According to Wikipedia the definition of a Poltergeist is:
In folklore and parapsychology, a poltergeist (German for "pounding ghost") is a type of ghost or other supernatural entity which is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. They are purportedly capable of pinching, biting, hitting, and tripping people. Most accounts of poltergeists describe the movement or levitation of objects such as furniture and cutlery, or noises such as knocking on doors.
They have traditionally been described as very troublesome spirits who haunt a particular person instead of a specific location. Such alleged poltergeist manifestations have been reported in many cultures and countries including the United States, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and most European nations. Early accounts date back to the 1st century. The first reported poltergeist was in Germany in 856 A.D."
It's never good when a poltergeist is involved. But of course you have to verify this first. Sadly we just can't take the word of the client without digging a little ourselves as researchers. A lot of questions and interviews need to take place from any witnesses and family background. It's very sad that some people will cry wolf just to have somebody come out because they think it would be cool to have people come in like they see on TV. This is no lie. Prayer is needed and spiritual warfare too. It's pure evil in my humble opinion.
It also has been referred to by definition as a "noisy ghost." No one knows for sure. Like I've said before there are just some things we are not going to be privy to until we cross over. But It's not a pleasant experience at all. These things are dangerous they are not harmless. I've seen cases where it's not always a teenager/minor, repressing negative emotions, I've seen it with adults. You're probably wondering where do they come from? What attracts them? Can it hurt me? Can people get rid of it? I'll do my best to answer these the best as I can. It's all from a biblical point of view so every one will have different opinions. I feel that it is possible that if a teen or pre teen has a lot depression anger and things to that nature the child can in advertently cause a creation that manifests these things whether it be subconsciously or not. It's hard to say how this works. No one knows.
A poltergeist is slick and tricky. When it does let itself be known the disturbances start out seemingly minor with possible explanations. just to give you a few examples..........cabinets opening on their own, random items move by themselves or doors opening and closing. However, in time the activity will only increase in a severe way, eventually resulting in violence. Mental trauma usually also occurs as a result.
It's been said they usually stick to one person, generally women and they hang around for about 3 months however, there are cases where they have gone within a few days and cases where they have somehow stuck around for years. You just never know. We have no clue what we are dealing with exactly. How far can things really go? Can someone be murdered? I get that question a lot. I say the Lord controls the world. Nothing will happen that isn't supposed to when speaking of politics. But I respect all opinions.
Poltergeists are evil and I believe from the lower realms. From what I'm told the power they have is unbelievable, they have the ability to chuck things like wardrobes, chairs etc, they ere capable of just about anything, unless you have witnessed it then it is very hard to believe that they do exist in this world. I read in the 1930s that distinguished psychic researcher and psychologist Dr. Nandor Fodor, set forth the most popular theory; that poltergeist phenomena was not caused by ghosts but by individuals repressing intense emotions such as anger, hostility and sexual frustration.
PHILIPPIANS 2:10 NKJ
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth.
Notice that it is at the Name of Jesus, not just to the person of Jesus, that every knee will bow. As true believers in Jesus Christ, we are members of His body, and joint-heirs in His authority.
LUKE 10:19 NKJ
19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
We have authority, which if used, will insure that nothing shall by any means hurt us. The choice and responsibility is ours. What wonderful news. Jesus has our back. No need to panic. Just pray everyday. Develop a personal relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Written By Jennifer Auld
Looking inside the spiritual & literary worlds
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
100 Years of Reformed Creeds Regarding the State of the Dead
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
Intellectual honesty. One sign of it is the humility to look ‘back’ to the past, when in God’s providence, the Lord raised up godly and brilliant men who literally re-discovered the gospel, which had been largely lost for 1,000 years.
The time of the Reformation ( 1500’s) through Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, and their successors, was a time of unprecedented theological clarity. In the crucible of intense debate, controversy and persecution, unprecedented theological precision was attained. The Reformed (teaching of the Reformation) Creeds, Confessions, and catechisms that came from the 16th and 17th centuries, yielded the finest summaries of the Christian Faith that exist up til this day.
Some folks dislike creeds but EVERYONE has a pre-supposed set of beliefs regarding the bible that act as a de facto creed. “Only Jesus” is my creed is a reply. Okay, which Jesus? There is a New Age Jesus…a ‘Jesus’ for every heretical group.
The question I asked was this: was there a consensus amongst these theologians—spanning 100 years or so-- regarding what happens to our souls when we die? You will note the unyielding certainty and agreement amongst ALL of these various documents.
It would be arrogant to overlook these documents as if we were the first generation of Christians on the planet…we stand on these giants shoulders.
Creativity is a great thing, EXCEPT in theology. Creativity in the realm of theology, which seems to drive many today, invariably leads to heresy. The bible sets the contours from which our beliefs must adhere. And the Confessions that come from this period are passionately committed to the principle of Sola scriptura…and yield precise and uncompromising summaries of bible doctrine.
I have noticed that some will look high and low to find those few exceptions who agree with their unbiblical views regarding ghosts—that is NOT intellectual honesty. It is eisogesis of historical theology. Intellectual honesty requires that we not neglect the consensus beliefs from brothers, both past and present. The burden of proof lies on the shoulders of those who would deviate from the historical Reformed Confessions regarding the state of the dead.
Below is a brief defense of the importance of Creeds. Please take the time to read this brief article, as it has fresh insights that I’m sure many of you will find refreshing and exhilarating.
Why Creeds and Confessions?
by David Hall
Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ. Jesus responded that His church in all ages would be built upon that realization. The paramount thing confessed was Christ, who is the unique Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16), the cornerstone of the church. However, the means to that end—confessing—is also a very important activity confessing is:
The way to forgiveness of our sins (James 5:16);
How the saved are identified (Rom. 10:10);
The signature that the Spirit is already working in a person (1 Cor. 12:3);
The advertisement of our hope (Heb. 10:23);
Accompanied by obedience (2 Cor. 9:13); and
What Christ Himself did (1 Tim. 6:13).
As Christians, we must embrace a mature biblical norm of confessing our faith. Let me offer briefly five reasons why a written confession is helpful:
First, written confessions represent maturity. A confessional communion is more than fly-by-night. It is relatively easy to produce a personal statement of faith or a position paper on a narrow subject. However, only those confessions that are tested by many generations endure. Just as yesterday’s pop music hardly inspires anymore, so a transient confession is slightly embarrassing. But classic creeds, produced by seasoned Christians, stand the test of time. a confession is a mature, proven set of beliefs. Wouldn’t you rather be guided by such a statement than by an ill-defined set of beliefs or an immature statement of faith?
Second, written confessions keep believers from having to reinvent the wheel. Creeds and confessions can put the student at the head of the class in a hurry. If one need not formulate every bit of doctrine himself, that is, if he is humble enough to listen quickly to other saints (James 1:19), he can spare himself considerable time and countless dead ends. He will avoid paths that are “useless to further reconnoiter,” as theologian Abraham Kuyper recognized.
Third, written confessions are a non-prejudicial way of telling outsiders what we believe. In an age that craves authenticity and transparency, many people get fed up with vague “trust me” statements or calls to give money blindly. A confession is an unashamedly public act; it means that what we believe is neither secret nor windblown for individual taste. It enables any visitors to find out what we believe.
Fourth, it protects against idiosyncrasy and “movementism.” Sadly, there are more christians who follow celebrity leaders than ever before, and those movements based on unbiblical, idiosyncratic leaders seldom end well. Pining for “movementism” or following a hero often yields chaos, will-worship, self-promoting cults, confusion, or continual flux. A confession is ready-made for all those who want to participate in Christian discipleship that is bigger than their own time.
Fifth, it requires us to repent and give up some of our own wrong notions. One of the reasons that confessions are distasteful to some is their unbending quality. Yet a faith that is twisted to each of my preferences is vacuous. The nonnegotiable ethos of a confession may actually force a slacker generation to return to Scripture and steer through some difficult issues. Such may actually help us mature.
As long as a confession is thoroughly biblical (thus timeless) and not provincial, it can aid; a confession in the hands of pastoral and spiritual leaders can vitally serve unity and clarity.
A confession, if a faithful echo of what God already says, can guide us and shelter us from the disabilities of an age or locale. Confessions that parrot and lightly amplify the soundings of scripture endure, while also equipping God’s family with strength and perspective to avoid the ditches of every fad or heresy. Confessions that stand on the shoulders of previous saintly exegetes are the advanced courses that settle certain matters and yield a head start.
A confession is also simultaneously shorthand and proven wisdom; it is orthodoxy and orthopraxy at once. unless one’s life span is infinite, when we pray for God to “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12), confessions will often help us in the stewardship of time as well as protect us from crippling idiosyncratism.
The purpose of a confession is to bolster both unity and clarity. Many of us learn the hard way that the most damning standards are the unwritten ones. Pharisees, ancient and modern, are masters of using unwritten standards to club the uninitiated into a coma. A biblical confession, however, frees the believing community from these secret laws. It liberates us from self-imposed standards and also makes the church open to all under the same standards.
Kuyper was right to counsel against diverging from fixed confessions until compelled to do so by the Bible. Far from being forbidden, holding to sound confessions is little more than following the New Testament pattern. Rather than contradicting sola Scriptura, a confession is actually a sound guide to it.
Now we come to six creedal statements, from roughly 1,550-1,650 AD. They come from various countries, and as you shall see, they are simply marvelous in their content. And they ALL agree regarding the state of the dead—both righteous and unrighteous.
Westminster Confession 1646 (this confession is still held in high regard by many churches, and I personally think it is the best ever written…i.e. most biblical) We use it regularly in my church to publicly confess what we believe during worship. I will not comment…just enjoy reading these marvelous summaries…..regarding one key issue.
Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead
I. The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption:[1] but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: [2] the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies.[3] And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day.[4] Beside these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledges none.
II. At the last day, such as are found alive shall not die, but be changed:[5] and all the dead shall be raised up, with the selfsame bodies, and none other (although with different qualities), which shall be united again to their souls forever.[6]
III. The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonor: the bodies of the just, by His Spirit, unto honor; and be made conformable to His own glorious body
Second Helvetic Confession-1566
THE STATE OF THE SOUL DEPARTED FROM THE BODY. For we believe that the faithful, after bodily death, go directly to Christ, and, therefore, do not need the eulogies and prayers of the living for the dead and their services. Likewise we believe that unbelievers are immediately cast into hell from which no exit is opened for the wicked by any services of the living.
PURGATORY. But what some teach concerning the fire of purgatory is opposed to the Christian faith, namely, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins, and the life everlasting," and to the perfect purgation through Christ, and to these words of Christ our Lord: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24). Again: "He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over, and you are clean" (John 13:10).
APPARITION OF SPIRITS. Now what is related of the spirits or souls of the dead sometimes appearing to those who are alive, and begging certain duties of them whereby they may be set free, we count those apparitions among the laughingstocks, crafts, and deceptions of the devil, who, as he can transform himself into an angel of light, so he strives either to overthrow the true faith or to call it into doubt. In the Old Testament the Lord forbade the seeking of the truth from the dead, and any sort of commerce with spirits Deut. 18:11). Indeed, as evangelical truth declares, the glutton, being in torment, is denied a return to his brethren, as the divine oracle declared in the words: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead" (Luke 16:29 ff.).
Irish Articles of Religion-1615
OF THE STATE OF THE SOULS OF MEN AFTER THEY BE DEPARTED OUT OF THIS LIFE, TOGETHER WITH THE GENERAL RESURRECTION AND THE LAST JUDGMENT.
101. After this life is ended the souls of God's children be presently received into heaven, there to enjoy unspeakable comforts; the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, there to endure endless torments.
102. The doctrine o£ the Church of Rome concerning Limbus Patrum, Limbus Puerorum, Purgatory, Prayer for the Dead, Pardons, Adoration of Images and Relics, and also Invocation of Saints, is vainly invented without all warrant of holy Scripture, yea, and is contrary unto the same.
103. At the end of this world the Lord Jesus shall come in the clouds with the glory of his Father; at which time, by the almighty power of God, the living shall be changed and the dead shall be raised; and all shall appear both in body and soul before his judgment-seat, to receive according to that which they have done in their bodies, whether good or evil.
104. When the last judgment is finished, Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to his Father, and God shall be all in all.
Baptist Confession of Faith-1689
OF THE STATE OF MAN AFTER DEATH, AND OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD
Paragraph 1. The bodies of men after death return to dust, and see corruption;1 but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them.2 The souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holiness, are received into paradise, where they are with Christ, and behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies;3 and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell; where they remain in torment and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day;4 besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.
1 Gen. 3:19; Acts 13:36
2 Eccles. 12:7
3 Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:1,6,8; Phil. 1:23; Heb. 12:23
4 Jude 6, 7; 1 Peter 3:19; Luke 16:23,24
Paragraph 2. At the last day, such of the saints as are found alive, shall not sleep, but be changed;5 and all the dead shall be raised up with the selfsame bodies, and none other;6 although with different qualities, which shall be united again to their souls forever.7
5 1 Cor. 15:51,52; 1 Thess. 4:17
6 Job 19:26,27
7 1 Cor. 15:42,43
Paragraph 3. The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonour; the bodies of the just, by his Spirit, unto honour, and be made conformable to his own glorious body.8
8 Acts 24:15; John 5:28,29; Phil. 3:21
Scottish Confession of Faith—1560 (John Knox)
Chapter 17
The Immortality of the Souls
The elect departed are in peace and rest from their labours:[1] not that they sleep and come to a certain oblivion (as some fantastics do affirm), but that they are delivered from all fear, all torment, and all temptation, to which we and all God's elect are subject in this life,[2] and therefore do bear the name of the kirk militant: as contrariwise, the reprobate and unfaithful departed, have anguish, torment, and pain, that cannot be expressed.[3] So that neither are the one nor the other in such sleep that they feel not joy or torment, as the parable of Christ Jesus in the sixteenth [chapter] of Luke,[4] his words to the thief,[5] and these words of the souls crying under the altar,[6] O Lord, thou that art righteous and just, how long shalt thou not revenge our blood upon them that dwell upon the earth! doth plainly testify.
1. Rev. 14:13.
2. Isa. 25:8; Rev. 7:14-17; 21:4.
3. Rev. 16:10-11; Isa. 66:24; Mark 9:44, 46, 48.
4. Luke 16:23-26.
5. Luke 23:43.
6. Rev. 6:9-10.
Heidelberg Catechism—1563
Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?
Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, (a) am not my own, (b) but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; (c) who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, (d) and delivered me from all the power of the devil; (e) and so preserves me (f) that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; (g) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, (h) and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, (i) and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.
Question 57. What comfort does the "resurrection of the body" afford thee?
Answer: That not only my soul after this life shall be immediately taken up to Christ its head; (a) but also, that this my body, being raised by the power of Christ, shall be reunited with my soul, and made like unto the glorious body of Christ. (b)
(a) Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Philip.1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philip.1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (b) 1 Cor.15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Cor.15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Philip.3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
There are numerous avenues to pursue which lead to a proper understanding of what happens to ALL souls upon death. One such avenue is to ask what the leading theologians of the past and their confessions taught. Ours is a day in which historical theology is frowned upon, but surely such hubris is fraught with peril.
Is it not instructive that all of the Reformed Confessions quoted above come to the same conclusion regarding the status of the souls of the deceased? Did you note that the Second Helvetic Confession even mentions the demonic nature of apparitions? This is the teaching of historic Christianity from the 16th and 17th centuries regarding the notion of ghosts, and they present a united mind. Before you deviate from this consensus, it is incumbent upon you to provide the burden of proof that they were wrong. Thus far, nobody has come close to showing that the classical view of life after death is mistaken…though some have tried…and failed miserably.
Of course these confessions are not the bible. However, their purpose was/is to summarize accurately and systematically the teaching of the bible. These confessions in particular are the most consistent summaries of biblical teaching, in my opinion….especially the Westminster Confession…Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
It saddens me how many adopt a dismissive attitude toward the herculean efforts of the saints from centuries past. Church history is an extension of the book of Acts, and there are so many lessons we can learn. One lesson is that our Reformation heroes (and successors) are united in their view of life after death. Surely that should have some impact on you if you are a Christian.
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.
Intellectual honesty. One sign of it is the humility to look ‘back’ to the past, when in God’s providence, the Lord raised up godly and brilliant men who literally re-discovered the gospel, which had been largely lost for 1,000 years.
The time of the Reformation ( 1500’s) through Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, and their successors, was a time of unprecedented theological clarity. In the crucible of intense debate, controversy and persecution, unprecedented theological precision was attained. The Reformed (teaching of the Reformation) Creeds, Confessions, and catechisms that came from the 16th and 17th centuries, yielded the finest summaries of the Christian Faith that exist up til this day.
Some folks dislike creeds but EVERYONE has a pre-supposed set of beliefs regarding the bible that act as a de facto creed. “Only Jesus” is my creed is a reply. Okay, which Jesus? There is a New Age Jesus…a ‘Jesus’ for every heretical group.
The question I asked was this: was there a consensus amongst these theologians—spanning 100 years or so-- regarding what happens to our souls when we die? You will note the unyielding certainty and agreement amongst ALL of these various documents.
It would be arrogant to overlook these documents as if we were the first generation of Christians on the planet…we stand on these giants shoulders.
Creativity is a great thing, EXCEPT in theology. Creativity in the realm of theology, which seems to drive many today, invariably leads to heresy. The bible sets the contours from which our beliefs must adhere. And the Confessions that come from this period are passionately committed to the principle of Sola scriptura…and yield precise and uncompromising summaries of bible doctrine.
I have noticed that some will look high and low to find those few exceptions who agree with their unbiblical views regarding ghosts—that is NOT intellectual honesty. It is eisogesis of historical theology. Intellectual honesty requires that we not neglect the consensus beliefs from brothers, both past and present. The burden of proof lies on the shoulders of those who would deviate from the historical Reformed Confessions regarding the state of the dead.
Below is a brief defense of the importance of Creeds. Please take the time to read this brief article, as it has fresh insights that I’m sure many of you will find refreshing and exhilarating.
Why Creeds and Confessions?
by David Hall
Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ. Jesus responded that His church in all ages would be built upon that realization. The paramount thing confessed was Christ, who is the unique Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16), the cornerstone of the church. However, the means to that end—confessing—is also a very important activity confessing is:
The way to forgiveness of our sins (James 5:16);
How the saved are identified (Rom. 10:10);
The signature that the Spirit is already working in a person (1 Cor. 12:3);
The advertisement of our hope (Heb. 10:23);
Accompanied by obedience (2 Cor. 9:13); and
What Christ Himself did (1 Tim. 6:13).
As Christians, we must embrace a mature biblical norm of confessing our faith. Let me offer briefly five reasons why a written confession is helpful:
First, written confessions represent maturity. A confessional communion is more than fly-by-night. It is relatively easy to produce a personal statement of faith or a position paper on a narrow subject. However, only those confessions that are tested by many generations endure. Just as yesterday’s pop music hardly inspires anymore, so a transient confession is slightly embarrassing. But classic creeds, produced by seasoned Christians, stand the test of time. a confession is a mature, proven set of beliefs. Wouldn’t you rather be guided by such a statement than by an ill-defined set of beliefs or an immature statement of faith?
Second, written confessions keep believers from having to reinvent the wheel. Creeds and confessions can put the student at the head of the class in a hurry. If one need not formulate every bit of doctrine himself, that is, if he is humble enough to listen quickly to other saints (James 1:19), he can spare himself considerable time and countless dead ends. He will avoid paths that are “useless to further reconnoiter,” as theologian Abraham Kuyper recognized.
Third, written confessions are a non-prejudicial way of telling outsiders what we believe. In an age that craves authenticity and transparency, many people get fed up with vague “trust me” statements or calls to give money blindly. A confession is an unashamedly public act; it means that what we believe is neither secret nor windblown for individual taste. It enables any visitors to find out what we believe.
Fourth, it protects against idiosyncrasy and “movementism.” Sadly, there are more christians who follow celebrity leaders than ever before, and those movements based on unbiblical, idiosyncratic leaders seldom end well. Pining for “movementism” or following a hero often yields chaos, will-worship, self-promoting cults, confusion, or continual flux. A confession is ready-made for all those who want to participate in Christian discipleship that is bigger than their own time.
Fifth, it requires us to repent and give up some of our own wrong notions. One of the reasons that confessions are distasteful to some is their unbending quality. Yet a faith that is twisted to each of my preferences is vacuous. The nonnegotiable ethos of a confession may actually force a slacker generation to return to Scripture and steer through some difficult issues. Such may actually help us mature.
As long as a confession is thoroughly biblical (thus timeless) and not provincial, it can aid; a confession in the hands of pastoral and spiritual leaders can vitally serve unity and clarity.
A confession, if a faithful echo of what God already says, can guide us and shelter us from the disabilities of an age or locale. Confessions that parrot and lightly amplify the soundings of scripture endure, while also equipping God’s family with strength and perspective to avoid the ditches of every fad or heresy. Confessions that stand on the shoulders of previous saintly exegetes are the advanced courses that settle certain matters and yield a head start.
A confession is also simultaneously shorthand and proven wisdom; it is orthodoxy and orthopraxy at once. unless one’s life span is infinite, when we pray for God to “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12), confessions will often help us in the stewardship of time as well as protect us from crippling idiosyncratism.
The purpose of a confession is to bolster both unity and clarity. Many of us learn the hard way that the most damning standards are the unwritten ones. Pharisees, ancient and modern, are masters of using unwritten standards to club the uninitiated into a coma. A biblical confession, however, frees the believing community from these secret laws. It liberates us from self-imposed standards and also makes the church open to all under the same standards.
Kuyper was right to counsel against diverging from fixed confessions until compelled to do so by the Bible. Far from being forbidden, holding to sound confessions is little more than following the New Testament pattern. Rather than contradicting sola Scriptura, a confession is actually a sound guide to it.
Now we come to six creedal statements, from roughly 1,550-1,650 AD. They come from various countries, and as you shall see, they are simply marvelous in their content. And they ALL agree regarding the state of the dead—both righteous and unrighteous.
Westminster Confession 1646 (this confession is still held in high regard by many churches, and I personally think it is the best ever written…i.e. most biblical) We use it regularly in my church to publicly confess what we believe during worship. I will not comment…just enjoy reading these marvelous summaries…..regarding one key issue.
Of the State of Men after Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead
I. The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption:[1] but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: [2] the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies.[3] And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day.[4] Beside these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledges none.
II. At the last day, such as are found alive shall not die, but be changed:[5] and all the dead shall be raised up, with the selfsame bodies, and none other (although with different qualities), which shall be united again to their souls forever.[6]
III. The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonor: the bodies of the just, by His Spirit, unto honor; and be made conformable to His own glorious body
Second Helvetic Confession-1566
THE STATE OF THE SOUL DEPARTED FROM THE BODY. For we believe that the faithful, after bodily death, go directly to Christ, and, therefore, do not need the eulogies and prayers of the living for the dead and their services. Likewise we believe that unbelievers are immediately cast into hell from which no exit is opened for the wicked by any services of the living.
PURGATORY. But what some teach concerning the fire of purgatory is opposed to the Christian faith, namely, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins, and the life everlasting," and to the perfect purgation through Christ, and to these words of Christ our Lord: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24). Again: "He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over, and you are clean" (John 13:10).
APPARITION OF SPIRITS. Now what is related of the spirits or souls of the dead sometimes appearing to those who are alive, and begging certain duties of them whereby they may be set free, we count those apparitions among the laughingstocks, crafts, and deceptions of the devil, who, as he can transform himself into an angel of light, so he strives either to overthrow the true faith or to call it into doubt. In the Old Testament the Lord forbade the seeking of the truth from the dead, and any sort of commerce with spirits Deut. 18:11). Indeed, as evangelical truth declares, the glutton, being in torment, is denied a return to his brethren, as the divine oracle declared in the words: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead" (Luke 16:29 ff.).
Irish Articles of Religion-1615
OF THE STATE OF THE SOULS OF MEN AFTER THEY BE DEPARTED OUT OF THIS LIFE, TOGETHER WITH THE GENERAL RESURRECTION AND THE LAST JUDGMENT.
101. After this life is ended the souls of God's children be presently received into heaven, there to enjoy unspeakable comforts; the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, there to endure endless torments.
102. The doctrine o£ the Church of Rome concerning Limbus Patrum, Limbus Puerorum, Purgatory, Prayer for the Dead, Pardons, Adoration of Images and Relics, and also Invocation of Saints, is vainly invented without all warrant of holy Scripture, yea, and is contrary unto the same.
103. At the end of this world the Lord Jesus shall come in the clouds with the glory of his Father; at which time, by the almighty power of God, the living shall be changed and the dead shall be raised; and all shall appear both in body and soul before his judgment-seat, to receive according to that which they have done in their bodies, whether good or evil.
104. When the last judgment is finished, Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to his Father, and God shall be all in all.
Baptist Confession of Faith-1689
OF THE STATE OF MAN AFTER DEATH, AND OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD
Paragraph 1. The bodies of men after death return to dust, and see corruption;1 but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them.2 The souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holiness, are received into paradise, where they are with Christ, and behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies;3 and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell; where they remain in torment and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day;4 besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.
1 Gen. 3:19; Acts 13:36
2 Eccles. 12:7
3 Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:1,6,8; Phil. 1:23; Heb. 12:23
4 Jude 6, 7; 1 Peter 3:19; Luke 16:23,24
Paragraph 2. At the last day, such of the saints as are found alive, shall not sleep, but be changed;5 and all the dead shall be raised up with the selfsame bodies, and none other;6 although with different qualities, which shall be united again to their souls forever.7
5 1 Cor. 15:51,52; 1 Thess. 4:17
6 Job 19:26,27
7 1 Cor. 15:42,43
Paragraph 3. The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonour; the bodies of the just, by his Spirit, unto honour, and be made conformable to his own glorious body.8
8 Acts 24:15; John 5:28,29; Phil. 3:21
Scottish Confession of Faith—1560 (John Knox)
Chapter 17
The Immortality of the Souls
The elect departed are in peace and rest from their labours:[1] not that they sleep and come to a certain oblivion (as some fantastics do affirm), but that they are delivered from all fear, all torment, and all temptation, to which we and all God's elect are subject in this life,[2] and therefore do bear the name of the kirk militant: as contrariwise, the reprobate and unfaithful departed, have anguish, torment, and pain, that cannot be expressed.[3] So that neither are the one nor the other in such sleep that they feel not joy or torment, as the parable of Christ Jesus in the sixteenth [chapter] of Luke,[4] his words to the thief,[5] and these words of the souls crying under the altar,[6] O Lord, thou that art righteous and just, how long shalt thou not revenge our blood upon them that dwell upon the earth! doth plainly testify.
1. Rev. 14:13.
2. Isa. 25:8; Rev. 7:14-17; 21:4.
3. Rev. 16:10-11; Isa. 66:24; Mark 9:44, 46, 48.
4. Luke 16:23-26.
5. Luke 23:43.
6. Rev. 6:9-10.
Heidelberg Catechism—1563
Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?
Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, (a) am not my own, (b) but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; (c) who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, (d) and delivered me from all the power of the devil; (e) and so preserves me (f) that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; (g) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, (h) and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, (i) and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.
Question 57. What comfort does the "resurrection of the body" afford thee?
Answer: That not only my soul after this life shall be immediately taken up to Christ its head; (a) but also, that this my body, being raised by the power of Christ, shall be reunited with my soul, and made like unto the glorious body of Christ. (b)
(a) Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Philip.1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philip.1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (b) 1 Cor.15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Cor.15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Philip.3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
There are numerous avenues to pursue which lead to a proper understanding of what happens to ALL souls upon death. One such avenue is to ask what the leading theologians of the past and their confessions taught. Ours is a day in which historical theology is frowned upon, but surely such hubris is fraught with peril.
Is it not instructive that all of the Reformed Confessions quoted above come to the same conclusion regarding the status of the souls of the deceased? Did you note that the Second Helvetic Confession even mentions the demonic nature of apparitions? This is the teaching of historic Christianity from the 16th and 17th centuries regarding the notion of ghosts, and they present a united mind. Before you deviate from this consensus, it is incumbent upon you to provide the burden of proof that they were wrong. Thus far, nobody has come close to showing that the classical view of life after death is mistaken…though some have tried…and failed miserably.
Of course these confessions are not the bible. However, their purpose was/is to summarize accurately and systematically the teaching of the bible. These confessions in particular are the most consistent summaries of biblical teaching, in my opinion….especially the Westminster Confession…Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
It saddens me how many adopt a dismissive attitude toward the herculean efforts of the saints from centuries past. Church history is an extension of the book of Acts, and there are so many lessons we can learn. One lesson is that our Reformation heroes (and successors) are united in their view of life after death. Surely that should have some impact on you if you are a Christian.
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.
Monday, April 25, 2016
Dalai Lama Meets Interfaith Groups
His Holiness the Dalai Lama recently spoke about religion and tolerance in front of interfaith groups in Washington, DC.
I was not expecting an extremely busy person like his eminence who daily shakes hands with a thousand people to remember me, especially since I had met him 14 years ago for a mere 10 minutes.
“We have met before,” says His Holiness the Dalai Lama when I introduced myself as “nga Baltipa in ju.” Surprised and with my jaw open, all I did was clasp my hands together and nodded happily in agreement before I once again lowered my head to show respect.
The Dalai Lama was in Washington, DC on the invitation of the University of Maryland.
Sensing his interest in meeting the Muslims of America, the Marist College of New York and Washington-based Institute for Gilgit Baltistan Studies co-hosted a private meeting and lecture on inter-faith harmony on May 7, 2013. The twenty or so people who we invited belonged to all faiths including Hinduism, Scientology, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, and were representing the interfaith NGOs of Washington.
We also ensured that all sects of Islam, like Shias, Sunnis, Sufis, Alevis, Ahmadis and Ismailis were represented in that room. The Dalai Lama spent forty-five minutes with us. Afterwards, he moved to the auditorium to address Islamic Sufism and Buddhism. Our dear friend Lobsang Chophel introduced the group members to His Holiness before the lecture.
One thing that the group liked about the Dalai Lama was his comment about emotional attachment with one’s religion which can limit objective thinking and analysis. He stressed on having compassion for people of other faiths. If understood, his message can help reduce killings and wars which happen in the name of protecting or maintaining superiority of one religion over the other.
Throughout the lecture, he talked about promoting humanity and showed concern about the growing gap between the rich and the poor. He called himself a son of India because India nourishes his body and mind through the food he consumes and the knowledge he receives from the Nalanda scriptures.
The Dalai Lama is unique among other world leaders as everyone irrespective of their religious background can relate to him
For us, he is a spiritual father figure who can instill hope and the sense that he belongs to all of us and not just one faith or racial group.
I requested His Holiness to pray for the freedom of Gilgit-Baltistan. I was hardly able to look at his face while trying to control my tears. I am not sure if I even used the right Tibetan language (Shesa) to communicate to him since Baltis do not know Shesa. But he smiled when he heard me talking in Balti and held my hand. Love for the Balti community was noticeable on his face.
On behalf of our group and Marist College, John Thomas Pinna presented a framed picture and a DVD movie to the Dalai Lama which will remind him of the times when Tibet was still a free country. The DVD was produced by a broadcaster, journalist and photographer, Lowell Thomas, who had visited Tibet before the Chinese occupation and filmed his meeting with His Holiness in Lhasa. The Dalai Lama liked the gift very much and desired to meet our group again.
His Holiness and I greeted each other with the phrase ‘Thsering shoks’ or may you live long. As I was praying for his health and long life, I was also hoping to meet him again.
Senge H. Sering is the President of Institute for Gilgit Baltistan Studies and hails from a Tibetan speaking region called Baltistan (Baltiyul), which has been declared a disputed area between India and Pakistan by the United Nations. There are about 600,000 Balti people residing in India and Pakistan who profess Islam and speak archaic Tibetan. Read other articles by Senge. http://www.sharnoffsglobalviews.com/dalai-lama-074/
Saturday, April 23, 2016
The Dangers Of Paranormal Investigating
To start off I'd like to discuss something first. Many don't believe ghosts exist, they feel they are malevolent entities mimicking our loved ones who passed. Some feel it's ridiculous thinking and debate the verses in the bible. Below are a couple of verses that many feel tell us the dead are unable to return much less communicate with us in any fashion.
As I have mentioned many times, one of the most common forms of spiritual attacks my ministry deals with are mind attacks. There so common that every Christian has experienced these through spiritual warfare in one form or another. As an example, perhaps you have gone through life believing your never really good enough at something you wanted to do in life. Or perhaps, you feel like no one could ever love you. These are basic examples of how spirits can invade our thoughts and rational. This is why in Corinthians, the Apostle Paul tells us to take every thought captive.
When Jesus was seen walking on water according to the bible it was said "Oh my it's a ghost" or something to that effect so many believe ghost surely must have existed in order for those specific words to be mentioned. And there are some places in the Bible where there is communication with some who were already passed on. That's a whole different topic right there and I'm trying not to get sidelined off the subject at hand. I however, cannot debate that topic very well. It's just one of those things that I feel some of us may not know for sure until we are deceased. Familiar Spirits are spirits that give an appearance of a person that is familiar to a human being. For example : Demons know the history of the property and the person, so they can take on the appearance of any person so you feel comfortable in talking to. Unfortunately for me all I have ever dealt with was inhuman spirits, the demonic. Some are very passionate about that subject and can't agree to disagree. Like I said for me personally I have my personal beliefs but there are just some things we won't know for sure until we are passed on.
Ghost hunting is dangerous in my humble opinion. You need to educate yourself before you go trampling into a world you really know nothing about. Beings from another dimension, don't need to follow our physical rules, or observe our morality. There are just too many people jumping in to paranormal investigating who do not understand the dangers that are involved to them and anybody else around them. Demonic attachment is so prevalent and very scary. It happens so easily and most people can't believe even though they didn't do anything that would invite demonic entities they were still at risk. We can inadvertently open up doors. It's not hard at all. Just because you've done research online and you watch all the paranormal TV shows does not mean you are equipped to deal with these very serous consequences. It happens so easily but yet it takes a lot of work to rid someone from demonic attachment. You are lucky if you can even find the proper help in these situations. It can take a lot of time. Some people claiming they can help actually make the problem worse in many cases. This is very unfortunate but happens often.
I have witnessed ramifications when people were playing around with Ouija Boards. In my humble opinion they are nothing more than portals to the demonic. Mainly who are using this form of provocation call themselves paranormal investigators who engage in this type of activity in order to illicit possible evidence. Christ warns us about this.."Beware Of The Familiar Spirit." Our friends and loved ones are mimicked by demonic entities in a effort to trick us into offering help or becoming highly involved in keeping the communication going. This eventually allows them legal ground into our life. Now you have big problems. These things hate humans and anyone who loves Christ. They will torment you and your loved ones into thinking you are crazy. Things will escalate and get worse over time. This situation will not go away on it's own. You can't ignore it and it eventually go away. You will be tormented beyond belief. I am very strong about this due to what I've witnessed and do not want anyone to even entertain the thought. No matter how curious you
"Be aware of the familiar spirit" Familiar spirits operate under their master, Satan. They influence people to create hate and hurt. Basically raise hell and torment us relentlessly. They spew lies and make a person believe such horrible things of others and ourselves. To knowingly open oneself to the work of demons is an evil act: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in a fire, who practices divination or sorcery." To knowingly open yourself up to these demons and their tasks is considered a sin. They are very convincing to make you believe it's a passed loved one making contact. Test the spirit each time. Ask if he/it believes Jesus Christ is the son of man and does it worship Christ. You'll know real quick then if it's real and not eyes playing tricks on you or a person seeking attention.
The Word (bible) warns us of this trickery demons do. They often imitate our loved ones to trick us into giving them attention. They can take the form of anybody who lived in that home prior to you, again a way to fool you or others so they never get dealt with properly. And if that happens they can do whatever they want whenever they want with no real fear of being banished. You should not ever attempt to directly engage with demons unless the Lord Himself is authorizing you with a calling. He is the boss (pending your religion) and If we step behind enemy lines, which is what you are doing once you step foot into these types of haunted places it very well could break your hedge of protection. The results could be that you are opening yourself for attachment or demonic attack as a result of searching for these evil entities, trying to capture activity. I can't stress this enough!
"I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you authority to crush snakes and scorpions underfoot. I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, don’t rejoice because the spirits submit to you. Rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:18-20 CEB)."
Much of the demonic activity reported seems to happen at 3am or shortly after. This is thought not to be any kind of coincidence. Many people believe that 3am is referred to as the "Demonic Witching Hour." The reason for this is because it is a way for demons to mock the Holy Trinity, since 3am is an inversion of 3pm and that is considered to be the Miracle Hour. According to many this is accepted as the time when Jesus Christ died on the cross. So to mock his death, demons commit unspeakable torment the during this time. This is when they prefer to attack, this does NOT means they are limited to this time. Things have been known to happen at many other times, as well. Even during the daylight.
Second Corinthians chapter 11 verse 14 states: For satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." Demons themselves can trick us and come to us as Angels of light as well. Like I mentioned already, Familiar Spirits are spirits that give an appearance of a person that is familiar to us. Here is a good example: Demons know the history of the property and the person, so they can take on their appearance of any person so you feel more at ease with communicating with them. Satan may have great power, but even the Arch Angel Michael depends on only GOD'S power when dealing with satan. That speaks volumes doesn't it?
Written By Jennifer L Auld; Biblical Demonologist
"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten." Ecclesiastes 9:5 NIV
"As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to the grave does not return.
He will never come to his house again; his place will know him no more.” Job 7:9-10 NIV
As I have mentioned many times, one of the most common forms of spiritual attacks my ministry deals with are mind attacks. There so common that every Christian has experienced these through spiritual warfare in one form or another. As an example, perhaps you have gone through life believing your never really good enough at something you wanted to do in life. Or perhaps, you feel like no one could ever love you. These are basic examples of how spirits can invade our thoughts and rational. This is why in Corinthians, the Apostle Paul tells us to take every thought captive.
When Jesus was seen walking on water according to the bible it was said "Oh my it's a ghost" or something to that effect so many believe ghost surely must have existed in order for those specific words to be mentioned. And there are some places in the Bible where there is communication with some who were already passed on. That's a whole different topic right there and I'm trying not to get sidelined off the subject at hand. I however, cannot debate that topic very well. It's just one of those things that I feel some of us may not know for sure until we are deceased. Familiar Spirits are spirits that give an appearance of a person that is familiar to a human being. For example : Demons know the history of the property and the person, so they can take on the appearance of any person so you feel comfortable in talking to. Unfortunately for me all I have ever dealt with was inhuman spirits, the demonic. Some are very passionate about that subject and can't agree to disagree. Like I said for me personally I have my personal beliefs but there are just some things we won't know for sure until we are passed on.
Ghost hunting is dangerous in my humble opinion. You need to educate yourself before you go trampling into a world you really know nothing about. Beings from another dimension, don't need to follow our physical rules, or observe our morality. There are just too many people jumping in to paranormal investigating who do not understand the dangers that are involved to them and anybody else around them. Demonic attachment is so prevalent and very scary. It happens so easily and most people can't believe even though they didn't do anything that would invite demonic entities they were still at risk. We can inadvertently open up doors. It's not hard at all. Just because you've done research online and you watch all the paranormal TV shows does not mean you are equipped to deal with these very serous consequences. It happens so easily but yet it takes a lot of work to rid someone from demonic attachment. You are lucky if you can even find the proper help in these situations. It can take a lot of time. Some people claiming they can help actually make the problem worse in many cases. This is very unfortunate but happens often.
I have witnessed ramifications when people were playing around with Ouija Boards. In my humble opinion they are nothing more than portals to the demonic. Mainly who are using this form of provocation call themselves paranormal investigators who engage in this type of activity in order to illicit possible evidence. Christ warns us about this.."Beware Of The Familiar Spirit." Our friends and loved ones are mimicked by demonic entities in a effort to trick us into offering help or becoming highly involved in keeping the communication going. This eventually allows them legal ground into our life. Now you have big problems. These things hate humans and anyone who loves Christ. They will torment you and your loved ones into thinking you are crazy. Things will escalate and get worse over time. This situation will not go away on it's own. You can't ignore it and it eventually go away. You will be tormented beyond belief. I am very strong about this due to what I've witnessed and do not want anyone to even entertain the thought. No matter how curious you
"Be aware of the familiar spirit" Familiar spirits operate under their master, Satan. They influence people to create hate and hurt. Basically raise hell and torment us relentlessly. They spew lies and make a person believe such horrible things of others and ourselves. To knowingly open oneself to the work of demons is an evil act: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in a fire, who practices divination or sorcery." To knowingly open yourself up to these demons and their tasks is considered a sin. They are very convincing to make you believe it's a passed loved one making contact. Test the spirit each time. Ask if he/it believes Jesus Christ is the son of man and does it worship Christ. You'll know real quick then if it's real and not eyes playing tricks on you or a person seeking attention.
The Word (bible) warns us of this trickery demons do. They often imitate our loved ones to trick us into giving them attention. They can take the form of anybody who lived in that home prior to you, again a way to fool you or others so they never get dealt with properly. And if that happens they can do whatever they want whenever they want with no real fear of being banished. You should not ever attempt to directly engage with demons unless the Lord Himself is authorizing you with a calling. He is the boss (pending your religion) and If we step behind enemy lines, which is what you are doing once you step foot into these types of haunted places it very well could break your hedge of protection. The results could be that you are opening yourself for attachment or demonic attack as a result of searching for these evil entities, trying to capture activity. I can't stress this enough!
"I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you authority to crush snakes and scorpions underfoot. I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, don’t rejoice because the spirits submit to you. Rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:18-20 CEB)."
Much of the demonic activity reported seems to happen at 3am or shortly after. This is thought not to be any kind of coincidence. Many people believe that 3am is referred to as the "Demonic Witching Hour." The reason for this is because it is a way for demons to mock the Holy Trinity, since 3am is an inversion of 3pm and that is considered to be the Miracle Hour. According to many this is accepted as the time when Jesus Christ died on the cross. So to mock his death, demons commit unspeakable torment the during this time. This is when they prefer to attack, this does NOT means they are limited to this time. Things have been known to happen at many other times, as well. Even during the daylight.
Second Corinthians chapter 11 verse 14 states: For satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." Demons themselves can trick us and come to us as Angels of light as well. Like I mentioned already, Familiar Spirits are spirits that give an appearance of a person that is familiar to us. Here is a good example: Demons know the history of the property and the person, so they can take on their appearance of any person so you feel more at ease with communicating with them. Satan may have great power, but even the Arch Angel Michael depends on only GOD'S power when dealing with satan. That speaks volumes doesn't it?
Written By Jennifer L Auld; Biblical Demonologist
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Battlefields: Hallowed or Haunted?
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
Hebrews 4-13
4 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.[a] 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
5 And again in this passage he said,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God[b] would not have spoken of another day later on.
9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
My dad was a WW II vet. Shortly before he died the day after his 90th birthday, we would sit together at night and he would often relate stories regarding the war…something he didn’t do earlier in life. I held on to every word, even though I had heard some stories several times. 70 years later, his experience in Europe left an indelible mark upon his psyche. More often than not, my father would speak in a quiet, almost reverent tone, about all of the army pilots he never saw again.
He also spoke of his brother Tom who fought under Patton at the Battle of the Bulge.
Last night I watched a re-enactment of D-Day. It was heart wrenching as the German machine gunners cut men down quickly. If they made it alive to shore, they had a 1,000 yards of sand (with mines and all kinds of obstacles) to cross-- again desperately trying to avoid the advanced German machine guns. At first everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The ‘swimming tanks’ sank in high waves…the bombers missed their marks—both of which were to give strong support to the men jumping out of the troop carriers.
Most of these men were in their late teens or early twenties.
Going backwards in time to March 15, 1781 the Battle of Guilford Courthouse took place on the very land upon which my apartment was built. Our apartment is directly adjacent to this National Military Park. It was a particularly bloody battle that prepared for Yorktown. Underneath and all around where I now sit, the larger battle was waged. And young men died.
Growing up, families would picnic and frolic on the grounds in the Park in front of the huge statue of General Greene on his horse. However, there is now a sign which forbids any such activity out of respect for the soldiers who died there.
The Korean War…The Vietnam War…The Civil War….etc. All had combatants who were also young….so very young. Through the course of human history, I doubt there has every been a time where there wasn’t a war being waged somewhere on earth. As usual, the young men fought the kings and generals wars.
When I view the beach of Normandy, or the Military Park around my apartment, I view these areas as hallowed ground. Of course, not all wars waged throughout history were what theologians call “just wars.” In fact, much of what was referred to as ‘Manifest Destiny” was an excuse for displacing and stealing people’s land, and waging unjust battles. Nevertheless, only God knows all the details, and it seems only right to consider battlefields to be hallowed ground. After Cain had killed Abel, the Lord said, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.”
The wars we fought for freedom, are they hallowed ground or haunted ground? I need to define what I mean by haunted: by haunted I mean that these sites are magnets for the deceased souls of the young combatants who died horrific deaths there.
According to many in the paranormal community there are certain kinds of deaths that raise the likelihood of one becoming trapped—not knowing one is dead, a violent death, an emotional death, a death that is accompanied by unfinished business, or not wanting to face judgment and go to hell.
I realize that battlefields, like Gettysburg, are also known for residual activity. But that is a distinct issue, which I cannot deal with here. I want to ask this: are these battlefields filled with the souls of deceased soldiers, or are they resting in peace? (provided they know Jesus)
One way to determine if a belief is true is extend it out to its logical conclusions….like the alleged ‘death criteria’ of the paranormal community.
Imagine you are 19 years old. You are so frightened before this battle you can hardly breathe. Behind you have left a young bride and child…who was born weeks before your deployment.
Then, it happens. An errant napalm bomb is flying your way and you desperately seek cover. Friendly fire is killing every thing moving in the kill box and your band of brothers accidentally slipped into the kill zone. Covered in burning napalm you die an unspeakably horrible painful death….by friendly fire…leaving a traumatized wife at home. So much life left unlived.
The ‘death criteria’ vs the promise of entering rest…RIP
EVERY criteria mentioned above is met by virtually ALL the men who die that day…or throughout the history of mankind in wars/battles. Violent…extremely emotional….violent death…so very young that unfinished business is written all over their short lives.
According to what the paranormal community affirms as a consensus, that battlefield SHOULD become crawling with the souls of valiant men who gave their lives to protect our safety and freedom. No RIP…no eternal rest. At least not right away because there is no consensus as to how long people get ‘stuck’ here.
Christians in the paranormal community are in a particularly difficult ‘pickle’ because they want to affirm that heaven is real, but what do they do with the ‘death criteria’? Without the death criteria, then there would be no basis for ghosts.
I must press this point to make the paranormal community to see the corner they have painted themselves into. Instead of being hallowed ground, the land I live on must be haunted ground of the souls of untold number of deceased soldiers.
I find that notion so absolutely horrible, that it reveals the absurdity of the notion of ghosts.
When paranormal investigators investigate a location, one of the key questions asked is: did someone/s die on the property? And if the death was violent, then that usually becomes a crucial piece of the equation. If you multiply that by hundreds or thousands of men who died violent deaths in battle, then that would naturally lead one to think of multiple haunting. However, if they were consistent, ALL of the deaths should lead to entrapment. If not, who is making the decision as to which violent death ‘stuck’ but others didn’t? I can assure you that the Living God doesn’t make any such distinctions.
Battlefields are simply an intensified version of life. ALL deaths leave unfinished business…all are emotional to some extent, etc. Having lost both parents as well as four siblings to very emotional and ‘untimely deaths’ I know from personal experience the alleged death criteria. As a human being, and as a former pastor, I know how hope-stripping the notion of ghosts can be on the remaining loved ones.
In my book and blogs I have tried to challenge folks to re-think the basic beliefs of the paranormal community. When you read the average age of those who died in Gettysburg, WWII, Vietnam, ect it is usually late teens and early 20’s…. and those beliefs are put to a severe challenge. From any perspective their deaths are horrible in the extreme. However, Jesus offers certain hope and rest, while the prospect of entrapment strips hope.
When I walk through the National Military Park next to my apartment, I am filled with a sense of the sacred. I can almost hear the muted cries of the mortally wounded, spilling their blood and causing this land to be hallowed ground.
In an area where, if the death criteria were true, I should have seen many ghosts. In fact, I have not seen any. Furthermore, after cleansing over 50 active sites, I have never seen a ghost in my life. Only demons pretending to be deceased humans.
I know from experience that graveyards and battlefields can attract demonic activity. However, that does not diminish or defile the hallowed-ness of the ground. The ground has been soaked in the blood of His image bearers and that is the final and defining reality concerning it.
The text from Hebrews 4 is a picture of the rest believers enter when they are saved, and more fully when they die. We either die ‘in our sins’ or we die ‘in Christ’, and our deaths are determinative of our eternal destiny. This text does not ‘play around’…it is a sober text that both warns and comforts. If one dies outside of Christ then they enter an eternal state of restlessness in hell. However, note how often the author of Hebrews speaks of the REST believers enter. There is tension between the ‘now and not yet’. Now, we enter our rest in Christ, but when we die we RIP—rest in peace in Jesus. Both are certain, which does not allow for notion of earthbound spirits.
Does the God presented in these verses sound like He would allow anyone to hang around earth in order to avoid judgment? The notion is preposterous and unworthy of coming from the mouth of a Christian. Yet, there are not a few professing Christians who assert that very thing. Who do we think we are—God?
When Samuel was allowed to visit Saul in a singular incident (nothing else like this in the bible) he complained that ‘his rest had been disturbed’. He had entered his eternal rest (Hebrews 11,12) in heaven.
If you believe that folks who die can consciously avoid standing before the holy Judge of heaven and earth—a God of consuming fire—to avoid their sentence to hell, then you are either abysmally ignorant of scripture or you are not a Christian.
The hundreds of millions of civilians and combatants who have been violently killed in just the last 100 years SHOULD be roaming the earth if one extends the ghost criteria to its logical conclusion. How much violence…how much emotion….how much unfinished business is enough to trap a soul? And who/what makes that decision? Nobody has ever offered a satisfactory mechanism for soul entrapment…as it is contrary to the God of the Bible, and the Bible of God.
Are battlefields hallowed or haunted? I trust we view them as hallowed ground. For regardless of their individual eternal destinies, the image bearers of God shed their blood.
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.
Hebrews 4-13
4 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.[a] 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
5 And again in this passage he said,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God[b] would not have spoken of another day later on.
9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
My dad was a WW II vet. Shortly before he died the day after his 90th birthday, we would sit together at night and he would often relate stories regarding the war…something he didn’t do earlier in life. I held on to every word, even though I had heard some stories several times. 70 years later, his experience in Europe left an indelible mark upon his psyche. More often than not, my father would speak in a quiet, almost reverent tone, about all of the army pilots he never saw again.
He also spoke of his brother Tom who fought under Patton at the Battle of the Bulge.
Last night I watched a re-enactment of D-Day. It was heart wrenching as the German machine gunners cut men down quickly. If they made it alive to shore, they had a 1,000 yards of sand (with mines and all kinds of obstacles) to cross-- again desperately trying to avoid the advanced German machine guns. At first everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The ‘swimming tanks’ sank in high waves…the bombers missed their marks—both of which were to give strong support to the men jumping out of the troop carriers.
Most of these men were in their late teens or early twenties.
Going backwards in time to March 15, 1781 the Battle of Guilford Courthouse took place on the very land upon which my apartment was built. Our apartment is directly adjacent to this National Military Park. It was a particularly bloody battle that prepared for Yorktown. Underneath and all around where I now sit, the larger battle was waged. And young men died.
Growing up, families would picnic and frolic on the grounds in the Park in front of the huge statue of General Greene on his horse. However, there is now a sign which forbids any such activity out of respect for the soldiers who died there.
The Korean War…The Vietnam War…The Civil War….etc. All had combatants who were also young….so very young. Through the course of human history, I doubt there has every been a time where there wasn’t a war being waged somewhere on earth. As usual, the young men fought the kings and generals wars.
When I view the beach of Normandy, or the Military Park around my apartment, I view these areas as hallowed ground. Of course, not all wars waged throughout history were what theologians call “just wars.” In fact, much of what was referred to as ‘Manifest Destiny” was an excuse for displacing and stealing people’s land, and waging unjust battles. Nevertheless, only God knows all the details, and it seems only right to consider battlefields to be hallowed ground. After Cain had killed Abel, the Lord said, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.”
The wars we fought for freedom, are they hallowed ground or haunted ground? I need to define what I mean by haunted: by haunted I mean that these sites are magnets for the deceased souls of the young combatants who died horrific deaths there.
According to many in the paranormal community there are certain kinds of deaths that raise the likelihood of one becoming trapped—not knowing one is dead, a violent death, an emotional death, a death that is accompanied by unfinished business, or not wanting to face judgment and go to hell.
I realize that battlefields, like Gettysburg, are also known for residual activity. But that is a distinct issue, which I cannot deal with here. I want to ask this: are these battlefields filled with the souls of deceased soldiers, or are they resting in peace? (provided they know Jesus)
One way to determine if a belief is true is extend it out to its logical conclusions….like the alleged ‘death criteria’ of the paranormal community.
Imagine you are 19 years old. You are so frightened before this battle you can hardly breathe. Behind you have left a young bride and child…who was born weeks before your deployment.
Then, it happens. An errant napalm bomb is flying your way and you desperately seek cover. Friendly fire is killing every thing moving in the kill box and your band of brothers accidentally slipped into the kill zone. Covered in burning napalm you die an unspeakably horrible painful death….by friendly fire…leaving a traumatized wife at home. So much life left unlived.
The ‘death criteria’ vs the promise of entering rest…RIP
EVERY criteria mentioned above is met by virtually ALL the men who die that day…or throughout the history of mankind in wars/battles. Violent…extremely emotional….violent death…so very young that unfinished business is written all over their short lives.
According to what the paranormal community affirms as a consensus, that battlefield SHOULD become crawling with the souls of valiant men who gave their lives to protect our safety and freedom. No RIP…no eternal rest. At least not right away because there is no consensus as to how long people get ‘stuck’ here.
Christians in the paranormal community are in a particularly difficult ‘pickle’ because they want to affirm that heaven is real, but what do they do with the ‘death criteria’? Without the death criteria, then there would be no basis for ghosts.
I must press this point to make the paranormal community to see the corner they have painted themselves into. Instead of being hallowed ground, the land I live on must be haunted ground of the souls of untold number of deceased soldiers.
I find that notion so absolutely horrible, that it reveals the absurdity of the notion of ghosts.
When paranormal investigators investigate a location, one of the key questions asked is: did someone/s die on the property? And if the death was violent, then that usually becomes a crucial piece of the equation. If you multiply that by hundreds or thousands of men who died violent deaths in battle, then that would naturally lead one to think of multiple haunting. However, if they were consistent, ALL of the deaths should lead to entrapment. If not, who is making the decision as to which violent death ‘stuck’ but others didn’t? I can assure you that the Living God doesn’t make any such distinctions.
Battlefields are simply an intensified version of life. ALL deaths leave unfinished business…all are emotional to some extent, etc. Having lost both parents as well as four siblings to very emotional and ‘untimely deaths’ I know from personal experience the alleged death criteria. As a human being, and as a former pastor, I know how hope-stripping the notion of ghosts can be on the remaining loved ones.
In my book and blogs I have tried to challenge folks to re-think the basic beliefs of the paranormal community. When you read the average age of those who died in Gettysburg, WWII, Vietnam, ect it is usually late teens and early 20’s…. and those beliefs are put to a severe challenge. From any perspective their deaths are horrible in the extreme. However, Jesus offers certain hope and rest, while the prospect of entrapment strips hope.
When I walk through the National Military Park next to my apartment, I am filled with a sense of the sacred. I can almost hear the muted cries of the mortally wounded, spilling their blood and causing this land to be hallowed ground.
In an area where, if the death criteria were true, I should have seen many ghosts. In fact, I have not seen any. Furthermore, after cleansing over 50 active sites, I have never seen a ghost in my life. Only demons pretending to be deceased humans.
I know from experience that graveyards and battlefields can attract demonic activity. However, that does not diminish or defile the hallowed-ness of the ground. The ground has been soaked in the blood of His image bearers and that is the final and defining reality concerning it.
The text from Hebrews 4 is a picture of the rest believers enter when they are saved, and more fully when they die. We either die ‘in our sins’ or we die ‘in Christ’, and our deaths are determinative of our eternal destiny. This text does not ‘play around’…it is a sober text that both warns and comforts. If one dies outside of Christ then they enter an eternal state of restlessness in hell. However, note how often the author of Hebrews speaks of the REST believers enter. There is tension between the ‘now and not yet’. Now, we enter our rest in Christ, but when we die we RIP—rest in peace in Jesus. Both are certain, which does not allow for notion of earthbound spirits.
Does the God presented in these verses sound like He would allow anyone to hang around earth in order to avoid judgment? The notion is preposterous and unworthy of coming from the mouth of a Christian. Yet, there are not a few professing Christians who assert that very thing. Who do we think we are—God?
When Samuel was allowed to visit Saul in a singular incident (nothing else like this in the bible) he complained that ‘his rest had been disturbed’. He had entered his eternal rest (Hebrews 11,12) in heaven.
If you believe that folks who die can consciously avoid standing before the holy Judge of heaven and earth—a God of consuming fire—to avoid their sentence to hell, then you are either abysmally ignorant of scripture or you are not a Christian.
The hundreds of millions of civilians and combatants who have been violently killed in just the last 100 years SHOULD be roaming the earth if one extends the ghost criteria to its logical conclusion. How much violence…how much emotion….how much unfinished business is enough to trap a soul? And who/what makes that decision? Nobody has ever offered a satisfactory mechanism for soul entrapment…as it is contrary to the God of the Bible, and the Bible of God.
Are battlefields hallowed or haunted? I trust we view them as hallowed ground. For regardless of their individual eternal destinies, the image bearers of God shed their blood.
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.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Dalai Lama Speaks on Physical & Mental Comfort
By Yeshe Choesang, The Tibet Post International
Riga, Latvia: - 'The material development provides relatively short-lived physical comfort, but not mental peace,' the spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama said during first day of his two days of teachings in Latvia.
Many thousands of audiences gathered at the Kipsala International Exhibition Centre in Riga, the capital of Latvia, on 5 May to hear the teachings of Heart Sutra by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate emphasized why religion or spirituality is relevant in today's world and answered it by explaining that spirituality is related to inner values and so to inner peace. "If material and technological development brought complete peace and happiness, people in advanced, developed countries should be really happy, and yet many are not. Material development provides physical comfort, but not mental peace," His Holiness said.
"We may feel pain and pleasure on a sensory, physical level, or on a mental level. Pleasure on a sensory level, like that derived from watching sport or listening to beautiful music is relatively short-lived, whereas satisfaction on a mental level, for example, love and faith, which do not depend on our senses, is more durable," His Holiness responded and said.
The Buddhist spiritual leader. said that 'while physical pain can be subdued by mental satisfaction, mental unease is not allayed by physical comfort. If we are worried, stressed or frightened, having a beautiful house or listening to delightful music brings little relief. A disturbed mind is not calmed by mere physical satisfaction.'
Questioning about his practice, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said he had been meditating on love. He noted a sparkle in his eyes that indicated his tremendous satisfaction. "On the other hand I've met billionaires who have all they need and more who are very unhappy. Scientists have findings that show that a calm mind is good for our physical well-being. They also have evidence that mental training can change our attitudes, enabling us to be happier. Our human intelligence can be a source of happiness, but if misused it can also be a source of stress and worry."
The Buddhist leader said that 'only human beings develop religious faith. Such faith may have begun with worship of the sun, but in time the idea of God the creator emerged and with it the idea that since he created everything, there is a spark of God in everyone. All religions convey a message of love and compassion and because hatred is an obstacle to that, they teach tolerance and patience. And because greed is also an obstacle they teach simplicity and contentment. Non-theistic traditions like the Samkhyas, Jains and Buddhists instead of turning to a creator, teach the law of causality, the principle of cause and effect, which resembles a scientific view.'
Going through the 'Heart Sutra', His Holiness explained that things exist in dependence on other factors, so they do not exist independently. Emptiness does not make things empty; phenomena themselves are empty, because they do not have independent existence. He alluded to the interdependence between cause and effect, that something is a cause only because there is an effect.
The 'Heart Sutra' shows that independent existence is an illusion by saying "Form is empty, emptiness is form." Emptiness is a property of the form, and form is the basis of the property of emptiness. When you look for form, you find emptiness. This is what undermines clinging to intrinsic existence. He remarked that consciousness too is empty and mentioned that meditation on emptiness is effective in undermining our negative emotions; it is not just an intellectual exercise. Negative emotions are not of the nature of the mind; they do not taint its luminosity.
original link: http://www.thetibetpost.com/news/international/4014-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-speaks-on-physical-and-mental-comfort
Many thousands of audiences gathered at the Kipsala International Exhibition Centre in Riga, the capital of Latvia, on 5 May to hear the teachings of Heart Sutra by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate emphasized why religion or spirituality is relevant in today's world and answered it by explaining that spirituality is related to inner values and so to inner peace. "If material and technological development brought complete peace and happiness, people in advanced, developed countries should be really happy, and yet many are not. Material development provides physical comfort, but not mental peace," His Holiness said.
"We may feel pain and pleasure on a sensory, physical level, or on a mental level. Pleasure on a sensory level, like that derived from watching sport or listening to beautiful music is relatively short-lived, whereas satisfaction on a mental level, for example, love and faith, which do not depend on our senses, is more durable," His Holiness responded and said.
The Buddhist spiritual leader. said that 'while physical pain can be subdued by mental satisfaction, mental unease is not allayed by physical comfort. If we are worried, stressed or frightened, having a beautiful house or listening to delightful music brings little relief. A disturbed mind is not calmed by mere physical satisfaction.'
Questioning about his practice, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said he had been meditating on love. He noted a sparkle in his eyes that indicated his tremendous satisfaction. "On the other hand I've met billionaires who have all they need and more who are very unhappy. Scientists have findings that show that a calm mind is good for our physical well-being. They also have evidence that mental training can change our attitudes, enabling us to be happier. Our human intelligence can be a source of happiness, but if misused it can also be a source of stress and worry."
The Buddhist leader said that 'only human beings develop religious faith. Such faith may have begun with worship of the sun, but in time the idea of God the creator emerged and with it the idea that since he created everything, there is a spark of God in everyone. All religions convey a message of love and compassion and because hatred is an obstacle to that, they teach tolerance and patience. And because greed is also an obstacle they teach simplicity and contentment. Non-theistic traditions like the Samkhyas, Jains and Buddhists instead of turning to a creator, teach the law of causality, the principle of cause and effect, which resembles a scientific view.'
Going through the 'Heart Sutra', His Holiness explained that things exist in dependence on other factors, so they do not exist independently. Emptiness does not make things empty; phenomena themselves are empty, because they do not have independent existence. He alluded to the interdependence between cause and effect, that something is a cause only because there is an effect.
The 'Heart Sutra' shows that independent existence is an illusion by saying "Form is empty, emptiness is form." Emptiness is a property of the form, and form is the basis of the property of emptiness. When you look for form, you find emptiness. This is what undermines clinging to intrinsic existence. He remarked that consciousness too is empty and mentioned that meditation on emptiness is effective in undermining our negative emotions; it is not just an intellectual exercise. Negative emotions are not of the nature of the mind; they do not taint its luminosity.
original link: http://www.thetibetpost.com/news/international/4014-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-speaks-on-physical-and-mental-comfort
Monday, April 18, 2016
Did the Angels and Women Mate? Part 2
Continued from Did the Angels and Women Mate? Part 1
Did the angels take and mate with women we now conclude our findings. We learned several points of data, with the greatest being the angels did NOT marry or take for themselves daughters of men.
So let’s look for more evidence now in Gen. 6, specifically then what do we have here in verse 4? As we now examine it and if you did not know Genesis is a book of genealogies—it is a book of the families. The sons of God is referring to the godly line who have come down from Adam through Seth, and the daughters of men belong to the line of Cain. So, what you have here now is an intermingling and intermarriage of these two lines, until finally the entire line is totally corrupted (well, not totally; there is one exception and this is Christ Jesus). That is the picture that is presented to us here in this recording of the intermingled lines of taking ungodly women for wives.
The godly men took for themselves wives of all; that is, of the ungodly as well as the godly families, without any discrimination. "Whom they chose," not for the godliness of their lives, but for the goodliness of their looks. The ungodly mothers will not train up children in the way they should go according to the Lord God Almighty; and husbands who have taken the wrong step of marrying ungodly wives cannot prove to be very exemplary or authoritative fathers.
Up to this time they may have been consistent as the sons of God in their outward conduct, but a laxity of choice proves a corresponding laxity of principle. The first inlet of sin prepares the way for the flood-gates of iniquity. It is easy to see that now the degeneracy of the whole race will go on at a rapid pace and why humans need a Savior to deliver us from being ungodly.
Let’s look at the verse “they took them wives”, could possibly be more than one for each of them, after the example of those wicked families into which they were matched; of all which they chose, i.e. loved and liked, as the word choosing is taken, Psalm 25:12, Psalm 119:173, Isaiah 1:29, Isaiah 42:1, compared with Matthew 12:28. This is noted as the first error, that they did promiscuously choose wives, without any regard to their sobriety and religion, minding only the pleasing of their own fancies and lusts, not the pleasing and serving of their Lord and Maker, nor the obtaining of a godly seed, which was God’s end in the institution of marriage, Malachi 2:15, and therefore should have been theirs too.
Folks I recognize, and I want to insist upon it, that many fine teachers/clergy take the opposite view that the 'sons of God; are actually angels from Heaven above who did this act. Therefore, if you accept that view, you will be in good company with those who also succumb to this falseness too. However, I am sure that most of you want to be right and will want to go along with the word of God, not man with what ‘they feel’ is proper.
Lastly, the idea that angels had sexual relations with earthly women is preposterous. As one can imagine, such speculation in the scriptures provides ample opportunity for the heathen world to exploit the scriptures.
Countless books, movies, documentaries, and false religions have exploited such misinterpretations of Genesis 6:1-6. One such exploit is the alleged lost Biblical BOOK OF ENOCH, which teaches that fallen angels had physical intimacy with earthly women that produced offspring 450-feet tall?
Without a doubt, the primary claim of the Book of Enoch is that fallen angels had sex with human women and produced 450-feet tall giants upon the earth. This teaching is ridiculous, unscriptural, and has no solid evidence to support it (Biblically or scientifically). This is another sound reason as to why the Book of Enoch should continue to be rejected as it is nonsense.
If, as some theologians believe angels did have sex with earthly women, then why has it not occurred since Genesis 6:1-6? The scriptures are not silent on this matter, as we have read in Mark 12:25, for "they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven." The demonic succubus (a female demon) and the incubus (a male demon) are believed by demonology experts to have sex with sleeping humans. Of course, this is not a scriptural teaching. Angels cannot marry, nor be given in marriage.
For it is not to angels only that the term "sons of Elohim," or "sons of Elim," is applied; but in Psalm 73:15, in an address to Elohim, the godly are called "the generation of Thy sons," i.e., sons of Elohim; in Deuteronomy 32:5 the Israelites are called His (God's) sons, and in Hosea 1:10, "sons of the living God;" and in Psalm 80:17, Israel is spoken of as the son, whom Elohim has made strong.
These passages show that the expression "sons of God" cannot be elucidated by philological means, but must be interpreted by theology alone. Moreover, even when it is applied to the angels, it is questionable whether it is to be understood in a physical or ethical sense. The notion that "it is employed in a physical sense as nomen naturae, instead of angels as nomen officii, and presupposes generation of a physical kind," we must reject as an unscriptural and gnostic error!
In addition, the entire suggestion that God allowed angels, which would have possessed FULL knowledge of divine realities, to tempt mankind is against the plainest teachings of the Scriptures. 1st Corinthians 10:13 states... "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." It would have been extremely UNCOMMON for women to be tempted by angels into marriage, not to mention the fact that the temptation would have been ABOVE THAT YE ARE ABLE.
We do know that there were giants in the Old Testament, as Goliath himself was 9' 6" tall (1st Samuel 17:4); however, as mentioned earlier, Genesis 6:1-6 fails to state directly that the "giants" of those days were the offspring monsters of bizarre extraterrestrial marriages.
Carefully notice Genesis 6:4 again... "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." "Also" means in addition to. "After that" means later. Clearly, even from reading the Bible at a childlike level, it is obvious that the "giants" were not the same people as the "mighty men which were of old, men of renown."
Remember people if it doesn’t line up with the word of God properly then we must reject it as falseness from the pit of Hell.
Rev. Brad Luoma, Exorcist & Deliverance Minister
Savior Christian Deliverance Ministries
Did the angels take and mate with women we now conclude our findings. We learned several points of data, with the greatest being the angels did NOT marry or take for themselves daughters of men.
So let’s look for more evidence now in Gen. 6, specifically then what do we have here in verse 4? As we now examine it and if you did not know Genesis is a book of genealogies—it is a book of the families. The sons of God is referring to the godly line who have come down from Adam through Seth, and the daughters of men belong to the line of Cain. So, what you have here now is an intermingling and intermarriage of these two lines, until finally the entire line is totally corrupted (well, not totally; there is one exception and this is Christ Jesus). That is the picture that is presented to us here in this recording of the intermingled lines of taking ungodly women for wives.
The godly men took for themselves wives of all; that is, of the ungodly as well as the godly families, without any discrimination. "Whom they chose," not for the godliness of their lives, but for the goodliness of their looks. The ungodly mothers will not train up children in the way they should go according to the Lord God Almighty; and husbands who have taken the wrong step of marrying ungodly wives cannot prove to be very exemplary or authoritative fathers.
Up to this time they may have been consistent as the sons of God in their outward conduct, but a laxity of choice proves a corresponding laxity of principle. The first inlet of sin prepares the way for the flood-gates of iniquity. It is easy to see that now the degeneracy of the whole race will go on at a rapid pace and why humans need a Savior to deliver us from being ungodly.
Let’s look at the verse “they took them wives”, could possibly be more than one for each of them, after the example of those wicked families into which they were matched; of all which they chose, i.e. loved and liked, as the word choosing is taken, Psalm 25:12, Psalm 119:173, Isaiah 1:29, Isaiah 42:1, compared with Matthew 12:28. This is noted as the first error, that they did promiscuously choose wives, without any regard to their sobriety and religion, minding only the pleasing of their own fancies and lusts, not the pleasing and serving of their Lord and Maker, nor the obtaining of a godly seed, which was God’s end in the institution of marriage, Malachi 2:15, and therefore should have been theirs too.
Folks I recognize, and I want to insist upon it, that many fine teachers/clergy take the opposite view that the 'sons of God; are actually angels from Heaven above who did this act. Therefore, if you accept that view, you will be in good company with those who also succumb to this falseness too. However, I am sure that most of you want to be right and will want to go along with the word of God, not man with what ‘they feel’ is proper.
Lastly, the idea that angels had sexual relations with earthly women is preposterous. As one can imagine, such speculation in the scriptures provides ample opportunity for the heathen world to exploit the scriptures.
Countless books, movies, documentaries, and false religions have exploited such misinterpretations of Genesis 6:1-6. One such exploit is the alleged lost Biblical BOOK OF ENOCH, which teaches that fallen angels had physical intimacy with earthly women that produced offspring 450-feet tall?
Without a doubt, the primary claim of the Book of Enoch is that fallen angels had sex with human women and produced 450-feet tall giants upon the earth. This teaching is ridiculous, unscriptural, and has no solid evidence to support it (Biblically or scientifically). This is another sound reason as to why the Book of Enoch should continue to be rejected as it is nonsense.
If, as some theologians believe angels did have sex with earthly women, then why has it not occurred since Genesis 6:1-6? The scriptures are not silent on this matter, as we have read in Mark 12:25, for "they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven." The demonic succubus (a female demon) and the incubus (a male demon) are believed by demonology experts to have sex with sleeping humans. Of course, this is not a scriptural teaching. Angels cannot marry, nor be given in marriage.
For it is not to angels only that the term "sons of Elohim," or "sons of Elim," is applied; but in Psalm 73:15, in an address to Elohim, the godly are called "the generation of Thy sons," i.e., sons of Elohim; in Deuteronomy 32:5 the Israelites are called His (God's) sons, and in Hosea 1:10, "sons of the living God;" and in Psalm 80:17, Israel is spoken of as the son, whom Elohim has made strong.
These passages show that the expression "sons of God" cannot be elucidated by philological means, but must be interpreted by theology alone. Moreover, even when it is applied to the angels, it is questionable whether it is to be understood in a physical or ethical sense. The notion that "it is employed in a physical sense as nomen naturae, instead of angels as nomen officii, and presupposes generation of a physical kind," we must reject as an unscriptural and gnostic error!
In addition, the entire suggestion that God allowed angels, which would have possessed FULL knowledge of divine realities, to tempt mankind is against the plainest teachings of the Scriptures. 1st Corinthians 10:13 states... "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." It would have been extremely UNCOMMON for women to be tempted by angels into marriage, not to mention the fact that the temptation would have been ABOVE THAT YE ARE ABLE.
We do know that there were giants in the Old Testament, as Goliath himself was 9' 6" tall (1st Samuel 17:4); however, as mentioned earlier, Genesis 6:1-6 fails to state directly that the "giants" of those days were the offspring monsters of bizarre extraterrestrial marriages.
Carefully notice Genesis 6:4 again... "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." "Also" means in addition to. "After that" means later. Clearly, even from reading the Bible at a childlike level, it is obvious that the "giants" were not the same people as the "mighty men which were of old, men of renown."
Remember people if it doesn’t line up with the word of God properly then we must reject it as falseness from the pit of Hell.
Rev. Brad Luoma, Exorcist & Deliverance Minister
Savior Christian Deliverance Ministries
Did the Angels & Women Mate? Part 1
This two-part blog is written to discuss this notion that Angels and humans had intermingled together and as a result ‘giants’ were produced. So let’s examine Genesis 6:1-5, specifically the notion that fallen angels copulated with women as depicted in Gen. 6:2 which states "That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." Many people think that it was the angels who took for themselves human women to produce marry and seduce for their pleasures and produce 'Giants'. So what then do we know?
Let's lay this out to help you understand several aspects to see if this lines up with the bible as truth.
A. First of all, we have scriptural proof that the angels and mankind cannot marry. There were NO extraterrestrial relations and 1st Corinthians 15:39,40 proves it. “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.”
For you see from this scripture above that the passage plainly states that men are men, animals are animals, fish are fish, birds are birds, and angels are angels. There is not one Scriptural reference which would even remotely lead us to believe that the angels and humans ever had sex. For Christ Jesus plainly stated in Mark 12:25 concerning the departed saints, "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven."
I acknowledge this scripture verse is self-explanatory from above, that Christ Jesus said no marriage in Heaven. Carefully notice that Genesis 6:2 states... "and they took them wives of all which they chose." Furthermore, Mark 12:25 says that angels cannot marry; but Genesis 6:2 says that the sons of God married the daughters of men. Clearly there would be a serious contradiction in the scriptures here if the sons of God were then angels!
B. This matter of "the sons of God" and "the daughters of men" is something that has caused no end of discussion. There are a great many good men/women who take the position that "the sons of God" were angels. So we have to examine the word of God and learn about the righteousness of God. Many Clergy/teachers have taught (and still are) that these sons of God were angels and I recognize that a great many of the present-day preachers/believers take that position.
However, I cannot accept this view and maybe you need to examine this for yourself as well. We know from the word of God about righteousness and evil. Therefore, follow me here, if these were good angels who then took for themselves women (AFTER THE FALL), they would commit an act against GOD thus - Sin. So then we have a second fall of angels right? Where is that recorded? The word of God would have certainly discussed this.
What is it then that we do know?
1. Is that the evil angels could never be designated as "sons of God."
2. The offspring here were men; they were not monstrosities.
I do not know why it is assumed by so many that the offspring were giants. We will look at this more closely when we come to verse 4. “And the Lord said, my spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years [Gen. 6:3].”
Understanding that Noah preached for 120 years, and during that time the Spirit of God was striving with men. The Apostle Peter makes it very clear that it was back in the days of Noah that the Spirit of God was striving with men in order that He might bring them to God—but they would not turn.
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison" (1 Pet. 3:18–19).
These spirits were in prison when the Apostle Peter wrote, but they were preached to in the days of Noah. Now how do we know that? Verse 20 reads: "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." When were they disobedient? During the long-suffering of God in the days of Noah—during those 120 years.
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 [Gen. 6:4].
It says, "There were giants in the earth in those days," but it does not say they are the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men. It does say this about the offspring: "the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." These were not monstrosities; they were men. The record here makes it very clear that the giants were in the earth before this took place, and it simply means that these offspring were outstanding individuals.
So let us examine this more closely. The literal translation of this verse is, And the sons of the “Elohim” saw the daughters of the Adam that they were good (beautiful); and they took to them wives whomsoever they chose. Of the sons of the Elohim there are three principal interpretations:
1. That of the Targums and the chief Jewish expositors, that they were the nobles, and men of high rank.
2. That these were angels. St. Jude, Jude 1:6, and St. Peter, 2 Ep., 2Peter 2:4, seem to favor this interpretation, possibly as being the translation of the manuscripts. But even if this be their meaning, which is very uncertain, they use it only as an illustration. Remember from above “a higher authority says that the angels neither marry nor are given in marriage.”
3. This is the most generally accepted interpretation in modern times, is that the sons of the Elohim were the Cainite and Sethites, which that when they married for mere lust of beauty, universal corruption soon ensued. But no modern commentator has shown how such marriages could produce “mighty men . . . men of renown;” or how strong warriors could be the result of the intermarriage of pious men with women of an inferior race, such as the Cainites are assumed to have been.
So we now know the daughters of man are in general, without any distinction of a moral or spiritual kind, and therefore including both Cainite and Shethite females. "And they took them wives of all whom they chose." The evil here described is that of promiscuous intermarriage, without regard to spiritual character.
Stay tuned! Read Did the Angels and Women Mate? Part 2
Rev. Brad Luoma, Exorcist and Deliverance Minister
Savior Christian Deliverance Ministries
Let's lay this out to help you understand several aspects to see if this lines up with the bible as truth.
A. First of all, we have scriptural proof that the angels and mankind cannot marry. There were NO extraterrestrial relations and 1st Corinthians 15:39,40 proves it. “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.”
For you see from this scripture above that the passage plainly states that men are men, animals are animals, fish are fish, birds are birds, and angels are angels. There is not one Scriptural reference which would even remotely lead us to believe that the angels and humans ever had sex. For Christ Jesus plainly stated in Mark 12:25 concerning the departed saints, "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven."
I acknowledge this scripture verse is self-explanatory from above, that Christ Jesus said no marriage in Heaven. Carefully notice that Genesis 6:2 states... "and they took them wives of all which they chose." Furthermore, Mark 12:25 says that angels cannot marry; but Genesis 6:2 says that the sons of God married the daughters of men. Clearly there would be a serious contradiction in the scriptures here if the sons of God were then angels!
B. This matter of "the sons of God" and "the daughters of men" is something that has caused no end of discussion. There are a great many good men/women who take the position that "the sons of God" were angels. So we have to examine the word of God and learn about the righteousness of God. Many Clergy/teachers have taught (and still are) that these sons of God were angels and I recognize that a great many of the present-day preachers/believers take that position.
However, I cannot accept this view and maybe you need to examine this for yourself as well. We know from the word of God about righteousness and evil. Therefore, follow me here, if these were good angels who then took for themselves women (AFTER THE FALL), they would commit an act against GOD thus - Sin. So then we have a second fall of angels right? Where is that recorded? The word of God would have certainly discussed this.
What is it then that we do know?
1. Is that the evil angels could never be designated as "sons of God."
2. The offspring here were men; they were not monstrosities.
I do not know why it is assumed by so many that the offspring were giants. We will look at this more closely when we come to verse 4. “And the Lord said, my spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years [Gen. 6:3].”
Understanding that Noah preached for 120 years, and during that time the Spirit of God was striving with men. The Apostle Peter makes it very clear that it was back in the days of Noah that the Spirit of God was striving with men in order that He might bring them to God—but they would not turn.
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison" (1 Pet. 3:18–19).
These spirits were in prison when the Apostle Peter wrote, but they were preached to in the days of Noah. Now how do we know that? Verse 20 reads: "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." When were they disobedient? During the long-suffering of God in the days of Noah—during those 120 years.
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 [Gen. 6:4].
It says, "There were giants in the earth in those days," but it does not say they are the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men. It does say this about the offspring: "the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." These were not monstrosities; they were men. The record here makes it very clear that the giants were in the earth before this took place, and it simply means that these offspring were outstanding individuals.
So let us examine this more closely. The literal translation of this verse is, And the sons of the “Elohim” saw the daughters of the Adam that they were good (beautiful); and they took to them wives whomsoever they chose. Of the sons of the Elohim there are three principal interpretations:
1. That of the Targums and the chief Jewish expositors, that they were the nobles, and men of high rank.
2. That these were angels. St. Jude, Jude 1:6, and St. Peter, 2 Ep., 2Peter 2:4, seem to favor this interpretation, possibly as being the translation of the manuscripts. But even if this be their meaning, which is very uncertain, they use it only as an illustration. Remember from above “a higher authority says that the angels neither marry nor are given in marriage.”
3. This is the most generally accepted interpretation in modern times, is that the sons of the Elohim were the Cainite and Sethites, which that when they married for mere lust of beauty, universal corruption soon ensued. But no modern commentator has shown how such marriages could produce “mighty men . . . men of renown;” or how strong warriors could be the result of the intermarriage of pious men with women of an inferior race, such as the Cainites are assumed to have been.
So we now know the daughters of man are in general, without any distinction of a moral or spiritual kind, and therefore including both Cainite and Shethite females. "And they took them wives of all whom they chose." The evil here described is that of promiscuous intermarriage, without regard to spiritual character.
Stay tuned! Read Did the Angels and Women Mate? Part 2
Rev. Brad Luoma, Exorcist and Deliverance Minister
Savior Christian Deliverance Ministries
Saturday, April 16, 2016
More Death & Violence Due to Occult Factions
Sadly more death and blood shed in the name of Satan and his demons. I came across the below article @ dailymail (and below I posted link for the entire article.) Below is just part of the story I believe. Just like with Slender Man. Those two girls were trying to kill their friend as a sacrifice so they could live in the mansion in the woods with slender man. Those are their own words. What is going on? Anyway the below I felt was noteworthy:
'A teenage girl, 18-year-old student Iveth Lopez, is among those being held. The other two suspects were named as Gustavo Dorantes, 18, and Omar Sanchez, 25.
They face up to 40 years in prison if found guilty.
Police say Edwin, known as Piwa, was killed after being fooled into taking part in an initiation ceremony to become part of a satanic cult called the Sons of Baphomet 1.
Instead he was tortured after having his hands tied behind his back after one of the alleged killers persuaded the others their victim should be sacrificed so he could return to life as a vampire.
Police were alerted last Tuesday after his body was found abandoned in the street wrapped inside two plastic bags in what detectives believe was a botched attempt to pass the murder off as a drugs-related crime.
Officers found traces of the victim's blood inside the cyber cafe, which they say belongs to the older of the two men being held, after obtaining a search warrant when a protected witness told them how Edwin had been killed."
So disturbing. Awful to even think about it. Demons are fallen angels sent to torment us just as we have God's Angels making sure any limitations are kept. I found a few articles of this nature online and it disturbed me to know all this is going on. I just know what hell is being unleashed into our world. Their ignorance will have consequences. The news is so depressing many hate to even watch it. It's mostly so negative.
I found on wfaa.com this following little diddy:
'though police said he already confessed.
Instead, O'Neal said, it was a close friend of his. He told KHOU 11 News, that friend was jealous of O’Neal and Robert’s tight-knit friendship.
He claimed the day of the murder, he was at a park with Robert, his friend, his friend’s girlfriend, and the woman’s baby when his so-called jealous friend began stabbing Robert.
O’Neal said he ran for his life and didn’t tell anyone out of fear. During the conversation on Sunday, O’Neal would tap his foot quickly and tremble slightly.
The day Robert’s body was found, O’Neal said his dad took him to the psychiatric ward. Court documents revealed O'Neal tried to commit suicide.
He told KHOU that doctors prescribed him medications used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
He said he hallucinates and that the devil has been a part of his life for years. He claimed to also believe in God and when he tries to read the Bible, the devil gets upset with him.
O’Neal wants Christina Roberts and the public to know the wrong person is behind bars.
He also mentioned that if he is convicted, he hopes for the death penalty instead of living with the anguish knowing his friend is gone.'
Is that not very disturbing and sad or what? He could be mentally ill no foul but it could be oppression or even possession when these things happen. This world needs prayers against the enemy in a bad way. Satan and his army of demons break you down piece by piece little by little and you won't even know it. Our minds are the enemies playground. We must always stay in the armor Of God and stay prayed up for lack of better words. It's your best defense. In my humble opinion. This world is getting worse by the day. Terrible things are happening. I wouldn't know where to even begin. But remember we have power over the enemy through Jesus Christ. No ones perfect, we all make mistakes.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
Friday, April 15, 2016
Can You Be a Christian and Believe in Ghosts?
By Reverend Mark Hunneman
Can you be a Christian and believe in ghosts? If you were to ask me if you could be a Christian and believe in abortion, I would respond,. "You are either abysmally ignorant of the Bible or you are not a Christian...probably the latter." In a biblical worldview, it helps you to see God's priorities regarding different issues. The sanctity of human life is so central to God, that any serious deviation raises a red flag. However, belief in ghosts is in a different category. The short answer is "Yes, you can be justified/saved if you believe in ghosts". We are justified by grace through faith alone...through the finished work of Christ, plus nothing. We are not justified by faith. Plus a proper view of ghosts...or a proper view of politics...or a proper view of the death penalty and so on.
I have a linebacker-esque quality to my writing when it comes to tackling the issue of ghosts. That stems from a holy hatred and loathing of demons/Satan, as well as the unspeakable suffering they cause. But unfortunately, I am certain I have lost subscribers due to my hard-hitting style. When I preached the whole counsel as a pastor, many visitors did not return...Not brimstone sermons but meaty ones, which they did not have a stomach for..The message itself has enough built in "offense" (ghosts are demons), that I don't need to inadvertently further turn them off by a grating or offensive style.
So, it is possible to be a Christian and believe in ghosts. I'll go further and state that some of these folks love Jesus way more than I do. Justification is by faith alone....And I rejoice in this for many reasons, one of which is nobody has a perfect understanding of the bible. But as the great Cornelius Van Til said (I think it was him), Reformed theology is the most biblically consistent expression of Christianity. I concur. But my Armenian brothers are justified just as freely and fully as I am.
Belief in ghosts is not a core issue in terms of what is necessary for salvation. The deity of Christ and the Trinity are core issues and you cannot be saved with a deficient view of either.
But here are my concerns...
1. Belief in ghosts usually comes about by putting human experience above the authority of the bible...will a genuine Christian put their experience above the bible? Will that grieve the Holy Spirit?
2. The intellectual starting point must be man's autonomous reason...not a healthy spiritual sign.
3. Is not one of the crucial facets of the cross to defeat Satan?
4. The singular honor ad dignity of Jesus is diminished if ghost theory is right
5. Specifically, Jesus defeat of, and sovereignty over death is denied.
6. Huge emotional and spiritual ramification makes a consistent walk with Jesus problematic
7. We are ordered not to speak to the dead...this is done routinely through EVP gathering.
There are more concerns but I will stop there. Yes, we are justified by faith alone, but not ny a faith that is alone. That is, genuine faith will bear fruit...showing that Christ is Lord (not perfectly, but really) over us.
Yes, you can believe in ghosts and be a Christian, but only God knows if this embracing of a forbidden practice crosses the line, showing where your true allegiance is.
Again, I invite feedback please. I very much desire it. Blessings.
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.
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