By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
Words are powerful. The words individuals or a culture use can unconsciously impact a person's beliefs, even effecting their worldview. Much of this can occur on an unconscious level. The word that has caught my attention, and my concern, is the word "entity".It may be my imagination, but it seems that it's usage is growing in Christian circles that deal with demonology.For example, I read frequently on Facebook of an "entity" affecting a person or place. I dealt indirectly with this issue 4 years ago when I discussed who populates the spirit realm according to the bible. Also, if we don't know the answer to a question, we should not act like we do. And so when I see "entity" used, I realize that humility may lay behind why that word was chosen.However, may I humbly suggest that the bible is clear enough on what/who populates the spirit realm, that we do not, and should not, use an ambiguous word like "entity". When the bible is clear, then we should be also!
Take for example Matthew 10. In verses 1-4 Jesus is commissioning His twelve apostles for a short term ministry to Israel, which includes authority over "unclean spirits" (pneumaton akatharton) and to cast them out. In verses 5-15 Jesus elaborates on this mission, which in verse 8 includes the casting out of demons (daimonia). The point being that unclean spirits and demons are one and the same...just as Satan, devil, Evil One are synonyms.
What particularly troubles me is when I read that Christian demonologists (or whatever term you prefer) refers to an "entity" that is oppressing a family/place.Nowhere in the Gospel accounts are supernatural beings referred to as merely "entities".Jesus never cast out an entity....the disciples never cast out entities--they were very specific in that they were casting out demons/'unclean spirits.We need to use biblical terminology lest we introduce confusion where the bible is crystal clear. Word choice is vitally important.
Perhaps the main reason the word "entity" has become in vogue is due to the growing belief amongst some Christians that deceased human spirits can haunt (or possibly haunt) or oppress the living. I ask this gently but firmly--show me one place in the bible where a deceased human soul is oppressing living humans.(the Samuel account is not applicable to my question) I can say with confidence that there is no such recorded incident.Why introduce ambiguity where the bible is clear? Dozens of exorcisms are recorded in the gospels, and IF deceased humans could oppress us, then why are they NEVER mentioned?
Someone may reply, "Perhaps that may be true, but the bible does not tell us everything about demonology...so we can discern their presence with the help of the Holy Spirit?" I admit their are incidental things we can learn that are not recorded in the bible, but to say/imply that the bible omits significant demonological details is an affront to the sufficiency of Scripture, and elevates fallen human reason to the same level as sacred scripture. Now, do you not think that who populates the spirit realm is a very significant issue? Of course it is! Put another way, we must know our enemy and how can we be spiritual warriors if we are not sure who we are even fighting against? In human warfare this is certainly true,how much more so in spiritual warfare where our enemies are invisible (usually)?
Perhaps one replies, "Well, if it is human or demonic, the means of getting rid of them is the same." Again I say this gently but firmly, that comment is an evasion of the main issue--there is not a single incident in the bible in which a human spirit is said to have been expelled from a person or home. It assumes that the bible is not clear re this issue. However, from Genesis to Revelation, it is manifestly clear that there are only two kinds of beings that populate the spirit realm--good/elect angels and fallen angels/demons/unclean spirits. Appealing to Genesis 6 as primary "proof" of another kind of being existing today flies in the face of all rules of proper hermeneutics. We certainly never see Jesus dealing with beings who are somehow explicitly tied into whatever happened way back in Genesis 6.
Sure, there are differing ranks of angels and demons (cf Ephesians 6; Daniel 10), but that is all. In the US Army there are different ranks, but they are all essentially US Army.
The continued usage of the word "entity" is not helpful. Indeed, it is infusing confusion or lack of certainty where the bible is clear. A discussion of extra-biblical authority (eg pope) is beyond the scope of this article. Lastly, regardless of your experience, do you think it wise to "discern" the presence of a human spirit when--Jesus never did, and demons have thousands years of experience in knowing how to make Christians feel whatever they want?
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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Showing posts with label matthew 10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label matthew 10. Show all posts
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Changing Ghost Investigation Objective
By Stephen Piersall, Central NY, Deliverance ministry
What is the ultimate goal for today’s Ghost (demon) hunters? There are literally thousands of investigative teams all across this country. They do it as a hobby with fun-filled adventure, helping mankind, and for some to get that attention to self. “Look at me; I’m a celeb ghost hunter!” I think it’s a great idea to get out and help mankind. But, only if we could get all these teams to just refocus their objective. Sure I’m all for an initial investigation, of gathering what the clients are experiencing for debunk reasons. I’d like to know if they are on any psychotropic medications, illegal drugs, religious beliefs, occult activities with any family members, diary of when and what goes on there, how old is the home, electrical or plumbing issues, are their pets affected, and lastly what would they like to see accomplished from the visit. Granted the list can be much larger but I think we get the idea.
Now if we can get these teams to look at things differently, and still do their initial investigation but these times bring God along with them. I’m not saying everyone has to be a Christian, that is a personal choice, but someone within the group probably believes in God and goes to Church. Before going to the premises gather together and say a prayer for; wisdom, protection, objectivity, and compassion. Read Ephesians 6-10-12 put on the full Armor of God. I’m not saying to impose your religious beliefs on the client, as we do have freedom of religion, but you do want to go there and be professional, respected, and above all be a good witness to God.
The equipment you bring with you should be simple; Bible, EMF detector, digital camera and recorder. You want to capture evidence, but you don’t want to communicate with any demonic presence there. Read Deuteronomy 18:9-14 and you will see the Bible is very clear regarding that we should not communicate with evil spirits. Why are we walking around in the dark with flashlights asking if there is anyone there, please come forward? Why are investigations always at night? Do it during the daylight with the windows open and let God’s light shine in. Night time is when Satan and his minions have more control over you through personal fear, e.g., as child afraid of the dark, or monsters under the bed, etc. As part of your investigation and evil spirits confront you, you are required to cast them out in the name of Jesus Christ. Don’t use your sophisticated voice boxes, etc., you are flirting with danger!
Do you realize that Satan is a master of disguises? He can appear as a long lost loved one, a small child, etc.? He will play on your emotions; confuse you and get everyone to squabble amongst each other. They also play hide and seek. That’s why the majority of investigations come up with nothing demonic. Once you leave, the client still has to live there and deal with any demonic presence. While your home catching up on your sleep that family is being attacked by more demons and you know they're not going to call you, because you already told them the house is not haunted.
I strongly recommend that ALL these teams complete their visit by doing a cleansing. Read Matthew Chapter 10, this is where Jesus summons his twelve disciples and gives them authority over unclean spirits. Mark 16:16-18 gives you as a Christian the authority to rid evil spirits as well. On my next blog I will give you details about cleansing a home. If you find a need to get this information sooner please contact me directly stephenbearnys@yahoo.com. Satan has a foothold in the world today and his greatest achievement thus far in my opinion is to have all this confusion regarding religion, denominations, media, movies, TV, etc. of the paranormal. Read your Bible daily, even if what you read makes no sense to you today, it will one day plus the Holy Spirit within you as a Christian needs to be fed the word of God. Pray every day, I always was taught to start a prayer with asking for personal forgiveness of any sins you have before asking for anything. Why would you reward your child with a cookie when they just finished writing on the wall with crayons? As Pastor Mike Griffin Sr. Always said, “keep your soul as clean as possible”.
What is the ultimate goal for today’s Ghost (demon) hunters? There are literally thousands of investigative teams all across this country. They do it as a hobby with fun-filled adventure, helping mankind, and for some to get that attention to self. “Look at me; I’m a celeb ghost hunter!” I think it’s a great idea to get out and help mankind. But, only if we could get all these teams to just refocus their objective. Sure I’m all for an initial investigation, of gathering what the clients are experiencing for debunk reasons. I’d like to know if they are on any psychotropic medications, illegal drugs, religious beliefs, occult activities with any family members, diary of when and what goes on there, how old is the home, electrical or plumbing issues, are their pets affected, and lastly what would they like to see accomplished from the visit. Granted the list can be much larger but I think we get the idea.
Now if we can get these teams to look at things differently, and still do their initial investigation but these times bring God along with them. I’m not saying everyone has to be a Christian, that is a personal choice, but someone within the group probably believes in God and goes to Church. Before going to the premises gather together and say a prayer for; wisdom, protection, objectivity, and compassion. Read Ephesians 6-10-12 put on the full Armor of God. I’m not saying to impose your religious beliefs on the client, as we do have freedom of religion, but you do want to go there and be professional, respected, and above all be a good witness to God.
The equipment you bring with you should be simple; Bible, EMF detector, digital camera and recorder. You want to capture evidence, but you don’t want to communicate with any demonic presence there. Read Deuteronomy 18:9-14 and you will see the Bible is very clear regarding that we should not communicate with evil spirits. Why are we walking around in the dark with flashlights asking if there is anyone there, please come forward? Why are investigations always at night? Do it during the daylight with the windows open and let God’s light shine in. Night time is when Satan and his minions have more control over you through personal fear, e.g., as child afraid of the dark, or monsters under the bed, etc. As part of your investigation and evil spirits confront you, you are required to cast them out in the name of Jesus Christ. Don’t use your sophisticated voice boxes, etc., you are flirting with danger!
Do you realize that Satan is a master of disguises? He can appear as a long lost loved one, a small child, etc.? He will play on your emotions; confuse you and get everyone to squabble amongst each other. They also play hide and seek. That’s why the majority of investigations come up with nothing demonic. Once you leave, the client still has to live there and deal with any demonic presence. While your home catching up on your sleep that family is being attacked by more demons and you know they're not going to call you, because you already told them the house is not haunted.
I strongly recommend that ALL these teams complete their visit by doing a cleansing. Read Matthew Chapter 10, this is where Jesus summons his twelve disciples and gives them authority over unclean spirits. Mark 16:16-18 gives you as a Christian the authority to rid evil spirits as well. On my next blog I will give you details about cleansing a home. If you find a need to get this information sooner please contact me directly stephenbearnys@yahoo.com. Satan has a foothold in the world today and his greatest achievement thus far in my opinion is to have all this confusion regarding religion, denominations, media, movies, TV, etc. of the paranormal. Read your Bible daily, even if what you read makes no sense to you today, it will one day plus the Holy Spirit within you as a Christian needs to be fed the word of God. Pray every day, I always was taught to start a prayer with asking for personal forgiveness of any sins you have before asking for anything. Why would you reward your child with a cookie when they just finished writing on the wall with crayons? As Pastor Mike Griffin Sr. Always said, “keep your soul as clean as possible”.
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