We also know that the Lord has made us. Therefore he knows every single thing about us. That's why Isaiah 45:9 (BBE) warns, "Cursed is he who has an argument with his Maker, the pot which has an argument with the Potter! Will the wet earth say to him who is working with it, 'What are you doing, that your work has nothing by which it may be gripped?'"

We also have thousands of witnesses that testify of the reliable nature of God. After a full chapter describing faithful saints and what they suffered, Hebrews 12:1 and 2 (BBE) reminds us, "For this reason, as we are circled by so great a cloud of witnesses, putting off every weight, and the sin into which we come so readily, let us keep on running in the way which is marked out for us, Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat of power."

and though it sounds unfair to our modern sensibilities, God chose some to be saved from hell. That's why Christ said in John 17:12 (BBE), "While I was with them I kept them safe in your name which you have given to me: I took care of them and not one of them has come to destruction, but only the son of destruction, so that the Writings might come true."

And if our trustworthy savior doesn't arrive by Thursday, I plan on posting about what we become when we die.

Saturday Song: Spirit, "Nature's Way"

Have you been amazed at records, tapes, or CDs you found in a discount bin or at a garage sale? I've discovered many treasures, including an album called The Best of Spirit. It was among a pile of records which a friend was trying to sell for a friend of his. I fell in love with this California psychedelic band's sound and bought the LP from my friend.

One song by Spirit dealt with the inevitability of death.  It stalks us all and there's no escaping the grim reaper. 

Check out this song here.

Due to the transgression of Adam and Eve, death is our sentence for sin. As Isaiah 64:6 (BBE) aptly puts it, "For we have all become like an unclean person, and all our good acts are like a dirty robe: and we have all become old like a dead leaf, and our sins, like the wind, take us away."

We humans tend to think we'll never become feeble and die. Some even act as if they were gods and goddesses. But Psalms 82:6 and 7 (BBE) reminds us all, "I said, You are gods; all of you are the sons of the Most High: But you will come to death like men, falling like one of the rulers of the earth."

Even so, we who trust in Christ have the hope of resurrection to life eternal. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 and 14 (BBE), "But it is our desire, brothers, that you may be certain about those who are sleeping; so that you may have no need for sorrow, as others have who are without hope. For if we have faith that Jesus underwent death and came back again, even so those who are sleeping will come again with him by God's power."

furthermore, we who were born gentiles but who follow Christ were set apart from this world. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:12 (BBE) regarding our former condition, "That you were at that time without Christ, being cut off from any part in Israel's rights as a nation, having no part in God's agreement, having no hope, and without God in the world."

Because of these great promises in Scripture, we don't fear termination. We just go to be with our adored Master.

On Monday, if he doesn't return first, I hope to post about how God knows what he's doing.