April 1, 2011
“So the great dragon was CAST OUT, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who DECEIVES the whole world; he was CAST to the earth, and his angels were CAST OUT with him. Now WHEN the dragon saw that he had been CAST to the earth, he PERSECUTED the woman . . . woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has COME DOWN to you, HAVING GREAT WRATH, because he knows that he has a short time . . . and the dragon was ENRAGED with the woman” (Revelation 12:9,12-13, 17).
Continued, Part 2
Dear Brethren,
Though the fallen angels (demons, Revelation 12:4) have been reduced to Tartarus (Greek word meaning a condition of restraint, not a place, with their knowledge and way perverted, II Peter 2:4); they are still an invisible super-natural force to be reckoned with in many different ways by an unsuspecting, naïve, and blinded world.
The same is true with God’s people; we are naïve and trusting people. At the same time we are not to go the extreme of being paranoid about everything, but just be vigilant and careful.
This writing is intended to help us see some of the ways Satan’s demonic world seeks to destroy us. Scripture teaches us that we should be alert and wide awake in all areas to the real threatening danger to God’s Church and to each of us individually, not only to guard us from sin that can often entrap us, but also on guard against our powerful and avowed invisible enemy, Satan the Devil, and his demonic world (II Corinthians 11:3).
“. . . Now WHEN the dragon saw that he had been CAST to the earth, he PERSECUTED the woman . . .” (Revelation 12:
Satan the devil knows he has the world deceived in all ways— including all religions, even within the corporate Churches of God— with the exception of the Philadelphia and Laodicean Church Eras.
Knowing this, he will soon be concentrating in a much greater way on the elect people of God who are NOT deceived having been brought out of his blinded world and now know him for who and what he really is – our avowed enemy!
Yet, even within the Philadelphia and Laodicean Church Eras, too many are unaware of his power of deception as well as in other ways he often is permitted by Jesus Christ to strike out at the membership to awaken them out of their complacency or other problems as did He with Job.
Satan’s Power of Deception
Because of the powerful effectiveness of deception that is blanketing the whole world, Satan is trying hard to overpower the very few, the elect membership, with it! Coupled with it will soon be persecution that will be brought about by Satan the devil in his great wrath!
This will begin when circumstances come to be right with the world’s religions and society who will then turn against God’s Church and Satan will begin using them to persecute God’s faithful people.
Somewhere about the same time of the persecution, he will use the very strongest possible deception by beginning to perform miracles through known trusted ministers of the former Worldwide Church of God who have developed their own corporate churches since 1995.
Speaking of the closing time of the end, Jesus Christ cautioned His faithful people of this coming time:
“Then IF anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. FOR false christs (one minister already claims he is Christ by saying he is THAT PROPHET spoken of in the holy Bible; this Scripture and related ones clearly makes known this is speaking of Jesus Christ and not a man), and false prophets will ARISE and SHOW GREAT SIGNS AND WONDERS, so as to DECEIVE, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you before hand” (Matthew 24:23-25).
” . . . to DECEIVE, if possible, even the elect.” This segment of Scripture makes known how powerful that deception will be during this coming time which will be the greatest possible trouble and trial to come on this age.
Unmasking Satan’s Ministers
Jesus Christ makes known how the elect will KNOW THE DIFFERENCE between the illusions of Satan the devil and the reality of the true God.
“If there ARISE among you (whether Israel or the Church of God) a prophet or dreamer of dreams, and he gives you A SIGN or a WONDER, and the SIGN or the WONDER comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (Matthew 24:23) which you have not known, and let us serve them,’ you shall NOT listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams (an example: I Kings 13:8-26), for the LORD your God is TESTING you to know whether you LOVE the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall WALK after the LORD your God and FEAR Him (our lifestyle – I John 2:6), and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS and OBEY His voice, and you shall SERVE Him and HOLD FAST TO HIM . . . (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).
Scripture further makes known the importance of obeying God’s voice, His commandments, and teachings, by which His people will be safe-guarded from Satan’s instruments:
“And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should NOT a people SEEK their God? Should they seek the dead (as did King Saul) on behalf of the living? TO THE LAW AND TO THE TESTIMONY! Verse 16. If they do NOT speak according to this word (In addition to the law, the complete holy Bible, II Timothy 4:10, 14-17) it is because there is NO light (truth) in them. (Isaiah 8:19-20).
King Saul Consults a Medium
A classic example is that of King Saul of Israel who sought out a medium seeking through her to be able to receive counsel from the prophet Samuel who was dead:
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land. . . . When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go and enquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at Endor.
Verse 8 -- So Saul disguised himself (removing his royal robes) and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night.
And he said, “Please conduct a séance (a meeting in which a medium seeks or professes to communicate with the spirits of the dead) for me, and bring up to me the one I shall name to you.” . . .
Verse 11 -- Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
N
ote:
She
divined by a spirit with a demon working through her. Samuel was
buried 60 miles away in Ramah, Verse 3. People then believed the
dead were buried and in their graves. They did not believe in the
immortality of the soul. Mediums and witches had to bring up the
whole body with the voice otherwise the people would not believe.
Mediums did not produce voices from the air since people believed
them to be elsewhere.
Verse 12 -- When the woman SAW Samuel, she shrieked loudly (NJPS). . . . And the king said to her, “. . . What did YOU see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit (a god-like being) ascending out of the earth” (She saw first a form that looked exactly like Samuel and was the only one to see it). So he said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul PERCEIVED that it was Samuel. . . .
Verse 15 -- Now Samuel (the lying demon – Satan lied to Eve in a similar manner, II Corinthians 11:3) said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, AND GOD HAS DEPARTED FROM ME AND DOES NOT ANSWER ME ANYMORE, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”
NOTE: 1) Members over the years have gotten in over their heads by talking to demons. Once one does this, short of a miracle from God, there is no getting rid of them. People have committed suicide trying to free themselves from them. 2) Since God had departed from Saul, He would not have not have permitted the real Samuel to be raised from the dead and advise Saul.
Verses 16-19 – Then Samuel (the lying demon impersonating him) said: “Why then do you ask me, seeing the LORD has DEPARTED from you and has become your enemy? . . .” (I Samuel 28:3-4-8, 11-19)
NOTE: The lying demon that was impersonating Samuel then proceeds to reprimand Saul by telling him why God had departed from him and that Israel would be defeated and he and his sons would be among the dead. In this manner it would seem real to Saul.
Scripture makes known that God often permits the demons to know His plans (I Kings 22:22-23; II Chronicles 18:21-22). They will lead people on with truth in dreams, talking, or other means of communication, to get their confidence and then seek to destroy them in one way or another.
God’s Command to the Tribes of Israel
“Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits, do NOT seek after them (in any manner shape or form), to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:31).
Then the dire warning and judgment to befall those who do seek after them whether water-witching, Ouija boards, astrology, fortune tellers, séances, attending false churches, whatever:
“And the person who TURNS after mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set my face against that person and cut him off from his people” (Leviticus 20:6).
This was an additional sin of Saul that cost him his life (I Chronicles 10:13-14).
Israel Forsook God
Due to their prosperity in the Promised Land, Israel lost their fear of God and cast aside His commands and laws:
“But Jeshurun (Israel) grew fat and kicked . . . then he forsook God who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of their salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to DEMONS, not to God . . .” (Deuteronomy 32:15-17).
Though the House of Joseph, in particular, retained at least a semblance of God through the centuries in their memories, and have tried to honor Him in many ways, but since World War II it has been an accelerating slide downhill of removing themselves from any knowledge and acknowledgement of Him.
This has led them more fully in contact and relationships with Satan’s spirit world even in the highest offices in this country.
Future Events Sought from Demonic Spirit World
The media has written in the past about some president’s wives in this country consulting mediums to enable them to speak to the dead (as did King Saul – I Samuel 28:7-8). These women apparently felt the need for added help with major decisions in their roles and private lives.
A
very prominent woman of some years ago was a sorceress and was said
to have predicted the death of President Kennedy, and the shooting of
President Reagan, as well as foretelling other major things to occur.
The demon world does sometimes know what is to occur with future events. However, making the desired knowledge known is done with the intent to lure and then take over the mind and then destroy the individual (Mark 9:14-27).
At the same time one should realize that what they reveal may only be partially true while mixed with error. Jesus Christ tells us that Satan is a liar and the author of it (John 8:44). And that means his demons as well. They cannot be believed!
Unless these people can break free from them, their minds and lives can be so completely absorbed they sometimes end up in mental institutions, or they kill others, or themselves.
From time to time we read where a parent kills his or her children and then himself or herself. It is often said by the person that Jesus told them to do it! In actuality, this is Satan or one of his demons masquerading as Jesus Christ, for Christ would never lead someone to do such a terrible thing.
Some few years ago one man jumped off the tallest building he could find in San Diego, California trying to break free from the torment he was receiving from demons. A short time ago, I was told of another man in a Church area I had pastored who became so involved with demons that he blew off his head with a double-barrel shotgun to get away from them.
There are numerous people I have counseled over the years who had real demoniacal problems! It is always sad to see how their mental state has been weakened by them.
This is such a tragic problem that it is only the few who escape once they permit themselves to enter into their destructive world by one means or another.
To be continued
Why the Lengthy Detail?
Brethren, I am going into much detail in these present writings about the wiles and tactics of Satan the devil and his demonic world. They are intended to enable you to come to know your real enemy (Ephesians 6:10-12).
And realizing Satan’s deadly objective of seeking to destroy each of us, it is imperative that we be close to God and Jesus Christ. It is only by doing this that we can keep Satan and his demonic world removed far from us.
For those of you who are experiencing problems with the demonic spirit world— and I do know of some— Jesus Christ through His apostle James makes known how to extricate yourselves and remain free from them:
“Therefore SUBMIT to God. RESIST THE DEVIL and he will FLEE from you. Draw NEAR to God and He will draw NEAR to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and PURIFY your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn (by fasting) and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up” (James 2:7-10).
The same applies to each one of us whether we are having problems with them or not. For as we come to be closer to the very end-time this evil spirit world will be trying much harder to make contact while seeking to destroy us.
A
nd
they have
devious ways of doing it, often ways that are very attractive to us.
They can make contact through the computer, reading fairytale
stories, Harry Potter, or by other means.
Examples: Innocent reading – so people think! I personally know of one young girl after reading the fiery stories came running to her mother for she had begun hearing voices trying to talk to her. The fairy stories were destroyed.
A Church member some years ago told me of a commotion going on with his young boys upstairs, and upon investigating he found it was caused by a book they were reading that connected them with the evil spirit world. He immediately got rid of the book and the problems ceased.
We MUST keep those Scriptures in mind and try very hard to establish and keep an ongoing relationship with our God and trust Him to keep them away from us. We MUST not let ourselves become lethargic, complacent, or indifferent to our wonderful and awesome calling.
Pre-Passover Examination
This is also the time of the year we are to be examining ourselves more fully so that we might be able to partake of the symbols of the Passover in an acceptable manner before our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Your brother and servant in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Don Billingsley
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