The Case Against Theresa Caputo the Long Island Medium—Parts 1 & 2

By Kirby Robinson

Here are two blogs that were originally posted back in May, well before the release of her new book—and mine. They concern the credibility of  the Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo. For the past few years, she has become America's so-called number one medium. Nowhere has she ever claimed to be a psychic, as those claims can easily be disproven. Also, the Long Island Medium claims she is never wrong.

Americans are embracing psychics and mediums. Go to Google and type in psychics and mediums-- you could spend 8 hours a day for a year, and never visit every site on the Internet.

You can spend hundreds to thousands of dollars getting a phone reading, Skype, and in person readings. You can attend gallery readings, which is a group reading, and you're not even promised to receive one bit of information from the other side.

Sylvia Browne is the former number one psychic of record who has been featured onLarry King Live and appeared frequently on The Montel Williams Show. Ms. Browne has more than 50 books in print, 21 books in audio format, and all her so-called nonfiction titles can't stand a serious test of legitimacy. For example, her book "Afterlives of the Rich and Famous" is impossible to fact check—she can make up any story. And she does---as her books are simply flights of fantasy and fiction.

Why is this? Why has the public become so accepting of these modern day snake oil salespeople?

-  Rejection of God's message and embracing a feel good new age false religion.

- Uncertain times force people to find sanctuary in something. Some find it in drugs while others find it in people who will tell them what they want to hear.

- Searching for the truth about life after death. Going by what the psychics and mediums say, we can live any way we want. We can do anything we want. We can think any way we want to and sin any way we want to. If we accept their words, whether written in a book or spoken on TV, there will be no price to pay. There is no hell, no punishment -- just a bright and sunny afterlife.

- A society should embrace a learning process. Now, everything is spoon-fed to us. Our ability to think, question, and engage in a scientific manner has been reduced. If anyone on TV says it is so, then it is so. If I read it on the Internet, it is so. If some "expert" appears for a few minutes on Oprah or Ellen and says it is so – then it must be so.

Like every other medium and psychic out there, The Long Island Medium is a fake. She feeds on the emotionally needy and the spiritually insecure. Like all the others, she increases her bank account by tricking her audience that she has all the answers. She convinces her cult-like followers that she has something called "the spirit" that feeds her the information that you crave.

When I go to funerals, you won't see me cry. It's not that I am heartless. It's due to my faith. I know the saved have gone on to heaven. Why? Because that is what my faith teaches me. When the unsaved die, they made the choice to go to hell. No matter how many prayers one would say, no matter if some church baptizes them after death, that is where they are going. It is clearly stated that way-- no doubts, no worries. But so many new age "thinkers" are left in doubt. So, the new agers must turn to a medium to find out where they are at and are they all right?

The Long Island Medium talks to "SPIRIT." [Some Christians might say that is a demon feeding her information as they point out she never talks about angels, she never sees God, only mentions "a God" and the word Jesus never crossed her lips -- and they might be right].

What I've seen of her readings and our investigation into her televised Florida road trip, we uncover her so-called talent for talking to the dead.

Let me share a video from the show "LIVE! with Kelly and Michael" of a reading she did with the audience and show how she tricks the audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzxCkGxipyI

Notice she's working with an audience of over 150 people. Medium or not, you can safely ask:

- Who here lost a child?

- Who here lost a husband, wife, parent, sibling, or a grandparent?

- Who here lost a baby?

- Who here lost someone to cancer, AIDS, heart attack, car accident, etc.

You're going to have hands shoot up because these things happen. They're fairly common so you're going to get it right.

When they go out looking for an audience to fill their studio they tell people who the guest is so she knows why people are there.

Earlier on, she had a long string of misses and she had to come up with an explanation for it. She claimed it was confusion in interpreting the signs that she received.

She goes for "who over here has lost a husband?" and she sees several admitted widows. Notice that she goes over to an older female time. Cue violins, it's time to yank the heartstrings. The next step is to go into her cold readings mode, asking questions in such rapid-fire fashion you fail to notice Theresa isn't really telling her anything but simply asking questions.

Once she starts talking to the woman start counting the seconds.

- She says, "People leave this world in many different ways." The purpose of that statement is to fool the audience into believing that Theresa is knowledgeable in the ways of the spirit world. Listen to what comes up next.

- Theresa complements the woman for all the unselfish things she did. That is what the widow wants to hear. Have you ever heard a medium say, "Hey stupid, your husband says you were a lousy mother, couldn't cook worth a damn, were lousy in the sack and I couldn't wait to die!"

- Have you been counting? If you have, then ask yourself how could she be talking to the spirit of the dead man and never get a name from him? When she starts to miss with the food questions, she has to cover her tracks. These are signs and symbols she gets. She isn't wrong only responding to the symbols that she's seen.

- She quickly breaks it off and goes to her next reading. In reality, this isn't a reading but an endorsement of her abilities. She tries, but fails, to get the audience to laugh. Again, no name is given.

- She tells the group that things she says might apply to them even though she isn't looking at them. This gives the audience a false sense that they got something from the session. In reality,  they got nothing.

- She talks about a "blood illness" that is head to toe and has something to do with the liver. Anatomy 101—blood circulates throughout the entire body. All blood illnesses are head to toe and all blood diseases impact the liver.

- She then asks who is being tested for other illnesses? That's a very safe one to toss out as people are always being tested for something.

- She talks about the blow to the chest cause in death. It doesn’t pertain to those she reads for but it applies to those seated on the other side of the studio. Then it goes from a blow to the chest to her father died in front of her. The great message is don't feel bad about it! Who wouldn't feel bad about something like that?

Notice that Theresa Caputo has a string of misses and questionable hits so she decides to opt for humor to keep the viewer derailed and bring in the hosts for a laugh.

Theresa tosses out the question, who lost a daughter? No hits, so she jumps on to a brain aneurysm or Alzheimer’s [you don't die from that illness]. A male reacts but she rejects him. Nope, it's a young good-looking woman who takes advantage of the diseases beginning with the letter A. It's easier to bring a woman to tears than a man. This woman accepts everything sent her way, right up to the question "Do you have any of her clothing?" That's a fairly safe one to ask, knowing that you'll get a yes. But when the Long Island Medium starts to ask about recent deaths, it's a big miss and Theresa breaks it off.

So let’s break down this so-called certified medium readings down.  [Ms. Caputo has been certified by the Family Forever Foundation.]

1 Did she give us any names? No.

2 Dates? No.

3 Places? No.

We are left to ask this question--when people pass, do they get dumber? Do they lose the ability to communicate with us? Are they unable to speak clearly through mediums? If we go by what we see of the Long Island Medium, they can show up but are unable to say who they are, whom they are here to visit. The deceased person can't give their own name and the name of the loved one, not do they give a clear message.

People will always ask how can people like this do such things? Theresa Caputo is not unique in any way. She's just one more in a long list of flavors of the month/year when it comes to fake psychics. She's now in the company of The Amazing Kreskin, Uri Geller, Sylvia Browne, John Edwards, and James Van Praagh. Whether they claim to be mind readers, magicians, mentalists, or mediums they all have the same basic foundations.

1 They always claim that the gift came to them early in life. Theresa Brigandi [maiden name] states that her gift always sent her parents and brother into a crazy sort of ghost hunt. At times, it led to having her father climb onto the roof of their home looking for things with green scary eyes. This flies against what she now claims -- to have never seen anything evil looking.

2 They always claim that they did not really use their gift in life while they were children. Except as a way to entertain others.

3 Others always found them different.

4 They'll always find a mentor which in the case of Theresa, was Pat Longo, a Long Island medium herself. Mrs. Longo claims that she can heal you in person or over the phone for just $175. Here's her website: http://patlongo.net/

In bold letters on Mrs. Longo's website it says "…and in some God gave the gift of healing."

That is found in the bible: 1 Corinthians 12

But nowhere will you find the passage: "And some the gift of healing which you can charge $175."

Not to turn this into a Bible thumping blog, but the moment money is connected to anyone carrying out the gifts of the spirit, it stops being a genuine gift from God. The alleged gift of healing means that it's either outright fakery or a gift from someplace other than heaven.

In the May 26th episode, Why Me, we learn that Pat had to deal with cancer and she had an operation. She also mentions that her husband died from cancer five months ago. Why she did not turn to her faith for healing? From the new age viewpoint, cancer is caused by a negative spirit and/or negative energies being blocked at the chakra points. This isn't something we'd expect from a healer.

We don't know if Theresa went to Pat and was told that she was a medium or not. Or did she go to Pat and say you're making a killing in this line or work, teach me how you fake it. I'll take a look at the view that this so-called "spirit" they claim to talk to is a demonic one.

Additionally it seems that Pat feels she can teach anyone to do what Theresa claims to do. That means it is not really a "gift" at all but simply a trade like driving a truck or being a cook.

http://patlongo.net/classes

It seems her teaching days are over as of 6/15/13.

Further digging into the site leads us to a Wordpress blog made up of even more wacky new age teachings on topics that were taught in the new age world back in the 1980s.

But there was a blog that had an interesting title which lead us to a question to even more of her claims. This is written by a participant in one of Pat's healing sessions. The author writes about a mishmash of new age and eastern topics and describes herself as a sensitive soul.

http://opt4joyfulliving.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/7-ways-to-raise-your-vibration-according-to-pat-longo-long-island-theresa-caputos-healer/

7 Ways to raise your Vibration: according to Pat Longo, Long Island Theresa Caputo’s healer.

Pat apparently didn't tell TLC that she was a medium [have you ever heard of a psychic telling their client he/she is not psychic when asked?]. Anyway, she was/is Theresa's mentor as well as her healer. Therefore, the Long Island Medium endorses people that take part in illegal activates. Additionally, nowhere on the site is there any evidence of medical science certifying that she is really a healer.

Pat seems she know how to make a buck as she appeared on her student's show in the second episode of the past season. If you want to see the pair together in the Season 2 episode called Drumming and Healing, you can go to Amazon and see it for $1.99. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ORWB86

This season, Theresa complained that her shoulder hurt. Did she go to her healer for that magic touch? No, she went to All-Star Physical Therapy. http://www.all-starpt.com/

Her brother is on the staff there and took care of her needs. http://www.all-starpt.com/about-us/staff

Michael Brigandi PT, MS

Guess she's afraid of making Pat Longo a big star…

Check out my eBook Is the Long Island Medium the Real Deal? It's available in eBook and paperback formats. http://eyeontheparanormal.blogspot.com/p/kirby-robinsons-books.html

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Disarmament for World Peace

By the Dalai Lama

Through history, mankind has pursued peace one way or another. It is too optimistic to imagine that world peace may finally be within our grasp? I do not believe that there has been an increase in the amount of people's hatred, only in their ability to manifest it in vastly destructive weapons. On the other hand, bearing witness to the tragic evidence of the mass slaughter caused by such weapons in our country has given us the opportunity to control war. To do so, it is clear we must disarm.

Disarmament can occur only within the context of new political and economic relationships. Before we consider this issue in detail, it is worth imagining the kind of peace process from which we would benefit most. This is fairly self - evident. First we should work on eliminating nuclear weapons, next, biological and chemical ones, then offensive arms, and finally, defensive ones. At the same time, to safeguard the peace, we should start developing in one or more global regions an international police force made up of equal number of members from each nation under a collective command. Eventually this force would cover the whole world.

Because the dual process of disarmament and development of a joint force would be both multilateral and democratic, the right of majority to criticize or even intervene in the event of one nation violating the basic rules would be ensured. Moreover, with all large armies eliminated and all conflict such as border disputes subject to the control of the joint international force, large and small nations would be truly equal. Such reforms would result in a stable international environment.

Of course, the immense financial dividend reaped from the cessation of arms production would also provide a fantastic windfall for global development. Today, the nations of the world spend trillions of dollars annually on upkeep of the military. Can you imagine how many hospital beds, schools and homes this money could fund? In addition, as I mentioned above, the awesome proportion of scarce resources squandered on military development not only prevents the elimination of poverty, illiteracy and disease, but also requires the sacrifice of precious human intelligence. Our scientists are extremely bright. Why should their brilliance be wasted on such dreadful endeavors when it could be used for positive global development?

The great deserts of the world such as the Sahara and Gobi could be cultivated to increase food production and ease over-crowding. Many countries now face years of severe drought. New, less expensive methods of desalinization could be developed to render seawater suitable for human consumption and other uses. There are many pressing issues in the fields of energy and health to which our scientist could more usefully address themselves. Since the world economy would grow more rapidly as a result of their efforts, they could even be paid more!

Our planet is blessed with vast natural treasures. If we use them properly, beginning with elimination of militarism and war, truly, every human being will be able to live a wealthy, well-cared-for life.

Naturally, global peace cannot occur all at once. Since conditions around the world are varied, its spread will have to be incremental. But there is no reason why it cannot begin in one region and then spread gradually from one continent to another.

I would like to propose that regional communities like the European Community be established as an integral part of the more peaceful world we are trying to create. Looking at the post Cold War environment objectively, such communities are plainly the most natural and desirable components of a new world order. As we can see, the almost gravitational pull of our growing interdependence necessitates new, more cooperative structures. The European Community is pioneering the way in this endeavor, negotiating the delicate balance between economic, military and political collectively on the one hand and the sovereign rights of member states on the other. I am greatly inspired by this work. I also believe that the new Commonwealth of Independent Sates is grappling with similar issues and that the seeds of such a community are already present in the minds of many of its constituent republics. In this context, I would briefly like to talk about the future of my own country, Tibet, and China.

Like the former Soviet Union, Communist China is a multinational state, artificially constructed under the impetus of an expansionist ideology and up to now administered by force in colonial fashion. A peaceful, prosperous and above all politically stable future for china lies in its successfully fulfilling not only its own people's wishes for a more open, democratic system, but also of its eighty million so-called "national minorities", who want to regain their freedom. For real happiness to return to the heart of Asia - home to one-fifth of the human race - a pluralistic, democratic, mutually cooperative community of sovereign states must replace what is currently called the People's Republic of China.

Of course, such a community need not be limited to those presently under Chinese Communist Domination, such as Tibetans, Mongols, and Uighurs. The people of Hong Kong, those seeking an independent Taiwan, and even those suffering under other communist governments in North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia might also be interested in building an Asian Community. However, it is especially urgent that those ruled by the Chinese Communist consider doing so. Properly pursued, it could help save China from violent dissolution; regionalism and a return to the chaotic turmoil that has so afflicted this great nation throughout the twentieth century. Currently China's political life is so polarized that there is every reason to fear an early recurrence of bloodshed and tragedy. Each of us- every member of the world community - has a moral responsibility to help avert the immense suffering that civil strife would bring to China's vast population.

I believe that the very process of dialogue, modernization and compromise involved in building a community of Asian states would itself give real hope of peaceful evolution to a new order in China. From the very start, the member states of such a community might agree to decide its defense and international relations policies together. There would be many opportunities for cooperation. The critical point is that we find a peaceful, nonviolent way for the forces of freedom, democracy and moderation to emerge successfully from the current atmosphere of unjust repression.

The Dalai Lama will be holding a public talk and teachings at Emory University from October 8-10. For more information, visit this website. http://www.dalailama.emory.edu/webcast/index.html

The Harbinger: Prophecy or Fiction? – Wednesday, October 9, 2013

“Hidden in an ancient biblical prophecy from Isaiah, the mysteries revealed in The Harbinger are so precise that they foretold recent American events down to the exact days. The revelations are so specific that even the most hardened skeptics will find it hard to dismiss or put down. It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller with one exception… IT S REAL,” states the sales page for Jonathan Cahn’s book, The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future.

The book enjoys an almost perfect 5-star review status from over 3,000 commentators on Amazon. And the big names in Christianity are raving. “Extraordinary!” proclaims the Christian Broadcasting Network’s Pat Robertson.  Televangelist Sid Roth of “It’s Supernatural” says “It’s mind blowing!” From World Net Daily, Joseph Farah opines that the book is “stunning.”

The author, Jonathan Cahn, has been a guest on a number of Christian and conservative programs, lauded by hosts like Glenn Beck with the message of The Harbinger. Cahn’s teachings “are known for their prophetic import and their revealing of the deep mysteries of God’s word,” his biography states. He leads the Jerusalem Center / Beth Israel in Wayne, New Jersey, and Hope of the World ministries, an international evangelistic outreach.

Do the Old Testament biblical prophecies concerning Israel correlate with the United States of America? Do the nine “harbingers” described in Cahn’s work have prophetic merit? Eye on the Paranormal host Kirby Robinson will address these and other topics in his review of The Harbinger. Be sure to call in with your questions or comments.

As a weekly feature, Kirby will also share some book reviews and recommendations, as well as his infamous incredible "BAD BAD Thing Awards."

Showtime begins at 7 PM [PST] or 10 PM [EST].  See this page for more information: http://www.goddiscussion.net/2013/10/05/the-harbinger-prophecy-or-fiction-wednesday-october-9-2013/

Here’s last week's show—Realistic or Fake? A Review of the Para-Reality TV Shows

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/god-discussion/2013/10/03/realistic-or-fake-a-review-of-the-para-reality-tv-shows

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The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Hello my para beauties! I trust you had a great day and are in good health. This is a subject I've been asked to explain to the best of my knowledge. The book of Revelation can be very intimidating. But we know who wins in the end.

The first Horseman is the rider of a white horse, carries a bow, and wears a crown. He is described as a conqueror. For this reason, he is sometimes interpreted as the Antichrist or as a false world leader. This Horseman is also sometimes called Pestilence.

The second Horseman is astride a red horse and carries a sword. He is associated with war and slaughter, and the Bible attributes to him the power to take away peace and to make men kill each other.

The third Horseman rides a black horse and carries scales. This Horseman, popularly called Famine, is thought to represent not only scarcity of food, but also the strict rationing or unfair allocation of goods and the exploitation of the poor.

The last of the Four Horsemen, Death, rides a "pale horse" of a sickly hue and is followed by Hades, or Hell.

The nature of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is hotly debated by theologians and Christians, but they are almost universally fascinating, regardless or perhaps because of their mystery. They were popular subjects for art during the medieval period and the Renaissance, and references to them continue to crop up in popular culture in our own day and age. Whether or not Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death are the correct interpretations of the Biblical Four Horsemen -- which will likely remain in debate for the foreseeable future -- it is safe to assume that that is what they represent in a cultural or literary context.

In many opinions The book of Revelation in the Bible is real and does not need one to read the hidden truths. When it says Jesus Christ is coming back again it means Jesus Christ is coming back again. When it says the Horsemen it means exactly that.

Since Christ is the One opening these seals and revealing what will happen in this world prior to His return, is there anywhere else in the Bible that He discloses these events? In fact, He did so shortly before His death in a section known as the Olivet Prophecy (given on the Mount of Olives), recorded in the Gospels of Matthew (chapter 24), Mark (chapter 13) and Luke (chapter 21) Seeing what Christ said in this prophecy helps us identify what each of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse represents.

In Matthew 24:3 Christ’s disciples asked, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” In the comparison chart below, notice how Christ’s answer lines up exactly with what He gave years later in the book of Revelation through the apostle John.

Notice the enormous effect of these first four seals (horsemen) in Revelation 6:8: “And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.” This indicates that the first four seals will ultimately result in a death toll of one-fourth the earth’s population. This summary statement also adds something else that will contribute to the death toll—beasts of the earth, which kill as carriers of pestilence and as ravenous predators.

The first four seals are clearly already open in our day now, and the four horsemen of the Apocalypse have been riding through the years, taking their toll on populations. But many other prophecies in the Bible show that their destruction will multiply greatly as the next seal—the fifth seal or Great Tribulation—is about to open. Christ reveals that this world is about to undergo great devastation due to the rebellion of humanity against our Creator.

May God Help us All.

Written By Jennifer L. Auld

Practicing the Presence of God

By Evangelist Stephen Piersall

God’s Preservation Ministry,  http://sfprs.org/  

Many of us growing up in school have had the opportunity to “practice” whether it was in sports, homework, etc. Practice makes us much better in doing something. We do many things in our daily lives repeatedly, either at school, work, church, or other activities. It comes right down to it that we are practicing. How much time do you practice with God?

Ouch! Were a few toes stepped on by that comment? C’mon, who practices in churches? The Pastor with his sermon, the choir, and musical director with any band instruments, etc. However, Practicing the Presence of God in your life takes time and work. Are we referring to how often you pray, read your Bible, or tithe, or… NO?!

Practicing the presence of God is an awareness of God that flows through our day the way blood circulates through the body, replacing it with nutrients and oxygen. You need that quiet time each day with God with his conscience that he may be speaking to us. His presence fills our lives, through thoughts, feelings, dreams, activities, and in-between moments.

Practicing God’s presence moves his company beyond church gatherings, before meal graces and study time of the Bible to expand our knowledge of his word. Keeping company with God this way changes tasks such as building familiarity into acts of worship because we know at whose feet, we will sit encircling the rest of our lives. This awareness of God’s presence is a part, of how we delight in God: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4)

If you are interested in continuing this quest, consider yourself an experimenter. As an examiner you are not out to impress anyone or achieve anything difficult, but to explore what it means to enjoy God’s presence. Take it slowly; do not rush for immediate results. This is God’s time; worship him. Reap all the wisdom, discernment, love, forgiveness, giving, etc. that you can. Consider asking God to show you if there are ways you already practice his presence without recognizing it. Perhaps you are sitting at a doctor’s office and just stop and reflect and start to pray for the others around you, the staff, and doctors. Sitting at a red light, and looking around and see other sad faces in other cars, or people walking with their heads down, pray for them all accordingly.

During this past week’s "Spiritual Growth Toolbox” class at church, I learned the following, and I hope you find it of great value to help you to Examine your Presence of God:

1. STILLNESS: Quiet your heart, and listen. In this moment, become present to Jesus.
2. GRATITUDE: Seeing through the lens of thanks, appreciate God’s gifts in each event of the day.
3. REFLECTION: Review your positive and negative feelings. Did you choose Jesus’ way in each situation?
4. JOY & SORROW: Rejoice in a success, or ask forgiveness for sin. If necessary, plan to make amends.
5. HOPE. Move toward expectation. Ask God to shine a light on tomorrow’s path. Resolve to grow.

Imagine what it must have been like for the disciples to ask Jesus to teach them to pray. What motivates you to Practicing the Presence of God in your life?

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.

Dreams and the Supernatural

By Lisa Grace

The word "dream" appears in the KJV 74 times in 61 verses from the book of Genesis all the way through Acts.

God came in dreams, the angel of the Lord came as His messenger, and the angel of God came as a messenger too. ( some examples: Gen 31:11, Matthew 2:12, Matthew 2:19, Dan 4:18)

Some of the dreams were immediately understood, but other times the dream needed interpretation by a man of God.

Why would God use dreams to communicate to man?

In Bible times, much faith was put in dreams. Many Kings employed astrologers, mediums, and those who could interpret dreams. In other words, Kings listened to dreams and their interpretations. They couldn't argue with their dreams. They might kill the messenger, especially if they thought the interpretation was wrong.

And how did they know if the interpretation was wrong or right?

The same way they knew they were supposed to figure the dream out, that it was a form of communication from God; their conscience told them.

How else does God say He will communicate with man in the latter days?

In Joel 2:28 & in Acts 2:17 KJV: And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

So it specifically mentions prophecy, dreams, and visions.

How do we know God exists?

Hint: It's the same mechanism that lets people know they have had a dream from God.

In the book of Romans is a very interesting verse. Chapter 1: 19 (NKJV) "since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them."

This verse makes it very clear that every human knows innately there is a God. Elsewhere in the Bible is the phrase Rom 2:15 KJV: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;

and another: 2CR 3:2 KJV: Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.

Since God uses dreams as a way to deliver messages, these dreams can be thought to be supernatural. You will know when a dream is from God because He will reveal it as so.

Why would God uses dreams to communicate?

It's a direct line of communication. Dreams can also include "visions." Sometimes it's easier to understand something we "see" rather than just hearing.

The evil angels cannot stop a dream. They can however, give false information as they appear as ghosts (which don't exist), or an angel of light in order to deceive, and give false theology through mediums or those who communicate with supernatural beings.

Evil angels are not all knowing and cannot be everywhere at once.

You can see why it makes sense for God to communicate in this way once you understand that other forms of communication are most often not from God, but from his enemies who want to lull humans with a false sense of security in an "anything-goes" "everyone passes-into-the-light" false theology of the after-life.

Do not be deceived is a warning given throughout the Scriptures. Read your Bible. Familiarize yourself with the Jewish customs, geography, and lingo of the times the books of the Bible were written in so you can interpret it correctly. Learn for yourself. A great place to go is http://shalomadventure.com/ and sign up for their free newsletter; or http://www.Jewishheritage.net run by Rabbi Jeff Zaremsky who is a Bible believer.

Lisa Grace is the author of the Angel Series, which has been optioned for a major movie. You can reach her at lisagracebooks@yahoo.com