St. Dominic St. Dominic was born in 1170 in Spain. His father was Felix Guzman and mother Blessed Joan of Aza. He was named after the saint Dominic of Silos. He joined in the congregation of St. Augustine and did social work. He founded a congregation of “the Order of Preachers” popularly called the Dominicans (Friar Preachers). He abstained from meat and was wearing only meanest clothes. He also lived in very inconvenient and worst accommodations. He walked with barefoot in the villages. It is also believed that the Holy Mary appeared to St. Dominic and asked him to preach the Rosary throughout the world and also told him that reciting rosary is the best way to get the grace of God. Hence Rosary of Mary is the foundation of the Dominican Order. He died on August 6, 1221. He is the patron saint of Astronomers. #faith #saint #Catholic #bible #patron #patronage #world #astronaut #astrology #astronomer #church #dominican

St. Dominic St. Dominic was born in 1170 in Spain. His father was Felix Guzman and mother Blessed Joan of Aza. He was named after the saint Dominic of Silos. He joined in the congregation of St. Augustine and did social work. He founded a congregation of “the Order of Preachers” popularly called the Dominicans (Friar Preachers). He abstained from meat and was wearing only meanest clothes. He also lived in very inconvenient and worst accommodations. He walked with barefoot in the villages. It is also believed that the Holy Mary appeared to St. Dominic and asked him to preach the Rosary throughout the world and also told him that reciting rosary is the best way to get the grace of God. Hence Rosary of Mary is the foundation of the Dominican Order. He died on August 6, 1221. He is the patron saint of Astronomers. #faith #saint #Catholic #bible #patron #patronage #world #astronaut #astrology #astronomer #church #dominican

❤️EVIDENCE OF OCCULT OPPRESSION AND SUBJECTION. Part 1 of 3 We must distinguish between general oppression and occult oppression and subjection. The symptoms may be similar in many respects, but in several important aspects they are not. The marks of occult involvement are easily distinguished to one experienced in this particular area of deliverance. As a result of failing to distinguish between occult oppression and general demonic oppression issuing from other causes, many who have had prayer for deliverance have not been permanently set free. As we will show, those who have been involved in occultism have opened a "door" of access to oppressing spirits which they themselves must close by positive action and faith on their part. Moreover, liberation from occult oppression or subjection requires proper understanding of its peculiar nature and cause, the specific method of deliverance required, and the spiritual responsibilities of the one who has received deliverance from occult oppression. General oppression, whether mental, physical, or spiritual, may result from any one of several causes. For example, it may result from some traumatic experience, sin, weakness, emotional crisis, resentment, hate, pride, fear, or illness. Occult oppression and subjection, however, always result from an individual's involvement in some form of fortunetelling, magic practice, spiritism, or false religious cult, either as practitioner, or, as is most often the case, as subject, follower, or participant. Moreover, experience has shown that it is possible for a person to be "passively" subjected or oppressed, even though he has never actively participated in the occult. The Biblical basis for this fact is Exodus 20:3-6: God's "curse" falls upon "the children unto the third and fourth generation" of those who violate His commandment by calling upon other gods (demonic spirits and powers), which they do through involvement in the occult, for the purpose of breaking through the bounds which God has set for man. The magnitude of the sin of occult involvement, which is an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 18:12), is confirmed by its deep power of enslavement, not only upon the participants themselves, but even upon their descendants. The reality of such passive oppression and subjection has been shown in the preceding study. Both from Scripture and from experience it is evident that evil spirits who oppress human victims are of various kinds, and work in a variety of ways. There are blind spirits, deaf spirits, epileptic spirits, deceiving spirits, and lying spirits; spirits of pride, intellectualism, lust, infirmity, insanity, homosexuality, suicide, fear, apathy, anger, discord, strife, hate, resentment, depression, stubbornness, misunderstanding, gossip, obscenity, and many others. Oppression may be subjective, such as insanity, lust, or loss of health through disease and affliction; or objective, in which case the victim may be plagued by demonic apparitions and voices, or troubled by discord and strife through vexation by evil spirits. These malevolent spirits are definite personalities, not mere habits, diseases, psychological conditions, or states of mind. Just as human beings vary in personality, power, ability, appetites, intelligence, and purpose, so do the demonic spirits. Their primary intention, as disembodied spirits, is to oppress or possess a person appealing to their particular nature or appetites, in order to hide, as it were, behind these traits, habits, weaknesses, and mental or physical conditions, and thereby escape detection. An individual given to sexual looseness and excess, for instance, opens the door to demonic control in this particular area of his life by a spirit of lust with this characteristic appetite. The same would be true concerning a person who has a violent temper which he does not bring under control, or those who are given to pride, jealousy, hate, depression, gluttony, drug addiction, or any other weakness of character, mind or body. Demonic spirits seek to oppress those whose make-up, character, temperament, appetites, and moral, mental, or physical weaknesses are most harmonious to themselves. They bury themselves in the very structure of the person and actually identify with the personality of the victim insofar as possible. This is why it is difficult for the novice to discern, or the medical doctor, psychologist, and psychiatrist to admit, the reality and activity of demonic spirits in such victims. The latter reduce such diseases as epilepsy, cancer, blindness and deafness, as well as abnormal personality and behavior problems, to functional or organic disorders. Hence, the presence and activity of demonic spirits in their victims are often described by other terms such as: complexes, habits, drives, hallucinations, delusions, delirium tremens, insanity, epilepsy, melancholia, masochism, homosexuality, schizophrenia, mania, depression, psychoneurosis, psychosis, compulsions, drug addiction, disease, and so on. Not that the terms are entirely inaccurate, but in many cases they are inadequate. They do not go deep enough in identifying the conditions and phenomena connected with the work of the powers of darkness in the lives of the oppressed. Likewise, the parapsychologist describes the various manifestations of demonic powers by such terms as clairvoyance, telepathy, extrasensory perception, eidetic imagery, hypnotic suggestion, precognition, telesthesia, psychic phenomena, and so forth. He holds that such paranormal abilities and powers are merely manifestations and projections of the human subconscious or psyche, or that they can be explained in some other natural and rational manner as a rule. Thus, the presence and activity of such personal entities as demonic spirits are not easily perceptible to the analytical investigators of the paranormal, for the precise reason that Satan does not publicly announce his presence and work in an individual by handing out "calling cards"! However, growing numbers of psychologists, psychiatrists, and physicians are beginning to see and admit that they can no longer dismiss demonic oppression as mere religious delusion or pagan superstition. They are finding it to be a dreadful reality, and that there are definite limits beyond which medicine and psychiatry cannot penetrate to bring the necessary liberation to the suffering individual. In one instance, the church which a certain person pastored was contacted by a Christian psychologist asking for prayer for the deliverance of one of his patients. He recognized that the woman was bound and oppressed by Satan and that he was unable to help her with mere technical knowledge and skills. After the church prayed in faith for her liberation in the Name of Jesus, the psychologist reported that she had been set free. He was then able to counsel effectively with her, which he had been unable to do previously. Dr. William S. Reed, a well-known American surgeon, was reported to have said that he, as a surgeon, was convinced that many psychological and physical illnesses are the result of demonic attacks upon the individual; that on the basis of Mark 16:17, he himself used exorcism (casting out of evil spirits) when guided to do so; and that modern medicine and psychiatry should seriously consider the ministry of exorcism. Often the connections between occult involvement and the oppression which results are so subtle that people are completely unaware of the insidious relationship until it is pointed out. For instance, who would have connected the chronic physical illness of Mrs. L. with her visit to a fortune teller? Mr. R. did not believe that his playing with the ouija board had any adverse spiritual effects upon him until it was manifested in his inability to exercise faith to receive the Holy Spirit. For many years Mrs. T. was unaware that her persistent marital problems and apathy toward life began the day after her participation in a seance. And who would have seen the cause of the chronic phobias and doubts of another person who had been healed as an infant by an occult or magic healer? Mr. B. regularly visited fortune tellers, but did not realize until it was shown him that this accounted for an uncontrollable spirit of lust, from which he could not escape, and also explained his pride, indifference, immaturity, and hate. A brutal, demon possessed child, subject to periods of violent rage, was the result of the parents' participation in the occult, but this was unknown until counseling revealed the cause. Mrs. C. suffered from severe depression and thoughts of self destruction, little realizing that her participation in seances was the cause. Miss W. had been committed to a mental institution at one time, spent much money visiting doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists, and had sought help and counseling from many sources concerning her psychotic condition, all to no avail. Little did she realize that it resulted from her past fortunetelling practices and other occult connections. Likewise, Mrs. G. was unaware that her visits to the fortune tellers were responsible for the "voices" she heard and demonic apparitions she saw, until this was shown her in counseling. Who would have seen a connection between the morbid depression and extreme negativism of Mr. V. and his visits to meetings of Spiritualists and other religious cults such as Theosophy and Rosicrucians, even though he only went out of curiosity? Homosexuality and fear of crowds were the result of another individual's involvement in the practice of table-tipping and consulting the ouija board as a child. The rapid mental and physical deterioration of another victim of occult oppression was traced to submission to hypnotism and treatment by "Concept Therapy." Mrs. D. found through counseling that her depression and lack of desire for spiritual things followed her visit to a fortune teller. Although he had prepared for the ministry, Mr. T. later fell back into the world, was divorced, and lost interest in Christianity. He was then surprised to learn that his troubles stemmed from his practice of self-hypnosis, astrology, and other occult interests. The removal of warts by magic charming and involvement in other magic practices has resulted in alcoholism, oppression by sex spirits, and other forms of demonic oppression in some cases. The parents' participation in occult practices resulted in a young man and a young woman being oppressed by demonic apparitions and vexed with other problems. Palm reading was the cause of one woman's serious domestic problems, and another's oppression in which she heard voices and saw a ghostly apparition. Water dowsing explained the resistance of one man to the Scriptural teaching concerning the Holy Spirit. It was also the cause of another's vexation with a serious problem over which he could not achieve victory, and resulted in insanity to still another who practiced this ancient heathen method of divining. Playing with the ouija board and visits to fortunetellers led Mrs. F. to attempt suicide. The consequence of having a burn "blown" away by magic charming was severe depression for Mrs. R. The relation between the mental illness of Mrs. A. and her practice of table-tipping as a child seemed remote until she experienced immediate liberation upon confessing this occult sin and receiving prayer for deliverance. Another, who could have no assurance of salvation, due to oppression by a deceiving spirit, was delivered when she was shown the connection between her mental suffering and a healing she had received from a psychometric healer who diagnosed her illness by touch. Chronic asthma was the consequence of involvement in magical practices, from which a sufferer was set free upon learning of the cause. Liberation from severe mental, physical, and spiritual oppression came to another who fell victim to the insidious powers of darkness after visits to Spiritualists' meetings, while another was set free from psychic subjection which resulted from occult practices, when shown the source and nature of her extrasensory powers. The examples from this certain pastor’s files could be multiplied, for there are few families in which at least one member has not had contact with occult spirits in one form or another, with its resultant oppression or subjection. Although few people are aware of the various forms in which occult oppression and subjection express themselves, there is no doubt that occult involvement always results in bondage. This conclusion is based on a pastor’s experiences in deliverance. First he had established the connection between the occult involvement and the bondage, then the oppressed individual confessed his occult sins and commanded Satan to depart. The result is always the same: the person is delivered. In instances where the individual was also psychically subjected (having extrasensory powers, seeing apparitions, hearing spirit voices, and so on), these experiences have immediately ceased, thereby proving their occult source. A distinction should be made between "subjection" and "oppression" resulting from occult involvement. Subjection means that malevolent spirits have brought the victim under the domination and control of the powers of darkness. The victim has been made subject to, or enslaved by, such things as sexual lust, violent temper, drugs, uncontrollable thoughts, resistance to divine things, compulsive behavior, lying, hate, religious delusions, self-pity, or forms of occultism. A person thus subjected often becomes psychic himself, and is so enslaved by occultism that he lacks the will, and sometimes even the desire, to be set free. Oppression resulting from occult involvement means that the victim has been afflicted with some form of mental, physical, emotional, or psychic ailment or distress such as depression, fear, mental illness, disease, pain, apathy, marital discord, compulsive thoughts of suicide, apparitions, and so forth. The characteristics listed in the rest of this study are evidences of occult subjection and oppression. Some of these symptoms may result from other causes, but the existence of any of these manifestations usually indicates the presence and activity of demonic spirits, as well as the need for deliverance. Occult subjection and oppression may be classified for clarification into five categories: Mental and Emotional; Psychic; Spiritual; Physical; Material, Domestic, and Social. A. Mental and Emotional Disturbances and Abnormalities. Contrary to common wisdom, many psychoneuroses, psychoses, and other mental and emotional abnormalities result, not from functional or organic causes, but from occult involvement. Some of the following symptoms could be classified as "psychic" disturbances or abnormalities in character; however, we will purposely be limiting our later discussion of "psychic" subjection and oppression to the strict parapsychological sense of the term, namely, to extrasensory functioning, such as clairvoyance, telepathy, and precognition, and to such psychic phenomena as apparitions or poltergeist activity. Note further that "mental and emotional" does not necessarily imply "inward," but many of the following mental and emotional disturbances and abnormalities will also affect the outward behavior of the oppressed individual. 1. Psychoses indicative of occult oppression or subjection. Symptoms in this category include serious, prolonged depression or melancholia; resignation to failure or misfortune; habitual gloominess, morbidity and negativism, boredom and indifference (ennui), as well as apathy in general. Persons thus afflicted are often more interested in their own inward thoughts than in what goes on around them, and may respond in an abnormal, dull manner to others and to reality. They manifest extreme introversion; that is, they live within themselves and take no interest in their surroundings. At times they shun others, withdrawing and spending long periods of time alone, sometimes in a darkened room with the shades drawn, in a morose state of mind. Excessive weeping may also accompany this condition, as well as self-accusation of sins, frequently with thoughts of self-destruction. Such individuals often lack normal emotional response and contact with reality. They live in a private world where little affects them except their own fantasies and dreams. In some oppressed persons, this state of depression alternates with a directly opposite mood of extreme joy, happiness, exhilaration, and optimistic outlook. This mental disorder, known as manic-depressive psychosis, is characterized by extreme, sudden changes in mood, fluctuating up and down, often without warning. Delusions, so-called hallucinations, and psychic oppression are frequently present in victims of occult involvement who have become psychotic. There may be compulsive thoughts of violence and aggression, and destructive emotions of hate, rage, resentment, jealousy, suspicion, envy, malice, and other antisocial abnormalities. Great excitement and perturbation over trivial matters, and other indications of mania are often seen, as well as unpredictable impulses, moods, actions, and other psychopathic indications of insanity. There is often found in such persons a continual "flight of ideas." The individual goes off on one tangent or another, often without completing a thought, and there is a general incoherence of thoughts and ideas. Generally, they are irresponsible, unpredictable, and undependable. Unreasonable attitudes or demands are characteristic of demonic activity in such persons. As a result of occult involvement, some individuals are in subjection to extreme and uncontrollable passions and appetites. Vile language, sexual allusions or displays are common, together with inexplicable character or personality changes toward moral degeneracy. There may be found such sexual aberrations as homosexuality, masochism, self-abuse, promiscuity, sadism, abnormal sexuality, uncontrollable lustful thoughts and images, and suggestive behavior and dress. The presence and activity of demonic powers is also indicated by enslavement to evil habits such as drug addiction, gluttony (compulsive eating), addiction to alcohol or tobacco, compulsive gambling, and many other forms of excess and intemperance. 2. Psychoneuroses indicative of occult oppression and subjection. A neurotic person exhibits symptoms such as persistent, chronic fear or dread. Generally, there is a morbid anxiety that something dreadful is about to happen, or that one has not done something he ought to have done, or has done something that he should not have done, and so on. There are often feelings of apprehension, consternation, panic and hysteria, or evidence of strong nervous tension. The individual often works and lives at a frenzied pace, frequently suffering insomnia and extreme restlessness. Other abnormalities seen in neurotics include difficulty in making decisions, inability to adjust normally to certain situations, and the need of constant guidance and reassurance by others because of personal feelings of inadequacy and immaturity, or the fear of failure. Extreme hypersensitivity, irritability, and impatience are common. The individual is often ill-humored, argumentative, defiant, negative, always "on the defensive," and highly critical of others in an effort to justify his own deep feelings of inadequacy. The most pathetic and difficult forms of neurotic oppression to deal with are the deep-rooted feelings of self-pity and the abnormal desire for attention found in some individuals. They dread being alone for any length of time and have need of constant companionship and conversation. They often feel mistreated, misunderstood, misrepresented, and disliked by others. Frequently, they develop some psychosomatic ailment or disease as a result of the subconscious desire for attention, in order to find escape through sickness from the problems and perplexities of life. Such persons, called "hypochondriacs," seek to control and manipulate others by the shrewd use of their illness. Their households and families are forced to adjust to their abnormal life and whims, sacrificing everything for their personal comfort. Edited. Shared. To be Continued. ❤️ God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.

❤️THE CAUSES FOR OPPRESSION. Without exception, those who become involved in any form of occultism eventually suffer satanic oppression in some manner. This simple statement of fact can be readily validated both by Scripture and by experience. 1. Occult involvement is disobedience to God's Word and is an abomination to Him. All forms of fortunetelling, spiritism, magic practices, and involvement in false religious cults, are absolutely forbidden by Scripture. Practicing or participating in them are condemned by God. In Deuteronomy 18:9-12, God warns: ... thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one ... that useth divination [fortuneteller], or an observer of times [soothsayer], or an enchanter [magician], or a witch [sorceress], or a charmer [hypnotist], or a consulter with familiar spirits [medium possessed with a spirit or "guide"], or a wizard [clairvoyant or psychic], or a necromancer [medium who consults the dead]. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD! This passage sets forth the methods by which the heathen sought to unveil hidden knowledge, ascertain future events, uncover secret wisdom, and exercise supernatural powers. In contrast to the methods employed by the heathen nations for discovering the will of their gods and uncovering the hidden secrets of the spiritual realm, God declares in verses 15-22 that Israel would learn the things that she needed to know concerning the future and His will for her, not by discovery through the methods of divination and occult practices, but by revelation. The means of revelation, which would come unsought and at the sovereign discretion of the Lord, was to be through the word of His prophets (note verses 14-15). Thus, Scripture forbids us to seek information or guidance from these unauthorized and unscriptural sources. The believer who needs wisdom and guidance is admonished to ask of God (James 1:5), for the secret things belong unto Him (Deuteronomy 29:29). The modern-day fortune teller, medium, astrologer, clairvoyant, hypnotist, magician, ventriloquist, water dowser, occult and magic healer, sorcerer, conjurer, psychic, and such like, all had their ancient heathen counterpart in the necromancer, consulter of the spirits, wizard, charmer, magician, soothsayer, diviner, enchanter, sorcerer, sorceress, and so on. Man has always been intrigued with the idea of uncovering hidden knowledge which belongs only to God. This was the cause of man's fall, Genesis 3! He desires to learn his fate, know the course of the future, or obtain supernatural guidance, favors, and powers from the realm of the spirits. Satan has always accommodated such seekers with substitutes for truth, and counterfeits for genuine revelation. Thus he deceives the gullible, who believe that such information or help comes from God or the spirits of the departed (who actually are impersonated by demonic spirits). These practices are all condemned by God without reservation. Carefully examine, for example, the following passages: Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Exodus 7:11-12; II Timothy 3:8; Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:26,31; 20:6,27; I Chronicles 10:13-14; II Kings 21:5-6; Isaiah 2:6; 8:19; Jeremiah 27:9-10; Zechariah 10:2; Malachi 3:5; Acts 8:9-24; 16:16-19; 19:19; Galatians 5:16-21; Revelation 21:8; 22:15. Scripture clearly condemns all forms of occultism as sorcery and declares that " ... they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21), nor enter into God's presence (Revelation 22:14-15), but " ... shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone" (Revelation 21:8). God not only forbade participation in all forms of occultism as spiritually defiling (Leviticus 19:31), but made such disobedience punishable by death (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:27), and sufficient grounds for rejection of that soul by God (Leviticus 20:6), for those who defiled themselves by consulting evil spirits were an abomination unto the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:9-12). 2. Occult involvement breaks the First Commandment and invokes God's curse. Thou shalt have no other gods before me ... for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third b and fourth generation ....-Exodus 20:3,5 The truth is, there are only two sources of hidden information, supernatural help, power, guidance, or healing: God or Satan. This fact is inescapable, whether people know it or not! One who visits a fortune teller is obviously not seeking help from God through Jesus Christ. If he were, he would pray directly to God, or seek help through a Christian friend or minister. The fortune teller certainly does not call upon God for the desired information, but divines by means of occult methods and demonic power, as is seen in the case of the girl in Acts 16 who had a "spirit of divination." The powers of darkness control all forms of fortunetelling, including astrology, card reading, divining by tea leaves, the Ouija board, palmistry, the crystal ball, psychometry, divining rod, pendulum, or planchette, as well as through the exercise of such occult powers as ESP, telepathy, and so on. This is also true of all forms of magic and magical rites (whether black or white magic). These include magic charming or conjuring, magic cures for humans or animals, casting spells, mental suggestion or remote influence (suggestions given to the subconscious mind of one person by another), blood pacts, enchantments, amulets, and magic or medical hypnosis. The powers of darkness likewise influence and control the various forms and practices of spiritism: seances, communication with the dead (which are really demons impersonating the dead), and spiritualist meetings. Also included are psychic and spiritist phenomena such as automatic or spirit writing, table-lifting, levitation, floating trumpets, disembodied voices, telekinesis, apports, materializations, apparitions of the dead, and astral projections, as well as the mediumistic trance and every other occult practice. Two sources or doors are open to the one who seeks guidance, hidden information, spiritual or supernatural aid, or miraculous healing. One may, through prayer in Jesus' Name, seek such help from God. But one may also enter from this world into the spiritual dimension through the door of occultism. Behind this door stands Satan and the powers of darkness who work through the media of fortune telling, magic, spiritism, and the false religious cults. The Scriptures forbid man to seek contact with these sources, or to receive their help, for it is tantamount to calling upon another god! Satan, as a matter of fact, is called the "god of this world" (II Corinthians 4:4). If man does not call upon God for his needs, through the Name of Jesus Christ, but resorts to the occult, then obviously there is only one other source of supernatural power which can answer him. Consider the following: . Did the fortune tellers pray in Jesus' Name for the hidden knowledge which they gave to you? . When you inquired of the Ouija board, did you ask God, through Christ, for the information? Have you ever asked the Ouija board what is the "source" of its information? Some did ask and were startled when it replied, "the god of Hell," "Hell," "Satan," or "the devil"! . When you allowed yourself to be hypnotized, to whom did you surrender your will-to God or to some unknown power operating through the person to whom you submitted? Did you know that demons have admitted that the source of power behind the hypnotist is Satan? . By what power are persons healed when it is accomplished through Christian Science, Spiritualism, Concept Therapy, magic charming or ritual, or other occult means, instead of through prayer in Jesus' Name as the Scriptures require? . What power causes tables to lift off the floor, objects to appear out of nowhere, furniture to move or float about the room, apparitions to appear, and voices to speak, alleging to be from the dead? . What strange power causes the pencil to move in automatic or spirit writing, or the twig to bend in the hands of a water dowser? Is it of God? If so, then why is it not done in the Name of Christ? What then is its source? . From what source do some persons have powers of extrasensory perception, telepathy, clairvoyance, and other psychic abilities? . Why do some persons, after a visit to a fortune teller or involvement in some form of occultism, suddenly discover that they are psychic? . How do some people know about an event before it occurs, hear strange spirit voices, see apparitions, read the thoughts of others, and so on? Do you know that such people invariably have had occult contacts, or that some form of occultism can be found in their family history? The source of their psychic powers and experiences is demonic, and results from opening the door to the powers of darkness through such occult involvement. When a person calls upon these forbidden sources, Satan often accommodates him with hidden knowledge or help. But as a result of this open door, the enemy will move in and oppress him physically, mentally, psychically, or spiritually. The powers of darkness always exact a heavy price for their services. For example, psychic disturbances often result after one receives information concerning his future. The healing of a burn by magic charming often results in more serious physical oppression later. One couple's participation in a séance opened the door to divisive spirits that ruined their marriage. A man who attended Spiritualist meetings suffered severe melancholia and depression for many years. The same result followed the practice of table-tipping in another case. Commitment to a mental institution was Satan's reward for another who sought help from a fortune teller, unaware that the real source was Satan. And, involvement in astrology, along with healing through a Christian Science practitioner, resulted in chronic illness in another victim of Satan's deception. This individual also suffered spiritual and mental anguish. Many other examples could be cited, some of which we will note later, clearly proving the insidious nature of occultism in all its forms. The "cloven hoof" will invariably be manifested sooner or later in the life of any individual who opens himself to the powers of darkness. All forms of fortunetelling, magical practice, spiritism, and unscriptural cultism are an abomination to God. The seriousness of this offense can be seen in the case of King Saul who fell under God's curse, was rejected as ruler of Israel, and put to death by Divine decree because he attended a séance and sought help from a spiritualist medium! So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit [a medium], to inquire of it; and inquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse. - 1 Chronicles 10:13-14. This séance, held in disobedience to God's will, is recorded in I Samuel 28. Spiritualists often attempt to justify their practice of alleged communication with the dead by appealing to this passage in I Samuel as proof from Scripture that a king sought information from the realm of departed spirits through a medium. However, either they are unaware of, or they conveniently ignore, the passage just cited in I Chronicles 10:13-14, which condemned Saul's sin of seeking help by occult means from the discarnate spirit realm instead of enquiring from the Lord. Moreover, 1 Samuel 28:15-16 indicates that Samuel also disapproved of Saul's sin of disobedience in his seeking to communicate with the dead through a medium. God's prohibitions against occultism are still in effect today. We have found in our experience dealing with many people concerning occult oppression that those who disobey God's commandments against this sin invariably fall under His curse. Eventually they will suffer some form of psychic, mental, physical, or spiritual oppression or enslavement, from which liberation will be needed. Moreover, it is an established fact that those who have participated or had contacts in the occult have not only suffered oppression themselves, but often their children and descendants have fallen under the curse, for God declares, " ... I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation" (Exodus 20:5). Many times clairvoyance and other psychic powers appear as a result of occult involvement which took place two or three generations earlier. For example, Edgar Cayce, whose grandfather was a water dowser, wrote of the psychic and clairvoyant experiences which he had as a youth, giving evidence of his early occult subjection. Strong mediums often develop as a result of what might be termed "psychic heredity." Personality and character defects, as a consequence of occult sins by the parents or grandparents, often appear two or three generations later in the form of morbid depression, violent temper, irresponsibility, immorality, chronic fear, hysteria, agnosticism and atheism, hate, persistent illness, unpredictable behavior, and many other abnormalities. Thus, occult oppression or subjection is the result of disobedience to God's Word, particularly the violation of the First Commandment. The seriousness of this sin cannot be overemphasized. Anyone guilty of occult involvement in any form, personally or through their ancestry, regardless of when it occurred, should not delay to deal with this sin in the manner shown in our further studies to get deliverance from it. Edited. Shared. ❤️ God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.

❤️DEMONISM IN THE LIGHT OF SCRIPTURE. Part 2 of 2. Continued. Others propose the psychosomatic theory. So-called cases of demon "possession" were in actuality physical or mental disorders. With our present knowledge of medicine and psychiatry, many alleged instances of demon activity can now be explained as forms of psychosis or psychoneurosis, habits, addictions, psychological states of the mind, or other physical or mental disorders. Contrary to such rationalistic explanations, the Scriptures, without reservation, look upon evil spirits, not as mere hallucinations, influences, habits, functional disorders, states of the mind, or psychological problems, but as intelligent personalities. Frequently, behind what may appear to the skeptic to have some logical or natural explanation, Jesus discerned an evil, supernatural entity causing the problem which plagued its human victim. Thus, He "rebuked" the fever in Peter's mother-in-law (Luke 4:39), loosed a woman who had been bowed together by Satan for eighteen years by casting out a "spirit of infirmity" (Luke 13:11-16), and set the "insane" Gadarene free from a legion of demonic spirits (Mark 5). Possession by numerous malevolent spirits is not uncommon even in this day, as those who have dealt with such oppressed victims can attest. Their numbers may range from a dozen or more to hundreds, and in one instance Satan actually admitted to a pastor through the lips of the victim he possessed that there were 1,067 demons in this individual. At other times, the Scriptures indicate the reality of demonic spirits by clearly distinguishing between mere functional disorders and those conditions which result from demonic oppression. We are told in Mark 1:32-34 that the people brought unto Jesus" ... all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with demons ... and he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many demons. "In Matthew 8:16 disease and demon possession are also distinguished, as they are in Mark 16:17-18, and in Matthew 10:1, where Jesus gave the twelve disciples "power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease." The Scriptures show many instances where physical and mental oppression are caused by the presence and activity of evil spirits. In the case of the lunatic child. We read that "Jesus rebuked the demon; and he departed out of him: and the child was healed from that very hour" (Matthew 17:14-18). In Acts 10:38 we are told that Jesus healed all who were oppressed of the devil. Again in Matthew 12:22 the frequent relationship between demon possession and physical affliction is clearly seen: "Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw." Demon oppression or possession is never treated merely as an organic disease or functional disorder by Jesus. If the cause was an evil spirit, He cured the oppressed individual by casting out the demon. Further evidence that Jesus was often dealing, not with mere organic disorders or superstition in the minds of the people, but with distinct intelligences, is seen in: The Lord's direct commands to the evil spirits (Mark 5:8); Their recognition of Him ("And unclean spirits, when they saw him ... cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God," Mark 3:11); Their display of certain attributes of personality, such as: Feeling (Mark 5:7), Fear (Luke 8:31), Intelligent speech (Mark 5:7-12), Knowledge (Acts 16:16), and Their personal names ("My name is Legion," Mark 5:9). Demons today often identify themselves by name or character as spirits of fear, pride, doubt, lust, resentment, and so on. In one ministry, they have personally heard demons identify themselves either by name or by character. In one instance, a demon identified himself, saying, "I am antichrist" (i.e., the spirit of antichrist); another confessed, "I am the demon of death." The various kinds of evil spirits and the nature of their work and activity in human life and affairs will be covered in detail in our further studies. There is an almost infinite variety of demonic spirits. There are, for example, spirits of lust, infirmity, insanity, suicide, fear, hate, and pride, as well as deaf, dumb, and blind spirits, who vary in personality, power, appetites, and intelligence. As disembodied spirits, their purpose is to oppress or possess their victims, with the ultimate intention of either the mental, spiritual, or physical destruction of the individual. C. How Demons Gain Access. How do demonic spirits gain access to their victims to vex, oppress, or possess their minds or bodies? As Matthew 12:43-45 and Mark 5:6-13 clearly indicate, demons as disembodied spirits have no "rest" unless they can find habitation in a physical body, preferably human, through which they can satisfy their own appetites, lusts, and desires. Counseling with oppressed and afflicted individuals has confirmed that there are basically four avenues which can be opened whereby demons gain access to the mind or body: (1) emotional crises, (2) sin, (3) doubt, skepticism, and ridicule of divine things, and (4) occult involvement. 1. Emotional crises. It is generally assumed that cases of oppression by evil spirits can be traced to some form of sin or weakness of character on the part of the afflicted individual. But this is not always true. Unusual emotional experiences such as extreme fright, or prolonged, abnormal grief over personal loss can open doors to demonic oppression. Traumatic or shocking experiences can weaken an individual's resistance. The child who witnesses the murder of his parents, or the young lady who finds out she will lose both her legs because of an automobile accident, are typical of those who would be extremely vulnerable to oppression or invasion by such spirits. In one instance, counseling revealed that the emotional and spiritual problems of a person needing deliverance began with a terrible fright at a very early age. Another was set free from a spirit of mental illness, for which he had been institutionalized, after the cause was traced to a severe emotional crisis which he had experienced. Most people do not realize the effect that their attitudes of mind, their fears and doubts, and their negative confessions can have upon them in times of emotional crisis. The wrong confession, especially when one's body is weakened by accident or illness, or when one is in a state of shock, can open the door to invasion by oppressing spirits. Spirits of infirmity may enter under such conditions, when resistance is low, resulting in deformities, chronic conditions, or even death. In the case of one individual, serious depression and mental illness resulted from harboring guilt feelings since childhood over the accidental death of a younger member of the family for which she blamed herself. She was later liberated from these oppressing spirits. In another instance, an individual became oppressed when a deceiving spirit convinced her that she had grievously sinned by submitting to surgery instead of trusting God to heal her. Convinced by Satan that God would not forgive her, she suffered chronic depression and psychic oppression, and was bound with a spirit of fear to the point of mental collapse, before she was liberated. Such disturbances and afflictions cannot be dismissed merely as psychosomatic disorders, or results of mental suggestion, but accord well with the teachings of Scripture. We are told, "as [a man] thinketh in his heart so is he" (Proverbs 23:7), that "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21), and that we can be "snared" by the words of our mouth (Proverbs 6:2). But the same verses also reveal that a positive confession of the Word of God can bring salvation, healing, blessing and deliverance (Mark 11:23-24; Romans 10:10; Psalm 91; Revelation 12:11, etc.). 2. Sin. Such sins as lust, alcohol and drug addiction, theft, sexual excesses, and other sinful habits or forms of intemperance and immorality are frequently the cause of invasion by unclean spirits (cf. John 5:14; Mark 5:8) One psychically afflicted individual acknowledged during counseling with a certain pastor that he actually saw a demon of lust take possession of him as he entered the apartment of his mistress. In another instance, drug addiction resulted in possession by evil spirits from which deliverance was needed. Preoccupation with unclean sexual thoughts and self-abuse led one young man into total possession by a spirit of insanity and a spirit of suicide. Moreover, sins such as prolonged attitudes of hate toward another, resentment, extreme envy, jealousy, intolerance, pride, uncontrolled anger, lying, desire for revenge, and so on, subject individuals to the influence of or invasion by the powers of darkness. As a result, they will show less and less control over these attitudes and feelings, while emotional outbursts, compulsive lying, thoughts of violence and aggression, mental breakdown, depression, unpredictable impulses or behavior, psychic oppression, and other forms of antisocial or psychotic behavior will increase. A certain pastor has dealt with more than one situation in which resentments, smoldering beneath the surface for years, have had serious consequences. In two instances, women were invaded by spirits which caused physical and mental breakdown because they opposed and resented the careers chosen by their husbands. In other cases, hate and resentment led to severe oppression from Satan. Compulsive lying, which indicates the influence of lying spirits in an individual, has been the consequence in some cases where willful lying was not brought under control. In one instance, a child who had become a chronic liar said that "voices'' told her to call her school with a "bomb scare." The assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King were obvious examples where demonic spirits of hate and intolerance influenced and controlled the perpetrators of these crimes. 3. Doubt, skepticism, and ridicule of divine things. Those who persist in negative or skeptical attitudes of mind concerning divine truth, or who resist the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit, stand in grave danger of becoming bound by spirits of doubt, deception, and unbelief. King Saul became possessed by an evil spirit as a result of his persistent rebellion against God's revealed will, and his persecution of David, God's anointed servant. The apostle Paul states plainly that Satan, "the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not" (II Corinthians 4:4), and that in the last days, upon those who do not receive the truth, "God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (II Thessalonians 2:11-12; cf. Matthew 13:10-15; I Timothy 4:1-3). Some adverse effects of demonic influence which result from skepticism and/or ridicule of divine truth are progressive spiritual deterioration, increased resistance to the supernatural and miraculous, religious delusions and doctrinal errors, inner turmoil and anxieties concerning religious matters, and the inability to concentrate on the Bible and prayer. In some instances, blasphemous thoughts against Christ, opposition to the Holy Spirit, belligerency against ministers of the gospel, and open scorn and ridicule of Christianity in general are the consequences. A certain pastor saw cases where demons which had just been exercised from the victim immediately entered into skeptics who had come to ridicule and criticize. 4. Occult involvement. The larger part of this book will be devoted to occult participation or involvement, its adverse consequences, and the means of liberation from occult oppression and bondage. Perhaps more than any other, this is the avenue through which the powers of darkness gain access to oppress and afflict their victims. The majority of persons a certain pastor counseled have either been involved in some form of occult activity or know of its presence in their family history. The present-day neurosis epidemic; the increase in psychic afflictions and other mental and physical disorders; and the flood of crime, wickedness, and chaos world-wide, indicate just how successfully the demonic powers have gained control over men and women everywhere through occult involvement. The Work and Activity of Demonic Spirits. Earlier, we indicated the broad scope of the kingdom of darkness and its vast hierarchy of wicked spirits, consisting of thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spirit-forces in the heavenlies. Scripture designates Satan as head of the present world-system, ruling in world affairs. The satanic confederacy influences men and nations everywhere, affecting secular and religious institutions alike. Our purpose now is to show Scriptural evidence of how these demonic spirits influence and oppress the lives of individuals in three areas: the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. 1. Physical infirmities. The Gospels contain many references to evil spirits whose primary objective was to afflict their victims with some physical infirmity. These same peculiarities are still in evidence everywhere today. (1) Dumb spirits. A spirit can take possession of, or afflict, some organ of the body, or bind the nervous center controlling some function. Thus, an evil spirit causing dumbness (the inability to speak) paralyzes the speech faculties. In Matthew 9:32-33, we are told that the dumb man was possessed by a demon, and when the demon was cast out by Jesus the dumb man began to speak. (2) Deaf spirits. When the malevolent spirit binds or afflicts the auditory nerves, the result is deafness. When both speech and hearing are affected, the afflicted individual is termed a deaf-mute. Medically, a deaf-mute's inability to speak is due to congenital (early) deafness. But Jesus treated such a condition as being caused by an evil spirit, which He cast out (Mark 9:25). (3) Blind spirits. When the optic nerve is paralyzed by a spirit, the condition will not respond to surgery (Matthew 12:22). Satan also afflicts people with diseases of the eyes or ears which do not result in blindness or deafness. (4) Infirm spirits. This classification includes an infinite variety of oppressing spirits ranging from those which act upon the spinal cord, the muscles, or the brain, causing such afflictions as deformity, atrophy of the muscles, lameness, and so on (Luke 13:11-17), to spirits causing asthma, cancer, tumors, heart disease, paralysis, migraine headaches, insomnia, tuberculosis, and such like. Epilepsy, a disease affecting the central nervous system, results in severe physical convulsions and loss of consciousness, and may be either an organic affliction or an epileptic spirit. If it is a spirit, then exorcism is the only way to set the oppressed individual free. 2. Mental oppression. There are spirits whose primary function is to assault the mind with evil or unclean thoughts, feelings of depression, apathy, fear, and anxiety, or with temptations ranging from pride to a resignation to failure. Spirits of insanity may take possession of the mental faculties, disrupting normal, rational thought processes. The affected individual exhibits various mental, emotional, and behavioral abnormalities. Suicide spirits also invade the mind, attempting to drive the oppressed individuals to self-destruction or self-injury (Mark 9:17-22), while others relentlessly press their victims into some form of shameful or antisocial behavior (Mark 5:2-5). Other spirits plague their victims with fears, depression, anxiety, feelings of apprehension, panic, or hysteria. Often these individuals are hypersensitive and irritable, or exhibit destructive emotions of hate, rage, rebellion against authority, resentment, unpredictable moods and impulses, or other psychopathic abnormalities. We will discuss these in greater detail under the heading "Mental and Emotional Disturbances and Abnormalities," in our further studies. 3. Spiritual oppression and delusion. Without a doubt, the forces of darkness are the most aggressive, cunning, and deceptive in the realm of the spirit. Satan's Basic strategy is to gain control of the lives of men in order to fulfill his evil purposes through them in his warfare against the kingdom of God. Satan reserves his most intelligent, cunning, and powerful spirits for work in this dimension. One such evil spirit, a "prince" in the satanic hierarchy, was powerful enough to withstand for three weeks a heavenly messenger sent to Daniel, until Michael, the archangel, was dispatched to help him (Daniel 10). These spirits are of a higher rank, being the "world-rulers of the darkness of this age" (Ephesians 6:12). They possess and control humans, either in the realm of world affairs or by speaking through Spiritist mediums, by functioning as spirits of divination in fortune tellers and clairvoyants, or by influencing false prophets and deluded religious teachers and leaders. We cannot overemphasize the importance of insight into Satan's strategy and methods of operation in the area of the spirit. But we are not without help, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (II Corinthians 10:4). Every believer is admonished to: Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. -Ephesians 6:11. The activities of these spirits are often cloaked with respectability. Religious seducing spirits may appear in clerical or religious garb. As an "angel of light" or as "ministers of righteousness" (II Corinthians 11:14-15) they take up residence in churches, seminaries, and other religious organizations and institutions. They lure the gullible into modernistic churches or schools, or into false cults, where they deceive them into embracing religious errors including heresies, legalism, false revelations, and many other forms of religious delusion and practice, as well as denial of the inerrancy of Scripture. Seducing spirits are taking advantage of the revival of witchcraft and the worldwide interest in occult and psychic phenomena. They are using every opportunity to deceive and ensnare the unwary in all forms of occultism, often clothing it with a respectable aura of religiosity. This is seen in Spiritualism, and in the increasing use of ESP, spirit healing, and the seance in religious services. Lying spirits are active in this sphere, seducing and deceiving their victims, as well as inducing them to lie or deceive others (I Kings 22:19-23; Acts 5:1-11). I John 4:1 warns us not to believe every spirit in the sphere of religion, but to test them. The Bible predicts the increased activity of lying and deceiving spirits at the close of the present age, and they are already going forth to seduce and deceive (II Thessalonians 2:10-12; I Timothy 4:1-3; Matthew 24:11,24). These spirits often appear in intellectual and cultural garb. In the educational, social, cultural, and political realms of world affairs, spirits of intellectualism, pride, aggrandizement, and avarice or greed have far greater influence than most people are aware. Many outstanding personalities have been influenced or directed by these spirits, or have participated in some form of occultism, subjecting themselves to possible influence of seducing spirits. Many of the world's leading poets, novelists, philosophers, musicians, scientists, politicians, and religious leaders are or have been interested or involved in some form of occultism or other psychic phenomena, often admitting it without apology. The noted philosopher, Socrates, openly acknowledged that he was guided and inspired by his "Daemon" (demon). Dr. Carl Jung, world renowned psychiatrist, was possessed with psychic powers, and had many psychic experiences. Dr. Nandor Fodor, a well-known psychoanalyst, reported that Jung conversed with a spirit-guide named Philemon, often had horoscopes cast for his patients, and wrote his doctoral thesis on the subject of occult phenomena. Thomas Edison's parents were Spiritualists who conducted seances in their home. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, is said to have worked as a professional medium in New York. Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, received his "revelations” from a discarnate spirit named Moroni. Emanuel Swedenborg, the scientist-theologian whose followers founded the Churches of the New Jerusalem based on his teachings, reportedly communicated with the "dead" on frequent occasions. It is common knowledge that seances were held in the White House during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Spirits speaking through mediums are said to have influenced Lincoln's decision concerning the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln's apparition has reportedly been seen in the White House by others (a common phenomenon in houses where seances have been held), most notably by Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Psychic Jeane Dixon claims to have been invited to the White House more than once for consultation by the late President Roosevelt, whose death she predicted. Woodrow Wilson is said to have consulted mediums for guidance during the First World War. Mackenzie King, a former Prime Minister of Canada was said to have been active in Spiritualism and to have sought spirit guidance in affairs of state, according to Fred Archer, writer on spiritualism and psychic research. Archer also reported that Sir Winston Churchill acknowledged he used the planchette at times, and had done automatic or spirit writing. The psychic interests of Britain's Queen Victoria, as well as that of W.E. Gladstone, nineteenth century Prime Minister of England, included attendance at seances and seeking communication with the dead. In fact, Archer cited records showing that the British royal family has had contact with spiritualism for over a century, and that King George of Greece was an active Spiritualist. Arthur Ford, a Disciples of Christ minister and psychic medium, stated in his book, Nothing So Strange, that he conducted seances for many notable personalities, including many important persons in government: generals, admirals, ambassadors, congressmen, senators, and members of the State Department. Through his Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, many church leaders have become involved in psychic matters, and occultism has thereby made inroads into churches of various denominations, as well as other religious organizations. Like Jeane Dixon, Ford's psychic powers brought him invitations for consultations and demonstrations far and wide. He conducted seances in Hyde Park Methodist Church of Chicago, and many others. He held seances for Upton Sinclair, the American novelist; Dr. Sherwood Eddy, founder of the YMCA in the Orient; Ruth Montgomery, author of A Gift of Prophecy (about Jeane Dixon); Glenn Clark, founder of CFO; and Dr. Ozora Davis, former president of Chicago Theological Seminary. He demonstrated his psychic abilities before a committee appointed several years ago by the Archbishop of Canterbury to inquire into the claims of spiritualism. The phenomenal revival of interest in astrology has been featured in Time magazine. In the United States alone there are thousands of astrologers, full or part time, who chart the heavens for millions of interested followers. A Time magazine listing of Americans interested in this form of divination included J.P. Morgan, Mary Pickford, Robert Cummings, Marlene Dietrich, Peter Lawford, and Ronald Reagan. Astrologers were engaged by several governments during World War II to produce astrological calculations for propaganda purposes; in addition they made predictions as to the enemy's tactics and the outcome of the war. Horoscopes were cast for all the Allied and Axis leaders and exhaustively analyzed. In Nazi Germany, Himmler employed a corps of clairvoyants and astrologers, while the astrologer Louis de Wohl claims to have functioned in this capacity for the British government. And the Russians evidently had an astrologer who served under Stalin and Krushchev. In the literary field, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes detective mysteries, was active in spiritualism and also its avid defender. Charles Dickens, who had psychic experiences, once confided that every word uttered by the characters in his novels was distinctly heard by him as spirit voices before being written down. Writers on the occult report that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the American poet, was interested in psychic phenomena and attended seances, and that Lord Tennyson and John Ruskin shared interest in the psychic field. Harriet Beecher Stowe, said to be psychic from childhood, stated that she did not really originate Uncle Tom's Cabin but that it came to her in vision. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), American author and humorist, was a member of the (occult) Society for Psychical Research, and reported his own psychic experiences. Horror fiction, with its monsters, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, murders, and gruesome and revolting subject matter, is plainly of occult origin. Novels such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the horror fiction of Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Goethe, and Charles Dickens all point to occult sources. Of course, the works of Shakespeare are replete with witches, ghosts, magic, blood and murder. Current interest in the occult is reflected in the immense increase in the sale of occult literature, the abundance of horror movies, plays and television programs which reflect occult influence, and the popularity of monster and horror comics for children. The bizarre, strange, macabre, and demonic seem to have captivated the minds of young and old alike. Is it possible that this increase in fascination with the occult, and the increase in physical, emotional, and psychic disturbances today, are merely coincidental? I hope you join us next time for our further studies on these topics. Edited. Shared. ❤️ God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.

Need to know. The New Age movement presents itself as peaceful, enlightened, and spiritually empowering—but Scripture exposes a deeper reality behind the language. At its foundation is the same ancient deception seen in the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis: the claim that humanity can gain divine knowledge and spiritual authority apart from God. The serpent’s promise, “you will be like God,” remains the template. Today it is repackaged as “awakening,” “manifesting reality,” and “unlocking your higher self,” but the direction is unchanged: it shifts trust away from God’s revealed truth and places spiritual authority inside the individual. This is not harmless symbolism—it is exactly the kind of spiritual practice the Bible consistently warns against. Deuteronomy 18:10–12 explicitly condemns divination, spiritism, and consulting the dead as detestable before God. Yet many New Age practices mirror these very categories: astrology as divination, spirit guides as contact with unseen entities, tarot and psychic readings as attempts to access hidden knowledge, and energy manipulation as a substitute spiritual power system. In Acts 19, early believers in Ephesus publicly burned their occult materials after coming to Christ, recognizing that these practices were incompatible with truth. Scripture does not treat these things as neutral—it treats them as spiritually dangerous. What makes the New Age movement especially deceptive is not just its practices, but its packaging. It rarely presents itself as rebellion against God; it presents itself as enlightenment, healing, and self-discovery. But Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light,” meaning deception often appears attractive, positive, and even spiritual. That is exactly what we see here. Beneath the language of peace and expansion is the same ancient pattern: humanity seeking spiritual power and wisdom apart from God. The serpent’s lie has not evolved—it has simply learned to speak in softer tones.

Need to know. The New Age movement presents itself as peaceful, enlightened, and spiritually empowering—but Scripture exposes a deeper reality behind the language. At its foundation is the same ancient deception seen in the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis: the claim that humanity can gain divine knowledge and spiritual authority apart from God. The serpent’s promise, “you will be like God,” remains the template. Today it is repackaged as “awakening,” “manifesting reality,” and “unlocking your higher self,” but the direction is unchanged: it shifts trust away from God’s revealed truth and places spiritual authority inside the individual. This is not harmless symbolism—it is exactly the kind of spiritual practice the Bible consistently warns against. Deuteronomy 18:10–12 explicitly condemns divination, spiritism, and consulting the dead as detestable before God. Yet many New Age practices mirror these very categories: astrology as divination, spirit guides as contact with unseen entities, tarot and psychic readings as attempts to access hidden knowledge, and energy manipulation as a substitute spiritual power system. In Acts 19, early believers in Ephesus publicly burned their occult materials after coming to Christ, recognizing that these practices were incompatible with truth. Scripture does not treat these things as neutral—it treats them as spiritually dangerous. What makes the New Age movement especially deceptive is not just its practices, but its packaging. It rarely presents itself as rebellion against God; it presents itself as enlightenment, healing, and self-discovery. But Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light,” meaning deception often appears attractive, positive, and even spiritual. That is exactly what we see here. Beneath the language of peace and expansion is the same ancient pattern: humanity seeking spiritual power and wisdom apart from God. The serpent’s lie has not evolved—it has simply learned to speak in softer tones.

❤️THE REALITY OF MODERN OCCULTISM. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. -1 Timothy 4:1. The Scriptures predict that there will be a great increase in demonic activity in the last days. Our age is characterized by an ever-increasing flood of Satanic wickedness ranging all the way from psychic afflictions to moral aberrations. This rapid expansion of the work of the kingdom of darkness is affecting and influencing the entire world, its governments, society, the church, and the life of the believer. Demonic activity is clearly seen in the alarming increase in crime, lust, deceit, moral depravity, suicide, war, homosexuality, fear, worry, anxiety, atheism, disease, psychic disorders, demonic oppression and possession, and drug and alcohol addiction, together with the growth and intensification of spiritism, occultism, false religious cults, and the work and doctrines of seducing spirits and demons. There has never been a time in history when the warnings against the dangers of occultism (all forms of fortunetelling, magic, spiritism, and false religious cults) were more needful than the time in which we live. Multitudes of people, Christian and non-Christian alike, find themselves suffering physical, mental, psychic, and spiritual oppression; yet few realize that it is because they have allowed themselves to become ensnared in the demonic web of occultism, which is under the influence and control of the powers of darkness. Practices such as witchcraft, sorcery, and spiritism, which were once conducted more or less surreptitiously and abhorred by the average person, are now being clothed with a cloak of respectability and popularized through religious literature, lectures, church groups, radio, and TV. Millions are being subjected to demonstrations of the powers of darkness by such occult practices as clairvoyance, telepathy, ESP, hypnotism, fortunetelling, divination, magic, seances, and many other psychic practices. The late James A. Pike, a well-known Episcopal bishop, participated in a televised seance, allegedly communicating with his dead son (a suicide) through the professional medium Arthur Ford, a Disciples of Christ minister! The daily lives of millions are being influenced by the horoscope, which is the ancient Babylonian pseudoscientific black art of astrology (Daniel 2:2). Occult games such as "Ouija," "Clairvoyant," "Horoscope," "ESP," "Mystic Eye," "Kabala," "Dungeons and Dragons," and "Voodoo" are now being sold everywhere and suggested as ideal gifts for children and adults alike. As a result of its unprecedented psychic interest, the public can also purchase such occult articles as the planchette, pendulum, horoscope charts, tarot cards for telling fortunes, crystal balls, books on ESP, party games involving mind reading, hypnosis, clairvoyance, precognition, and so on, as well as other objects of the black arts. We find that many persons in government circles presidents, prime ministers, congressmen, senators, generals and admirals, envoys, and members of the State Department–seek and welcome the counsel and advice of clairvoyants and psychic mediums such as Jeane Dixon, whose prognostications have been derived from fortune telling cards and the crystal ball, and Arthur Ford who has conducted seances while in a trance. Moreover, some law enforcement agencies unhesitatingly engage the services of psychics like Peter Hurkosand G. Croiset, who have used their occult psychometric and clairvoyant powers to aid in the solution of crimes. Hurkos, for example, has assisted the police on murder cases in many countries, including the notorious "Boston Strangler" case. Graphology, a form of fortune telling through handwriting analysis, is now being used by many business firms who regularly consult graphologists to analyze the handwriting of prospective employees in an attempt to "read" their character, personality, and other traits, and thereby to predict their potentiality and worth, or lack of it. The CIA is said to have used handwriting analysis along with other tests, as do banks, finance companies, sales firms, manufacturers, and many others. Multitudes, including business, government, and religious leaders, beset with problems, fearful and confused because of the present state of the world, and concerned about the future, are seeking help and information from fortune tellers and spiritualist mediums. Countless others have been subjected to the influences and deceptions of spiritualism, assuming everything supernatural is of God, and mistaking the powers of darkness for the power of God. The gullible are naively falling victim to the fallacious reasoning that since God can heal and perform miracles, then every case of healing and everything that passes for a miracle must be from God. Since God has spoken through men by prophecy and revelation, they believe that everyone who claims to have a prophecy or revelation from God must be accepted as a prophet and seer. Thus, psychic mediums and clairvoyants are finding increasing acceptance from every quarter by the multitudes who are clamoring for their help and guidance through the operation of their alleged "gifts of God." Many others are involved one way or another in the superstitions of magic in an effort to be healed or helped by it in some way, or in order to influence others through it. Such delusion is nothing new, for we find it recorded in Acts 8:9-11, and we are warned concerning its increase in the last days, in which we now live (I Timothy 4:1-3; II Timothy 3:1-9; Matthew 24:24; II Corinthians 11:14; II Thessalonians 2:7-12). The use of LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs, with their resultant damaging emotional, mental, and psychic effects, has become in our time a symbol of mankind's frustration with life in the present world and is an attempt to venture into the spiritual "unknown" by means contrary to God's will. The "hippie" movement had considerable interest in the occult, e.g., fortunetelling, telepathy, astrology, black magic, devil worship, and other forms of witchcraft. Reports from England, Africa, France, Germany, South America, Haiti, Vietnam, Switzerland, in fact, from all over the world, including the U.S.A ., reveal that occultism in all forms is rapidly on the increase. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually on the so-called occult sciences. Thousands of tons of occult books and other literature find their way into homes via the newsstands and booksellers each year. Occult influence can readily be detected in movies, plays, and stories, and in many reputable magazines which contain regular monthly horoscope columns. Some years ago a published estimate revealed that there were at least 5000 astrologers in the U.S.A. alone, who charted the heavens for over 10 million ardent American followers of this ancient black art. These numbers continue to increase. Millions more have become addicted to and are influenced by horoscope columns in daily newspapers. The sale of horoscope magazines numbers in the millions and is increasing yearly according to reliable sources. In America, four times as many women as men are devotees of fortune telling by means of astrology. Business Week magazine reported that "legerdemain is becoming big business." People everywhere are taking renewed interest in magic and sleight of hand deception, including doctors, dentists, psychiatrists, ministers, advertising men, and salesmen. Even manufacturers are using the magician's tricks to promote their wares. Capitalizing on the new interest in occultism, many companies offer magic kits as a premium for buying their products. Time magazine has reported a great upsurge in interest in the black arts with sales of occult items such as crystal balls, tarot fortune telling cards, and Ouija boards at an all time record high. In any city of size, one can purchase such articles of witchcraft as amulets, hexing dolls, ingredients for casting magic spells, charm powders, mystic incense, roots, herbs, charms, magic candles, love potions, and many other occult and voodoo supplies. Books on "self-hypnosis" are becoming increasingly popular as a sort of do-it-yourself psychiatry. They promise the reader that self-hypnosis can, by controlling the subconscious, "unleash explosive powers within" and make life give you what you want-more money, power, prestige, marital happiness, freedom from pain and depression; put an end to fear; conquer bad temper; or change bad habits. A popular movement known as "Concept Therapy," a form of psychic self-improvement similar in some respects to such mental sciences as Unity and Christian Science, is being promoted as a panacea whereby one may, through mental concentration and the observance of certain "laws," actually "heal with ideas." The mails are being flooded with advertisements offering the gullible alleged occult secrets on "how to claim one's full psychic estate" by developing one's ESP powers. Others promise instruction on communication with departed loved ones and spirit "guides"; on projecting one's "astral self" outside the body in order to travel anywhere at will; on the practice of metaphysical healing of the body; and on such topics as how to read minds, how to gain control over others by mental suggestion, how to make oneself irresistible to the opposite sex, and how to predict the future. In this materialistic age, full of uncertainty and unrest, when even the church has grown skeptical of the validity of the supernatural for today, multitudes are turning to the delusions of spiritualism, or to the fortune tellers for guidance. They are seeking spiritual enlightenment and comfort, not from the Scriptures, but from the literature of occultism, including metaphysics and spiritism, and from false religious cults such as Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, Christian Science, Unity, Swedenborgianism, Mormonism, Baha'ism, Jehovah's Witness, and so on. The quest for spiritual reality and meaning in this chaoticage is reflected in the tremendous popularity of such pseudo-Christian literature as A Gift of Prophecy: The Phenomenal Jeane Dixon and A Search for the Truth by Ruth Montgomery; Edgar Cayce, The Sleeping Prophet (over 6 months on coast-to-coast best-seller lists); Nothing So Strange (the autobiography of Arthur Ford, the medium); and The Search for Bridey Murphy. The market is flooded with all manner of metaphysical and parapsychological literature, including books on ESP, telepathy, yoga, reincarnation, astrology, psychic phenomena, flying saucers (UFOs), ghosts, witchcraft, black magic, communication with the dead, hypnosis, and the supernatural and paranormal in general. Psychic interest is so high that occult book clubs have been established to meet the demand. Sensing that the contemporary church lacks the awareness of the true spiritual dimension and its power, many are seeking spiritual understanding and direction from such organizations as the Inner Peace Movement (IPM); the Association for Research and Enlightenment (ARE); Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship (SFF); and the Religious Research Foundation of America (RRFA). The occult nature of these and similar organizations is seen in their stress upon psychic phenomena and experiences, clairvoyance, precognition, the development of one's powers of ESP, personal communion with the dead and spirit "guides," and many other practices similar to those of spiritism, cults, and occultism in general. In addition, multitudes are being deluded by the absurd and unscriptural doctrine of reincarnation, whereby one "atones" for his own sins through a cycle of rebirths. This fantasy is currently arousing unusual interest in the Western world, largely as a result of renewed interest in Eastern metaphysics and the writings of such groups as the Rosicrucian's and Theosophy. Psychics like Edgar Cayce and Grace Whittenberger have contended that one may find the meaning and purpose of their present life on earth through so-called "life readings," or "reincarnative readings," concerning one's alleged previous lives. An important factor in the present-day alarming upsurge of interest in psychic phenomena, ESP, clairvoyance, telepathy, hypnosis, and so on, is the work done by such organizations as the English and American Societies for Psychical Research, as well as the writings of such men as Dr. J.B. Rhine of Duke University, author of Reach of the Mind, who originated the term "Extrasensory Perception" (ESP). Researchers in psychic science and parapsychology, with their discoveries of the hitherto largely unknown psychic forces present in the world, and by encouraging the development in man of the powers of clairvoyance, telepathy, hypnotism, and psychometry, are unwittingly opening wide the flood gates for satanic influence and control of the minds of men. These psychic powers, which are erroneously thought to be "latent" within all men, and only need developing to bring them forth, are not forces within the individual at all. On the contrary, the powers of clairvoyance, precognition, telepathy, and other forms of extrasensory perception, occur as a result of an invasion by insidious spiritual forces from without, which move in and begin to function in and through that individual. He opens himself to these dark powers by seeking psychic experiences, and through his efforts to develop the powers of ESP, or through involvement in any form of occultism. Thus, parapsychologists, under the guise of advancing psychic research and knowledge, are encouraging young and old alike to experiment in the psychic realm, in violation of the will of God and His express commands to the contrary. Their purpose is to heighten one's alleged subconscious powers of clairvoyance, telepathy, and so on; but they ignore the emotional, psychic, and spiritual damage to those who open themselves to the influence and control of the powers of darkness. The interest in psychic experimentation has become so widespread that more and more universities are establishing parapsychological departments for psychic research. Those who wish to test themselves personally for powers of ESP can now purchase "kits" by mail for such experimentation. Occultism and the black arts in general are experiencing a phenomenal revival of interest, influencing more people today than at any time in history. Leading universities, because of the great interest in the occult, offer courses of study with titles such as "Witchcraft, Magic, and Sorcery"; "Parapsychology"; "Psychology of the Paranormal"; and so on. So-called "witchcraft parties," in which a palmist, psychic, or fortuneteller is invited to enhance otherwise mediocre social gatherings, are becoming increasingly popular. Moreover, where the youth once gathered to play innocent party games, now they will amuse themselves, as likely as not, with such bizarre pastimes as table-tipping, levitation of bodies, seances, fortunetelling, hypnotism, playing with the Ouija board, and any number of other occult practices and psychic experiments. Leading sources have reported an open revival of witchcraft in England, as that nation is plagued with the greatest increase in sorcery and occultism since the Middle Ages. Thousands of confessed witches and devotees of witchcraft meet regularly to perpetuate pagan rituals and fertility rites, and to invoke and worship pagan gods (demons, cf. Deuteronomy 32:16-17; I Corinthians 10:20). In San Francisco, the First Satanic Church was founded and led by Anton La Vey, the self-proclaimed "priest of Satan." Devil worship is practiced throughout the world today in Germany, Mexico, England, America, France, and elsewhere. Practitioners of occultism can be found in every city of the world. The gullible seek them for guidance concerning their problems; "spirit" healing; readings of their alleged "past lives"; the location of lost persons and objects; predictions regarding everything from personal matters (marriage, career, love, etc.) to business affairs; and communication with the dead. The powers of darkness are sweeping across the earth to deceive and destroy, as Satan knows his time is short (Revelation 12:12). False prophets are rising to deceive many by making accurate predictions concerning historical events. Seducing spirits speaking through false teachers and writers are leading the gullible astray with their subtle teachings of religious error (I Timothy 4:1). Psychics, who claim their "gift" is from God, are deluding multitudes, including many professing Christians, ministers, and religious leaders, who naively accept everything supernatural as divine, oblivious of the fact that Satan also can perform great signs and wonders (II Thessalonians 2:9-12). Psychic and "spirit" healers, counterfeiting the gifts of the Holy Spirit, are performing many miraculous cures by occult power. For example, Tony Agpaoa, a "psychic surgeon" in the Philippines, made headlines when several well-known Americans, notably from the field of sports, went to have him perform drugless, painless surgery on them using no instruments to make incisions except his bare hands. Harry Edwards, a "spirit" healer in England, has had spirit "guides" heal through him, often without him touching the patient. Edwards, we are told, has even treated members of the royal family, as well as many of England's clergy. The current widespread scientific interest and developments in psychic research; the growing acceptance of parapsychology as a science; the use of hypnotism by psychiatrists and medical doctors; and the acceptance by scientists of extrasensory perception as a legitimate manifestation of the mind, are unmistakable evidence of Satan's success in gaining access to man's spirit, as a necessary step in his invasion of humanity on a scale unheard of in history! Furthermore, we are witnessing an increase in occult literature geared to influence business and professional men and women, stressing that the key to success and personal achievement is "psychic self-improvement"; development of one's "cosmic powers"; "tuning in on the creative intelligence of the universe"; learning "how to make ESP work for you"; and so on. Organizations such as the Inner Peace Movement (whose stated goal has been to help men develop their powers of ESP), have offered programs along the lines of "leadership training utilizing extrasensory perception" to business, industrial, professional, and academic leaders, in order to develop "self-understanding" in executives and supervisors. This is supposed to help them recognize and develop potentials in their employees. The growing influence of astrologers who specialize in forecasts concerning stock market conditions, labor and management, production, taxes, and politics, as well as business and financial matters in general, is unlike anything seen before, as countless business and professional people seek their advice and counsel. Show business people are notoriously superstitious and especially addicted to astrology for guidance concerning their professional careers. But businessmen who are consulting the horoscope are quickly overtaking them, both in numbers and fervor! The success of the powers of darkness in influencing religious leaders is nowhere more evident than in the contemporary liberal and neo-orthodox emphasis in religious schools and theological seminaries. Demonic activity and influence are not limited to the violent behavior we see in the Gadarene demoniac (Mark5). Satan often works in subtle ways, i.e., under the guise of modern scholarship, or through the religious cults. "Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness" (II Corinthians 11:14-15). Among ministers and religious leaders, there is an increasing interest in occult literature, ESP, and communication with the dead, as well as other occult practices and psychic phenomena. The Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship is an association of ministers and laymen interested in psychic phenomena, communication with the dead, and so on. Founded by Arthur Ford, a Disciples of Christ minister and trance medium, it is an example of the growing occult interests of ministers in America. The membership of the Churches Fellowship for Psychic Studies in England includes many religious dignitaries who are interested in the relationship between extrasensory experiences and religion. The widespread influence of psychics and other occult practitioners upon government, military, and political leaders has already been shown. Nor can we fail to mention the rise of the New Age movement, a demonically inspired, humanistic religion of rebellion against God, which sets up man as a "god" unto himself. Surely one cannot mistake the devilish source which drove a well-known movie starlet to run naked up and down a beach, screaming, "I am god! I am god!" in the name of the New Age! There has never been a time in history when occult involvement has been more widespread. Millions are deluded, including many professing Christians, ministers, and religious leaders, both as to its satanic character and its resultant psychic and spiritual damage to those who participate. Important questions to consider. Have there ever been any occult contacts or involvement in your personal life or family history? Are you aware that the Scriptures say that God condemns such participation without reservation? If you have ever practiced or participated in any of these things, then consider the following questions carefully. They may well be the doorway to your deliverance from occult subjection and oppression. 1. Have you ever visited a fortune teller, who told your fortune by the use of cards, tea leaves, palm reading, or other occult means? 2. Has anyone ever hypnotized you, or have you ever practiced self-hypnosis or yoga? 3. Do you read or follow the horoscope? 4. Have you attended a seance or spiritualist meeting at any time? 5. Have you had a "life" or "reincarnative" reading? 6. Have you consulted a Ouija board, planchette, cards, tea leaves, crystal ball, and such like (whether "in fun," out of curiosity, or in earnest)? 7. Have you played with any so-called "games" of an occult nature (ESP, Telepathy, Kabala, etc.)? 8 ). Have you ever consulted a medium? 9. Have you ever sought healing by any occult means, either voluntarily as an adult, or involuntarily as a child? This would include the removal of warts, or the treatment of burns or other disease by magic conjuration or charming; by a Spiritualist, Christian Scientist, or other "spirit-healing" practitioner; by psychic healing, hypnosis, or metaphysical healing; by the use of the pendulum or trance for diagnosis; or by any other occult means. (Such practices are not to be confused with divine healing through faith as taught in the Scriptures.) 10. Have you ever sought to locate missing objects or persons by consulting someone who has psychic, clairvoyant, or psychometric powers? 11. Have you practiced table-lifting (tipping), levitation, or automatic (spirit) writing? 12. Have you ever been given or worn an amulet, talisman, or charm for luck or protection? 13. Have you, or has anyone for you, practiced water witching (sometimes called dowsing or divining for water, etc.) using a twig or pendulum? 14. Do you read or possess occult or spiritualist literature, such as books on astrology, interpretation of dreams, metaphysics, psychic phenomena, ESP, self-realization, religious cults, fortunetelling, magic, or clairvoyance, and especially such occult magical books as Secrets of the Psalms, and the diabolical so-called Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses? 15. Have you experimented with or practiced ESP or telepathy? 16. Have you used the psychedelic drug, LSD? 17. Have you ever practiced any form of magic charming or ritual? 18. Have you had your handwriting analyzed, practiced mental suggestion, cast a magic spell, or sought psychic experiences? 19. Do you possess any occult or pagan relics, artifacts, or religious objects which may have been involved in pagan temples and religious rites, or in the practice of sorcery, magic, divination, or spiritualism? 20. Have you ever attended meetings such as those of the Rosicrucian's, Spiritualists, Mormons, Christian Scientists, Baha'i, Theosophy, Unity, Inner Peace Movement, Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship, Association for Research and Enlightenment, Religious Research Foundation of America, Jehovah's Witnesses, Unitarians, or others of an occult nature? 21. Do you realize that all these practices, as well as any participation in them, are condemned by God in the Scriptures? 22. Do you realize that divination, fortunetelling, magic practices, false religious cults, and spiritism in all forms are an abomination to God and are under His curse? 23. Do you realize that, if you ever practiced or participated in any form of occultism (whether intentionally or innocently), you opened the door to oppression from the powers of darkness, even if your occult activity occurred before you became a Christian? 24. Do you realize that you may now be the victim of demonic subjection or oppression because of this, even though you have been unaware of the source and cause of your problems? The direct connection between occult involvement and physical, psychic, mental, and spiritual oppression was shown in the previous study on “Demonism in the Light of Scripture” We urge you to give careful attention as you read it, for many have found the way of liberation when shown the occult cause for their oppression. I hope you join us next time for our further studies on these topics. Edited. Shared. ❤️ God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧”? 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯—𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘕𝘰𝘸… 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧? The apostle Paul glimpsed the top floor-and it changed everything. ______________ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 In 𝟐 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟐:𝟐 (KJV), Paul writes something so breathtaking that scholars have debated it for two thousand years: 𝟐 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟐:𝟐 (KJV): "𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰, (𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭; 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭: 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘵𝘩;) 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯." Paul was caught up—snatched away by the Holy Spirit—into the third heaven. But wait… third heaven? What are the first, second, and third? Most people have no idea. And that is where the fear of missing out begins. If you miss this, you miss the most glorious reality of the unseen world. ______________ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬—𝐀 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫 From the beginning, God has told us there is more than one heaven. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝟐:𝟏 (KJV): "𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮." Notice the plural: 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬. And again: 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝟐:𝟒 (KJV): "𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴." God's Word reveals three distinct heavens. Let us explore each one. ______________ 𝟏. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐲 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 This is the atmosphere that surrounds the earth. Birds fly here. Clouds form here. Rain falls from here. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝟏:𝟐𝟎 (KJV): "𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘸𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯." The word "firmament" means the expanse. This is the visible, physical sky that every human sees every day. ______________ 𝟐. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 Beyond the clouds, beyond the stratosphere, lies the realm of the sun, moon, and stars. This is the cosmos—the galaxies, the planets, the endless depths of space. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝟏:𝟏𝟒–𝟏𝟓 (𝐊𝐉𝐕): "𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴: 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩." Science has only scratched the surface of this second heaven. It is unimaginably vast—yet it is not God's dwelling place. ______________ 𝟑. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 This is the heaven that Paul visited. The Bible calls it Paradise (𝟐 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟐:𝟒). It is the immediate presence of the Almighty. 𝐃𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝟏𝟎:𝟏𝟒 (𝐊𝐉𝐕): "𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴." The phrase "heaven of heavens" refers to the third heaven-the highest heaven. It is the place where: 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝟏𝟏𝟓:𝟑 (KJV): "𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴: 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥." This is the unseen world—the eternal realm where God sits enthroned, where angels worship, where the souls of the redeemed rest, and where Jesus Christ now intercedes for us. 𝐇𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝟗:𝟐𝟒 (KJV): "𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦; 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴." ______________ 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 — 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰 The third heaven is your eternal destiny if you are in Christ. Paul was caught up there, and he heard unspeakable words (𝟐 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟐:𝟒). But get this—he was not allowed to tell what he saw. That means: The glory is so great that human language is insufficient. The reality is so pure that sinners would be consumed. The joy is so deep that it surpasses all earthly pleasures. Yet today, most people are obsessed with the first heaven (weather, travel, and comfort) and the second heaven (science, astrology, and space exploration)—while ignoring the third heaven that will outlast them all. Do not let this world distract you from the world to come. ______________ 𝐀 𝐒𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 Satan himself is called "𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳" (𝐄𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟐:𝟐 KJV). He operates in the first and second heavens-the spiritual realm that surrounds us. There is a war for your soul. But Christ has ascended far above all heavens (𝐄𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟒:𝟏𝟎 KJV) and sits at the right hand of God. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞: Ignore the third heaven and live only for what you can see. Or set your affection on things above (𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟑:𝟐 KJV) and prepare to enter that glorious place. ______________ 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐔𝐩? Paul was caught up to the third heaven—but he came back to preach the gospel. The gospel is this: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for your sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (𝟏 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟓:𝟑–𝟒 KJV). He is the only door into that third heaven. 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏𝟒:𝟔 (KJV): "𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦: 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘦." Right now, you have breath in your lungs. You have the opportunity to trust Christ as your Saviour. Do not let another day pass without knowing that you are bound for the third heaven. Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart. Repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ—and you shall be saved (𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝟏𝟔:𝟑𝟏 KJV). ______________ 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 The third heaven is real. Paul saw it. You can too—but only through the blood of Jesus. 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Does the Bible tell us how to go to that third heaven? That would be my next writing… so stay tuned. Share this post. Someone needs to know what awaits them. Heaven is closer than you think. Are you ready?

Let's talk about it. A DETAIL WE OFTEN READ PAST: THE TOWER OF BABEL WAS NOT JUST A TALL BUILDING TO SHOW OFF. IT WAS AN OCCULT ATTEMPT TO BUILD A PHYSICAL GATEWAY INTO THE HEAVENLY DIMENSION. We usually treat the story of Babel like an architectural failure that resulted in multiple languages. But the true intent of Nimrod and the ancient builders was an act of supreme spiritual rebellion. In Genesis 11, the people gathered to build a tower that "reaches to the heavens." In ancient Mesopotamia, these Ziggurats were designed as massive temples for astrology and demonic worship. They were attempting to force open a gateway into the spiritual realm to access the power of the heavens without submitting to the Creator. God did not strike the tower with lightning out of fear. He saw the danger of absolute human unity focused purely on evil. He declared, "Now nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." God intervened with swift, tactical precision, confusing their language to scatter the rebellion and halt their occult pursuit. The Lord protects His boundaries, and human arrogance will never build a staircase high enough to usurp the Throne. What is your take on this? Do you believe humanity is once again trying to "build a tower" to become their own gods through extreme technology and pride?