Union with Christ and Abiding in Him; the Lost Gem

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Have you ever been frustrated with the gap between your head knowledge of God and your heart experience of the Living God? Of course you have; and so have I. I can speak with such certainty because I have never met a person who was completely satisfied with their experience of God moment by moment. The Gap, as I’m calling it, is ubiquitous and in a sense will always be with us before we see God face to face. When you understand the biblical tension between the now and not yet, then so much of the bible will become intelligible. However, I think that the gap does not need to be nearly as large as it usually is for most of us.  How do we overcome it?

May I ask another question: how would you define the gospel or what a Christian is? There is more than one way to answer that, but Paul never used the term ‘Christian’, and when it is used in the NT (3 Times) it is probably not a term of endearment. For Paul, by far his favorite way of referring to Christians are those who are ‘in Christ.’ About 160 times in his writings that or a similar phrase is used. That little prepositional phrase is sooooo easy to overlook when reading the bible, but once you see its significance you begin to see it almost everywhere! When Paul is addressing people in an epistle, he will often refer to them as so and so ‘in Christ.’ The church of (blank) in Christ Jesus. What is being referred to is our union with Christ. ‘In Christ’ is shorthand for the most central motif in all the bible—our union with the Triune God through Christ. We are in Christ, and Christ is in us (John 14)—and as a result, we are to abide in the Lord. It is interesting how Pauline John sounds in his gospel, or the reverse.

I actually delayed doing this segment because it is so rich, and so crucial, that I never felt that I was ready or adequate to explain it. I still don’t..but am plunging ahead. We NEED to grasp this teaching.

We live as pilgrims in a foreign land. Nevertheless, I am convinced that knowing our union with Christ is the key to substantially decreasing the size of the The Gap. Yet many Christians are ignorant of this notion of union with Christ. Union with Christ—what is that?

Satan is the great identity thief; he confuses Christians as to who they are in Christ; to close our eyes to being ‘in Christ.’ He wants us to struggle and see ourselves as ‘in me.’..which is terrible news and recipe for anxiety ridden life. Satan muddles our essential identity as people who are no longer ‘in Adam’ and are now ‘in Christ’. It answers the age old question: who am I? Identity!  Being in Christ includes being forgiven of our sins but it is so much more.

 To say that we are in union with Christ contains two elements: we are in Christ, and Christ indwells us. Our union is unchangeable, unalterable (cannot be increased or decreased) instantaneous and irreversible. But our abiding in Christ is what we do; it is our active communing with the Christ with whom we are in union.  I am not going to exegete this text in Ephesians, but I chose it to show how prevalent this notion of ‘in Christ’ is. But being in union with Christ is like having an indissoluble umbilical cord between you and the Lord Jesus in heaven.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 (full stop—all of our spiritual blessings find their origin in our union with Christ) even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world (union with Christ is from eternity past to eternity future), that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined usb for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9making knownc to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guaranteed of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,e to the praise of his glory.

11 times in 13 verses he speaks of us being’ In Christ’! This is picked almost at random because it so common that it is a phrase that one easily passes over without ever really seeing it. But for Paul it was everything! Some have said that both in the OT and NT union with Christ is the central motif. And the apostle John was so similar in his assertions to Paul, using pictures of our union, like the vine in Jn 15.

1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is youra life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.(Col.3:1-4)

The first thing to note about our union with Christ is that it extends from eternity past to eternity future.

And that Christ is our very life.

The Colossian Christians were under attack. It seems that false teachers were preying on new converts, who are so susceptible. They have come to Christ and freed from occult bondage in mighty way, but as time passes they inevitably discover that this sin is still in them; bondage broken but they still wrestle with the world, the flesh and the devil. So, they are ripe for false teachers who come along and say: “Are you frustrated? Well, what Paul said is all well and good but to get fullness, you need to do x,y and z.” The key word of these false teachers seems to have been ‘fullness/pleroma’—and this seems to be a proto-gnostic type heresy. The key to false teachers was that they sought to add to Christ to bring them to fullness of spiritual reality. But in reality, in Christ is all the fullness and to be in Christ is to have all the fullness. That is why it says in Eph 1 all spiritual riches are found in Him. Same in Col.

30 And because of hime you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor.1:30-31)

This is why in chapters 1 and 2 of Col. Paul stresses how all the fullness of deity dwells in Christ bodily. To be united with Him who is fullness of deity is to experience full fullness; why seek angels (as we do today as well) to round out or top off Jesus Christ, when angels are infinitely inferior to Christ—He made them! But more importantly, why look to angels and (supernatural experiences) or human traditions to make you more spiritual when you already have all you need in Christ? How many believers hop from one conference, video, experience or book to the next because they are restless—seeking some something that will add to ‘just having Jesus.’ We do not need more; what we need is to understand more fully what it is that we have already, as Paul prays in Eph 1 and 3. As I said, few Christians have even begun to plumb the depths of the meaning of our union with Christ. It is not talked about very much from pulpits, which is odd given how often it is mentioned.

What does it mean to be saved than to be united with our savior? So, the eminent theologian John Murray asserted: ‘Nothing is more central or more basic than union with Christ…it is the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation.” The accomplishment and application of redemption is brought to our experience via our union with Christ.

Elsewhere he likens it to the hub of a bicycle wheel—all the salvation blessings flow out like spokes from this central core. We come to experience all of Christ and all He did by our union with Him. Christ came, lived, died, rose and ascended so that He might bring us into vital union with Him. He speaks of this in His High Priestly prayer in John 17.

We must not separate what Christ has done FOR us from the person of Christ who indwells us. We must not separate the benefits from the Benefactor. Union with Christ first brings us into vital union with the Person of Jesus Christ, and His death and resurrection FOR US.

1. Let us first look at our being ‘in Christ’. In Rom. 5 we are born into the world ‘in Adam’ as our representative, and when he sinned, we sinned with him. It is as if we were there with him because he was our federal head/representative. When Adam sinned, we inherited his guilt and corrupted spiritual nature which has darkened every aspect of our humanity and left us spiritually dead (Eph 2:1). Guilty and totally corrupted and darkened.There are only two kinds of people in the world: those who are still ‘in Adam,’ and thus spiritually dead and under God's wrath, and those who are ‘in Christ’ and have been regenerated and baptized with the Holy Spirit, which water baptism represents—and united with all our new Adam accomplished for us.

But being united to Christ by faith, our new representative is Jesus Christ. Everything He did He did as our representative. Now the astonishing thing is that, starting with the Incarnation, if we are in Christ, then we were with Him in all these salvation events. Since we are in Christ and He is our very life, then we can say: that we were united with Him in His incarnation; His 33 years of perfect obedience to the law and to the Father, it is as if we were living that perfect life. His righteousness is imputed to us.

 And, we were crucified and died with Him (Gal, 2:20; 2 Cor 5:21; Rom. 6:1ff)

 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

There is a very real sense in which when Jesus hung on the cross, we were with Him. As our substitutionary penal atonement, Jesus died for our sins. ‘Huper’ is Greek word ‘for us’ and since we are united with the whole Christ then we are united with the whole of what He did. He died for us and He accomplished what He set out to do.

Next, we were with Christ when He was entombed.(Rom. 6:4) The Holy Spirit was perfectly united with the corpse of Jesus in the grave, just as Christ is united through the Holy Spirit with our dead bodies. We were raised with Him, ascended and glorified with Him, and now in some wonderfully mysterious/mystical way, our life is now hidden in heaven with Christ (Col. 3:1ff) and we reign with Him; that is eternal security. Even our dead, rotting bodies in the grave are in union with Christ because our bodies matter to God—and they will be raised incorruptible on the Last day. 1 Cor 15; 2 Cor 5. And it is as if Jesus considers Himself incomplete as long as all those whom the  Father has given Him are not with Him.

And the dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thess 4) 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,d that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Dead in Christ? What can that mean since glorified saints have never been more alive.

Paul cannot be talking about glorified souls because they are not dead—they are in Christs presence. He is referring to our bodies, which are ‘sleeping.’ What a lovely truth that even our corpses are precious to our Lord and are in Him! And at the Second Coming He will raise our bodies from the grave and make them wonderfully glorified bodies, such His own is now.

I have thought about this and the decaying bodies of believers are holy to God, so I do not think the demonic can mess with them but I do think that demons inhabit cemeteries because of the bodies of unbelievers, which are unholy. Why do so many foolish folks seek to have experiences in cemeteries? There are many sad tales of people being followed home by unclean spirits because of doing this.

These realities are so amazing Paul actually invented new words to convey our being crucified and raised with (Greek-syn)Christ. And we read in Rom 8:11 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

We can rest in Christ and cease anxiously striving and trying to prove ourselves through our looks, actions, ministries ect. We are in union with Christ NOW, and this union is unbreakable.

Christ has so closely identified Himself with us that He asked Saul why was he persecuting Him?! To touch those ‘in Christ’ is to touch Him. This is a union of extraordinary closeness.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.b The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Cor.5:17)

We have a new identity in Christ. Many speak of the battle of the old man and the new man, but this is confusion. The old man (identity) is gone forever—that would be like Adam and Jesus  fighting inside us!! But indwelling sin does remain. So, the new man does battle with sin, world and devil—but not with old self/man. I have heard even the finest theologians get confused on this point. With Christ, we have died to old identity and to tyranny of sin. In heaven the very presence of sin will be evacuated.

When we are baptized (as children or adults—there are good arguments for both) we are given a new name. When I was born my parents named me Mark Andrew Hunnemann, which is quite a mouthful! It became what I responded to as it represented me. It was/is my name…its me. Someone says ‘Mark Hunnemann’ I know who they are talking about.

 In baptism the old name of Adam is replaced by the name of the Triune God (Jesus said baptize them in the Name….), in whose name we are baptized. Paul refers to this in Romans 6. So, our baptism and the Lord’s Supper both celebrate our union with Christ and each other. It certainly is a devilish thing that we fuss and fume over amount of water to baptize with when the focus is on being ‘immersed’ (if you will) into the new identity of being in Christ. We have placed on us the mark of our union with the Triune God. That is why Luther, when troubled, would often say to himself-“I have been baptized.” We have a new identity. So many today are on an unconscious quest to discover who they really are. But being ‘in Christ’ is our new identity. It is a glorious new identity which entails all that Jesus accomplished and the Holy Spirit applied to us.

2. Not only are we in Christ, but through the Holy Spirit, He is in us--Christ indwells us. So He not only gives us a new identity but new power to live holy lives. Union with Christ is of the most intimate nature. Christ comes into our entire beings as a homemaker (John 14) 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14)

Christ was telling His disciples that it was to their benefit that He ascend and send the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the agent of the Trinity, so when He indwells us, then the entire Trinity indwells us. Indeed, in a lovely reality, the Triune God comes into us as a homemaker. Those of you ladies who are homemakers know what this entails and think of the dignity this homemaking of God gives to your calling, as it patterns after God’s own crowning work in us. But let us focus on God and His indwelling of us and how we not only have a new identity, but because the Trinity indwells us we have a new power. There was a massive change inside of us at regeneration and then we were united to Christ by faith and this power of the omnipotent God now indwells our feeble and frail bodies. Regardless of whether you feel His presence is not the issue—His presence is more certain than our fluctuating feelings.

What Christ did for us on the cross in defeating sin and becoming a curse for us, He now indwells us to give us the power to live in a way pleasing to God. In Col. we are then told to put off the old man and put on the new man. Some communions still have the practice of providing new and clean clothes for all those who undergo baptism. We are to become who we are in fact. The imperitives are grounded in the indicatives of our union with Christ. An indicative is a statement of fact and imperative is a command. So, before we are TOLD to be like Christ, we are filled with Christ, so that we have the power to become in practice what we are in fact.

Remember that the pattern for Christ was suffering and then glory, so we who are in union with Christ are to follow that same pattern: we shall suffer here but it shall prepare us for glory.

The beauty of union with Christ is that the guilt and power of sin are both dealt with.

“How few of us are experimentally (experientially) acquainted with this privilege of holding immediate communion with the Father in love.” So said the great Puritan, John Owen. The Trinity now has made His home in us and we are to abide in the Vine. How is this done? Union is a fact, but abiding is something that we do. It was George Mueller of Bristol England who stated that he made it his first priority of the day to get his heart happy in the Lord; which is another way of talking of abiding. I think that is a helpful way to view reading/prayer as a means of abiding. God has given us His means of grace by which we abide in Him. The temptation is always there to drift. May the Lord put a short leash on us and gently but quickly pull us back when we begin to drift away from sweet communion with Christ.

See this lovely quote from Calvin:

“We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ. We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else. If we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is of Him. If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in His anointing. If we seek strength, it lies in His dominion; if purity, in His conception; if gentleness, it appears in His birth. For by His birth He was made like us in all respects, that He might learn to feel our pain. If we seek redemption, it lies in His passion; if acquittal, in His condemnation; if remission of the curse, in His cross; if satisfaction, in His sacrifice; if purification, in His blood; if reconciliation, in His descent into hell; if mortification of the flesh, in His tomb; if newness of life, in His resurrection; if immortality, in the same; if inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom, in His entrance into heaven; if protection, if security, if abundant supply of all blessings, in His Kingdom; if untroubled expectation of judgment, in the power given to Him to judge. In short, since rich store of every kind of good abounds in Him, let us drink our fill from this fountain, and from no other.”  Institutes of Christian Religion

Our part-Abiding. What is the first thing you think of upon awakening? What must I do today?…I do..I..I…I?  Instead we should ask: Lord, what shall WE do today? I have an 87 year old friend and prayer warrior who says every morning: ‘Lord, what shall we do today?” In addition to that, I frequently add: I am in union with You, please help me to abide in You as intimately as is possible this side of heaven. God desires deep intimacy with us, and abiding in Christ is the key to bridging the gap between our head knowledge and heart knowledge. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15)

I heard recently the experience of Hudson Taylor, the founder of China Inland Mission which touched countless lives. He died in 1905 but  not before seeing extraordinary fruit in China. But he labored for a number of years and suffered terrible trials before he had a life altering experience of discovering union with Christ. It is not that he got something he did not have before, but as Paul prayed in Eph that we would understand more fully the extent of God’s love for us; to more fully possess our possessions, as one man put it; to know more fully what we already know. Any good pastor knows that a big part of pastoral work is patiently explaining to people what Paul was praying for in Eph 3—a deeper awareness of the depth of God’s love. One day as Taylor was laboring under immense weight, he received a letter from a friend which outlined the freedom of knowing and resting in our union with Christ and learning to abide and rest in that union. (this is not passive rest because we must fight) Learning that apart from abiding in Christ we can do nothing. Nothing! Notice the dual emphasis on us in Christ, and He in us, and then the call to ABIDE. Another word might be communion with…walking intimately with.

His son wrote a few decades later that this event was no ephemeral passing fad—his dad was forever changed, and he never seemed perturbed amidst the most stressful situations. He knew in his heart the beauty of his union with Christ—with the whole Christ and all He did. When Taylor understood the implications of being in Christ it melted his heart and he was a changed man. He saw God’s sovereignty and He released his anxieties into the arms of Him whom he was in intimate union with. He learned to abide in his union amidst the terrible tragedies he suffered.

Extravagant grace and radical discipleship are often presented as two opposite ways of pursuing the Christian life; but both are drawn together in union with Christ. While some fall prey to hyper-grace and others to heavy burden of striving for radical discipleshsip, both the beauty of grace and the call to mirror holiness are wed together in our union with Christ. Union with Christ is the key to balance in the Christian life.

But Christ is always greater than our experience of Him, and cannot be reduced to our experience.

My prayer is that by understanding our union with Christ, and the utter security that entails, that we would be forever changed as well. Our anxiety ridden striving would cease. We are accepted in the Beloved , now-we do not have to prove ourselves to God or anyone. Yes, we strive against the world, flesh and devil until we die BUT we now know how much God loves us and that the power of sin to enslave us has been broken. We view ourselves as being in Christ and united to every aspect of His saving life and death, resurrection and ascension. The immense security and sense of significance that should flow from this awareness is staggering. We have a new identity and a new power.

Apart from Christ we can do nothing but sin, but in Christ we can begin to drink deeply from the wells of Living Water. May you begin to experience a depth of communion with the Triune God that you’ve never known, and experience joy unspeakable, IN CHRIST.

Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook forma

It's Never Safe Conducting A Exorcism Or Deliverance

I think the title obviously explains why you should not attempt to do such a thing. I have to put this out there and hopefully some may hear this. I know It's very upsetting for me to know of the pain and hurt people are going through. This world has turned darker. Everything is leaning to it. Movies, TV, Internet etc...I'm not speaking of shows like Supernatural I'm speaking of very disturbing and dark antics through the world and it just makes me wonder? Everybody wants to summon demons! Then things start to blow up everything in your life. I learned how badly these want to hurt people or cause strife within families. I just wish it wasn't glorified so much. 

Now topic at hand. We have people with absolutely NO knowledge of Deliverance or Exorcism out there doing them! Half these so called celebs are fakes. They make it worse. The ignorant are opening way to many doors. Most don't realize. We need God and His Mercy. Watch the news. There is a urgent need for psychological and medical guidance when one receives an exorcism, which is a requirement by the Roman Catholic Church. It's just very dangerous to attempt this without the proper back up too. Everyone taking part of it is in danger. I thought that was noteworthy. It's a very serious issue. I couldn't be more serious about this.

So many people ask if demons can terrorize us through our dreams at all? Adam asked me: 'Are they merely a sub-conscious thought already there, or can there exist in our dreams a real spiritual battle? I am not aware of the fact that Satan can control my thoughts, as much as I am aware that my sinful nature desires to m impure thoughts. I am fully aware that God knows my thoughts. Does God allow our dreams to give us insight to the spiritual world that is unseen?' That is one of the many questions we may not ever know until we do get to the other side.

The devil does not want people reading the Bible or attempting to gain any knowledge of Father God’s love or the Biblical Laws definition of good and evil. Consequently, the devil tries to reduce or eliminate the importance of the Bible, and sadly, his efforts are paying off very well. Recent surveys reflect that succeeding generations of Christians tend to study the Bible less than the previous generation.

A Demonic Stronghold Possibly?

Demons or anything powerful enough to hold you in its claws to keep you from receiving God’s love and truth.  Once a stronghold is established, you provide an open door for the enemy and become exposed to demonic control and oppression in that area of your life. The existence of a stronghold can be recognized because it will be that area of your life in which you consistently have problems and cannot cope in life. Our thoughts influence our emotions and our physical reactions. A thought may seem harmless, but it can become physically, emotionally or spiritually dangerous.  Satan will bring evil thoughts into our minds. We cannot entertain these. This will only give way to the enemy. We need to rebuke the evil thoughts from our minds as soon as they start. This is so important. 

Stain has limitations though as I've said before:

Omnipresent

• Satan is an individual personality, so he can be in only one place at a time (as seen in Job 1:7). So when we say that the devil is person all tempting us, more than likely it is his power working through his network of demons.

Satan is not omnipotent

Because of this,  many references to Satan or the devil include his whole kingdom. The person of Satan does not personally tempt each of us for he simply cannot do that. Satan must rely on the following agents to carry out his temptation: His Army of demons, the world system which lies under his carnal or ignorant Christians he is able to use as he did Peter (Matthew 16:22-23), unbelievers under his influence or domination therefore, he can surely be resisted and made to flee in the name of Jesus Christ. but only by the strength of God all mighty made available to believers in Christ (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Satan is not omniscient

Satan is an angel and angels don’t know everything (1 Peter 1:11-12). There is no indication in Scripture that Satan can really read our thoughts despite it is a common belief. Because he’s an expert on human nature, he’s pretty good at predicting our behavior and can easily tempt and corrupt weak humans.  

Satan is not self-existent.

He was created by God . It can even been said that God created and uses Satan to his own ends (2 Corinthians 12:7).

Another one of Satan’s limitations is that he is not allowed to reveal himself, being forced to work solely by deceit. He is our enemy to all human souls, but non-appearance is a significant containment of his power. 2 Thess­alonians tells us that Satan must content himself with an appointee, the man of sin, who will appear on his behalf at the end of time, only to be immediately destroyed by the brightness of the coming of Christ. We have already won this battle. 

Written By Jennifer L. Auld

Lilith (What Do We Know About This "Female" Demon?)

I've noticed that Lilith's name is showing up on all kinds of TV shows and not just the hit TV series Supernatural. She has been said by many to be the original Eve Adams first wife from the book of Genesis. From what I have researched it is widely believed because she refused to let Adam be on top in a sexual manner for lack of better words (because this would show her submission to man) she was cast down and believed to be a fallen angel. Some say demons have no gender so this makes no sense. There are MANY theories on this subject..and because I have received a lot of emails lately and in the past asking questions about this subject thought I'd do my best to explain what little I know. Many have asked if she was mentioned in the bible or in any type of Demonology or Mythology. There was one small verse that is believed to be referring to her in the bible but I will touch on that shortly. Please keep in mind I am a biblical demonologist. I do not claim to know it all and any and everything that I write is simply my humble opinion based on research and what I have gathered in my last 26 years into this calling. I do not know a whole lot regarding this subject. Please feel free to research this subject for yourself. There are many opinions.

Many believe she is a Succubus. I touched on the subject about the Incubus and Succubus last year in two different blogs and it looks like I might need to do a third update on that. Some also believe that she is the "night hag" that was originally a Mesopotamian female demon called Lilitu, a very beautiful and alluring wraith who tempted men through erotic dreams. But Jewish Demonology tells us that she is a unsightly looking demon of the night who would steal children when she found them alone. In the Gospel there is a verse with a phrase "screeched owl" that many feel it is referring to Lilith. According to Jewish folklore Lilith was Adam’s first wife. Though she is not mentioned in the Torah, over the centuries she became associated with Adam as a way to explain the fact that there are two contradictory versions of Creation in the book of Genesis.

It has been said she will attack the most during Sleep Paralysis. For those who do not know, sleep paralysis is when the brain awakens from Rem sleep but the body remains “asleep” (in paralysis).  Sort of the reverse of sleep walking, which is when the body is ‘awake’ but the brain is asleep. You are are fully conscious but unable to move. This can last a few seconds or a few minutes. However, eye movements are still possible. Individuals experiencing this often feel extreme panic as they try to reestablish the connection between mind and it's connection. It can be very frightening. It seems so very real. It is a terrifying feeling being unable to move or speak. You can't even cry for help audibly. You are totally helpless it seems.

Just in case anyone isn't aware of what a Succubus or Sucubi is thought to be, here's a brief description but like I said for there's many different opinions on this .

"A succubus is a female demon or supernatural entity in folklore (traced back to medieval legend) that appears in dreams and takes the form of a woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. The male counterpart is the incubus. Religious traditions hold that repeated sexual activity with a succubus may result in the deterioration of health or even death.

In modern representations, a succubus may or may not appear in dreams and is often depicted as a highly attractive seductress or enchantress; whereas, in the past, succubi were generally depicted as frightening and demonic."

English translators of Isaiah 34:14 sometimes lack confidence in their readers’ knowledge of Babylonian demonology. The King James Bible’s prose rendition of the poem translates “the lilith” as “the screech owl,” recalling the ominous bird-like qualities of the Babylonian she-demon. Until the seventh century C.E., Lilith was known as a dangerous embodiment of dark, feminine powers. In the Middle Ages, however, the Babylonian she-demon took on new and even more sinister characteristics. Sometime prior to the year 1000, The Alphabet of Ben Sira was introduced to medieval Jewry. The Alphabet, an anonymous text, contains 22 episodes, corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The fifth episode includes a Lilith who was to tantalize and terrify the population for generations to come. To some extent, The Alphabet of Ben Sira shows a familiar Lilith: She is destructive, she can fly and she has a penchant for sex. Yet this tale adds a new twist: As I mentioned above she is Adam’s first wife, before Eve, who boldly leaves Eden because she is treated as man’s inferior.

I found some very interesting posts on Reddit.com\occult in a area which was a type of forum where people were asking for different things such as advice on how to summon Lilith and people who felt they were in danger and under attack from her or demons in general and seeking help/advice. The reason I'm posting a few is so I can  illustrate just how heavily these topics are being pursued and people become obsessed with it. And it was very easy to come across this as well. Sadly it is not hard at all to come across anything dark and dangerous on the Internet and usually it's people like adults obsessed with the paranormal or teenagers and younger children. It's scary what people have access to. I warn you ahead of time these are graphic in nature and the language is definitely pretty harsh with a lot of F bombs. (for lack of better words) Here are the following posts I found on reddit.com. Just a WARNING.....The subjects are graphic in nature. Consider yourselves forewarned. So the following are just a few examples:

" I'm interested in pursuing Lilith's path and want to know what r/occult's adventures in sex demons have been like so far. Dreamscape work, energy manipulation, summoning, servitors, books, tools, whatever stories or tidbits you've got would be appreciated. Tell me all about it! If you specialize in this sort of hoojoo, please PM me, I love talking shop. <3 nbsp="" p="">
EDIT1: Y'all seem to assume I'm not going to alter my personality and lifestyle to harmonize with whatever entity's will and shit. I can see why most people had problems- Don't unsheathe the sword unless you're going to draw blood etc."

"[–]astralanarchist 5 points 9 months ago*

" This is not direct at OP and I'm saying with an utmost respect but...

What's with the incubus and succubi on r/occult lately? This kinda reminds me of a forum I used to lurk and it was(is) filled with people asking about succubi and how to create a sex servitor, etc.

With that said, concerning Lilith, you should read Donald Tyson's works Liber Lilith and Sex Alchemy. (For his sex alchemy, I think it is closer to making a sex servitor to extract "white powder".)

the Lilith or Succubi works do not help me with my path. Therefore, I didn't spend much time doing them.

Devotional work with the Goddess "Nut" or "Nuit" was a different story. It was the best intimate experience with the divine female ever."

"No. Just no. Seriously, F^CK. THAT. SH*T.

Here's what you have to look forward to, working with sex demons:

Stalkers

Impotence

Random and absurdly strong sexual urges

STD's!

Severe emotional instability

An ever downward spiral of increasingly deranged fetishes

Clingy ass borderlines

Did I mention STD's?

Jealous partners

Angry spouses

Destroyed reputations

And in general a lot of fucking bullshit. Sex demons are called demons for a reason. Bringing a sex demon into your life because you like sex is like bringing a pestilence demon into your life to help you tidy up the house and clear up your acne. The whole notion of a sex demon is something that ruins your life with sex. Go learn tantra or some other form of white or at least whitish-gray sex magic, it's loads more fun and arguably more powerful as well."

"Sex demons do nothing for you but temporary satisfaction. They're whores and will drain you of any energy they can, eventually causing horrible depression and destroying any hope of having a long-lasting relationship. This is the reason why porn is devastating to the (male, in particular) mind.

Instead, I recommend Venus who's much better at pairing you with someone who will make your sex life both interesting and long lasting."

[–]DynamoJones23 1 point 9 months ago

"Lilith can become a bit ov an obsession, when I was working with her she ended up having me work for her. I was devoted to her in a teacher/lover way. It was like being in love with a benevolent cult leader. Unobtainable yet, loving.

Looking back I'm surprised I got out ov it by just asking her and my obsession disappeared by the next night without drama. It was the weirdest emotions generated by magick I've experienced yet."

As you can see this gets very very deep and people form very personal relationships and refer to them as their spirit husband our team and husband door demon lover or whatever.

All I can do is say the same thing I always do I know it's been regurgitated and million times do not get up SAST with the stuff to not go down that rabbit hole I can tell you from experience it is something you just don't want to open the door because once you put yourself out there you don't know how many demons have taken notice. They are now familiar with you and feel your fair game and they have a legal right so they could come back at any time.. they are very patient, demons are extremely patient. Something may not happen when you do it or you may leave a investigation unscaved and end up with zero activity after attempting stupid things but these vile creatures are VERY PATIENT! And where they will get using your head they will torture you beyond imagining. Right when things couldn't get worse that is when they will come and you will feel the only relief you can get is death. Take this from somebody who knows personally after messing around with the Ouija board when I knew better my dad always warned me about those things he did many deliverances on people who inadvertently open doors and I did it anyway I was 19 years old. Usually bag for any kind of physical punishment or pain by the time they're done tormenting you in the mind you just have no idea I can assure you you will think you are in hell.

Written By Jennifer L Auld

Was Cindi Lauper Right About Having Fun?

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Remember Cindi Lauper's hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."? It was actually a re-do of a song Robert Hazard had written, with with a few approved changes.  I think it is a most suitable anthem (for both sexes), as far as what drives many people. When I wrote the "Fifty Shades of Mommy Porn" blog, my goal was to analyze what is happening across our culture in general that is concurrent with, and perhaps feeding into, this lust for the occult. Long before I got "zapped" by the paranormal, I was interested in viewing the flow of intellectual and pop culture through a biblical worldview...for nearly 40 years. I enjoy analyzing the inter-connectedness of different aspects of culture and the flow of history. The paranormal juggernaut has tendrils that weave far and wide into the fabric of our society--it wasn't born in a cultural/spiritual vacuum and it does not exist now in a vacuum. Understanding certain habits of the heart are essential to deciphering the how/why of this historically unprecedented fascination with the spirit realm.

Why now? Why is our generation the first in human history to rush headlong into the spirit realm without the community safeguards of a designated mediator... a shaman, imam, rabbi, priest, or minister?

Answer...it's fun!

FUN...nothing wrong with it (per se), and so many things right about it. I wanna have fun! And according to online dating site profiles, so does the millions of folks looking for marriage...only this lust for fun has become seriously idolatrous.

About 13 years ago, I went through a biblical divorce, but simply could not (for several reasons), seriously consider dating and re-marriage. The experience damaged me to the core, and I am still broken in many ways. But, like Adam, I was lonely for companionship. So, eventually I tried some reputable dating sites.

Off and on for a few years I have visited a few appropriate dating sites. I even joined one or two for awhile in order to give it a try. There are horror stories and there are beautiful success stories--my experience has been some where in-between. However, there is one aspect of it that has gripped me lately, that is germane to our topic. And I can't shake the sense that there is a strong connection to the how/why of the mushrooming growth and influence of interest in the paranormal.

The vast majority of women on these sites designate their faith as "Christian". However, in the profile section where you introduce yourself--telling the most salient facts about yourself and what you desire in a mate--95% of the professing Christian women do not mention the Lord at all. (I don't read the guys profiles but I suspect it is worse for men).  I have read thousands of profiles, so this is a rather large sampling..which makes this all the more disturbing.

However, there is one word that IS found in 99% of the profiles (Christian or not)...FUN.   Yep, that word is ubiquitous in dating profiles. It is THE common denominator found amidst all the diversity in the various profiles.

Before I proceed, I need to say that there are more than a few wonderful exceptions to what I am about to say. There are some very godly men and women on those sites who make it crystal clear that God is number one to them, and a shared belief is THE priority to them. In addition, in painting with a broad brush, I run the risk of making it seem that FUN is the only thing most folks discuss--it is NOT. The longing for honesty, communication, trust and respect are but a few of the laudable traits often mentioned by most people. Having said that, it is the centrality...the primacy given to fun, that I have found so troubling.

The issue is not whether having fun is appropriate or important as A desire., (Heck that is a desire of mine as well) Rather, the issue is: what is the significance that having fun (or a man with a good sense of humor, likes to laugh, and so on)  is the dominant trait that so many men and women are longing for in a mate? How are these fun-centric profiles, and the people behind them, related to what is happening supernaturally? .

On some sites, at the top of the profile section, you can even summarize in a sentence, your search in a nutshell. This is typical--"Adventurous and love to have fun and laugh... looking for same." I read that and it makes me want to weep.

In a profile, you have the opportunity, in a few hundred words, to express who you are. When a professing Christian does not even mention Jesus, that speaks volumes. Fun, fun, fun... It is the absence of Jesus and the prominence of having fun, that concerns me. And, as I did with the popularity of "mommy porn", I wonder what its significance is--especially with regards to the explosion of interest in the paranormal? Jesus said that what we say expresses what fills our hearts. According to these dating profiles, SELF-fulfillment through shared fun, is what the majority of people long for most. FUN HAS BECOME A DEMONIC IDOL IN AMERICA. As one author put it, we are amusing ourselves to death.

We have mentioned repeatedly about the disturbing trend towards the primacy of experience over reason and divine revelation. I think that this fixation on FUN, is an expression of that trend...as well as an indicator of how empty our lives are. If it would be "fun" to have sex before marriage, then why not--since girls/boys just wanna have fun? If it would be fun, exciting, stimulating, expansive, spiritually invigorating (the list goes on and on) to mess with the occult, then why not? If fun is our dominant life value, then we are spiritual casualties waiting to happen. If Satan knows how to do anything, he knows how to make sin look/feel FUN. What happens when our new husband/wife hits a "bump in the road", and he is not as fun or humorous as before? Divorce him/her, I suppose, is what many would do.

Like "Fifty Shades" of experiencing pornography (it is amazing how many women list that trilogy as the "last book read", with many more not mentioning it out of embarrassment), I think this fixation on fun is both an expression of, as well as a cause of, a dying, paganized/occult culture. We continue to consign God to the margins of our lives, and thus God is marginalized in our culture as well....and we do so with a big grin because we are having fun! Christiandom has become so anemic in our society it has lost its ability to be salt and light. Hence, America is becoming increasingly pagan with each passing day...truth is rotting in the streets, and the dust of death and dark shadows are descending upon us. God is laughing, but it is not a fun laugh (see Ps. 2).

1 John 4:1ff tells us to be discerning of the spirits. But by fixating on the experience of fun and laughter, then we are fertilizing the soil for the continued growth of the noxious weed of of spiritism.

These very same folks who long for fun and mirth, are opening the doors to a satanic lie, which will cause many to experience a wide-awake nightmare of demonic oppression...and perhaps eternity in hell....where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I do NOT want the last quarter of my life to be a wasted by fixating on trivial pursuits. I can't say everything in a blog, but the Reformation/biblical view of play is that it is as holy/meaningful in God's eyes as preaching or prayer. However, our time here is so short, and we live in such a dark and broken world, that we must seek God's kingdom priorities. We are called to daily die to self and live for God's glory....which is not always fun. We bring God glory by loving Him above all else and by bearing as much fruit as possible-- drawing as many as possible out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God's dearly beloved Son.

We must remember that joy is experienced primarily as a by-product of focusing on loving our dear Lord. It is deeper than happiness or fun...which is difficult to consistently maintain in a world which is so tragically bent, broken, and fallen.

A husband and wife are to accelerate each others love for the Lord, as well as help each other bear more fruit for Him together than they would apart from each other. I hope your fun-quotient does increase in 2014, but much more, I pray that we would become increasingly God-intoxicated, and more passionate about holiness than happiness.

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.

Clearing Up Demonic Confusion

By Kirby Robinson

I received a lengthy comment on a blog about Theresa Caputo and her show, and felt a need to respond in a way that is both public and answers many of the same questions/comments I continue to receive about Theresa and psychics/mediums in general.

The following comment was written by "dg" on this post:

http://eyeontheparanormal.blogspot.com/2013/05/issue-118-case-against-theresa-caputo.html

eyeontheparanormal , in response to many of your replies to people's comments. i do not think that Teresa Caputo is fake or real, as like in the majority of how i live my life, i believe it when i see it with my own 2 eyes. i just find it amusing how you continue to dismiss the idea of people talking to spirits or people feeling the presence of spirits but yet you not only believe in demons but have actually assisted in Exorcisms. arent demons and spirits essentially the same, just one is good and one is evil? how come for you just because the bible says that once someone dies and goes to heaven, that is it? but yet when someone bad dies and goes to hell it's normal for them to come back to "haunt" people? i don't get the logic there. jesus himself died and rose from the dead, yes he was jesus, but ultimately did he not start out as a human being that people could see, and hear and touch? you talk about the bible so much and how people should follow it pretty much word for word, then why do most people, christians included break almost every commandment? i have a feeling after reading your comments that you must be anti gay too, because it says in the bible that the homosexuals pretty much should not exist, let alone be able to be married. it might only be my opinion but i think that is the best thing that was not followed, that slowly but surely many more states are coming forward allowing same sex marriages, because while too many people are spewing hate against people like mediums or people who can see spirits, letting same sex marriages happen is showing how much they have suffered and have had to wait the longest to do the one thing that EVERYONE in the world should really be concerned with and that is LOVE.

Question #1- Are demons and spirits the same thing?

Demons are the foot soldiers to Lucifer/the devil/Satan. They have never been human beings. No matter how vile a person is in life they don't become a demon in the afterlife. Humans who die and reject God go to hell and suffer the pain of damnation inflicted by demons. They get no pass for past evil deeds for demons hate humans.

Where do demons come from? Depending on who you ask, you'll learn that the angels who fell with Lucifer became demons after the fall. Others will say that the offspring of the giants in Genesis 6 became demons after death. Finally, some will say that Lilith, the first wife of Adam, rejected God and was cursed by God—thus became the mother of all demons.

As to spirits, those don't stay around here on earth. When we die our last breath on earth becomes our next breath in either heaven or hell. We don't see a white light or a tunnel that leads us to heaven as that's new age fallacy. From the Christian perspective, we are on earth and as soon as we die, we are in heaven. On the other hand, if we don't measure up, then the alternative is that we are on earth, we die, and we end up in hell.

Not to say that we might be able to reach loved ones from time to time, usually when there is a great need. But our new home is in either heaven or hell.

Question #2 - Do the dead in hell come back and haunt us? Nope. Demons often will wear the mask of someone who died and went to hell, making us think that it is the person. They can be quite convincing, as they might even sound like them, and demons know many details of various events, character traits, etc. No one should ever mistake a demon as dumb, because they aren't. What demons lack is love and compassion.

Question #3 - Do I hate mediums or those who can see spirits?

When someone speaks out against so-called mediums, I hope they don't hate them. Love the sinner hate the sin. It's when people say we shouldn't judge them. We are not judging the person -- but the sin they take part in.

Both the Old and New Testament indicate that God is concerned about people who speak to the dead. Why? The dead know nothing new, for they are dead. The old gospel song that said "this world is not my home I'm just passing through." is so rich in truth. Our time on earth is limited but our afterlife with God is forever. In heaven, we worship and praise Him. We don't come back here and talk to the likes of Theresa Caputo. If your loved one is saved there is no doubt they are whole and happy on the other side.

Yes, Jesus died and three days later, He rose from the dead to fulfill His promise that by His grace and death He paid the price for us.

Whatever question we may have, whatever problem seems insurmountable…do we think a mortal psychic or a medium can answer or offer consolation better than what God offers?

Keep current and follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/eyeonparanormal

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Was Cindi Lauper Right?

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Remember Cindi Lauper's hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."? It was actually a re-do of a song Robert Hazard had written, with with a few approved changes.  I think it is a most suitable anthem (for both sexes), as far as what drives many people. When I wrote the "Fifty Shades of Mommy Porn" blog, my goal was to analyze what is happening across our culture in general that is concurrent with, and perhaps feeding into, this lust for the occult. Long before I got "zapped" by the paranormal, I was interested in viewing the flow of intellectual and pop culture through a biblical worldview...for nearly 40 years. I enjoy analyzing the inter-connectedness of different aspects of culture and the flow of history. The paranormal juggernaut has tendrils that weave far and wide into the fabric of our society--it wasn't born in a cultural/spiritual vacuum and it does not exist now in a vacuum. Understanding certain habits of the heart are essential to deciphering the how/why of this historically unprecedented fascination with the spirit realm.

Why now? Why is our generation the first in human history to rush headlong into the spirit realm without the community safeguards of a designated mediator... a shaman, imam, rabbi, priest, or minister?

Answer...it's fun!

FUN...nothing wrong with it (per se), and so many things right about it. I wanna have fun! And according to online dating site profiles, so does the millions of folks looking for marriage...only this lust for fun has become seriously idolatrous.

About 13 years ago, I went through a biblical divorce, but simply could not (for several reasons), seriously consider dating and re-marriage. The experience damaged me to the core, and I am still broken in many ways. But, like Adam, I was lonely for companionship. So, eventually I tried some reputable dating sites.

Off and on for a few years I have visited a few appropriate dating sites. I even joined one or two for awhile in order to give it a try. There are horror stories and there are beautiful success stories--my experience has been some where in-between. However, there is one aspect of it that has gripped me lately, that is germane to our topic. And I can't shake the sense that there is a strong connection to the how/why of the mushrooming growth and influence of interest in the paranormal.

The vast majority of women on these sites designate their faith as "Christian". However, in the profile section where you introduce yourself--telling the most salient facts about yourself and what you desire in a mate--95% of the professing Christian women do not mention the Lord at all. (I don't read the guys profiles but I suspect it is worse for men).  I have read thousands of profiles, so this is a rather large sampling..which makes this all the more disturbing.

However, there is one word that IS found in 99% of the profiles (Christian or not)...FUN.   Yep, that word is ubiquitous in dating profiles. It is THE common denominator found amidst all the diversity in the various profiles.

Before I proceed, I need to say that there are more than a few wonderful exceptions to what I am about to say. There are some very godly men and women on those sites who make it crystal clear that God is number one to them, and a shared belief is THE priority to them. In addition, in painting with a broad brush, I run the risk of making it seem that FUN is the only thing most folks discuss--it is NOT. The longing for honesty, communication, trust and respect are but a few of the laudable traits often mentioned by most people. Having said that, it is the centrality...the primacy given to fun, that I have found so troubling.

The issue is not whether having fun is appropriate or important as A desire., (Heck that is a desire of mine as well) Rather, the issue is: what is the significance that having fun (or a man with a good sense of humor, likes to laugh, and so on)  is the dominant trait that so many men and women are longing for in a mate? How are these fun-centric profiles, and the people behind them, related to what is happening supernaturally? .

On some sites, at the top of the profile section, you can even summarize in a sentence, your search in a nutshell. This is typical--"Adventurous and love to have fun and laugh... looking for same." I read that and it makes me want to weep.

In a profile, you have the opportunity, in a few hundred words, to express who you are. When a professing Christian does not even mention Jesus, that speaks volumes. Fun, fun, fun... It is the absence of Jesus and the prominence of having fun, that concerns me. And, as I did with the popularity of "mommy porn", I wonder what its significance is--especially with regards to the explosion of interest in the paranormal? Jesus said that what we say expresses what fills our hearts. According to these dating profiles, SELF-fulfillment through shared fun, is what the majority of people long for most. FUN HAS BECOME A DEMONIC IDOL IN AMERICA. As one author put it, we are amusing ourselves to death.

We have mentioned repeatedly about the disturbing trend towards the primacy of experience over reason and divine revelation. I think that this fixation on FUN, is an expression of that trend...as well as an indicator of how empty our lives are. If it would be "fun" to have sex before marriage, then why not--since girls/boys just wanna have fun? If it would be fun, exciting, stimulating, expansive, spiritually invigorating (the list goes on and on) to mess with the occult, then why not? If fun is our dominant life value, then we are spiritual casualties waiting to happen. If Satan knows how to do anything, he knows how to make sin look/feel FUN. What happens when our new husband/wife hits a "bump in the road", and he is not as fun or humorous as before? Divorce him/her, I suppose, is what many would do.

Like "Fifty Shades" of experiencing pornography (it is amazing how many women list that trilogy as the "last book read", with many more not mentioning it out of embarrassment), I think this fixation on fun is both an expression of, as well as a cause of, a dying, paganized/occult culture. We continue to consign God to the margins of our lives, and thus God is marginalized in our culture as well....and we do so with a big grin because we are having fun! Christiandom has become so anemic in our society it has lost its ability to be salt and light. Hence, America is becoming increasingly pagan with each passing day...truth is rotting in the streets, and the dust of death and dark shadows are descending upon us. God is laughing, but it is not a fun laugh (see Ps. 2).

1 John 4:1ff tells us to be discerning of the spirits. But by fixating on the experience of fun and laughter, then we are fertilizing the soil for the continued growth of the noxious weed of of spiritism.

These very same folks who long for fun and mirth, are opening the doors to a satanic lie, which will cause many to experience a wide-awake nightmare of demonic oppression...and perhaps eternity in hell....where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I do NOT want the last quarter of my life to be a wasted by fixating on trivial pursuits. I can't say everything in a blog, but the Reformation/biblical view of play is that it is as holy/meaningful in God's eyes as preaching or prayer. However, our time here is so short, and we live in such a dark and broken world, that we must seek God's kingdom priorities. We are called to daily die to self and live for God's glory....which is not always fun. We bring God glory by loving Him above all else and by bearing as much fruit as possible-- drawing as many as possible out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God's dearly beloved Son.

We must remember that joy is experienced primarily as a by-product of focusing on loving our dear Lord. It is deeper than happiness or fun...which is difficult to consistently maintain in a world which is so tragically bent, broken, and fallen.

A husband and wife are to accelerate each others love for the Lord, as well as help each other bear more fruit for Him together than they would apart from each other. I hope your fun-quotient does increase in 2014, but much more, I pray that we would become increasingly God-intoxicated, and more passionate about holiness than happiness.

The Lordship Attributes in a Biblical Worldview

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

"Turn fuzzy and dull into clear and bright..... no matter what conditions you are in, you will see clearer." Such are the words advertising some "night-glasses" in an email I received today. This reminds me of the purpose of pursuing a biblical worldview. A worldview is the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world. The more your worldview beliefs align with the Word of God, the more the distortions, fuzziness, and dullness in your perception of reality will give way to a clearer and brighter perception of reality AS IT REALLY IS! A worldview is like spectacles through which we view God, the universe, and our relationship to both. Clear and bright spectacles which illumines the entire landscape.

We live in a post-Christian culture...one in which there has been a radical paradigm shift, which is just another way of saying that our culture has experienced a radical change at the worldview level. George Barna discovered through polls that very few  bible-believing Christians have even an inkling of a biblical worldview. What we are doing in this series is extremely important and will equip you with a tool for discernment that very few pastors have. This series can and should change your life...and I find that exciting!

Last time I mentioned that our beliefs about God (Ultimate Reality) is by far the most crucial aspect of our worldview...it  effects everything else. Let me put it this way: suppose there is a house in which there is extreme paranormal activity. Two people investigate, at different times,this "paranormally alive" house. They see basically the same phenomena but one believes FIRMLY that Ultimate Reality is the God of the bible, and the other believes that Ultimate Reality is matter/energy. As Thomas Kuhn pointed out in his ground-breaking book, "The Structure off Scientific Revolution" (1962)....how one CONCEIVES reality will affect how they PERCEIVE that reality. According to Kuhn (and Scripture) these two investigators are steeped in two radically different theories of reality, which will cause them to view the same phenomena differently...THEY WILL SEE DIFFERENTLY. If this is not taken into consideration, the two investigators (and us) will end up talking past each other. In addition, the two will have radically different expectations of what they will encounter once inside.

One way of summarizing the bible is thus--the OT teaches that God (Yahweh) is Lord, and the NT teaches that Jesus is Lord. Since the nature of God is so crucial to laying the foundation for a biblical worldview, let us look at THREE LORDSHIP ATTRIBUTES. (control, authority, and presence). When we say that God/Jesus is Lord, these three attributes help us to understand the richness of what that pregnant phrase means...."Jesus is Lord!"

God is Lord--control. The bible sees God as Absolute or Infinite Personality. His tri-personality sets Him apart from other false monotheistic religions. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been in loving communication for backwards eternity, and will be forever. Hence, God did not need to create due to lonliness. But the Trinity is absolutely sovereign over every molecule in His cosmos...the Earth being the palace of the Great King.

He has sovereignly decreed everything that has occurred and is in control of all things.. (Eph.1:11; Acts 17:26) We cannot break His sovereign will (which is  enshrouded in mystery) but we can and do break His moral and affective will all the time.

God is so much in absolute control that He can bend the wicked actions of wicked men (or demons) to accomplish His will. The most obscene, unjust, and evil act in history was the murder of the sinless Lord Jesus, and yet the Lord used it to bring about the most wondrous display of His love and holiness. "...this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men."(Acts 2:23; cf  4:27-28) His control establishes human responsibility...Astronomers estimate that there are 10 billion trillion stars in the universe. In Isaiah 40:25-26 the Lord is said to have created every one and has a name for each.."...because of the greatness of His might not one is missing." Behold your God!

God has infinite power and knowledge. He controls and sustains every inch of the natural and the supernatural realms.(Col. 1:16-17) From the smallest sub-atomic particle to the  nations and  entire universe, God ordained from all eternity all the has or will occur. If He merely "permitted" some things, then He could not deliver on Romans 8:28. In SOME SENSE God is in control of everything. Every thought of Satan was decreed from eternity past...just as the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. The Lord is particularly concerned that we know that He created the heavens and the earth, and is in control of the flow of human history--which can be summarized...Creation--Fall--Redemption. God is infinitely more powerful than Satan and in absolute control over his every action. He is a consuming fire....Our God reigns!

Lordship as authority--when Jesus ascended and sat down at the right hand of the Father, He did not sit in a lounge chair; He sits upon the throne. As Lord, that means He has full authority over all aspects of His creation. In what we call the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus says, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me...." His Person to person communication in the bible has divine authority that creates absolute ethical obligation in us. His Word has normative authority, which must be recognized by individuals and nations alike (Psalms 1, 2). We prevail over the demonic in Jesus' name because He is the Divine Messiah who wrought our redemption in order that the captives might be set free. Darkness flees from the name of Jesus because His name entails all of who Jesus IS and DID. Behold your God!

Lordship as presence--the movement of the drama of redemption is towards "dancing Adam's steps backwards." (Rom. 5; 1 Cor.15) As Adam walked with the Lord in the Garden, the goal of redemption was Immanuel--God with us. In the Incarnation, God the Son took on our humanity, forever. To say that God is Lord, means that He dwells intimately with us.In the same text regarding the Great Commission, Jesus tell us, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." The Holy Spirit indwells all true believers. As His beloved sons and daughters, He has promised to never leave or forsake us. (Heb. 13:5)  In heaven we shall see Him face-to-face, and all tears shall be wiped away. Behold your God!            

What does God as Lord mean for our understanding of the paranormal and "trapped spirits"? Consider our two investigators. The one with a worldview with matter/energy as Ultimate Reality will expect to see "residual energy" displays as well as intelligent human spirits. With his blurred glasses, that is precisely what he will "see". (what we conceive is what we will perceive) However, the investigator who fears the Lord, will know that "residual energy" is utterly repugnant to God's laws of science (please see my series on this topic), and his clear spectacles will enable him to discern the presence of supernatural evil in the form of demons mimicking the dead. He will know that the notion of trapped spirits does violence to a biblical worldview in a thousand different ways. It vandalizes the control, authority, and presence of the Lord, and diminishes the perfection of the singular honor and dignity of the Person and Work of Christ.

He will know that Jesus is Lord--His power, authority, and presence. The notion of trapped spirits is an insult and dishonoring to the absolute control of God over all His creation. His authority, as expressed in His normative Word, commands him not to attempt necromancy..and to realize that all supernatural events are not from God. Lastly, the Lordship of God in His presence, reminds this investigator that God is our ultimate environment, and not a host of foul spirits. Wherever he goes, God IS...and in Jesus name, the miserable shadow figures shrink back into the shadows. This investigator realizes that God is God....that Jesus is Lord in His control, authority, and presence. He is comforted and emboldened by the fact that God is nearer and dearer to us than our own breath.

History and Responding to the Paranormal

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

What can the past teach us about how to respond to the paranormal? Recently two events occurred that thrust that question into prominence. The two events were: the fiftieth anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech and September 11.They may seem unrelated, but let me explain.

King's speech is a painful reminder of past racism; thankfully, I think we have made great strides. I have mentioned before that I had the honor of being introduced to the singular teaching of Dr. Francis Schaeffer...a man who had an uncanny ability to perceive trends in culture, critique them biblically, and show how the Lordship of Christ extends to all aspects of human culture.

He mentioned that our culture had a Christian ethos 100 years ago, but (and this is my main point)there were certainly serious inconsistencies. For example, he noted that we had done a very poor job when it came to race (with some notable exceptions) He further stated that each generation was responsible for applying the changeless gospel to the needs of their own generation. For 35  years since I first heard that assessment and challenge, I was 'haunted'  about WHAT ISSUE WAS MY GENERATION OF CHRISTIANS CULPABLY BLIND TO? Was there a "racism" equivalent in our culture that our kids would rise up and call us..uuhh, "blind and obtuse about"?Or,at the very least inconsistent...

I have the same feeling today as I did nearly 40 years ago--how could so many godly Christians be silent regarding an issue that was so  obviously grievously wrong? We are all descended from Adam...how could Christians support institutionalized hatred? (that is precisely what it was) So,I kept asking myself and praying: "Lord, please show me if we have a grievous blind spot in my generation." I humbly assert that I believe God answered my prayer.

In 2009 I was as blind as a bat to the raging paranormal inferno, but one fateful Wednesday night I watched an episode of "Ghost Hunters." I almost fell off the couch as I realized two things-I just saw real supernatural, demonic activity, and I had an unsettling feeling that I had been culpably ignorant of a juggernaut that was changing the spiritual landscape of America...indeed the world.Instantly, I felt "called" to research this phenomenon for the glory of our Triune God.

It did not take long for me to realize that the paranormal craze was, in fact, perhaps the most serious blind spot in the Christian community today.My generation was just as guilty of collectively dismissing a hugely significant issue.You will please forgive me if I say that: I have a dream...that the pastors in America would awaken from their lethal slumber and begin equipping their sheep to discern supernatural evil.

I will be more brief with 9/11. It is the anniversary of terrorist attacks on our soil--The World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the Pan Am flight.(the following quote was thought to be from the Reformer, Martin Luther, but apparently there is some doubt. Regardless, I quote it with brief comment).

"If I profess with loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point." 

If this quote expresses biblical truth (and I believe it does), then the overwhelming majority of bible preachers are not confessing Christ, and are flinching and fleeing. It hurts to write that, but when was the last time you heard a sermon on "What does the Bible say about Ghosts"? What other issue has over 50% of US adults in its grips?

I was a pastor for 15 years, so I know the diverse hats they wear and the many stressors. But in preaching class in seminary, we were taught two main things-prayerfully do the hard work of understanding the Holy Spirit's intent for that text (it's meaning, AND prayerfully and sensitively apply the text to the significant issues we face, as individuals and as a society. Simple...one-two approach to preaching, but the application aspect has been collectively horrendous.

The worst spiritual terrorist attack in our nations history is being ignored or dismissed as so much rubbish (with some notable exceptions). God have mercy on our country...especially our pastors.

To round out my reference to 9/11 let me mention this. Historically, there have three philosophical tests for truth--the correspondence theory (does the belief correspond to reality?); the coherence theory of truth (is the belief or worldview internally consistent?); and the existential test for truth (can the person live with his beliefs?)

I want to apply the existential theory to the notion of ghosts. The tragedy of 9/11 is precisely the kind of deaths that the paranormal community predicts will cause souls to be trapped...(sudden, traumatic deaths...leaving unfinished business). According to the "death criteria" of the paranormal community, most of those who died on 9/11 may well be stuck here."That is a cruel, low blow Hunnemann...how dare you!" On the contrary, 9/11 reminds us that it is impossible to live consistently with your beliefs regarding ghost formation.It is your belief in trapped spirits which is cruel...I am simply extending it out consistently to its logical conclusion. I must stop there for now, but this needs to be spelled out over and over, to break through the fog of fascination with ghosts.

Issue 68 –The Bible & Psychics – Part 1

Issue 68 –The Bible & Psychics – Part 1

By Kirby Robinson

My eyes aren't giving me issues this week, so we'll start taking a look at the Bible and what it says about psychics, and the secrets that psychics and new agers would prefer no one knows.

THE HIVE MAKES AN OFFER THAT PRS/"PARANORMAL STATE" CAST IGNORE

Last week I had the great pleasure of being on THE HIVE on PARA-X RADIO. Neither the supporters of Paranormal State, nor my haters, failed to call in and challenge any of my facts. Erick, the host, has offered his show to be a platform for such an event. If they have nothing to hide they should take him up on his offer. But I'm not holding my breath.

LOOKING FOR NEW BLOGGERS

EYE ON THE PARANORMAL has some spots open for new bloggers to post once a week or twice a month. You can have a viewpoint that differs from everyone [even me] who posts here. You can cover any paranormal/theological topic you'd like and can share links to events, books, seminars, etc.

THE BIBLE & PSYCHICS

We start at the beginning in the time prior to time as GOD begins to unfold creation of this world. In the first Chapter of GENESIS we see that He builds a world that is in balance and harmony, a system that provides for every need of man. There is an abundance of food and water. Every need was taken care of; there was no need to ask for anything. There was nothing to worry about. There was no illness, no old age, and no death. All existed in a state of harmonic peace. Nothing compelled man to seek answers or feel a need to make offerings to get his needs taken care of. But this all changes in chapter 3.

In chapter 3 evil tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit telling her that once she does she will be like a god. [One of the primary teachings of the New Age is that you don't need a god because you are already a god!]. Eve eats the forbidden fruit, her eyes open and then she convinces Adam to eat it. Now his eyes are open as well. They realize they are naked and feel ashamed and cover themselves.

The once-balanced world has become unbalanced now that negative emotions begin to flow. Most importantly, Adam and Eve become like gods, not like GOD. Evil plants the idea in the minds of men that other gods exist [note he did not say you will be like GOD]. The New Agers and evil [the unholy trinity] can't wield power as they do if man kept thinking there is the one most supreme GOD.

What follows is man/woman learning they must suffer. They must work for everything, as nothing was promised anymore. They would doubt when they would eat, drink, or be able to find shelter. Now there would be pain, old age and death.

We have the story of Cain and Abel and the first murder in the history of the world as we know it. The blood spilled onto the earth is followed by the first curse. [This curse would follow Cain the rest of his life and his generations to come. It was so strong it followed Cain when dies to the afterlife].

Out of the bloodline of Cain comes Enoch a man so in love with God and God so loved him that they walked together. In the end he did not die but walked with God and was never seen again --the one and only person to never die. [To me this means he has to play some role in the end times].

We come to chapter 6 which I have written about in previous blogs. There is great debate on who the SON OF GOD was. This is a good stopping point so we can reflect on what has taken place so far.

We once had a world perfect in every way one can think possible; a world of balance. But through sin [the unholy trinity], the world went from one that every need would be fulfilled; a world of balance, to imbalance: one of doubt, pain, and separation from God.

Man then had to seek answers to have his doubts wiped away and worries soothed. Who can give that? Those who claim to have a gift that few have. Ones who claim to have secret knowledge that few have. Lesser gods, or demons posing as gods who will give you what you seek … but at a price.

Next week we move forward in the study of GOD'S words and psychics.

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