Continued from:
Symptoms of Spiritual Pollution, Part 1
In our continuation of the blog on spiritual pollution I will cover the aspects of our houses and thus our property. Sadly, in our current society today many Christian homes are spiritually polluted (defiled) which demons flock to. This gives reason as to why so many husbands, wives’, daughters’ and sons are alcoholics, drug abusers, verbally abusive, or physically abusive. To add insult to injury, many of the homes contain the rosary which is professed by Catholics during prayer work. If you are not aware the rosary represents many different prayers unto the dead (including saints). Thus praying to dead human beings to intervene on our behalf spiritually as well as the saints is an abomination to the Lord and this is “Spiritism.”
Notice that in these homes a cross is present but the cross is empty today with no broken body of Lord Jesus (which is considered a torture device). This pattern is becoming more and more prevalent in our homes as well as churches. Images or sculptures of the Virgin Mary, the black Madonna, and the “Saints” etc. also give rise to Idolatry. Gifts of discerning of spirits are very much needed here, but with spiritual pollution occurring the Holy Spirit will flee. There is a huge difference between a demonic visitation and a demonic habitation. Unfortunately many people do not understand the difference between these two aspects.
So what then is a spiritual housecleaning? This is a devotion or pledge to God to renounce all the "garbage" in your life. However many people will not do this for they feel they have earned the right to hold onto this "garbage" for it is what made them who they are. The sources of spiritual pollution are listed as an example below:
1) Things related to heathen worship (Voodoo dolls, spirit masks, snakes, dragons, thunder birds, phoenixes, etc...).
2) Things related to past sin (necklace, love letters, photos).
3) Things with unknown history, (dedicate them to the Lord, pray about them. If problem persists, get rid of it).
4) Things that have become gods in our lives: (Collections, antiques, clothing, money, jewelry, etc…).
5) Ouija board (also known as a witch’s board).
6) Games such as or the like of Dungeons and dragons, Masters of universe, Pokemon (pocket – monster) and certain video games with witchcraft references, extreme violence, demonic or occult entities and images.
7) Buddhist, Hindu or other eastern worship artifacts.
8) Certain indigenous art or pagan worship items, Egyptian ankh (the cross with a loop on top).
9) Items related to Satanism, witchcraft, New age, Yoga, Unity, Zodiac, Crescent moon, crystal ball, pyramids, ancient obelisks or the Asherah poles of old testament, martial arts, judo karate.
10) Things related to astrology, horoscopes, and geomancy, Edgar Cayce, Jean Dixon.
11) Comic books, Rock posters, hard rock, music and materials with obvious images of darkness.
12) Pornographic materials of any kind, (including any explicit sexual videos, books, cable and satellite TV channels and Internet sites.)
13) Art with obvious demonic representations, such as: snakes, spirits, death, gargoyles, skulls and dragons etc.
14) Material related to Mormonism, Jehovah Witness, Unity church, Scientology, ancestral worship, Northern Mythology, Islam, Rosicrucianism, Zen, Hare Krishna, etc.
15) Things related to secret societies like Freemasonry, Eastern Star, Knights of Malta, Skull and Bones, Illuminati, etc.
16) Certain children’s books or movies, such as Harry Potter, which encourage children to seek access to spiritual power unauthorized by god.
17) Good luck charms. Amulets, fetishes.
18) Masonic rings, Masonic aprons, books or rings oriental, yin and yang symbols, fortune telling with tea leaves, tarot cards, talisman, etc.
19) Movies with occult messages, extreme violence, excessive foul language or explicit sexual content.
20) Books, novels that focus on sensuality or death and destruction.
21) Masks - death, demons, witches, etc.
22) Halloween: origin is the Celtic festival of Sanhedrin, Lord of death and evil spirits. To please the wandering spirits black sheep, cats, horses, human beings were offered as blood sacrifices thus candy has replaced the offering.
All of us want to have our homes to be spotless and fine. However, what we should have a desire for is our souls to be spotless and fine. Scripture states in 1 Corinthians 3:16 (KJV) "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" The purification process according to the Holy Bible is as follows that we are to put away the leaven. Leaven in scripture is referenced as sin, evil or false doctrine.
Objects of idolatry in our found in homes are a curse. Deuteronomy 7:25-26 "the graven images of their gods shall you burn with fire. You shall not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor takes it unto you, lest you be snared therein. For it is an abomination to the Lord your God." v/26 "neither shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be a cursed thing like it, but you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is a cursed thing."
As stated I would provide the 7 steps to purification and here are the seven steps to purification:
1. Present yourself before the Lord for His inspection! Self-evaluation is not enough and is deceitful. Do as David did, he prayed, “Search me oh God, and know my heart, try me and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps. 139: 23-24.
2. Sanctify yourself. Cleanse your home of pornography and sin, defiled literature as well as movies. Sanctification is to be set aside for God as for his purpose.
3. Locate the offensive items to God. Achan's sin was located to the ground in his tent, with the silver (50 shekel) underneath.
4. Rid yourself of those things that defile. Remove anything that relates to the occult, heathen worship and to sin, and destroy them.
5. Be serious about it. Don’t allow your children, husband or wife to pollute, defile the house/home. Stop them and be very determined.
6. Renounce the enemy and your association with him. Break any contract or unholy ties. Renounce out loud and boldly. Repeat this renouncing for every item and every person involved.
7. Finally, consecrate your life and property to the glory of the Lord. Some Christians choose to anoint the house with oil as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. This is called a prophetic act.
Thus as Lord Jesus stated that in extremely grave cases prayer and fasting is required. Mark 9:29 (KJV) “And he said unto them, this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” I pray this shares light into your realm as to why these "unholy entities" are upon those who are not purified with the Lord Jesus and thus are spiritually polluted individuals. God's blessings and prayers that some of you will turn from your ways and hear the call that Jesus asks us to do to become spiritually pure.
Rev. Bradley Luoma, Exorcist
Looking inside the spiritual & literary worlds
Showing posts with label spirit of god. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spirit of god. Show all posts
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Can Demons say "Jesus is my Savior and Lord."?, and Other Issues...
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
I want to take a break from our series on worldviews and The New Paganism, and discuss some issues that have been brought up recently...I hope you find this informative!( though replies are abbreviated of necessity).
1. Can demons say (via EVP, disembodied voice, or though human "host") "Jesus is my Savior and Lord."? Is it not impossible for a demon to say out loud: "Jesus is Lord."? That is a very popular notion..... Some use that "test" to distinguish between demonic spirits and human spirits, while others, who do not believe in ghosts, use it as a test of possession. 1 John 4:1-3 and 1 Corinthians 12:3 are usually referenced in this regard. Some Christian demonologists, who do believe in ghosts, say that they have talked to spirits who affirm this personal creed--thus, PROVING they cannot be demons...and must be human souls here on earth. So, I need to reply!!!
I also need to say this in preface---if you are a Christian, then it is vital that we let scripture interpret our experience, instead of interpreting the bible through the lenses of our experience. In addition, it needs to asked from the outset--why are you speaking to spirits when God condemns the practice? We do not "talk" to demons, we COMMAND them! So, from the starting gate, something ain't right about this...
"...I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says, 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit." (1 Cor.12:3)
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist..." (1 John 4:1-3)
First, the context of the Cor. text is a discussion of the spiritual gifts within the diverse Body of Christ. Let me quote the first three verses so we can get the context right... "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit." (1 Cor. 12:1-3)
This text is primarily where folks look to in support of the idea that demons are unable to verbalize "Jesus is Lord." Are they right?
At the outset, Paul is telling his audience that we should seek to know all we can re: the spiritual gifts...not be ignorant of the matter because, as we shall see, the gifts are important for the proper functioning of each member of the Body. (v.1) Because of their background in pagan worship services (v.2), some Corinthians seemed to have had concerns about speech gifts (particularly tongues) empowered by the Holy Spirit in the church worship service. They had seen and heard a lot of weirdness "back in the day', and were rightly concerned about this gift of tongues, which also fascinated them. Verse 3 begins with a "therefore", so we know Paul is making some logical inference regarding their concerns about tongue experiences and the blasphemous junk that was uttered via the demonic influence while they were idol worshippers. That is, evidently Paul is assuring them that they don't have to worry about uttering blasphemy while speaking in tongues ("Jesus is accursed"). He discusses later how the mind is unaware of what is being said while speaking in tongues.
The second part ("Jesus is Lord") is assuring them/us that all who genuinely profess Christ have the Holy Spirit in them--and none should be excluded because they all have valuable gifts for the benefit of the church. In verse one Paul tells us that he does not want them/us to be uninformed regarding spiritual gifts, and by the end of this extended discussion of gifts he has made it clear that all true Christians have an important role to play within the Body. Did you get that?
This entire twelfth chapter of 31 verses is devoted to explaining spiritual gifts--their nature and importance in the Body. That is, nothing in this context is about discernment of demons...or what they can or cannot do or say. To use it in that manner undermines the Holy Spirit's intent. It is eisogesis and not exegesis..reading into the text what is not there.
Second, it is recorded in the gospels, especially John, that people made false professions frequently. It says they "believed" but later it turns out that it was a spurious belief. This grieved Jesus immensely. We know that folks who are not Christians are enslaved to Satan/demons (Eph. 2:1-3; 2 Cor. 4:4, ect). In addition, many people publicly go forward in church and proclaim that they believe Jesus is their Savior and Lord, but later reveal that theirs was a false confession (James-no fruit). That is, millions of humans say, "Jesus is Lord" but they are unsaved and still enslaved to demons.
Hence, it follows that demons themselves should have no problem verbally confessing "Jesus is my Savior and Lord" as a means of deceiving folks. If demon enslaved humans can say "Jesus is Lord", then why can't demons do the same? Some Christians (even demonologists unfortunately) have this belief that a demon is simply UNABLE to utter those words. Which raises a question: what exactly would happen to a demon if they said that confession as an act of deception? Evidently nothing. Unconverted humans do it painlessly all the time, so why not demons? Do we think they will start foaming at the mouth and begin to melt like wax, like a Hollywood vampire exposed to daylight?! I am not trying to make fun of anyone, but this mistaken belief has caused much mischief, and even harm in some circumstances.
"You believe God is one; you do well, even the demons believe--and shudder!" (James 2:19) Satan and demons are supremely accurate and massively knowledgeable theologians. However, a chief concern of James is exactly what we are talking about--loud professions of the pure gospel, but which emanate from an unregenerate heart. Mere head knowledge accompanied by verbal profession is insufficient to save. Good works don't have meritorious value but they do have evidential value (of true faith). And of course he says that even demons have a biblically accurate "belief" in Jesus, but they do not EMBRACE Him in trust. It is as if James said, "Hey, even demons can say 'Jesus is Lord', but that does not make them born again."
By the way, the "shuddering" James mentions has to do with the demons fear of God because they KNOW how awesomely holy and infinitely righteous He is--it is not referring to some incapacitating allergy to saying "Jesus is Lord."!!
Satan is the consummate opportunist: he knows that many Christians hold to this unbiblical belief, and he will milk it for all its worth in deceiving them...even sincere, but mistaken Christian exorcists.
The text in 1 John is simpler to explain. One brother said this, "Why would there be that test of discernment in 1 John if he was not wanting us to discern between human spirits and demonic spirits?" Because the issue is discerning between unclean spirits and the Holy Spirit!!! (not discerning 'tween ghosts and demons, or 'tween ghosts and the Holy Spirit!) They have missed the entire meaning of the passage...and again, done violence to the text.John is not discussing what demons are ABLE to do or say themselves, but he is giving us doctrinal tests of human teachers regarding the divine/human nature of Christ. If they affirmed the Incarnation, then they were not heretics.Whereas James was accenting right behavior (orthopraxy), John is accenting right belief (orthodoxy) in discerning if teachers were of God or not. And behind false teaching/teachers is demonic influence.
Bottom line--there is no text in the bible to support the popular notion that demons are unable to verbalize the Lordship of Christ or express a seemingly sincere sounding profession of faith in Jesus. That people are talking to spirits to apply this "test" means they are disobeying God's command to not address the spirit realm. (Deut. 18, Lev. 19,20). Sadly, this can quickly lead to demonic attachment/oppression for Christians who are sincere, but sincerely wrong. It strikes me as odd that a Christian would actually seem to WANT to believe in ghosts.... after all the damage that wretched belief has done...
2. Next, I am sure you have heard of the incident where King Saul visited the medium (not witch) of En-dor, and attempted to summon the deceased prophet Samuel.(1 Samuel 28) Due to space constraints I cannot quote full text here, and I can only give short reply. The point made to me was that this text shows us two things: God sent Samuel on a mission to earth and, so God continues to do that again and again to help people; also, we must not TELL God what He cannot do. The second point was made as a reply to those who say that God does not allow human spirits to be on the earth.Of course that would include me! Being told that I was TELLING God what He can do, needed a response as well.
I asked if they believed that ghosts were trapped spirits, as that is the common definition of the term. However, as it turns out, they have a very idiosyncratic definition of ghosts. Instead of a ghost being a trapped spirit, they said that ghosts were human souls sent from heaven (like Samuel) to assist humans on earth. That is NOT the common definition...and it appeared to me that these "ghosts" were defined in such a way as to be tailor made to fit in this person's belief system. However, let me reply.
First, all judicious theologians and biblical commentaries on this text insist that this passage is clearly odd and unique, from any vantage point. There is nothing else similar to it in the entire bible. Hence, virtually all commentators on this singular experience rightly point out that we must not use it as a basis for supporting any belief...other than God's judgement.. The main point of the text is simple--God's judgement on King Saul's disobedience. Beyond that, we must adhere to basic rules of hermeneutics (rules for interpreting the bible properly)--do not construct doctrine based on historical narrative texts, especially ones that are abnormal and that are difficult. It is very unwise to attempt to derive a general principle from this highly unusual text--namely, that God sends people to earth to help them. Sound interpretive principles have to be followed...clear texts interpret less clear texts, and doctrinal passages interpret historical narratives.... and above all else, do NOT derive any principles from a historical narrative that is highly unusual.
So, we have a very idiosyncratic and personalized definition of a ghost, based solely on this singularly bizarre text. Does that sound wise to you? One can prove anything from the bible with that approach.
Given the significance of this issue, do you not think that God would have clearly explained that to us in the New Testament epistles IF IT WERE TRUE? God sending heavenly humans to help us is enormously important to know, if is true....don't you think?! Don't you think God would have prepared us for it as He did clearly re the angels?The notion makes God look like a very inept communicator. My main point is this--red flags should shoot up anytime someone appeals to this singular text in support of their belief in what occurs in the Intermediate state--which is clear in every other regard.
The notion of God sending glorified human souls to assist living humans is usurping the role given to angels. In Heb.1:14 angels are said to be ministering spirits "...sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation." That is the job description of angels. That "base" is already covered...But the way these humans are said to help us sounds exactly like the role given to angels.
As to the point that our position is basically TELLING God what He can and cannot do--I reply...hogwash! To say that God is all-powerful does NOT imply that he can do everything. His character will not allow Him to sin...He cannot lie, eg. I have,in my book and in this blog, given dozens of biblical reasons why the notion of ghosts is impossible. I'm not telling God what He can and cannot do....He has told us what He will and will not do!! One could use that argument to attempt to justify virtually anything. It seems that any time one is bold and certain of God's promises and truth, someone complains that they are not being humble...hogwash again!
When a man and woman get married they make a covenant before God to be faithful. Within the security of that marriage covenant, they are bound by oath to not do certain things, like adultery. Similarly, we are married to God--we are the Bride of Christ--and HE has given us innumerable blessings and promises which prohibit God from doing certain things as well. He cannot and will not break His covenant vows. To assert that there are no ghosts is simply to recognize His covenant faithfulness as it applies to the Intermediate state.Entering heaven is entering our eternal rest....
Finally, if (for argument's sake) we accept the premise that God does send human spirits to help people, then how can we discern the difference between them and demons? There are no criteria. Remember, we dispensed with the "Jesus is Lord" test...Plus, it puts God in the unacceptable position of speaking out of both sides of His holy mouth. Since He commands us to not speak to dead humans, then why would he send heavenly humans to interact with us and tempt us to sin?
Next week....why are demons inhabiting people-less places?, and one 2 other issues..
Blessings in Jesus....Mark
I want to take a break from our series on worldviews and The New Paganism, and discuss some issues that have been brought up recently...I hope you find this informative!( though replies are abbreviated of necessity).
1. Can demons say (via EVP, disembodied voice, or though human "host") "Jesus is my Savior and Lord."? Is it not impossible for a demon to say out loud: "Jesus is Lord."? That is a very popular notion..... Some use that "test" to distinguish between demonic spirits and human spirits, while others, who do not believe in ghosts, use it as a test of possession. 1 John 4:1-3 and 1 Corinthians 12:3 are usually referenced in this regard. Some Christian demonologists, who do believe in ghosts, say that they have talked to spirits who affirm this personal creed--thus, PROVING they cannot be demons...and must be human souls here on earth. So, I need to reply!!!
I also need to say this in preface---if you are a Christian, then it is vital that we let scripture interpret our experience, instead of interpreting the bible through the lenses of our experience. In addition, it needs to asked from the outset--why are you speaking to spirits when God condemns the practice? We do not "talk" to demons, we COMMAND them! So, from the starting gate, something ain't right about this...
"...I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says, 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit." (1 Cor.12:3)
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist..." (1 John 4:1-3)
First, the context of the Cor. text is a discussion of the spiritual gifts within the diverse Body of Christ. Let me quote the first three verses so we can get the context right... "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit." (1 Cor. 12:1-3)
This text is primarily where folks look to in support of the idea that demons are unable to verbalize "Jesus is Lord." Are they right?
At the outset, Paul is telling his audience that we should seek to know all we can re: the spiritual gifts...not be ignorant of the matter because, as we shall see, the gifts are important for the proper functioning of each member of the Body. (v.1) Because of their background in pagan worship services (v.2), some Corinthians seemed to have had concerns about speech gifts (particularly tongues) empowered by the Holy Spirit in the church worship service. They had seen and heard a lot of weirdness "back in the day', and were rightly concerned about this gift of tongues, which also fascinated them. Verse 3 begins with a "therefore", so we know Paul is making some logical inference regarding their concerns about tongue experiences and the blasphemous junk that was uttered via the demonic influence while they were idol worshippers. That is, evidently Paul is assuring them that they don't have to worry about uttering blasphemy while speaking in tongues ("Jesus is accursed"). He discusses later how the mind is unaware of what is being said while speaking in tongues.
The second part ("Jesus is Lord") is assuring them/us that all who genuinely profess Christ have the Holy Spirit in them--and none should be excluded because they all have valuable gifts for the benefit of the church. In verse one Paul tells us that he does not want them/us to be uninformed regarding spiritual gifts, and by the end of this extended discussion of gifts he has made it clear that all true Christians have an important role to play within the Body. Did you get that?
This entire twelfth chapter of 31 verses is devoted to explaining spiritual gifts--their nature and importance in the Body. That is, nothing in this context is about discernment of demons...or what they can or cannot do or say. To use it in that manner undermines the Holy Spirit's intent. It is eisogesis and not exegesis..reading into the text what is not there.
Second, it is recorded in the gospels, especially John, that people made false professions frequently. It says they "believed" but later it turns out that it was a spurious belief. This grieved Jesus immensely. We know that folks who are not Christians are enslaved to Satan/demons (Eph. 2:1-3; 2 Cor. 4:4, ect). In addition, many people publicly go forward in church and proclaim that they believe Jesus is their Savior and Lord, but later reveal that theirs was a false confession (James-no fruit). That is, millions of humans say, "Jesus is Lord" but they are unsaved and still enslaved to demons.
Hence, it follows that demons themselves should have no problem verbally confessing "Jesus is my Savior and Lord" as a means of deceiving folks. If demon enslaved humans can say "Jesus is Lord", then why can't demons do the same? Some Christians (even demonologists unfortunately) have this belief that a demon is simply UNABLE to utter those words. Which raises a question: what exactly would happen to a demon if they said that confession as an act of deception? Evidently nothing. Unconverted humans do it painlessly all the time, so why not demons? Do we think they will start foaming at the mouth and begin to melt like wax, like a Hollywood vampire exposed to daylight?! I am not trying to make fun of anyone, but this mistaken belief has caused much mischief, and even harm in some circumstances.
"You believe God is one; you do well, even the demons believe--and shudder!" (James 2:19) Satan and demons are supremely accurate and massively knowledgeable theologians. However, a chief concern of James is exactly what we are talking about--loud professions of the pure gospel, but which emanate from an unregenerate heart. Mere head knowledge accompanied by verbal profession is insufficient to save. Good works don't have meritorious value but they do have evidential value (of true faith). And of course he says that even demons have a biblically accurate "belief" in Jesus, but they do not EMBRACE Him in trust. It is as if James said, "Hey, even demons can say 'Jesus is Lord', but that does not make them born again."
By the way, the "shuddering" James mentions has to do with the demons fear of God because they KNOW how awesomely holy and infinitely righteous He is--it is not referring to some incapacitating allergy to saying "Jesus is Lord."!!
Satan is the consummate opportunist: he knows that many Christians hold to this unbiblical belief, and he will milk it for all its worth in deceiving them...even sincere, but mistaken Christian exorcists.
The text in 1 John is simpler to explain. One brother said this, "Why would there be that test of discernment in 1 John if he was not wanting us to discern between human spirits and demonic spirits?" Because the issue is discerning between unclean spirits and the Holy Spirit!!! (not discerning 'tween ghosts and demons, or 'tween ghosts and the Holy Spirit!) They have missed the entire meaning of the passage...and again, done violence to the text.John is not discussing what demons are ABLE to do or say themselves, but he is giving us doctrinal tests of human teachers regarding the divine/human nature of Christ. If they affirmed the Incarnation, then they were not heretics.Whereas James was accenting right behavior (orthopraxy), John is accenting right belief (orthodoxy) in discerning if teachers were of God or not. And behind false teaching/teachers is demonic influence.
Bottom line--there is no text in the bible to support the popular notion that demons are unable to verbalize the Lordship of Christ or express a seemingly sincere sounding profession of faith in Jesus. That people are talking to spirits to apply this "test" means they are disobeying God's command to not address the spirit realm. (Deut. 18, Lev. 19,20). Sadly, this can quickly lead to demonic attachment/oppression for Christians who are sincere, but sincerely wrong. It strikes me as odd that a Christian would actually seem to WANT to believe in ghosts.... after all the damage that wretched belief has done...
2. Next, I am sure you have heard of the incident where King Saul visited the medium (not witch) of En-dor, and attempted to summon the deceased prophet Samuel.(1 Samuel 28) Due to space constraints I cannot quote full text here, and I can only give short reply. The point made to me was that this text shows us two things: God sent Samuel on a mission to earth and, so God continues to do that again and again to help people; also, we must not TELL God what He cannot do. The second point was made as a reply to those who say that God does not allow human spirits to be on the earth.Of course that would include me! Being told that I was TELLING God what He can do, needed a response as well.
I asked if they believed that ghosts were trapped spirits, as that is the common definition of the term. However, as it turns out, they have a very idiosyncratic definition of ghosts. Instead of a ghost being a trapped spirit, they said that ghosts were human souls sent from heaven (like Samuel) to assist humans on earth. That is NOT the common definition...and it appeared to me that these "ghosts" were defined in such a way as to be tailor made to fit in this person's belief system. However, let me reply.
First, all judicious theologians and biblical commentaries on this text insist that this passage is clearly odd and unique, from any vantage point. There is nothing else similar to it in the entire bible. Hence, virtually all commentators on this singular experience rightly point out that we must not use it as a basis for supporting any belief...other than God's judgement.. The main point of the text is simple--God's judgement on King Saul's disobedience. Beyond that, we must adhere to basic rules of hermeneutics (rules for interpreting the bible properly)--do not construct doctrine based on historical narrative texts, especially ones that are abnormal and that are difficult. It is very unwise to attempt to derive a general principle from this highly unusual text--namely, that God sends people to earth to help them. Sound interpretive principles have to be followed...clear texts interpret less clear texts, and doctrinal passages interpret historical narratives.... and above all else, do NOT derive any principles from a historical narrative that is highly unusual.
So, we have a very idiosyncratic and personalized definition of a ghost, based solely on this singularly bizarre text. Does that sound wise to you? One can prove anything from the bible with that approach.
Given the significance of this issue, do you not think that God would have clearly explained that to us in the New Testament epistles IF IT WERE TRUE? God sending heavenly humans to help us is enormously important to know, if is true....don't you think?! Don't you think God would have prepared us for it as He did clearly re the angels?The notion makes God look like a very inept communicator. My main point is this--red flags should shoot up anytime someone appeals to this singular text in support of their belief in what occurs in the Intermediate state--which is clear in every other regard.
The notion of God sending glorified human souls to assist living humans is usurping the role given to angels. In Heb.1:14 angels are said to be ministering spirits "...sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation." That is the job description of angels. That "base" is already covered...But the way these humans are said to help us sounds exactly like the role given to angels.
As to the point that our position is basically TELLING God what He can and cannot do--I reply...hogwash! To say that God is all-powerful does NOT imply that he can do everything. His character will not allow Him to sin...He cannot lie, eg. I have,in my book and in this blog, given dozens of biblical reasons why the notion of ghosts is impossible. I'm not telling God what He can and cannot do....He has told us what He will and will not do!! One could use that argument to attempt to justify virtually anything. It seems that any time one is bold and certain of God's promises and truth, someone complains that they are not being humble...hogwash again!
When a man and woman get married they make a covenant before God to be faithful. Within the security of that marriage covenant, they are bound by oath to not do certain things, like adultery. Similarly, we are married to God--we are the Bride of Christ--and HE has given us innumerable blessings and promises which prohibit God from doing certain things as well. He cannot and will not break His covenant vows. To assert that there are no ghosts is simply to recognize His covenant faithfulness as it applies to the Intermediate state.Entering heaven is entering our eternal rest....
Finally, if (for argument's sake) we accept the premise that God does send human spirits to help people, then how can we discern the difference between them and demons? There are no criteria. Remember, we dispensed with the "Jesus is Lord" test...Plus, it puts God in the unacceptable position of speaking out of both sides of His holy mouth. Since He commands us to not speak to dead humans, then why would he send heavenly humans to interact with us and tempt us to sin?
Next week....why are demons inhabiting people-less places?, and one 2 other issues..
Blessings in Jesus....Mark
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