By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
"Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits sent out
to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Hebrews
1:14)
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for
thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2)
What do I mean (and NOT mean) when I say virtually all
paranormal activity is demonic? I remind you that this is a blog and not a
technical philosophy paper in which I meticulously clarify every comment I make. After writing nearly 200 blogs on the bible and the paranormal, the body of my
writing makes this distinction clear, but I want to do so in a concise fashion.
Until the last century or so, when theology went berserk, the
classical position of historical Christianity from the church fathers onwards,
has been what some have dubbed the "simplistic" view....all
paranormal activity is demonic.
However, there are good reasons for clarification--angelic
activity and broader parapsychology issues--force us to use more precision. If
we wish to communicate effectively, then we need to stop periodically and
clarify the terms we use and assumptions we hold. Frankly, there are many who
find my position to be simplistic or even harmful, so I want to make very clear
what I mean.
Ideally, it would be helpful to distinguish between
paranormal activity and supernatural activity--the former referring to psychic
phenomena that is not easily explainable (e.g. Dream analysis, NDE, deja vu,
and so on) and "supernatural" referring to activity caused by God,
angles, or demons. However, I wrestled with this when writing my book--most
folks would not know what I meant if I said, "Virtually all supernatural
phenomena is demonic." I am using 'paranormal', not as parapsychologists
would define it, but as the millions of folks in the street understand it, and
as it is presented in so many TV shows. To confuse things further, what some
may say is simply unexplainable, I MAY differ and call it demonic--it all
depends upon the situation and the phenomenon.
I write as one who has been in the trenches on several dozen
demonic cases and have emotional scars, and not as a detached theologian or
academic parapsychologist.. I will come back to this, but it is the (and this
is crucial) weirdness and evil encountered in/with innumerable people,
homes, businesses, and properties that I am referring to when I speak of
"paranormal activity as being demonic." That is a partial
clarification, but let me clarify further. What of angels? Don't they act in
supernatural/paranormal way, so how can you call it demonic"?
1. Angels.
How do you fit angelic activity in this summary statement, since they are
capable of interacting with our world every bit as much as fallen angels? Let
me explain. From the first text quoted above (Hebrews 1:14), we have a general
job description for angels. They are referred to as "ministering
spirits" whose calling it is to serve Christians (those who will inherit
salvation). To say that angels are "ministering spirits" (leitourgika
pneumata) who have been sent here to SERVE US (diakonian...same root we get
"deacon' from) is both astonishing and comforting. This is important to
remind ourselves of. They minister to us...they serve us....that is why they
are here! How? The text does not spell it out, and that is probably intentional
because there are so many ways that this ministry of theirs can be expressed.
My guess is that most of their protection of us goes unnoticed by us, but there
is also a plethora of anecdotal evidence of angelic intervention in times of
crisis. I am confident some you reading this have had experiences in which you
scratched your head afterwards and wondered if you had had an angelic
encounter.. So, when there is real angelic activity, the recipients are invariably
some human/s who are being served or ministered to in some way; they are helping
us. Serving and ministering are generally, by their nature, non-extraordinary
or sensationalistic. They do not like to bring attention to themselves....and
all the glory goes clearly to the Lord. Fallen angels are polar opposites....
Remember what I said above re the popular understanding of
paranormal activity--it centers around some odd, bizarre or even frightening
activity, that usually does not contain the element of helping us. To put it
another way, ANGELS DO NOT DO HOME WEIRDNESS....(though they may make their
presence known) Make sense? Almost by definition, the kind of cases that
necessitate assistance, and find their way to TV, are usually not going to be
angels quietly assisting us in some way. TV gravitates to the sensational,
which angels tend to avoid. Though I hasten to add that some of their serving
interventions can be extraordinary.
One last comment here, just because a spirit seems to be
helping a person, does not automatically discount demonic deception. For them,
the end does justify the means, and if they can gain a families trust via a
"good" deed, then they are not beneath using this to destroy them at
a later time. "Angels of light" remember? That is why we must always
be discerning (1 John 4:1ff)
The second text from Hebrews is a fascinating comment re how
common angelic encounters are! Obviously from this text, the writer is speaking
of angels when they take on human form, and were visiting people. It makes
sense..we know fallen angels can/do mimic people (usually deceased but not
always), but their intent is always God-dishonoring and deception meant to harm
us. Angles do not visit us to bring attention to themselves, but to serve us,
IN SOME WAY.....which can be as diverse as the stars in the universe! But they
are expert mimickers of human appearance....without the element of dark
deception.
Angels delight in serving us; that is their primary job
description. However, they do not bring attention to themselves. Back to what I
said earlier--when I refer to "paranormal activity", I am referring
to it in its generally understood usage, and not its technical definition.
More specifically, when most people think of paranormal activity, they have in mind
the weirdness or evil they have encountered in their home or business...or the
same they have seen on TV or movie theatre. So, when I say that virtually all
paranormal activity is demonic, it is demonic home invasion I am usually
referring to. Again,, ANGELS DO NOT DO HOME INVASIONS OR HOME WEIRDNESS....or
any activity that might instill fear or confusion (footsteps, bangs, and so on)
In addition, I find it unnecessary and harmful to attribute
to deceased human beings, assistance or citings doing that what angels are
supposed to do.
Suppose there is a family travelling on a remote stretch of
mountain road.. Their car swerves and careens over the guard rail. Everyone is
injured to some extent, but only the father dies. However, trapped out of
sight, is the wreckage in which mom and two children are unable to extricate
themselves. Suppose,a Highway Patrol man, who has been alerted to the missing
family, sees what appears to be the dad waving his hands for the officer to
stop..The officer stops....but the "dad" is not on the
road--vanished! The officer looks over the guard rail, and discovers the
wreckage. Was it dad, or an angel, appearing as dad? Or perhaps a demon,
with an ulterior motive...?
Do we not see that this is EXACTLY the type activity that
falls within the job description of angels?! It is not a peripheral activity in
assisting that family--it is the primary reason they have been sent here.
"ministering spirits sent to serve..." And that family certainly fits
the bill.
Granted that is an extreme case, but I am concerned about
ways that we are allowing demons (in the guise of deceased humans) in the back
door, by finding exceptional circumstances which allegedly allow for deceased
human visitation. The dad has entered his rest in heaven, and is not going to come
here--that is the perogative of the angelic, not humans. "But that is
deceptive Mark!" Really? Unless we are prepared to call the angelic
activity mentioned in Hebrews 13:2 as ungodly deception--which we may not
do--then angels mimicking humans (even deceased family members) in emergencies
is GOOD. If you think about it, mimicking the "dad" was a wise
angelic strategy--especially if the family has been missing, and the High Way
Patrol (which has prior knowledge of the mans appearance) will know to be looking
for him and the entire family.
Put another way, if demons take on the appearance of
deceased humans to cause harm, then it only makes sense that angels will do the
same to serve or help us--it is at the core of their job
description....certainly consistent with it--to minister to us through serving.
2. Parapsychology--did
Adam and Eve have some psychic powers in the Garden, that were lost, dimished,
or even outlawed after the Fall? I do not know....and nobody knows for sure.
However, I am inclined to say yes. However you answer that question, it is an
area fraught with peril. Regardless, there is simply too much evidence to
dismiss some of what is "paranormal" in the more technical sense.
Some of the NDE's experience is real. Yes, some seems to be demonic...but not
all. We must be careful to not demonize a phenomenon that is sometimes vitiated
by the demonic. What of the psychic "connection" between twins? Some
of you have had vivid dreams of the future....visions even. I know that visions
of Jesus have been instrumental in the conversion of many Muslims. This dream
phenomenon illustrates the need for discernment, as some are clearly
supernatural, while others are simply inexplicable.
Parapsychology is a broad field, which often overlaps that
which originates from God or the demonic. Studying parapsychology from
professional parapsychologists can be dangerous because they routinely immerse
themselves in study of things God abominates.
I am not attributing all which is inexplicable to the
demonic. I am not attributing all which is paranormal (narrowly defined) as
demonic. Space prohibits me from discussing in greater detail the various
phenomena that is "paranormal" (above normal), but not supernatural.
On numerous occasions I have mentioned the amazing sensitivity many folks have
to the supernatural realm--a lot of these folks are earnest Christians. It
baffles me, but I don't condemn it. We must not demonize everything we do not
understand. I know that some folks think I do that, including not a few believers.
Be that as it may, here is an instance where I am trying to walk a tight-rope.
What I am convinced is clearly demonic is any/all paranormal
activity as it is popularly defined and understood. While I have a passion for
academic parapsychology, I have a greater passion to communicate effectively in
warning folks of supernatural evil.
Examples of demonic "paranormal activity" would
include--shadow figures, apparitions, apportation/deportation of car
keys,indoor rain, footsteps and bangs which have no natural explanation (again,
angels do NOT do home weirdness), scratches....ANY POLTERGEIST ACTIVITY, as it
is popularly defined, (stuff moving) is demonic. Hope that helps...or clear as
mud!
"Seeing Ghosts through God's Eyes" (also in a Kindle edition)...please consider purchasing my book which uses science, logic, and the bible to analyze the true source of power behind paranormal activity.
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