The Myth that Satan and Evil Do Not Exist

By Lisa Grace

All historians, whether Christian or atheist, agree that Yeshua (Jesus) existed. Not only does the Roman arrest record still exist where it mentions He was executed for the crime of witchcraft (source: mentioned in From Jesus to Christ by Paula Fredrickson), but numerous ancient historians like Titus Flavius Josephus, mention Him. http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/45841

Many scientific minds believe in string theory, and different dimensions which would lead to life. Many espouse that there might be an alternate version of themselves somewhere in one of these universes/dimensions. So why do these same people find it so hard to believe that evil angels/demons exist? Beings made of light?

Evil angels' sole purpose is to lead people away from the gift of salvation. That's it. What better way to lead modern man away from the truth than to allow him to think he is at the top of the brain chain? Let him believe there is nothing smarter or more intuitive out there?

That's exactly the method they use for unbelievers.

For those that seek them out, they use two different forms of deception:

1) Lying about the nature of the afterlife

a. People returning as ghosts (myth)

b. Everyone is happy and consciously aware, on a better more knowledgeable plain of existence after death (lie)

c. That what they are experiencing is the truth, to be trusted, and consulted. That they are friendly and here to "help" and "guide." (lie)

d. That you can help others to "cross over" into the "light" (lie)

2) Attaching themselves as tormenting demons or even possessing their host and inviting other demons to do so also.

a. Beyonce admits in a Katie Couric interview that she allows Sasha Fierce to inhabit her body http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9w9K2AiMTI

b. There are cases in the news every day of people committing heinous crimes, then awake to being horrified at what they have done. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/horror-movie-suspected-machete-killer-hacks-men-death-article-1.1385276

c. There are cases (on several paranormal shows) where real people in distress contact "paranormal investigators" hoping for help in getting rid of these tormentors but instead they have invited in people who just want some fun documenting anything out of the ordinary. Of course, beings smarter than humans simply out-wait their would-be outers or in some cases, follow the investigators home and torment them.

d. Many people turn to drugs and alcohol to silence "their inner demons."

e. Women who have had abortions turn to drugs and alcohol at a much higher rate http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/shu/shu_01abuseafterabor.htmlcould it be they are turning to the drugs and alcohol to silence demons tormenting them, not just their conscience bothering them? If it's okay, why so much guilt? If they have no guilt, then what is driving them to such self-destructive behavior?

You can see it is much better for the evil angels to remain hidden by allowing the modern myth that they "don't exist" flourish. It's always easier to get away with heinous acts if people look the other way, and boy, do the evil angels know it.

Lisa Grace is the author of the popular teen fiction Angel Series, which is in movie development. The first book can be downloaded for #free as an ebook at Smashwords Angel in the Shadows, Book 1 or from any major ebook retailer.

The Ransom Was Paid

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son,that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 19:45)

"...you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Only God knows exactly the full price of the ransom that was paid....

On the one hand, Christ paying the ransom price to liberate us from enslavement to sin, Satan, and death (which is the heart of the gospel) is the ugliest, most obscene act ever committed. The infinitely pure, precious, and morally beautiful Lord of glory was brutally beaten and shamefully murdered--and that is just the tip if the iceberg, as we shall see.On the other hand, the self-humiliation involved in this Ransom was the most beautiful act of love ever committed.

Some folks have this notion that Jesus was the one who persuaded the reluctant Father to "let" Him come and  save us.You know, the "mean/vengeful" God the Father of the Old Testament..... No! Who sent the Son? According to John 3:16 the Father did! "God (the Father) so loved the world  that He SENT..."

In John 17,  from eternity past, God the Father and God the Son joyfully agreed between them that the Father would give the Son a gift......a gift the Lord Jesus eagerly anticipated--A Bride!

But "curious" gift....His Son would have to pay for it...and what a price indeed.( Please see vvs 2,6,9,12 for wonderful truth of the Father giving the Son a gift!)

They agreed that Jesus would pay the ransom for those who hated them. This is holy ground upon which we now stand, and I pray for the words to express such indescribability.

Ransom, as defined in my dictionary, "something paid or demanded for the freedom of a captured person...to free from captivity or punishment by paying a price." The Exodus from enslavement in Egypt is a picture of the Greater Exodus--where the ransom is paid to liberate us from bondage to sin, Satan, and death.

Scripture repeatedly speaks of us being sold into slavery to sin, Satan, and death. Starting in Genesis 3 (where all 3 are introduced) to Revelation, we see God dealing with that triad of captors, and overcoming all three.

Before we talk about WHAT was paid, let us look for a moment to WHOM the ransom was paid. A number of early church fathers, and up through the medieval times, many thought that the ransom was paid by God to Satan.  The so-called "Ransom to Satan theory of the atonement", was based on the notion that the death of Christ constituted a ransom paid to Satan, in order to cancel the just claims Satan had on man.

How awful!! Thankfully, Anselm and others saw how incongruous this notion was with the bible and the nature of God. The clarity of thinking and teaching of Luther and Calvin rediscovered the pure gospel after the gospel itself was in chains for 1,000 years. Satan was to be pummeled, not paid, in this grandest of ransoms.God is the Creator of the entire cosmos and its owner and sustainer. God, not the Evil One, is the aggrieved party, who owns all...and God is the One that we have committed cosmic treason against.

That God did not provide a ransom for fallen angels, as He has for fallen humans, surely indicates that His redemption of us was/is entirely of grace and mercy (grace--receiving what we do not deserve,  mercy--NOT receiving what we do deserve, eternal damnation) Both God's love and justice are at the heart of His ransom of us. In .Deuteronomy 9 Yahweh reminds us that His choosing of Israel was entirely gracious. And He loves us, not because of any good He saw in us (we were  His enemies Rom. 5:8)) but because He chose to love us. Why? Because He loves us. Why? Because He freely chose to love us....we cannot go back any further! We can only bow before the Lord in worship.

However, once the Holy Lord freely chose to redeem and save us,He faced a divine dilemma  His nature NECESSITATED the shedding of His infinitely precious blood. That is, I say with respect, God was faced with a dilemma--He is all-powerful but that does not mean He can do everything. He cannot just wink at sin. His perfectly holy nature  made the atonement absolutely necessary...there was no other way. Don't you think He would have done so if it were possible, given the horror and dread Jesus felt in the garden, in anticipation of the unspeakable horror of the cross?.

Perhaps you have heard the phrase, "a kings ransom."  Simply a colorful way of referring to a whole lot of money! But suppose a king had been taken hostage. The more power, authority, and dignity the person has, then the higher will be the ransom price for his release. Thus, a kings ransom is required to pay the ransom of a king. Jesus is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords...the God/man.We sinned against the King of Kings, and the blood of goats and bulls would not suffice.

THE RANSOM WAS PAID FOR US, and it WAS PAID BY GOD, AND IT WAS PAID TO GOD.  He wrote the check to Himself, as it were. What does that mean? In order to free us from bondage, He had to pay the penalty FOR US....TO GOD.  .Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension paid the ransom, which He did not owe, and which we could not pay.

What kind of "currency" did God use to ransom us?

1. Jesus lived a perfect life FOR US...He paid the ransom by earning heaven for us.
2. He paid the ransom by taking our sins upon Himself
3. The most costly aspect of the cross/ransom is what is often misunderstood the most....the primary ransom that had to be paid was the punishment for all the sins committed by all of God's people. While on the cross bearing our sin, the unmitigated wrath of the Father was poured out upon His dearly beloved Son. Human language is inadequate to adequately covey the cursed, hellish misery Jesus experienced FOR US, as our substitute. He paid in currency we shall never fully understand.

The Father punishing the Son to satisfy the demands of His holy character and holy law, is known as "propitiation"...a word every Christian should know. hilasterion--in the Greek, conveys this pacifying of God's wrath by pouring it out upon His Son. Remember it is TO GOD that our ransom must be paid--He was the party offended against, and we became slaves. We could put the propitiation, and how it relates to our ransom, this way...

God Himself, punishing Himself, in order to save us from Himself. (That is the heart of the ransom paid for us)

The cross saved us from many things--GOD'S WRATH BEING THE WORSE.

God Almighty could not have given anything more precious or costly to Himself, than what He did give, in the propitiatory death of the Lord of Glory. He gave His Son to be a "burnt offering"..He gave EVERYTHING....paid the ultimate king's ransom.

The ransom was exceedingly high...infinitely higher than any ransom ever paid by man. Captivity to sin, Satan, and death was paid for by the infinitely precious blood of the Lamb of God. The true price that was paid is known only to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

That is crux of why we must confront and oppose this notion of ghosts.The captors were specifically targeted.(sin, Satan, and death)...then the full ransom price was paid.--FOR EACH OF GOD'S CHILDREN. Is it not unthinkable that after the Lord paid such a high ransom to defeat death, we turn around and act as if nothing had happened? Death is supposed to usher us into the  immediate presence of God--that was the intention in  paying the ransom...that we would be reconciled with God.
"...through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver those who fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." (Heb. 2:14-15)

"Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:14)
"The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (1 Cor. 15:26)

Physical death is the common lot for believers too, but it is transformed from being the "king of terrors" into being the gateway into the presence and rest of God. Physical death is abnormal, as it is the result of the fall. Like sin and Satan, believers still have to struggle with it, but as we breathe our last breath, we are done with the presence of sin, Satan and death. What God intended to be anticipated as the hope of certain reunion with Him, has been corrupted into an ongoing monster...as if the ransom had never been paid. What a wretched idea this notion of ghosts is. It belittles and denies the blood soaked Ransomer and His infinitely precious Ransom.

You've heard the truism, "You get what you pay for." The blood of Jesus is infinitely precious. Thus, we have throughout the bible, the centrality and certainty of hope.However, the notion of ghosts is a hope-killer.It belittles the heart of the gospel itself. It is a negation of the perfection of the Atoner and the atonement.

What will it take for us to take notice and make a stand? It was the realization of how "trapped spirits" threw into doubt the perfection of the atonement (the ransom did not accomplish our liberation from death) that, more than anything else, opened my eyes to how seriously dangerous this notion is...and how grievous it must be to the Holy Spirit--and why we must confront it. Thank you Lord for paying the ransom to free us from bondage to sin, Satan, and the grave.

First Visit During Deliverance

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

Because of the last three Deliverance’s, I have been involved with I decided to write this particular blog. There may be a right way (through God) and a wrong way (scientific, New Age) of doing a first visit to the client’s home. However, I want to give a particular scenario that I believe could be used or tailored to fit your needs accordingly.

“A WOMAN CALLS YOU SAYS SHE HAS SOMETHING DEMONIC IN HER HOME, AND IT HAS SCRATCHED HER AND HER 4-YEAR-OLD SON. SHE EXPLAINS THAT WALLS ARE KNOCKING AND THERE ARE THINGS MOVING AROUND IN THE HOME BUILT IN 1834. SHE ALSO TELLS YOU THAT THERE WAS WITCHCRAFT AND OTHER OCCULT ACTIVITY AND SUPPOSEDLY SACRIFICED A CHILD THERE. HOW WOULD YOU PROCEED FROM THERE?”

First thing on the phone before going to see her, I would advise her to have someone watch her son at a different location so we may conduct the interview in privacy and no distractions. I would encourage her to have anyone to be there with her to provide support or can relate with the findings that she has reported. I also would not go alone, as to make sure it never could get legal because she could accuse me of anything and I would have no witnesses for myself. The person coming with me would be someone I trust and know is a Christian. We would pray before knocking on the door and make sure all my senses are in alert mode.

I would introduce ourselves and turn on my digital recorder for the duration. We will sit with them and have them complete the consent form, and obtain the questionnaire that I had previously sent them so I can review their responses. I will use all my senses and listen to them tell their story. I would also have a discussion regarding fear to get their perspective, and would advise them of what I know of fear and the demonic. After reviewing the questionnaire, it will reveal all background information I need. I will take notes to document everything necessary.

I will ask permission to take a tour of the home, inside (Attic – Basement) and outside and surrounding area. I would also ask about the neighbors, and neighborhood. We would turn on EMF meter as we do the walk through. If they point out activity at a certain area, we will set the digital video camera in a spot that would be able to capture anything while I am there. My assistant would be taking random temperature, pictures, and EMF readings accordingly as well as humming christian songs throughout the process.

I will always try to debunk things accordingly, but will not tell them straight out that is what I am doing. I will always treat them with professionalism and respect, and accept any answers or comments “their truth” as they show me around and explain what goes on there.

After the walk through, we would sit and discuss the answers on the questionnaire. If they were not Christians, I would witness to them and at least plant the seed of salvation through Jesus Christ. I then would ask their permission to bind any demonic spirits present. If allowed, I would pray for the binding of the demonic spirits. I would also pray the Lord’s Prayer. I would discuss with them about releasing any Legal Rights or attachments and how they can free themselves through praying to God and asking for forgiveness and repent for any sins in their life. If they accept Jesus as their Savior, I would recommend they attend a local church of their choosing and be baptized.

I then would let her know that we will come back for a 2nd interview, which would give us time to go over the information collected and review anything the electronic equipment may have picked up. Once back to our vehicle, I would pray for continued protection and that no evil follow us back in to our lives.

Originally published on January 26, 2013

Babylon the Harlot, Part 2

Continued from Babylon the Harlot, Part 1

The Bride of Christ is called a city, and that is the portion of the church which has not compromised. The other (opposite) side of that is the harlot. It is also called a city but is evil because of compromise. This is not only the apostate church in Rome, but the apostate in many other churches, as well. Again, the waters let us know that this apostate church is throughout the masses of people.

17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

We see here, that this universal apostasy (unfaithfulness to God) does not affect just one class of people. This unfaithfulness is from the very rich and powerful (kings) to the very poor.

The same way a drunken person naturally has no earthly idea what he is doing, this apostate group is so carried away with the world that they, too, do not realize the terribleness of what they are doing. God will judge this idolatrous church. Judgment begins at the house of God.

17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

This "wilderness" here, I believe, means the world. This "scarlet coloured beast" shows evil world power.

Since this woman sits upon this beast, it means that her power comes from this evil beast in Revelation 18 verse 2, Babylon the Great as It supports her. This woman, it appears, has decided to trust the powers of this world over God's power.

Seven denotes spiritually complete, ten denotes world government, and horns denote power.

You can easily see, since she is on top of this thing, she guides it, but receives her support from the beast. The word "scarlet" can be very good or very evil. In this case, it is very evil. This great evil (blasphemy) that this woman (church) has committed is spiritual adultery (the watering down or changing of the Word).

17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

The elegant clothing and jewelry of the woman show her wealth and attractiveness, but her activities are filthy and abominable to God. Her mystery name is Babylon the Great verse 5. Ancient Babylon is a type or prefigure of this future Babylon. Babylon the City The harlot will do what literal Babylon did in the past:

(1) Oppress God's people, and

(2) Propagate a false religious system. Much of the world's idolatry can be traced back to historical Babylon (Gen. 11:1-9), including the mother-child cult of Semiramis -Tammuz (Jer. 44:16-19; Ezek. 8:9, 14), which entered other cultures as Ashtaroth - Baal, Aphrodite-Eros, Venus-Cupid, and even Madonna-Child.

Semiramis, who was both Nimrod's wife and mother, was worshiped as the "mother of god" and a "fertility goddess" because she had to be extremely fertile to give birth to all the pagan incarnate gods that represented Nimrod.

Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

The color scheme of this one world religion as defined in Rev. 17 v.4 is most revealing: "The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet." If you are familiar with pictures of the Vatican Council as published in national magazines, you will have observed that the bishops and cardinals wore purple and scarlet robes.

Revelations 17:5 And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Just as God marked the 144,000 with the name of the Father, and just as the bride of Christ is marked with the name of Christ, we see here this group marked on the forehead. This name alone makes you know how evil and worldly this church is.

This worldly part of the church, though nominally Christian, is yet more faithful to the world than to God. Notice here, that the church that pretends to be Christian and is not, does more to cause harm than those worldly people who claim to be lost. The worldly church always persecutes the faithful church. This evil in the church is an abomination to God. It is a mystery how this could happen in the church.

As the fountainhead of idolatry, Babylon the harlot is the MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH; the harlot has killed many of God's saints and Christian martyrs throughout the ages, and will do so again during the Tribulation period.

17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

The faithless part of the church is guilty of the blood of the saints. In Matthew 12:20 we read that Jesus says "He that is not with me is against me". This watered down church is actually causing great problems for those who are sold out to God. We do know that Rome had a great deal to do with the death of the martyrs and even had a hand in crucifying Jesus.

Of course, the Jews (church) of that day had even more to do with the crucifixion of Jesus. However, the most blame for His death has to be placed on each of us. Sin placed Jesus on the cross. He went to the cross to crucify sin. His sacrifice stopped us from being a servant to sin.

The wonder of it all is, that with the Bible as their guide, how could these people get so far away from God and still occupy a pew? The answer is quite simple. They never read or study their Bible themselves. They allow someone else to read it and tell them what it is saying.

I truly believe that much of the problem lies at the shepherd's feet. So many preachers are overlooking the need for the spiritual growth of their people. In the 34th chapter of Ezekiel, it says God will take the sheep away from the shepherds that do not care for them. Shepherds BEWARE! We are not to be as concerned with "our" needs as we are with the needs of "our people".

We see from the last few scriptures above that this is probably speaking of Rome and the Catholic Church, who have brought the compromise. Even more than that, it is speaking to individuals in all churches who have compromised themselves.

"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." 2 Timothy 3 verse 5. A person claiming to be a Christian on the outside, but who is not on the inside. It's so easy to point to someone else, but in so doing we should examine ourselves as well.

17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

Next week - Part 3

Written by Jennifer Auld

Demonic Video Games Influence

By Evangelist Stephen Piersall, God’s Preservation Ministry, sfprs.org/   

You can really relate to your own age when you can remember Intellivision, Atari 2600, Commodore computers, and 1981 when Donkey Kong hit the arcades. What in the world, did we do as kids before that? We played outside; Bike riding (had a Varoom motor, and streamers), Hula Hoops, Croquet, ball sports, Tonka toys, Tag, Hide & Seek, Kick the Can, Hop Scotch, tree climbing, etc. SIGH!!!

As kids, we went outside to play after doing your homework “first.” We relied on our imaginations and limitless energy to be active. Mom said, “You kids go outside and play!” We were gone until we heard our name to come home for supper then back outside again until the street lights came on. SIGH!!!

With regular visits with our grandchildren, we started to see a trend and nipped it in the bud real quick. They would start to argue as we approach our apartment on who gets the laptop, Kindle, and putting the TV on Disney or some dumb sponge with other weird-looking characters. We could have pizzas delivered every hour, and we could go away for the weekend and they would not know it. I am one of those “bad” grandfathers, when I take the two pugs out the kids come with me, and funny how I find it possible to find the long way around the neighborhood. Hey! We have to find time to get on our own electronic devices too LOL!

Keep in mind this blog is not just toward your children, but for you, adults too. After finances, the #2 items for arguments in marriages are the fact that at least one is now home from work rooted on the couch with energy drinks, wearing headphones talking to their friends they are playing video games with. It does not work at our house, as when yours truly am on the computer playing some music, or online training course, wife Karen’s voice is loud enough that I get the hint if I sit here too long. LOL

Video games can easily cause people of all ages to become fixated to the point of obsession. That and the content of many are the two primary dangers. Some say it is just the times we live in, but when you factor in the devil’s motives in finding ways to keep us away from God. The combining of culture and technology we see is making it easier for him to win his battles. No doubt, that much of the content in these games is diabolically disposed. That is certainly true for all other media like the Internet, movies, and TV.

Video games are highly interactive, and many are about killings, zombies, robbery, high-speed chases away from law enforcement, etc. The greater engaging the game, the further deeply we are drawn. We might understand this is just a game, and in the reality of life is meaningless. What about the many who do not recognize that fact? It can begin to affect our behavior, and it starts to control us, and becomes an addiction. Whatever in life comes our way where we waste away time, energy, focus, and emotions it dominates us and everything else, and dare say becomes “cult” like or very close to "worshiping." 

God gave us Free Will, and every Christian should know that life is full of trials and tribulations, and we are accountable for our choices in life. While we can agree, the content in some of these games is troubling; the obsessive behavior they are prone to generate is even more of a danger. If anything else besides Jesus Christ comes to have the top place in our life, in our hearts, that is where we run into trouble. Once we genuinely put Jesus Christ, first in our lives everything else that raises itself up against the truth of the Word of God, and our spiritual growth increases, evil is defeated. These choices have to come from inside, and those who take that road all the way to the end are few (Matt.7:14). However, if we are only willing to have just a little faith, small as a grain of sand or a mustard seed, our merciful God will be there to help us with every forward step we choose to take. 

Researchers have been able to link tempestuous criminals and bloodthirsty video games, which in turn these studies have shown that those young people to get into trouble at school and likely to bully other students are also most likely to play even more violent video games.

We always need to be careful what we are letting into our brains, and need to be especially wary when participating in activities that cause us to act contrary to God's principles. God has saved us and called us to a holy life (2 Timothy 1:9). Let us; therefore, out of love for God and gratefulness for Christ's saving work, follow the wise words of Paul:

 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

The Nature of God and the Greatest Question of All

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

"For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:21)

I have been accenting the paramount importance of the doctrine of God in our worldviews...how it effects everything. How we view Ultimate Reality has a domino effect on the other six worldview issues. There are several worldviews in our culture, but the one gaining ascendancy is New Age or Neo-gnostic/occult, which we will look at perhaps next time. Obviously, the concept of Ultimate Reality in this pagan goddess spirituality differs significantly from biblical Christianity.

Let me briefly show how the primacy of what God is like effects the other issues, and then I want too camp on what is the most important issue of all--how can I be saved?

1. Ultimate Reality in the bible is the infinite personal God who is really there, and who has spoken to us Person to person in the bible. God is good--meaning He is holy and loving.
2. Since God is both infinite and Personal He took great delight in creating the heavens and the earth, the visible and invisible. (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:16)
3. Since God is personal, He loves us and desires to be our primary love...He does not leave it to guesswork as to what our purpose in life is--it is stated in His communication to us.
4. The text above speaks of Jesus' sinlessness. Since God is really THERE, and spoken truth to us, we have an adequate basis for ethics. "Be holy because I am holy". (1 Peter 1:16)
5. God is infinite and personal and He made us finite and personal--that is, IN HIS IMAGE. Again, no guesswork as to what humans ARE, because of who God IS! (Gen.1:26ff)
6. We spoke of the three Lordship attributes of God last time (control, authority, and presence) This assures us that the flow of history (and our own personal history) is moving in a meaningful, linear fashion to it's culmination in the Second Coming/restoration. History is the stage upon which God is driving the drama of redemption.
7. The afterlife is, yet again, not a matter of speculation because God/heaven is really THERE. "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ...",   "...it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement." The moment we die we appear before the Lord's throne, and are sent to heaven or hell for all eternity. (2 Cor. 5:!0; Heb. 9:27) The greatest argument against the notion of trapped spirits is the nature of God (and His perfect atonement). His nature will also reveal in technicolor how we MUST be saved and enter His perfectly holy heaven.

Do you see how the existence and nature of God effects EVERYTHING? If we had the time, I would like to show how Ultimate Reality as energy/matter would "answer" these worldview questions. We would see that it, and all non-biblical worldviews, are utterly bankrupt to provide adequate answers to our deepest questions.

But what of the greatest question of all: how can I know I am going to heaven after death? Though it is not listed as a worldview component, it underlies and is implied in all of seven components--especially the nature of God. Once again, when we ponder our eternal destiny, the nature of what Ultimate Reality is will guide our thinking. For example, in the history of humanity there are three basic answers to that question. Though details may vary in a multitude of ways, we can accurately summarize three basic views of salvation--which (not surprisingly!) flow from one's view of Ultimate Reality. Let's look at these now.

1. Auto-soterism or self-salvation...otherwise known as Pelagianism (named after the heresiarch, Pelagius). Whether New Age, humanism, atheism, deism or theological liberalism (and scores of others), we either save ourselves by being good or we essentially "save ourselves" by denying that we even need salvation. The details vary from one belief to the next in auto-soterism (e.g. annihilation vs continued conscious existence), but the defining feature is that we don't need a Savior....we will earn or merit our way to our next incarnation or heaven. Perhaps the most common view of salvation is, "Justification by death alone." All we have to do is die, and we fly off to paradise.

The only way one can subscribe to Pelagianism is by having a seriously defective or deficient view of God's nature. Theological liberalism often states that the essence of Christianity is" living the Sermon on the Mount". Hmmm.....I wonder if they have ever carefully read this lofty sermon by Jesus? There is a spiritual logic to the beatitudes, which are the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, and the first is, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:3) That is, blessed (well being in one's relationship with God) are those who recognize they are desperately in need of divine grace and mercy, for they are spiritually bankrupt in themselves. A deficient view of God's holiness will lead to a deficient view of our true spiritual condition. In other words, self-salvation is the noxious fruit of having a distorted view of Ultimate Reality in our worldviews.

2. Semi-pelagianism or Arminianism (named after Jacob Arminius) is a half-way house between self-salvation and salvation by grace alone. Stated another way--we are saved by faith in Christ plus.... (fill in the blank). My intent is not to offend anyone, but to state things accurately and urge us to think (Berean style). I was raised in a devout Christian home, but the gospel was, "We are saved by faith in Jesus, plus doing certain things...but if you do other certain sins, that will kill the grace of God in your soul. You will lose your state of salvation until you do x, y, and z." I am intentionally being vague. However, regarding the view itself--we are saved by faith in Christ AND good work/s-I will NOT be vague. As Paul said to the "Arminians" of his day, "As we have said before, so now I say again:If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." (Gal. 1:9-10) The heresy Paul was eternally condemning to hell was the notion that we are saved by faith in Christ plus being circumcised. That was the Galatian heresy which so agitated Paul and the Lord.

There always has been, and always will be, differences amongst Christians this side of heaven. However, the essence of the gospel must be protected, regardless of what people say. The folks in Galatia were not pelagianists, or believers in self-salvation. However, they did add to the finished work of Christ on the cross by saying,"In order to be saved, you must believe in Christ and be circumcised." Today, that same sort of belief is alive and well in America, and globally. Only the Lord knows the true state of a person's soul and many folks raised in these traditions are truly born again, but it must be due to some happy inconsistency. Only the Lord knows when the line is crossed in practice--all I can do is state the biblical principle, for which I do not care what man thinks. What I plead for you to consider is that many professing Christians--either because they hold to a "easy-believism" or a version of faith plus works heresy--are not really saved and will spend eternit y in hell. That grieves me...and it certainly grieves the Lord.

The issue again is the nature of God. If we have depth view of God's holiness, then we will have a depth view of our sinfullness. With a deep awareness of our radical corruption comes a vision of the glorious beauty of grace. A deep appreciation of God's utter, burning holiness will reveal the utter futility and madness of adding anything to the finished work of Christ on the cross. A person on this faith and works treadmill can never enjoy (if they are consistent) an abiding joyful assurance of salvation. There will always be the insecurity of, "Did I do enough, or did I do TOO much sin today..did I get kicked out of God's family?" Listen, I lived this way  growing up and it was horrible, even as a child.

The third way of salvation is the biblical way...the true way of salvation. GRACE. We are saved by faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross. (Romans 3 & 4;Eph. 2:8-10...Gen--Rev) "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it s the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." I included v. 10 because it is often left out when these verses are quoted and it addresses a significant issue--what is the role of works, if we are saved by grace alone? Concern regarding "cheap grace" or easy believism is valid, but is no reason to throw the "grace baby" out with the dirty water. Luther re-discovered the pure gospel in 1517 after it had languished under severe legalism for 1, 000 years or more. He put it this way, "We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." The book of James is about the evidence of true faith. Good works have no meritorious value but they have immense evidential value. As the text in Ephesians states, we were saved in order to be pleasing to the Lord.

This is not a systematic theology, so I need to wrap up. We come finally, again, to Ultimate Reality--the nature of the biblical God--which reveals the sovereign grace of God Almighty. All this talk of worldviews is foolish and empty if we ourselves are not reconciled with our Creator. 2 Cor 5:21 is one of the most important verses in all of Scripture  for understanding the meaning of the atonement and justification. The sinless Son of God became a substitute for us...substitutionary atonement. We are justified by faith alone. To say that are saved by faith or grace alone is to say we are saved by Christ alone (and His finished work on the cross) Justification involves a double transfer. Christ became sin "for us"--and was punished "for us"--but His 33 years of righteous living (the righteousness of God) is imputed or counted to us as well. It pleased the Father to transfer our sins to Jesus, and to transfer Jesus' perfect life to us. We are declared eternally "Not Guilt y!" and the Father sees us "IN HIM".

The only way we can stand before the holy Father is due the robe of righteousness wrapped around us. Though it may not make sense to the world, we must be saved by grace alone because of how absolutely just, holy and righteous God is. Every sin is an act of cosmic treason against a thrice holy God and deserves eternal punishment. However, since we are in union with Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension..God not only accepts us, He absolutely delights in us! (Isaiah 62:3-5) He delights and rejoices over us...may we relish this, and dance for joy because salvation is of the Lord....from beginning to end. For all eternity we will sing the praises of the King of Grace! Amen.

Worldviews ... Different Ways of Seeing

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

In my last very long blog, I asked if you would try to watch a TV show/movie or read a novel through a biblical worldview...knowing that it is best to just start doing it as a means of grasping what a biblical worldview is. Anyway, it is possible to have a ton of biblical knowledge but not have a biblical worldview. All that knowledge is not brought together in a coherent system of thought. I was turned on to thinking worldviewishly in 1974 when I was 18 years old and a new Christian, and have been enormously blessed by 40 years of consciously viewing all of reality through biblical spectacles.

We live in times when discernment is of paramount importance, and thinking with a biblical worldview equips us to think with maximum discernment. The more closely our thinking follows this worldview, the more we will see reality as it really is. Unbelievers reject the biblical Creator and replace Him with idols (Rom. 1:18ff)--which entails creating a dream world--the more a person moves away from a biblical worldview the more they will be distorting reality AS IT REALLY IS. That is the sheer wonderment and beauty of thinking this way, is that it enables us to view God's world the same way He does.

If you look through pink glasses you will see a pink world, if you look through blue tinted spectacles then reality will appear bluish, but if you view the world through the spectacles of a biblical worldview, then you will see God's world as God sees His world (obviously not exactly as He does because He is infinite, but truly nevertheless) Fundamentally, the Word of God is all about application to our lives, and thinking worldviewshly enables one to apply the bible in an extraordinarily rich and comprehensive way.

Everyone has a worldview, including those who say they have no worldview! However, for most folks it is held unconsciously, but it is still having a profound effect upon how they think, act, and feel.

How do folks acquire their worldview? It is a process over a period of time--where their views of God, the universe, and our relation to both--are formed. Some of the contributors to worldview formation are: how we were raised, our experiences, our schooling, books we have read and movies we have watched, and just being in the world--being exposed to all messages that bombard us all day and night. The result is usually a mishmash of various beliefs.

Okay, so this does not become like a chapter in a book, as in last time, let me shift gears and just do it! (Nike would be proud...hehe) I mentioned that I had recently read "Adam and Eve" by Sena Jeter Naslund. I will basically review/analyze the book by sifting it through a biblical worldview grid. And we do that by asking how the book answers the seven components of a worldview...this is to teach you by practice HOW to do this kind of thinking.

First, just a few words of introduction to the book...Thom Bergmann, a world renowned astrophysicist, is married to Lucy Bergmann, an art therapist. Lucy was born into an evangelical family, but her parent left her with grand mom when she was a mere ten years  old in order to be missionaries to Japan. She felt betrayed and abandoned and she turned against the faith of her parents. Hence, there is an overt, hostile attitude toward biblical Christianity. Theirs is a lovely marriage...true devotion. He has been researching for other life forms "out there" and one day Thom shares with Lucy that he has found conclusive evidence of alien life in deep space. Along with this earth-shaking discovery, another one occurs as an archaeologist finds evidence that Moses was not the author of Genesis. Both finds are seen by them as victories over the dangers of moronic religious "literalism" (read, bible believing). Thom dies in a suspicious accident and Lucy becomes the literal bearer of the evidence of both of these discoveries. What follows is gripping plot which was thoroughly entertaining, and as one reviewer put it, Naslund writes "lush and luminous" prose. As I put the book down after finishing it, I said to myself, "Wow, that book will significantly shape of the worldviews of those who read it." As a best-selling author, I am sure of it...Time for a quick analysis.

1.What is God or ultimate reality like? Instead of an infinite/personal Creator, who is revealed in Scripture and supremely in Jesus Christ, Lucy tends to see God as ineffable. As I mentioned last time, she and her husband had a distaste for the arrogance of claiming we "have access to the mind of God." Sadly, the result is that He then becomes totally unknowable. In the end, she embraces some form of energy as ultimate reality. In that regard, and many others, this is a thoroughly modern novel.

2.What is our purpose in life? The Great Commandment---loving God with all of our being--is supposed to be our main priority. However, without access to the mind of God via His revelation to us, then we have no way of deciphering what our purpose is. Lucy, who is the narrator in the book, seems to assume that relationships with other people are our purpose. While hers is more noble than many, still it is idolatrous--as I read I could not help but feel like she was lost in more ways than one.

3.What is the nature of reality? There are two types of reality in biblical worldview--the Creator and His creation-- the latter including the visible and invisible. In Lucy's mind, energy plus time plus chance, has produced only one form of reality...the "creation"...but again, energy is the prime component of reality.

4.Where is history going? Biblically, history is His-story, the unfolding of the drama of redemption in space and time...it is moving meaningfully toward the The Second Coming. According to this novel, there is no meta-narrative (big story) to history. Earth is not the palace of the Great King, but space and time are mere products of the evolutionary forces of energy. History is going nowhere.

5.What is the basis for right and wrong...how do we determine morality? God's unchanging character and His revelation to us, forms the foundation for Christian ethics. Lucy has imbibed long and deeply from the post-modernist well of deconstructionism...words and morals can be defined according to our own interpretation. Lucy proceeds to affirm the beauty of love as the guiding principle for her life choices.. Right and wrong are subjective and relative, and they are human constructs. Without the law of God to define love, then she/we are left to our devices to what love looks like in each situation (a form of situation ethics).

6.What is the essence of being human? We have enormous dignity and worth which is extrinsic in nature. Only God has intrinsic worth and He made us in His image, and assigned immense value to us....we are God's highest creation! However, in a sense, the main point of the book is that we are nothing but the products of energy, plus time, plus chance. In one place Lucy mentions that all of us are damaged, which mirrors a biblical view of the fallenness of all reality, which much modern "happy preaching" ignores. The two discoveries (alien life and non-Mosaic authorship of Genesis) herald that man is NOT special after all. And she finds this liberating....but she can only feel that way by being inconsistent with her presuppositions.

7.What happens to us after we die? Scripture teaches that after death, we are immediately ushered into our eternal destinies, after judgment. When contemplating the death of her beloved, she is agnostic regarding where his consciousness is, but oddly optimistic anyway.

I would say that her worldview is generally that of optimistic humanism, which is irrational. Why? According to this view, the cosmos has a meaningless beginning, and an equally meaningless end, but somehow between these two poles of meaninglessness, she imbues deep meaning into the present moment! That, my friends, is an irrational leap of faith.Compare this with the more realistic assessment of life without God in Ecclesiastes.--"vanity of vanities..." The atheistic existentialists Sartre and Camus were brilliant in their sensitive portrayal of the meaninglessness of modern man.

I read this book with a notebook at hand, with the seven components written down...consciously searching for an explicit or implicit message relating to each worldview component. When I saw one, I made note of it...page number and so on. Please consider doing something similar this week....homework! I need to add that when I read or watch a movie, I do so on two levels: on the one hand, I read/view simply for enjoyment, but simultaneously, on the other hand, sifting the unfolding sequences and verbiage through the grid of a biblical worldview. It makes the experience all the more rich and stimulating...and I believe, glorifying to the Lord.                                

The Separation Of Church And State Of Mind

Correspondent: Michael O'Brien

According to a recent CNN poll 1 in 4 young American people are currently, "unaffiliated," with religion. Additionally, a staggering 59% of young adults ages 18 to 29 with a solid Christian background have left the church all together.

When asked why, the most common responses cited by today's youth (depending of course upon their individual belief system) regarding their choice of theological separation were that:

● "The church is anti-gay."
● "The church is anti-doubt."
● "The church is anti-female."
● "The church is anti-science."
● "The church is anti-abortion."
● "The church is too judgmental."
● "The church only wants my money."
● "The church is anti-sexual education."

Upon my interviews with the 18-30 demographic (which was in no way scientific with less than 150 subjects) I noted the same criticisms. However, I was afforded clarifications. Here are some expansions offered by our participants I felt noteworthy due to their repetition and consistency. Out of respect and professionalism I've excluded the profanities.

● "As a good Christian I was told by my Bishop at 14 that I needed to actively shun homosexuals, liars, thieves and adulterers but pray for them. That they alone were the root of all evil. At 16 we found out that my Bishop was every one of those. It knocked the wind out of me, and the religion too." Karen D., 19

● "If I'm forced to demand proof in my work, my field, science, I'm going to demand it in a religion. "Believe it because I said so," just doesn't fly anymore." Devon M., 28

● "It has been my experience that the more religious, especially political and religious you claim to be the more corrupt you are." Peter P., 22

● "Christianity (prayer) never offered me any real answers to my issues. However doctors, psychiatrists and pharmaceuticals did. Science saved me, a deity

did not." Sam R., 25

● "I am sick to death of all of this puritanical BS! Where are all of these religious people at the local shelters or local food banks that I volunteer at every weekend and twice during the weekdays? Not there that for sure!" Tracy O., 24

● "I was raised Mormon. My family was expected to faithfully offer the church 10% of our gross earnings even when we couldn't. Now 20% is required to remain in good standing. Someone please tell me, why does it cost money in order for (this) God to like, accept or respect me?" Tammy A., 22

● "I can't come to grips being force fed that I'm supposed to worship a God who is more consumed with who I've chosen to love instead of who I've chosen to hate or harm. Why is it that I'll be forgiven for deliberately hurting or even killing another if I find Christ and ask for forgiveness but not for being gay?" Melinda Z., 21

● "Personally I'm bored with tradition and ceremony. I don't enjoy it at all. Besides, I think the only difference between being a religious person or being a spiritual person is that one person who is more willing to give up a Sunday." Timothy K., 27

● "My parents were hell fire Baptists. Every Sunday I remember thinking, am I the only person who thinks it's weird to force a kid to believe in an all powerful, unseen yet ultimately anthropomorphic entity who I should fear at all times with every fiber of my being? Also one who can't cure my MS but can apparently take Sunday attendance? Get real." Katelynn B., 24

● "The second I find out that someone is a preacher, priest or bishop I'm automatically suspicious. I don't mean to be but I can't turn on my TV anymore without hearing about one of these guys lying, manipulating, cheating, stealing money or molesting a child. If that's the godly level I'm supposed to be striving for then it's no wonder I'm a freaking atheist." Jacob L., 25

● "If I'm to understand this racket, God only focuses on what I do wrong and how he'll eventually punish me in eternal hell. And this is supposed to motivate me how?" Ally G., 18

● "I really don't get this whole Christian or Catholic thing. I think it's about a bunch of self righteous zelots who pick & choose what biblical passages we should all live by. But then gloss right over those passages that allow me to own slaves & beat adulterous women to death with rocks. I especially don't get the part where their God says do not judge, that's my job, but they ignore him anyway. Isn't HE supposed to be their authority? I swear they're more confused than I am. #toomanychiefs" Victoria R., 19 (this portion was extracted from an extended email by the author).

In the studies on atheism I'm familiar with it would appear many younger people are literally screaming the church is suspect if not outright hypocritical and outdated. With that, they seem to feel they are being forced to choose between their intellectual integrity, ideology and their faith. Unfortunately, at 59% intellect may be winning that battle.

I should quickly add this compilation of data gathered isn't offered solely by pollsters but by churches as well. Churches themselves report a substantial decline in attendance based upon baptismal records and their current congregational attendance. Some churches have even reported a variance as substantial as 69%.

We're all aware of the strict traditional stances of the church so what is fueling this sudden separation between church and the newest generation's state of mind? Are our youth seeking a greater education and spiritual understanding while the church seems content resting upon their standard catechism? Or are our youth genetically programmed to question everything about the generation before them? After all, there is substantial evidence that each generation brings with it deeper philosophies and greater knowledge. Evidence to that would be found in how even our generation (40+) perceives the generation of the 1960's.

While there are countless reasonings offered, I believe the true premise to this epidemic is that men of God are no longer respected leaders in our moral and ethical universe. And those that are have been undeniably sullied by the others.

Based upon documented hypocrisy, most have failed in their calling to become a moral compass for any of us. It's also unfortunate that these well known, so called, "spiritual leaders," have become the poster boys of modern religion. Listed below are only a few examples of my hypothesis.

● Westboro Baptist Church - who's premise is anti-gay and regularly frequents military funerals to mock the deaths of fallen heros.

● Reverend Gerry James - charged with misapplication of insurance funds of $450,000.00, DUI and possession of marijuana.

● Pastor Mark Driscoll - who commonly proclaims that women are “inferior vessels.”

● Pastor Rick Warren - who has consistently preached a disparaging anti-gay agenda.

● Pastor Ed Young Jr. - accused of living an overly opulent lifestyle courtesy of low income church member contributions.

● Pastor Eddy Long - an anti-gay preacher who won the top 10 Worst Pastors In America for underage homosexual assault and misuse of funds by The Preacher Bureau of Investigation.

● Reverend Travis Smith - who was charged with raping two teenage girls.

● Priest Eric Dejaegar - who served a five-year sentence beginning in 1990 for nine sexual assault charges of boys and girls ages 9 to 14.

● Pastor Matthew Kidd - charged with homosexual molestation of children.

● Preacher Travis Smith - charged with the molestation of under aged girls.

● Bishop Anthony Jinwright - who will spend the next decade in prison as punishment for more than 2 million in tax fraud.

● Reverend Peter Popoff - a televangelist found wearing an earpiece so that his accomplices could feed him personal information on people in his audience while he was claiming to get those personal messages directly from God.

Now scramble this knowledge in the mind of a spiritually confused or emptied person. Just look at the messages they send and what children may take from them. Obviously I could have gone on for pages with documented accounts of clergy gone bad but I won't. However, I will say the behavior of Catholic clergy alone would have turned this report into an exhausting novel.

This is what our youth are dealing with daily so is it any surprise that like untamed energy they've decided to take the path of least resistance? Again, I'm reminded of Karen D., age 19 who submitted:

"As a good Christian I was told by my Bishop at 14 that I needed to actively shun homosexuals, liars, thieves and adulterers but pray for them. That they alone were the root of all evil. At 16 we found out that my Bishop was every one of those. It knocked the wind out of me, and the religion too."

Face it, the youth of today not only out educate these false prophets on the pulpit but when it comes to purity, social equality, fairness and open mindedness, they obviously feel confident being their own spiritual guides. In their epiphanies they have chosen to abandon organized religion and have either opted for apathy, atheism or to simply exercise their spiritualism independently. Religious home study and volunteerism appear to be an option since both are steadily on the rise.

Apparently this isn't just an unfortunate U.S. movement. In 2005, a WIN-Gallup International poll was submitted and was based on interviews with 50,000+ people from 57 countries and 5 continents. In this poll participants were asked, "Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, would you say you are a religious person, not a religious person, or a convinced atheist?"

This poll entitled, "The Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism," found that the number of Americans who say they are "religious" dropped sharply from 73% to 60%. Listed below is some surprising and interesting additional information on what their study returned.

● Besides Vietnam, Ireland had the greatest change in religiosity, down from 69% to 47%.

● China has the most "convinced atheists," at 47%, followed by Japan at 31%, Czech Republic at 30% and France at 29%.

● The most religious countries are in Africa (Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya), South America (Brazil and Peru) and Eastern Europe (Macedonia, Romania and Armenia).

● Countries with the same percentage of atheists as the U.S. are Poland, Moldova and Saudi Arabia.

Each of these reports are disturbing to say the least and they would seem to ask these questions.

● "Are we becoming a godless nation?

● "Is religion itself the problem or is its representation?"

● "Can the youth of today return to a salvationist belief and abandon their fringe philosophies? If one can call the absence of faith a philosophy."

For what it's worth, my answers are,  "Yes." - "Yes." - "I certainly hope so."

Trapped Spirits and the Loss of Hope

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

“Sir, your blood oxygen level is 74 %, which is very dangerously low…we have to get you to the hospital ASAP!” This was said to me two weeks ago when I visited my doctors office. I was struggling to breathe, and for good reason—I had pneumonia. It was the sickest I have ever been in my entire life, and I could easily have died, especially with my heart problems. I spent several miserable days in the hospital as they fought to control the infection and get oxygen in my system. I was scared, because it was so difficult to breathe and I felt like any second my heart would go into cardiac arrest (I have a pace/defib in my chest).

It was impossible to get comfortable, and as I said, I wrestled with fear—not of death, but the dying process...as well as I did not want to leave my children yet. The potential of death was thrust in my face, like never before. I have a strong assurance of my salvation—not based on my faith, but on the OBJECT of my faith—the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Hence, I do have hope, and it was deeper than any fear that I experienced.

It is impossible to exaggerate how crucial hope is to the biblical message of salvation.Faith, hope, and love…Hope is not to be understood as the word is commonly used today, as wishful thinking. No, biblical hope is certain faith applied to the future. Remember the spiritual “Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home...”? Certainty!   That is hope. We die in Christ, and then we immediately join Him in heaven. We are to be certain of that, because hope is soaked in the blood of the finished work of Christ.

The question I have is this: how is it possible to live with a solid, soul-comforting hope, if the prospect (no matter how remote) of being trapped here after death is hanging over your head? The notion of trapped spirits vitiates or destroys hope. You can’t have your hope-cake and eat it too. You cannot believe in trapped spirits and (if you are consistent), experience deep hope.

I have stated elsewhere that the notion of trapped spirits is hostile to every major biblical doctrine. If you are a Christian, how can you live with such a monstrosity?  This notion is a hope-robber, and that should raise a red flag. It kills, steals, and destroys hope.

Due to this close run in with death, I have lost patience with those who espouse trapped spirits but do not have the courage to acknowledge what is manifestly clear—we all should live in fear… if we are consistent with basic ghost formation theory. Unless you are excited or turned on about the prospect of being trapped in a paranormal gutter world, then the only logical position is fear, or hope-lessness. Hope—biblical hope—is impossible to enjoy if ghosts are real. It is as simple and profound as that.

One thing I admire about the atheistic, existentialists Camus and Sartre is that they had guts to be consistent. If God is not there, then life is utterly meaningless. Where is the same guts in the paranormal community? When is someone going to say,”Ya know, what we believe undercuts all hope.”? The notion of trapped spirits gets folks all jazzed because it allegedly proves an afterlife. Well, what about that after-life? If there is any element of violence (or whatever) in one’s death, then their entry into heaven will potentially be derailed into an indeterminate amount of time trapped here. That is a high price to pay for allegedly proving the after-life (which it doesn’t).

There is not one scrap of evidence that ghosts exist. NONE. There is a ton of real paranormal activity happening which is being mis-identified as ghostly, but it is demonic. If you will simply take the time to test the spirits you will see that this is factual. Which of you is messing with the spirit world and NOT having problems (like paranormal activity of your own)?

It has been said that one cannot live well until they are certain that they will die well.  That is, hope is needed in order to live with fullness of joy in the present. You may live in happy inconsistency with your beliefs. But if you become consistent, then you should become miserably insecure. Your hope is empty and groundless. If the only way you can live with your beliefs is by “side-stepping” it, then perhaps you should re-consider that belief…seems logical to me. But logic is a rare commodity in the paranormal community, when it comes to examining its core beliefs.

What of the eight year old child who was murdered in Boston? I have nothing but contempt for the notion of trapped spirits, because HE IS A PRIME PROSPECT (according to ghost theory). You say you believe in trapped spirits…you assert with confidence that a violent death is the cause of entrapment…congratulations, you just stripped the child’s parents of hope. Have the damn guts to apply your beliefs consistently. If this were done, then think of the millions of Americans who have died violent deaths through the centuries. The consequences would be unspeakably horrific.

Having almost died myself, I know how crucial hope is. My stay in the hospital would have been unbearably dark if I had harbored the smallest doubt about my soul getting stuck here. I have no patience for the miserable waffling in the paranormal community. Do you believe in ghosts? Then have the courage of your convictions and lament the death of hope. Better yet, repent of your rationalistic/autonomous thinking, and bow before the God of the bible—who will give you true hope.

Curses, Yokes & False Covenants

By Kirby Robinson

I'll focus on three tools that the dark forces/demons use against us in the never-ending battle, and as the saying goes, “Knowledge is power.” I want to empower you on the pervasive subject of curses, yokes, and false covenants.

A curse is any act, spoken, or mental thought that seeks to produce harm or injury towards someone or something. When the demons out there pick up the scent of a curse they go to work on the curse and the person who makes the curse. (The simple act of cursing anything is an invitation to the demons to enter your life and you opened up the door to them). A curse can take many different forms.

1. A curse as an evil declaration against a person, group, place or thing, so be careful when you say such things as: "I curse this job." "I curse that relationship to fail." "I curse this office." This is the act that leads to most curses being cast and often people don’t even realize they are casting curses, until years later, if ever. And of course there is the other way, that of finding a trained individual who will cast the curse for you, or the do-it-yourself method of buying or checking out a library book and casting it yourself.

2. A curse is the polar opposite of a blessing. When you say "I love you" that’s a blessing. When you say, "I hate you" that’s a curse. Blessings are positive wishes, hopes, and prayers for good. No curse can ever produce such things.

3. A curse can be our own personal actions. Let’s say you drink alcohol. Then, by the simple act of drinking you opened up the door for possible legal, personal, and health related curses. These can range from being arrested for DUI, to becoming addicted, and such alcohol related diseases like depression, cirrhosis of the liver, heart failure and AIDS. Conversely, good conduct, such as abstaining from liquor, produces the opposite results, which are blessings.

4. A curse is a judgment against a person, place, or thing. How often have we felt good about a task we set for ourselves, then someone attempts to undermine us, saying: "That’s too difficult." "Your goals are unrealistic.""What makes you think you’re good enough?" We as mere humans hear the curse of the negative words and buy into them.

5. A curse can be placed on a physical object and thus effect everyone who comes into ownership with that object. I can’t count the times I’ve been called into a case and while moving through the home, I find some little object and ask where did you get that? And hear answers such as "My boy bought that statue thing back from Iraq" or "I dug that up at some burial ground." Objects can have curses placed on them that can last for thousands of years.

6. A curse can come from the simple act of saying the words: damn, hell and any other cuss word, or in reality curse word, with a negative intent in mind. When you get cut off in traffic and say "damn you" to that driver of the sports car, you’re cursing the driver of that foreign sports car. When you say "damn you" to your spouse when you fight, you’re cursing your spouse. When you say "damn" or "dammit" when you get mad at yourself, you’re cursing yourself. And whenever you curse someone, even yourself, that curse will return to you.

7. A curse can come from a negative wish. For example, you wish someone dead, or to go to hell after they die, then that also constitutes a curse. 

The yoke is the outgrowth of the curse that binds the cursed one physically and spiritually. It’s like the ox that pulls the cart, with that big, heavy wooden yoke binding his neck. Someone who has been cursed is prevented from finding peace. They only know suffering via physical and emotional pains and inner turmoil. They suffer physical, emotional, and oftentimes sexual abuse. Shame and disgust will rule every thought they have about themselves. Coldness, fear, hopelessness, and confusion will rule their minds. We also need to understand that our own inactions can produce curses that saddle us with yokes. These would be traits like refusing to forgive, refusing to engage in a spiritual path, and refusing to stop self-imposed negative thinking. That trio of inactions produces curses that saddle us with yokes. We end up cursing ourselves.

A covenant is an agreement that is entered into by two parties. If party A does the thing that Party B asks them to do, then Party B will reward them for their actions. As in the Christian act of salvation, the person goes through the process of accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior in body, mind and spirit, makes a public confession, and in turn Jesus Christ will stand up for them in heaven. Covenants are good things, but there can be "false covenants" that we don’t realize that we’re entering into. "I'd give my soul for that job." "I'd give up my five years of my life to date him/her." "I would give up everything to see him/her lose." You’ve heard those expressions before, or maybe you even spoke those words. At some time, quite often in our youth, we make pacts with the devil. I’ve seen it so many times in my cases where I find out that at some time they’ve asked for something from the devil, got it, and years later their life literally went to hell. Folks, the devil doesn’t play by the rules. He may get it for you, but you’ll never be able to keep it. And the price you end up paying is immeasurable. 

False covenants can also be simply wishes such as: "If I only had that job, my life would be complete." "If I married that person, I’d be whole." These are also false covenants because you’re seeking happiness outside yourself. And only true happiness is inside. Curses, yokes, and false covenants can all be multi-generational. In Numbers 14:18, the Bible reads: "The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." Additionally, this can also mean their mothers, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, and uncles. And I‘ve seen some curses run as long as twenty generations. 

Appendix: There’s something I wish to add here concerning curses and a person’s ability to curse total strangers. It can’t be done. You simply can’t go through the phone book, newspaper or any website and cast curses on people that you don’t share some form of a metaphysical interaction with. But, at the same time, you still suffer the consequences for intentionally or unintentionally casting a curse on a stranger. 

From the book Paranormal Teachings: The Best of Shedding Some Light