Recently I’ve been thinking about how central imitation is to Satan's MO or schemes....especially as revealed in Revelation. Below are a few as found in the last book of the bible.
God's reality--the real Trinity (Father, Son/Lamb, Holy Spirit...Rev.1:4-5....
Satanic imitation--false trinity....dragon, beast, and false prophet (16:13;20:10)
Lamb standing as if slain (Rev.5:6).......many-headed beast with mortal wound healed (13:3)
sealing of the saints 7:2-3)......mark of the beast (13:16-18)
Bride in white (19:7-8).....prostitute in purple and scarlet.(17:1-6)
In Revelation 13:2 the beast appears as a composite being….imitating the holy composite imagery in Old Testament and New Testament.
How many of you have seen pictures and other evidence of composite beings (combining of different creatures) that were truly bizarre and frightening? I have seen many pictures from clients who took still photos and the developed film showed freakish, demonic, composite beings.Some made my skin crawl. It would seem that Satan stole this idea from God and perverted it.
Not a few of the crypto-monsters as pursued on such TV shows as Destination Truth and Mountain Monsters are composite in appearance….and usually demonic if real. The Cherokee Devil is an example from my home state of NC…..Ashe County.
Perhaps the most common Satanic/demonic imitation is the false prophets, as opposed to God’s true prophets.
Is it any wonder, then, that we are warned that Satan and his minions can appear as an “angel of light”? (2 Corinthians 11:14)—imitating a holy angel or Christ Himself. The prince of darkness appearing as the antithesis of what he really is should resonate loudly amongst those who deal with these issues, especially Christians. Clearly, imitation or mimicry is a very common means Satan uses to deceive people.
Hence, identifying paranormal entities based on a phenomenological methodology (how they appear, smell, feel, or sound) or the scientific method,is not only naïve and dangerous, it is contrary to God’s clear warnings! Yet, how many times have you heard/said that the gentle sound/message of a disembodied voice or EVP (or some similar phenomenon) must be a kind-hearted trapped soul? Always remember the angel of light principle…demons can appear as anything…..ANYTHING! Have you ever identified a paranormal entity based on appearance? What do you think Paul (or more importantly, God) would say about that?
I read an article quoting both Hans Holzer and Lloyd Auerbach, basically stating that most ghosts don’t hurt people, according to all the evidence. I humbly beg to differ. Though I don’t have the decades of experience that these men have, we have a radically different starting points or presuppositions. I presuppose the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, and it teaches the centrality of imitation or mimicry to Satan’s agenda….which is at the heart of the ghost debate.
Imitation or mimicry is not merely an occasional demonic ploy, it is very common due to its being deeply rooted in the very nature of unclean spirits and the image given in scripture, especially Revelation. Hence, folks who deal with paranormal phenomenon would be wise to remember Satanic imitation.
It is not enough to pray before interacting with paranormal phenomena (as important as that is)….and it is not enough to do it for God’s glory (again, very important)….we need to THINK according to biblical categories or we will end up being seriously deceived. NONE of us is above being deceived (I’m certainly not), but we must have our minds systematically transformed (Romans 12:1-2)….or we will be conformed to the prevailing mindset of our culture, which is becoming increasingly pagan.
Also, this morning I was reading in Revelation 20:10 about the false trinity being cast into the lake of fire and sulfur….hell. SULFUR. How many folks have been terrified by the smell of sulfur? It elicits terror because we have become hard wired to connect the smell of sulfur with demonic presence. However, the bible has a totally different take on the real significance of sulfur.
“…and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and SULFUR where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (EMPHASIS ADDED)
How ironic that Satan/demons would use the very smell that signifies their eternal torment, to instill fear in others...... Next time you (or client) smells sulfur, remember what it really signifies...Satan's certain defeat and eternal damnation.
Soli deo Gloria!!!
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
