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Origin of Demonism In the eternity past, before God created the human race, He created a vast angelic host, unseen today by human eyes, nevertheless, real and dangerous (Col. 1:16). The most preeminent angel was Lucifer, - “son of the morning” (Isaiah. 14:12). He was the most dazzling and the most beautiful, the most intelligent, the most glorious creature of light ever to come from the hand of God. Lucifer was appointed as the honor guard to His throne (Ezek. 28:12-15). Instead of responding with great humility and privileged to serve God in that supreme honor, Lucifer became narcissistic, occupied w/ self-importance, unwilling to be subservient to anyone, he grew increasingly dissatisfied with his position, his arrogance spark the flame of his ego to craved to posses the very power and glory of God, he desire to rule the universe (Isaiah. 14:13-14). Lucifer rebelled against God and persuaded one-third of all the angels to join his uprising (Rev. 12:4). This heavenly revolution divided the angelic host into two hostiles forces:
This revolt between the angels of light and angels of darkness inaugurated a prehistoric conflict which continues into the present and will not conclude until the end of human history. (see: Doctrine of Angelic Conflict or the Doctrine of Divine Decree) God convened a trial to judge the defiant angels. God was the Judge and the Prosecutor, Satan the defense attorney. After evaluating the evidence against Satan and the fallen angels, God pronounced them guilty and condemned them to spend eternity in the lake of fire, (Mt. 25:41, Rev. 20:10) God graciously postponed the judgment in response to an appeal lodged by Satan at the conclusion of his trial. Satan argument impugned the character of God: How could a loving God cast His creatures into eternal fire. To resolve Satan’s appeal trial God created the human race. Through mankind God will display His perfect justice. (see: Doctrine of the seven imputation) Like the angels, mankind has been endowed with volition (free-will), t5he freedom to choose for or against God Satan must now contend with the volition of man. Through the decisions of the human race God will vindicate His judgment and refute Satan’s accusations against His character. Satan, Lucifer’s new title give support to this appeal trial. Satan means “adversary, accuser.” Satan was the adversary of God at his prehistoric trial (Zech 3:1-2) and continues to act as the accuser of our brethren (Rev. 12:10), remaining the irreconcilable enemy of God. Satan is never a spectator of the human history but he goes on the offensive to influence and to win the allegiance of mankind. In his first operation, Satan tempted Eve to commit the initial human sin of rebellion. Adam chose to join Eve and follow Satan’s lead. Adam’s disobedience condemned all mankind (Roman 5:12). Though the human race is condemned, God has not deserted it. (see; the Plan of Grace or the Doctrine of Grace) God’s magnificent grace is available to every human being. The sublime manifestation of His grace is the plan of salvation for mankind the redemption which Christ paid once and for all. Anyone can be saved by faith alone in Christ alone (Acts 16:31a). Human history demonstrates the volition determines a person’s eternal destiny (Jn. 3:18, 36). Satan loses his appeal trial when just one person believes in Jesus Christ. The faith of millions magnifies the grace and sovereignty of God and continually vindicates the perfect justice of His decision. Each believer becomes a testimony of God’s grace and witness for the prosecution against the accusation of Satan. The world is the arena of Satanic painful, ceaseless, invisible and futile revolution- a do or die warfare, a fight to the finish, the most stupid war against his Creator (Eph. 6:10-17) and His beloved children. The planet earth is therefore the battleground between the redeemed humanity and the forces of Satan who uses every trick, any method, every ruse at his command, to neutralize or destroy the plan of God for the human race (2 Cor. 2:11). The world is not the home of the believers, this is not our finale’, we are just pilgrims, travelers – this is not our world, we do not belong here! Do not let the world squeeze you into its moulds and thereby, trapping you in. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
Satanic Strategy Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, being the master of deceit and lies (2 Cor. 11:13-15, John. 8:44). Were he visible today, billions will be captivated by his charming personality. Satan is trying to seduce as many followers away from Jesus Chr8ist as possible, ever se4eking to avert his inevitable doom. One of his greatest strategies is his attempt to keep men in ignorance of the real nature of his being and the fraudulent dimensions of his pretensions. Since Satan became obsessed with the desire to be “like the Most High,” his only recourse for outmaneuvering God is to counterfeit the truth. Satan counterfeits the truth by inundating the world with counterfeit doctrines (1 Tim. 4:1). When the Lord bestowed spiritual gifts of pastor, teacher, evangelist, Satan countered with his own counterfeit- teachers, prophets, apostles (2 Corinthians. 11:13-15). When the Lord instituted the Lord’s Table for the Church Age, Satan developed his own Eucharist (1 Corinthians. 10:20-21). God’s policy for His relationship with man is based on grace. God does all the work and man humbly receives the benefit of that work through faith alone. But Satan contrived a counterfeit righteousness which appeals to human arrogance (Mt. 19:16-26). Arrogant people presumptuously believe that they can merit or earn God’s approbation through their own self-righteous efforts which the Lord Jesus Christ strongly condemned (Mt. 23, Luke 18:9-12). To pervert personal faith in Christ, Satan strives to obscure the true gospel of salvation (2 Corinthians. 4:4) with distorted gospel, a gospel which is not a actually the Gospel (Gal. 1:7-8). God designed a perfect plan of grace for the believer’s spiritual life but Satan offered a counterfeit spirituality based on human works and morality (Gal. 3:2-3). To compliment this pseudo spirituality Satan emulates the power of God. That is why; numerous people are deceived by the counterfeit power, signs, wonders and miracle performed by the devil’s disciples (2 Thessalonians. 2:8-9). To destruct people from the true God, Satan adapts an array of counterfeit gods to appeal to the degeneracy prevalent in any culture of human history (2 Thessalonians. 2:3-4). (see; Antichrists) For true missionaries of Christ, Satan has a great army of false teachers and false prophets (2 John 10-11). [see: Marks of false teachers and false prophets. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
The “God” of this Age God created man (Adam) to have dominion over the earth but when he disobeyed God, he surrendered his ruler ship of the earth to Satan. Today, he is still the god of this world (2 Corinthians. 4:4), meaning to say, he is the ruler of this world. Satan has the prerogative to award the kingdoms of the earth and their glory to any person of his choice (Mt. 4:8-9). The Devil will exercise his temporary authority in the great Tribulation by establishing the “man of sin,” the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire (2 Thessalonians. 2:3-9, rev. 19:20). Satan manipulates the people under his power- strictly for his own purposes, and then dismisses them when they cease to be useful to his cause. Satan’s treatment of Judas Iscariot exemplifies his lacks of integrity and virtues. Satan implements his authority in the world through his demons who recognizes him as their supreme commander- known as Beelzebub the ruler of the demons (Mt. 12:24). Beelzebub means “master of the heavenly dwelling” or “master of the flies,” a term used by the Jews as a term of derision for Satan (Lev. 18:21, Jeremiah 32:35). These highly organized and specialized demon forces operate both actively and effectively under the command of demon generals, in the same way, the forces of angels operate. During the Age of Israel, Satan attempted to destroy the spiritual life of Israel by alienating them from the true God by promoting elaborated pantheons populated with all kinds of gods of the polytheistic religions, some of these gods demanded offering even human sacrifices. (Jeremiah 32:35) Satan also promoted the ecumenical mental attitude that is why the Israelite did not obey God concerning the annihilation of the Canaanites whose religion enticed the Jews to sacrifice their own children to appease the demons (Deut. 32:17, Ps. 106:34-38). Today, in the Church Age, Satan is too subtle to tempt believers to offer their children as sacrifices. Instead, he distracts believers from the plan of God by appealing to the OSN (1 John. 2:16). To succumb to these seductive lusts carries a high price- the road to destruction is paved with miseries, ending with sin unto death. But this need not happen. At salvation God frees the believer from the power of Satan (1 John 3:8b). We are all born into the devil’s world. Our spiritual death is the proof of our citizenship of the cosmos diabolicus. Regeneration transfer us from the family of Satan (John 8:44) to the Royal family of God (1 Peter 2:9, Rev. 1:5-6, Jn. 1:12, Acts 26:18). As children of God we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and can never be demon-possessed or indwelt by Satan. We have the options of the filling of the Holy Spirit and learning Bible Doctrine as the only means to repel satanic or demonic influence. Only through Bible doctrine resident in our soul can we defend ourselves against Satan & his demons (Jas. 4:7). To resist the devil is to have the fortification of Bible doctrine in the kardia. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
Satanic Army Satan commands innumerable ranks of demons (Eph. 1:21, 2:2 6:12), The Greek daimonion (Mt. 9:33), and the Hebrew equivalent shed (Ps. 106:36-37, Deut. 32:17) identify the fallen angels who joined Satan during the angelic revolt. Other terms for demons are: sa’ir (Heb.), (Lev. 17:7), familiar spirits (Lev. 19:31), devils (Deut. 32:17). Demons serve the cause of evil. They are avowed enemies of God and in open rebellion against Christ. Satan is not omnipresent or omnipotent therefore he relies on his demons for reconnaissance and the execution of his nefarious schemes. Satan, without his demons could accomplish little- for his field of operations ranges far beyond his ability. His domain includes the earth and the atmosphere. Some demons are on earth, spying on believer, others are working on traps, baits and hooks for the believers and unbelievers (1 Tim 4:1). Some are the door (outside) the courtroom of heaven, supplying their boss (defending attorney) with false evidences against believers and some are permanently imprisoned in Tartarus (2 Peter 2:4-6),, Some are in abyss (Rev. 9) awaiting their release to assist Satan in the Last assault on human race. The demons in Tartarus who are waiting their final punishment in the lake of fire (Jude 6, 1 Peter 3:19-20) called Bene ha’Elohim translated sons of God, procreated with the “daughters of men” in the first civilization (Gen. 6:2,4, Job 1:6). The union produced half-human, half-angelic creatures called Nephilim, in an attempt to contaminate the purity of the human race. Their goal was to corrupt human genetics and thereby foil the Virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ who had to be true humanity. This genetic attack on the human race necessitated the worldwide flood judgment to annihilate the mixed-breed offspring. The demons were incarcerated in darkness, chained with eternal bonds since it is impossible to kill them in the flood (2 Peter 2:4). After the case of deliberate procreation of demons and man, God removed the ability of all the demons to appear as human beings and procreate (Mt. 22:30). Since then, demons at large must remain invisible unable to appear to man. They can manifest themselves only through demon possession, entering the body of unbeliever. The power they are able to exert over the human body is tremendous, they are capable of imparting supernatural strength (Luke 8:29), as well as inflicting physical abnormalities, deformities (Luke 13:11-17). They cause blindness (Mt. 12:22), and inability to speak (Mt. 9:32-33), mental disorders, suicidal mania (Luke. 8:26-35) and often responsible for personal injury to their victims (Mk. 9:17-18). Once the demons have established control over a human body, these evil spirits may come and go at will (Luke. 11:24-26). This accounts for the apparent success of alleged exorcist who knowingly or unwittingly becomes the agents of the devil. One of the objectives of demons is to deceive the human race through their spurious demonic doctrines and thereby thwart the plan of God. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
Present activities of Satan and his Demons
Five Major satanic Projects in the World Today
Demon influence occurs when the soul of either an unbeliever or believer is invaded by cosmic thinking. Human viewpoint mentality reflects Satan’s strategy that opposes and obscures God’s plan. Satan’s perpetual objective is to usurp the rightful place of God and to be worshipped as God. A primary duty of every demon is to corrupt the thinking, ideas, values, and actions of the human race. Satan believed that through this scheme, he can obstruct God’s plan of Grace. Satan has to maintain and gain more control of the cosmos diabolicus and he uses counterfeit philosophies of life and religions these are his strategies to deceive and confuse believers and his strategy to trap unbelievers. Satan uses contrasting systems such as legalism and licentiousness, lawlessness and self- righteousness to appeal to the trends of the OSN. Satanic strategies have similar characteristics, namely: arrogance, or preoccupation with self, antagonism, hatred, hostility toward grace and truth. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
Demon Influence and the Cosmos Diabolicus Cosmos or Kosmos translated word, describes an orderly, cohesive system and organization with a purpose, policy and structure of authority designed to subvert the thinking of the human race. The Cosmos is a vast order of system that Satan has promoted; w/c conforms to his ideas, aims and methods. Satan promotes a civilization now functioning apart from God. A civilization that does not expect God to participate, no respect or consideration to God in relationship to their projects, nor they ascribe any causatives to God. Cosmos is a godless government, education, culture, religions, morality, economy, armaments (military), trade, finance, and every kind of system styled in the satanic viewpoint. Some believers have a very superficial understanding of cosmic or worldly thinking. Worldliness is not doing so-called “worldly” things, or violating cultural taboos, such as smoking, drinking, dancing, and going to the movies or things forbidden by legalistic Christians. Worldliness is what you think (Proverbs 23:7a). Any believers who lives, thinks, operates and pattern his life according to the cosmic standards is not only enslaved to Satan’s authority, but unwittingly execute Satan’s policy and fulfills satanic purposes and objectives. The cosmic system is literally a cosmos diabolicus since it is under the ruler ship of Satan, in which every person born in this planet is born under the power and authority of the devil being a child of the devil (John 8:44). Every person born into the cosmos diabolicus is bombarded with satanic propaganda until he dies. The believer’s only protection against the more extreme forms of demons influence is only through the application of the laws of the divine establishment (as exemplified by The Ten Commandments). God’s Fundamentals of virtue and morality intended for the freedom of all mankind are the antithesis of Satan’s scheme. After salvation, the believer’s sole protection against demon influence is the continuous learning, retaining, and recalling of Bible Doctrine (Rom. 12:2). The tragic victims of demon influence are believers distracted from God’s plan for their life. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
The Mechanic of Demon Influence Whenever a believer sins, whether knowingly or unknowingly, his sin nature assumes control and he enters the cosmic system. Residing in this satanic system through rejection of Bible Doctrine creates a vacuum in the soul, and Demonic Doctrines supplant Bible doctrine (1 Tim. 4:1). As spiritual decline continues, the believer descends into reversionism, going into a deeper state of spiritual decadence. The longer the believer resides in the cosmos diabolicus [without using rebound- 1 John 1:9], the more susceptible he is to demon influence. When the reversionist is dominated by lust patterns of the OSN and unrestrained by Bible Doctrine, then his life will imitate the life of the unbeliever. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
Danger and Escape Danger: Although every believer is saved at the moment of faith yet he still possesses an OSN which makes him capable of committing sins he committed before salvation and sins he has not committed before. Escape: The only sure way to escape demonic influence is to stay inside the divine dynasphere and function utilizing the assets God has provided for every believer in the Church age. The mission of every believer is not to whitewash the devil’s world but to mature spiritually and thereby do His will. Novice can not fulfill the will and purpose of God for their lives. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
A Case of Demon Influence King Saul was definitely a believer (1 Sam. 10:6, 28:19). His life reveals the depths of carnality to which any believer can sink. He rejected Bible Doctrine as manifested by his intense bouts of depression, neuroses, psychosis, and suicide mania. There are clear distinctions between demon influence and demon possession. The Bible clearly designates demon possession with the words: daimonizomai- to be possessed by a demon, and echo daimonion- to have a demon (Luke 8:36, 8:27). Luke 8:30b “For many demons had entered [eiserchomai] him – emphasizes the internal residence of a demon within the body. Daimonizomai and its synonyms (eiserchomai and ech daimonion) always mean the invasion and control of a person’s body. Demon possession were not used for King Saul, and there is no hint demonic indwelling in the biblical account. After Saul was rejected by God because of his prolonged disobedience and reversionism, he came under personal demonic attack. In 1 Samuel 16:14-16, 23, 18:10, 19:9, the Hebrew prepositions indicate that the king was never indwelt by a demon. The demon came upon [“al”] or came to [“el”] Saul and terrorized him. The Hebrew preposition “be” which means into or within was never used. Believers can come under demon influence but they cannot be demon possessed, how much more impossible for a Church Age believer (who is permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit) to be demon-possessed (1 Cor. 6:19-20). No believer is immune to demonic influence. No believer is unimportant to the devil- he wanted to destroy all believers. Satan is a cruel master- after using King Saul to subvert the plan of God (and failed), he junk him and lead him to commit suicide. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
Some Mediums of Divination
Divination is the attempt to "foretell or explore the future", to shape our lives according to what is coming. The one who tries it is usually called a Fortune Teller. There are dozens of ways to foretell the future, all of them, like Astrology and the Psychics, are schemes to get money from the deceived patrons. These are not "fun games", they are the work of Satan, don't even try them, you are going to be burned out of sanity. Astrology, Horoscope, Zodiac, the Psychics: Astrology", beliefs that the arrangement of the stars, planets, and constellations at the time of one's birth sets a determined pattern in the life of a person... It is obviously "wrong", demonstrated a million times, when two persons are born on the same day in the same hospital and their lives are totally different!. The "Zodiac" is a big lie of Satan... but consulted by more than 60 percent of the world population (daily basis). All the major newspapers carry a daily horoscope, 40 million Americans consult it, and there are three times as many Astrologers and Psychics as there are clergymen in In 1990, 186 distinguished scientists issued a no-nonsense statement savagely attacking Astrology: "The time has come to challenge directly and forcefully the pretentious claims of astrological charlatans. It's simply a mistake to imagine that the forces exerted by stars and planets at the moment of birth can in any way shape the future". Fortune teller is anyone who tries to predict the future using any means, like psychic divination, telepathy, astrology, the zodiac, cards, crystal balls, palm reading, pendulum, numerology, dreams, etc. Isaiah says about the Astrologers, "they are like wisps of straw, the fire will burn them up. They will not save their lives from the power of the flame" (Is.47:13-14). The zodiac is from the Greek "zoe" (animal, life) and "diskos" (wheel), means "the wheel of life", or "the parade of animals". There are 12 "signs", one for each month, without any scientific basis, not even any common sense, but some Astrologers set up, also arbitrarily, 8, 14, or 24... Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces... each "sign" has its "color", and millions know their "sign" and "color"... you can not be a Christian and ware a "sign" round your neck, or use a ring or pendant with the color of your sign... it is not from God, it is like wearing a sign of a politician or a movie artist to honor them; with the "Zodiac sign" you are honoring Satan. The Horoscope is from the Greek, means "scope of the hour". It is determined with the geographical spot at birth and the date and hour of delivery, to council the future, weather or not conditions are deemed favorable to pursuit a business transaction, a career, an airplane trip, marriage and everything. In .In 1963, several horoscopes of President Kennedy were made: Some said he would be reelected; others, he was going to get sick; others, he would die after reelection... they all were wrong!, he was killed before reelection. Jeanne Dixon declared that Jackie Kennedy would not remarry... apparently, the zodiac of Onassis said otherwise. Carroll Righter, whose syndicated column is read by millions, predicted that And the main problem is not the stupidity of it, but that it is a work of Satan, some look at the horoscope because it is fun! it is not fun to play with Satan, you are going to end up in horrible situation. If Astrology were true, all men would be "robots" programmed by the stars and planets, but Astrology is false, and men are "free". Jeanne Dixon is famous in the Satan is a liar, the father of all lies, and the father of the Horoscope. Christians has nothing to do with these divinations. Tarot cards means "tablets of destiny". A pack has 78 cards, 22 of them with "major mysteries", corresponding to the 22 letters of Hebrew, inscribed with symbols that vary from pack to pack. All packs contain four major suits called wands, cups, pentacles, and swords. Court cards include the king, queen, knight, and page, symbolizing spirit, soul, vitality and body. One card has a "skeleton", symbolizing death... but you can get the skeleton and live 50 more years!... it is a stupidity of the devil. Contumacy It is like Tarot but using the 52 regular playing cards, or only 32, discarding the 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s... like Tarot, it is a fake of the devil. Crystal ball is used by fortune tellers, clairvoyants, and diviners in the technique known as "skrying". Gazing into the glass the diviner enters into a trance-like state claiming to see present and future events (crystalomancy). It is a trick of the devil, don't get into it or a lie!. Mirrors are used in Rosicrucianism: The initiate has to stare in a mirror, and trace a 5 inch cross on it while repeating "Hail, Rosi Cross", until his imagination or the devil gives him a foolish hallucination or a prediction invented by the demons. Water is used on a glass or in the river to do tricky fortune teller of the devil!. Palmistry or palm reading" is based in apparent scientific data, the lines and mounts on the palm; but as divination, to read the future, it is also a fake or a lie of the devil, in spite of being probably the oldest and most sophisticated method of divination. This "figure" ascribes a sign of the zodiac to each phalange of the fingers. And besides the lines and mounts of the palm, the shape of the nails are also used, and even the fingerprints, if you are willing to pay for it!. Phrenology is like palm reading, but using the mounts or shape of the head. The rod is usually a forked twig taken from a willow tree; fish bone and metals are also used. The pendulum is a metal disk suspended by a thread. These are objects used by a diviner for detecting the so called "earth rays". The "earth rays", have their basis in the earth's magnetic field... but it is not so though the rod and pendulum respond to this mysterious force, attempts to locate its point of origin have met with failure. The lack of understanding of this phenomenon has lent credence to superstitions prominent in occult practices. Dice and Dominoes are the simplest methods, with the same false results as the most sophisticated ones. They are done giving arbitrary meaning to each "number": "1": Unity, "2": Marriage, "3": "Trinity"... or "1" the sun, "2" the moon, going on with the horoscope. I Ching or the "Book of Chances", predates recorded history. The diviner throws 50 yarrow sticks. The hexagram formed from six lines in the sticks is read and interpreted in the "Book of Chances" to read the present and the future. They believe the spirits are communicating with them through the medium of chance, as expressed in the fall of the sticks, coins, or wands... it is a foolish sophisticated trick of Satan!. Snail Shells is the most important divination procedure in Santeria: The priests through 18 Shells, some of them fall on their base and others on their side, and the result is read in the "Table of Ifa". of fate. The coconuts Those who are not "saints" can only use "4 pieces of coconut": They through them, and they fall with the white down or the white up, and the results are read in the Table. Snail Shells and Coconuts are used in "Santeria" to read the present and the future. It is the same idea of the "I Ching", only here with Shells or Coconuts... a foolish trick of the devil!. The "Tables of Fate", and the "Wheel of Fortune are based in the same idea of the "I Ching", only here using "numbers" or "a wheel of fortune". Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Psychometry: Mental Telepathy is the communication from one mind to another without verbal exchange or other physical and empirical modes. It is actually a branch of parapsychology. Clairvoyance is used to describe the psychic ability to see and describe future events. Edgar Cayse was a noted clairvoyant. Psychometry is the ability to foretell a person's future by possessing an object belonging to that person... it is like the diviner slave-girl of Acts 16, to whom Paul cast out the devil in the name of Jesus Christ. Dreams are normal psychological states, used by God in the Old Testament to reveal His plan and purpose. Dreams interpretation outside the Bible has been abuse by the satanic advocates. Normal Psychology makes use of them. It is used also by Psychics, posing as chip Psychologists, without any knowledge of Psychology, as a scheme to make money, and guided by the lies of the devil. Numerology assigns arbitrary specific values and meanings to numbers. Pythagoras influenced Kabalistic Cornelius Agrippa who drew up a numbering system: - "1": Origin; Tasseography which is reading of the tea or coffee cup deposits in different imaginary shapes.
Other Names of Satan
Demon Possession Only unbelievers are vulnerable to demon possession – Christians need never fear being possessed or controlled by a malicious evil spirit. No biblical example or statement exists to suggest or warm that believers can be demon-possessed. From the moment of faith in Christ the Holy Spirit indwells the body of every believer (1 Cor. 6:19). The presence of this divine temple guarantees that no demon can invade, indwell, or possess the believer’s body. Demon influence affects both believers and unbelievers. For the unbeliever demon influence can lead to demon possession. For the believer, demon influence can lead to “sin unto death” (1 Tim. 1:20, 1 Cor. 5:5). J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
Manifestation of Demon Possession A. Demonic- Induced Mental Illness (Mark 5:1-5). Demon-possession may includes extraordinary strength, and bizarre behavior, animalistic life-style, and mentally deranged. No system of psychiatry and medical science can solve this problem. Three bona fide means for removal of demons:
Exorcism is never a valid alternative. There is no command for the believers to exorcist. B. Demon-Induced Physical illness (Mt. 8:16, 9:32-33a).
The Fallacy of Exorcism Christ cast out demons by divine power and so with the disciples & apostles during the formative years of the Church Age for the purpose of authenticating the Gospel message. The greek verb for cast out is ekballo, not exorkizo from which we get the English noun “exorcist.” The verb exorkizo is used in the NT describe the removal of demon/s. the noun exorkistes and its cognate verb horkizo [to change under oath], are used of religious practitioners who attempted to expel demons by uttering mysterious incantations (Acts 19:13). Exorcism, therefore, is a Pagan ritual devised to evict demons by means of religious oaths. Ekballo is used throughout the NT when Jesus or His disciples cast out demons, but they never exorkizo, (Mt. 8:16, Acts 19:11-12). Jesus cast out demons; He did not exorcised demons like the religious fakers. “To Cast Out” Demons (The Bible Doctrine viewpoint)
“To Exorcise” Demons (A pagan and non-biblical viewpoint- Acts 19:13-15)
Believers caught in the trap of exorcism are pawns of demon influence and are in danger of sin unto death. Religious unbelievers are using exorcism as a heretical sign of divine favor and pseudo spirituality. Jesus Christ prophesied that exorcists have no part with Him (Matthews 7:22-23). Judas Iscariot performed exorcism (Mt. 10:2-8) and miracles but died as unbeliever (John 13:2, 11, Acts 1:25). Exorcism is never an indication of salvation or a sign of God’s approval or sign of spirituality. Exorcism and deliverance ministries are out of line with God’s plan. The apparent success of those who engage in exorcism can be attributed either to the cooperation of Satan, to demon involvement, or to a big hoax, nothing but religious fakers. Do not be deceived by such subterfuge – lies. Instead, make the Word of God and the application of doctrine your highest priority. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
Stages of Spiritual Decline
J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
Avenues to Demonism 1. Idolatry is spiritual adultery (Jer. 3:8-9, Ezek. 6:4-6). Idolatry is the foundation for demonism, the environment for contacting demons. Over every expression of idolatrous worship is a mental attitude of idolatry. Idolatry is the worship of anyone or anything other than God. The tangible form of idolatry includes the worship of icons, ancestor, hero worship, personality worship, and other. The intangible form of idolatry are the worship of self, status, power, wisdom, money, and philosophy (Romans 1:22-25, 1 Cor. 10:14, 19-21, 2 Cor 6:16-17). Believers who are involved in idolatry will suffer the sin unto death (Ex. 32:28). 2. Divination- is the attempt to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by means of interpreting omens, or by the aid of supernatural powers (Lev. 19:26, Deut. 18:10, and 1 Sam. 15:23a). Some of the media of the diviner are; clairvoyance, palmistry, ESP, psychometric, tarot cards, horoscope, psychic hotline, ouija board, channeling, tea leaf reading, hydromancy (Lev. 19:31, 20:27). God in his wisdom withheld certain information from mankind but He supplied all the knowledge we need to mature spiritually. The future is best left in the Lord’s hands. 3. Necromancy- (from nekros-dead, manteia- meaning divination). Necromancy foretelling the future by alleged contact with the dead. The practitioners of necromancy are mediums through whom demons communicate; they are go- betweens who contact the spirit world for some one willing to pay a large sum of money. Necromancy is popularized by the New Age movement under the term channeling. Channelers are sought by politicians- celebrities, by sports personalities, business leaders, investors, and others. Are those who hold séances and channel spirits actually contacting the dead? Definitely not! The so called mediums are either frauds or they actually do contact demons but never the dead. Communication with the dead is impossible- contact with the dead cannot be accomplished so demons often impersonate the dead. The commands not to participate in necromancy protect the believer from demon influence mediated by channeling (Lev. 19:31, 20:6, 27, Deut. 18:9-12, 2 Kings 23:24). Communication contacted with mediums do not claim to be the dead man himself, some present themselves as extraterrestrials, angels, gods from old religions, or ascended masters or “saints.” These kind of demons are called impersonators or ventriloquists (Isaiah 8:19). The term “medium” is fro Hebrew ov, the equivalent of the Greek engastrimuthos which means ventriloquist. 4. Witchcraft- A witch (Heb. Kashaph) or sorceress (Ex. 22:18) is a demon- possessed female medium, a wizard (Heb. Yid’oni) is the male counterpart (Lev. 19:31, 1 Sam. 28:3, 9). Those who practice witchcraft rely on demons for information and guidance; in turn demons use witches and wizards to communicate their message. The term “witchcraft” of Galatians 5:20 is the Greek word pharmakeia literally, drug addiction- describes a dimension of witchcraft, the use of drugs in sorcery. Hallucinogenic drugs were used and vastly employed in many religious rituals to achieve ecstatic states in which spirits may be contacted. 5. Drug Addiction- the abuse of hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, shabu, heroin, cocaine and narcotics and their derivatives, can permanently destroy the mentality of the soul, corrupting norms, and standards in the conscience. Volition is neutralized meaning to say, it will obey demonic doctrines. Once influenced by the demons, then it is very easy for the unbelievers to surrender to demon-possession. Drug addiction is not just social sin but an overt sin of sorcery, a more accurate translation of pharmakeia. (Gal. 5:19-21) 6. Phallic Cult- was an ingenious satanic attempt to replace Israel’s worship of the True God with the licentious rites of polytheistic rituals (Judges 2:13-14). Modern Phallic cults specialize in sexual perversion, promiscuity, autoeroticism, homosexuality, lesbianism, orgies, masochism, mystical rites, ritual prostitution, sadism and incest. (Judges 2:1- Lev. 26:30, Ezek. 16:36, 39-41, 1 Cor. 10:6-8) 7. Mysticism- is the false spirituality hinges on a subjective experience that can not be objectively verified. It promises a delusion of achieving a closer union or encounter with God. The emotions generated by that experience become the criteria to evaluate their spirituality. Mysticism permeates Eastern religions, Hinduism, Taoism, Shintoism, Buddhism, Islam, and Mormonism which derive their authority from some form of apparitions of angels or gods. People who adhere to this empty form of religions are actually giving tribute to Satan (2 Tim 3:5). 8. Astrology- using the stars to predict future events and for planning or decision making is contrary to the perfect plan of God. It is one of the most lucrative enterprises today. Astrology is nothing but relativism which supplants the absolutes of divine establishment and the will of God. It is a false hope strictly forbidden by God. (Lev. 19:26, Deut. 18:10). These are but few of devices of the devil for trapping unbeliever to demon-possession [see: Antichrist]. Our objectives are to teach the real dangers behind these avenues of demon-possession. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
Satanic Purpose for Demonism
Ignorance and misunderstanding of demonism creates fear in the minds of people. Demon influence and demon-possessed script writers, producers, film makers have contributed much for dissemination of demonic doctrines through horror movies and films not to mention the children favorite cartoons. Fear is a devastating mental attitude sin. The more a person surrender to fear, the greater his capacity to fear, the greater his capacity to fear, the more IT increases its power in his life. Fear has the power to turn a person into a coward- cowardice which paralyzes both mind and body People who live by fear become intimidated by life. The person controlled by fear frantically seeks help from any source, even from the devil. Fear is an open expressway to demonism. A believer with maximum Bible doctrine in the kardia, who has solid confidence in God, has the courage to face any creature and every circumstance he may encounter in life. The only antidote for fear is not financial security, not armaments, not martial arts, not electronic security but the Word of God in the soul of the Believer (2 Tim. 1:7). We can not overcome fear with positive thinking, with gadgets, with security guards, with Dobermans, with insurance policies, etc. The Bible has promise for every category of fear (Romans 8:31-39). Fear that cap5ivates the soul of the believer calls for rebound- Christ is the ruler of our souls not fear. Fear is from the devil. Fear of the Lord and Human fear are not of the same kind. The fear of the Lord is reverence to the Lord. Fear (phobos – Greek, phobia) is a learned response and can be unlearned not by behavioural therapy or systematic desensitization, (psychology combine with therapy and hypnosis), but through the inexpensive fortification of our soul with the Word of God. Satan bombarded the human race with human viewpoint since the beginning of human history- which makes it easy for man to believe satanic lies disseminated in form of science, philosophy, religion, history, superstition, etc. Man, by nature are liar and therefore, it is easy for them to believe and accept lies than the truth. Lies are not only for the uneducated, since there are highly educated people who are slaves of phobias, like ailurophobia (the fear of cats). To fear man is a sign of carnality and reversionism, but to fear animals (especially, harmless) shows the absence of Christian virtues. Reverential fear of God- as the controlling motive of the life in matters spiritual and moral, not as mere “fear” of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him. A “fear” which banishes the terror that shrinks from his presence and influences the disposition and mental attitude of one whose circumstances are guided by trust in God. (Romans 8:15, Acts 9:31, Eph. 5:21) The reverential fear of God will inspire a constant carefulness in dealing with others in His fear. For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice and timidity [deilia = fearfulness] but of power and love and discipline. (2 Tim 1:7). The Lord is my light [Bible doctrine] and my salvation [eternal protection], whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life: whom shall I dread? (Psalm 27:1). 4 Questions:
We are not to fear Satan and his advocates, we are not supposed to participate in their unfruitful deeds of darkness but instead even expose them. By the light [Bible Doctrine]. (Eph. 5:16-13) To participate in their deeds of darkness is to directly provide them an oppose access or operation, friendly atmosphere, personal support or contribution and personal support or contribution and personal involvement. Indirectly: by avoiding criticism, leaving them alone, giving them an open door policy, loving them ecumenically. J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
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Copyright ©2003-2007 J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries |
12/05/06