Satan and His Control

Initial explanation: When talking about Satan, I mean Satan and the demons. Since Satan and the demons were created as angels - albeit now they are fallen angels - they are not able to be in more than one location at a time. So when the name Satan is spoken in this article, it refers to Satan and the demonic realm, with Satan recognized as the leader. (In the same way we say General Patton won many battles, we recognize that Patton personally wasn’t the one doing the fighting but he was the leader and, by referring to him, we mean all those who were under his leadership.) So I will only say “Satan,” but mean the entire demonic realm.

Also, since Satan is an angel, he has great intelligence and great power.

Questions to consider:

1.  Can Satan plant thoughts in our mind?

2.  Can Satan read our mind?

If Satan was able to plant thoughts in our minds, then he would indeed be able to make us sin, but that would be violating our free will. There is no place in Scripture where we see Satan making people sin. Even Adam and Eve were only tempted by Satan, but it is human free will choice which leads to sin by choosing that which is against God.

The Scripture in many places speaks of the demonically-possessed. In these people the demon does exercise control to a great degree, but there is no indication that Satan plants thoughts in their minds, rather he uses the people as channels to express his own thoughts.  

Contrary to much false teaching, a Christian cannot be possessed by demons because a Christian is in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit: 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:17, 19; 2 Cor. 1:22; 2 Thes. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:5; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:18.

Since God imbued man with a free will to choose between good and evil, it is not necessary for Satan to place thoughts in our minds. All that is necessary is for him to observe human behavior with his great intelligence and place known temptations in the path of mankind.  Eccl. 7:29 says, “God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.” (CSB)  James 1:14-15, in response to whether God tempts people, says this:  “But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires.  Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.” (CSB)

Can Satan read our minds? NO. This is not a power angels have been demonstrated to possess in Scripture. God has the ability to do so, and we know this from many passages of Scripture. But God is omniscient while Satan - as an angel - is not.  However, since Satan is an extremely intelligent being and has been watching mankind for 6,000 years, he has great understanding as to how mankind thinks.  He knows what can be used as temptations to awaken sinful desires in man.

More Wolves and False Teachings

RIP RHE.  The only thing wrong with this article is “RIP,” since as an unbeliever RHE will not RIP.  (If you are not familiar with RHE’s teachings, Neil has a good report on them here.)

The aberrant “Pensacola Revival” is coming back and, as before, false teacher Michael Brown will be there. An example of how dangerous Michael Brown really is — he won’t condemn Sid Roth.

Heretic Paula White now claims God told her to accept the title of “Apostle.”  Odd, isn’t it, that White doesn’t meet the Biblical qualifications and yet God tells her she is one?

Beth Moore continues to prove she is a horridly false teacher who hates any sort of correction of her ideology.  And yet she continues to have a huge cult following. What can I say that hasn’t been already said about her as a DANGEROUS false teacher?!?

If THIS doesn’t prove the Pope is of Satan, I don’t know what will. And he continues teaching the Muslims and Christians worship the same God.

And, hey, Catholics just adore relics of dead people!  This is as pagan as it gets.

More evidence against Pat Robertson being a Christian.

Perry Noble continues to prove he is a pawn of Satan.

A gross misrepresentation of the Christian values. 

The James MacDonald imbroglio is getting more and more bizarre.

This man is not a pastor, nor a Christian, but a ravenous wolf.

A good review of a nonsensical Hillsong song.

So-Called Christians

The number of supposedly Christian individuals whose moral compasses are calibrated to the spirit of the age rather than the authority of Scripture has become astounding.  Leaning on their own understanding they choose the attributes of a god they want to worship, one who seems “worthy” of their worship, and they bow to it.  The God of Scripture is too narrow-minded.

Peter Heck, “Don’t be Shocked When Many “Christians” Cheer the Criminalization of Christianity.” Illinois Family Institute Newsletter.

Music in Worship

Martin Luther once said that music is second only to theology in the service of God. According to Luther, “He who despises music . . .  does not please me. Music is a gift of God, not a gift of men. . . . After theology I accord to music the highest place and the greatest honor.”

Of course, some of what slips by as music in the worship and adoration of the almighty God and Creator of the universe today seems a bit sleazy at best.

Ronald B. Allen, And I Will Praise Him: A Guide to Worship in the Psalms, pg.23

Elohim

“Elohim” is the normal Hebrew word for God in the Old Testament. It is plural in form, but is used with a singular verb when referring to the true God. The fact that a plural verb is used in Exodus 22:9 (“he whom the Elohim condemn”), and the fact that the other verses [Exod.21:6, 22:8-9] have the definite article with the word Elohim would indicate that Elohim is not a proper name in these verses, but a reference to human judges.  Psalm 82 is another passage where human judges are called Elohim. In verse 1 God “judges among the gods” (NKJB). In verse 6 “I said, ‘You are gods.’” The English translations are very inconsistent in the translation of these verses. In Exodus 21 the NKJB has “judges” while the NASB has “God” as the translation. In Exodus 22 they have “judges” while the NRSV renders it “God.” In Psalm 82 the NKJB, NIV, NRSV, and JND translate it “gods,” but the NASB has “rulers.”  That Psalm 82 is a reference to human judges is clear from an examination of the Psalm which is an indictment against unjust judges who are called “Elohim.” These judges were GOD’s representatives, acting in his authority and in his name. In Deuteronomy 1:17 Moses says, “the judgment is God’s.” In Genesis 9:6 the authority to judge over life and death was transferred to man. But God did not give up the right of judgment. Human authorities were his representatives and were called “gods” because of their unique relationship to him. They were gods, as Perowne says, “as His vice-regents, as embodying in themselves the majesty of the Law, as those in whom men look to find the most perfect earthly pattern of Divine attributes, of truth and justice, and mercy and impartiality.”

John H. Fish III, “God the Son,” The Emmaus Journal Vol.12/No.1, pg.32

Don't Eat Poisoned Food

If I have a joint of meat on my table of which the smell and the taste at once convince me that it is putrid and unwholesome, should I show discretion by eating the whole of it before giving my judgment that it is not fit for food?

One mouthful is quite enough, and one sentence of some books ought to suffice for a sensible man to reject the whole mass. Let those who can relish such meat feed on it, but I have a taste for better food.

Keep to the study of the Word of God. If it be your duty to expose those evils, encounter them bravely, with prayer to God to help you. But if not, as a humble believer in Jesus, what business have you to taste and best such noxious fare when it is exposed in the market?

Charles Spurgeon

H/T Marsha West

Personal Bible Notes: 1st Corinthians

(Refer to my 9/25/18 post about the margin notes in my Bible, and why I decided to share them on this blog.)

1:1:  Paul was directly called by Christ.

1:2b: This letter is applicable to ALL Christians, not just those in Corinth and not just those in the 1st century.

Chapter 2 seems to be referring to Paul and the Apostles.

2:10: Divinely inspired.

2:12 and 13: "we" is the apostles.

2:15: Spiritual person is to judge everything.

3:6: Add nothing to God's Word.

4:17b: Paul teaches the same things in every church.

5:9-13: Discipline for public sin.

5:12: Judge believers, not unbelievers.

6:9: "male prostitutes." actually means the receptors.

6:18: Sexual sins are the only sins that are against the body.

7:17b: Paul's instructions are for ALL the churches, including us.

7:21: Slaves should seek freedom if possible.

7:39: Marry only a Christian.

9:1: Seen Jesus is a qualification to be an Apostle.

9:14: Paid clergy is okay.

10:8: "23,000." Numbers 25:9 says 24,000. 10:8 specifies one day, while Numbers says total; another 1,000 died after the first day.

10:9: "Christ." Numbers 21:5 says it was God; i.e. Christ is God.

10:15: Judge what is said.

11:2-16: Headship order is not cultural! Creative order is given as reason, and that is not culturally bound.

11:23: Paul received the teaching from Jesus.

12:31: "greater gifts" are for church body, not individually.

13:1: Angels always spoke in the language of the listener.

13:7: "bears all things" -- also "covers all things."

14:4: all about self vs the body.

14:13: "pray that he can interpret" is better "that someone"

14:14: "my understanding" is better "other people's understanding of me."

14:37: What Paul writes is God's command.

15:3: Paul was personally taught by Jesus.

15:22-24: Only those in Christ--not universal. This does not hint of two "raptures," --No "pre-trib."

15:29: Paul says "they" vs "you" or "us."

15:39: Speaks against evolution.

15:46: No spiritual pre-existence (e.g. LDS)

Links to Good, Thought-Provoking Articles

Here are links to some good articles I’ve read over the past month.  I hope you find them thought-provoking as well as edifying.

Christian kids must slay wolves in sheep’s clothing, not pet them!  Follow this up with Christian parents must be willing to fight for the heart an soul of their children.

Life’s Questions in Rock and Roll.

Don’t be Shocked When Many “Christians” Cheer the Criminalization of Christianity.

Differences between performance music and worship music.  Interesting.

Sacred space and the trivialization of God.  A thought-provoking commentary.

Sexual Sin and the Pursuit of Purity.

Why the Lazarus narrative does NOT support Calvinism.

The Mind Controlling Slave in “Jehovah’s Organization.”

Why Christian Children Don’t Belong in Public Schools. For over two decades I’ve been saying that Christians need to abandon these government indoctrination centers.

Liberal “Christianity” is another religion entirely.

Women preaching.

God’s high calling for moms.

Dissecting another anti-discernment hit-piece. Too many Christians think it is wrong to expose false teachers and their false teachings, and they attack those who do so.

Catholic Good-Luck Charms

Recently I was with other members of the band performing in front of a Catholic Church. During a break I was inside in their foyer and found these two items, which I couldn’t resist taking (there were many for the taking) to write about! (They are both 2-sided but I couldn't get the sides to be next to each other.)

The item with the picture of “Jesus” is a card 2 inches by 3.5 inches.  It’s like a good-luck card to keep in your pocket!  Let’s examine the teachings: 

“JESUS PROMISES GREAT GRACES THROUGH THIS IMAGE & THESE PRAYERS:

Really? Where do we find such promises in the Bible?  Now look at the unbiblical prayers. First there is a prayer to the blood and water which “gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus…”. Where in the Bible are we ever instructed to pray to Jesus’ blood?!?! And this card tells you to pray this three times!!!!!!

The rest are prayers on the rosary, which in itself is a nothing but a good-luck charm, including heretical prayers to Mary.  And notice that you really should try to say these prayers at “3:00 pm” - as if that is the only time God listens to prayers?!?

This next item is a piece of paper cut to 2 3/4 inches by 5 1/4 inches (I cropped some of the blank parts for posting) and was in a baggie with a home-made blue plastic rosary; these were in a basket by the door (I edited out the contact).

Look at what the quote from St. Therese of Lisieux says: The rosary links heaven and earth, with one end in the hands of Mary!!! More unbiblical teaching of praying to Mary, as if she is omniscient and omni-present. The mission of the group providing these rosaries is unbiblical idolatry of Mary. Jesus is never the focus of these Mary worshippers.

These are sad examples of what false teachings and burdens are put on Catholics.

A Thought About the Psalms

The English word “psalms” is a transliteration of the Greek title of the book. That is, this is the Greek word simply spelled in English or Roman letters. The Greek word psalmoi was first translated into Latin as Psalmi, and then into English as “Psalms.” The Greek word originally meant a striking or twitching of the fingers on a string. The related verb was used by classical writers for the “pulling of a bowstring.” From that came the idea of “pulling or playing a stringed musical instrument.” When the word took ons the extended meaning of a song, there was always the latent background of the stringed instrumental accompaniment tied to the singing. So the meaning of the Greek title of the book is “sacred songs sung to musical accompaniment. 

Ronald B. Allen, And I Will Praise Him: A Guide to Worship in the Psalms, pg.21

The Importance of Doctrine

The necessity of the doctrine of the apostles for effective and fruitful evangelism is insisted upon by our Lord Himself. And, sad to say, modern evangelicalism has neglected this pathetically with its courtship of modern psychology, emotionalism, and shallow theological thinking as food substitutes for the milk and meat of the Word of God.

“We want life, not doctrine,” is a cry of enough Bible teachers to destroy the heart and life of the church of Jesus Christ, were He not determined that the gates of hell should not prevail against her. There can be no true life without Christian doctrine. A great Christian [B.B. Warfield] of the earlier part of this [20th] century put it well when he said, “To be indifferent to doctrine is thus but another way of saying we re indifferent to Christianity.” What is peculiar to Christianity is not its religious sentiment, its provoked feelings, but its messaged of salvation, that is, its doctrine.

We preach not just any “Jesus,” such as the one given us by the Mormons, the Witnesses, and the many liberals in mainline denominations, but the Jesus Christ given to us in the inspired Scriptures of His apostles. We are not free to preach any Jesus that comes to our mushy fancy. We are free only to preach Him whom they preached,—“Jesus Christ, and him as crucified” (the original text of 1 Cor. 2:2 lays stress on the participle denoting the character in which Paul preached Christ).

S. Lewis Johnson, Jr, “Jesus Praying for the Whole Family: An Exposition of John 17:20-26,” The Emmaus Journal, Vol.9/No.1, pg.75

Don’t Forget the Wrath of God

One of the missing themes in modern preaching is the wrath of God. The mainline Christian churches have skipped right over it. In many evangelical churches the message is,”God is love, and we are accepted just as we are.” What this has given people is a dull gospel with no urgency. What need is there for a gospel if lives are in no ultimate danger? Listening to the preaching of John the Baptist will restore the needed message of God’s judgment to our churches. . . .

It is almost axiomatic in churches today that “God is love and will not condemn anyone.” John the Baptist disagreed. We are in danger, in our time, of losing half the biblical message: the justice, holiness, and moral seriousness of God are being lost, and the gospel is in danger of sinking, and His love is turning insipid.

Some preachers will say that “God does not frighten us into heaven” or that hellfire’s not a legitimate motive in true Christian preaching. Let us ask such preachers to study the sermons in Matthew and see if they can prove their thesis. The biblical God does frighten, does threaten, does talk straight, and we must accustom ourselves to hear Him talk in that way. The love of God is a tough love that does not wink at our sins.

David MacLeod, “Herald of the King: The Mission of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-12),” The Emmaus Journal, Vol.9/No.1, pg.25, 28

Check EVERY Teacher Against the Word

Would there be any Christians in the congregation who would search the Scriptures to see if what Dr. [Billy] Graham was preaching was biblical? I have no doctrinal problems with the ministry of the world-famous evangelist, but is it not a symptom of our celebrity-obsessed society that few if any Christians would expend the effort to biblically evaluate what they were hearing, even from such a godly man?

Is it not true that we let the experts do our thinking for us? Our society seems to reject any existence of truth, yet Christians seem inclined to believe anyone who says he has truth. But the biblical position is to test those who claim to have truth by they clear teachings of Scripture. And if that included the Apostle Paul in the First Century, it certainly ought to include teachers like Graham, Swindoll, Dobson, and Dixon (!) in the Twentieth Century.

Larry Dixon, “Learning to Listen: The Absolute Need for An Absolute Authority,” The Emmaus Journal, Vol.8/No.1, pg.82

Mary Was NOT a Perpetual Virgin

“Mary is not degraded by her relations with Joseph.” Rather, she is degraded and the institution of marriage is degraded “if the principal mother in history is left physically isolated from her husband.” Mary’s full marriage may seem to make her less godlike to some, but it actually dignifies her by recognizing her to be a real woman rather than a plastic saint, and therefore a model mother.

David J. MacLeod, “The Virginal Conception of Our Lord in Matthew 1:18-25,” (citing F.D. Bruner’s The Christbook), The Emmaus Journal, Vol.8/No.1, pg.27.

Satan’s Vast Experience

By his very longevity Satan has acquired a breadth and depth of experience which he matches against the limited knowledge of man. He has observed other believers in every conceivable situation, thus enabling him to predict with accuracy how we will respond to circumstances. Although Satan is not omniscient, his wide experience and observation of man throughout his entire history on earth give him knowledge which is far superior to anything any man could have.

Charles Ryrie, Balancing the Christian Life, pg.124

We Are A Garrison In Enemy Territory

It is urgently needful that the Christian people of our charge should come to understand that they are not a company of invalids, to be wheeled about, or fed by hand, nursed, and comforted, the minister being the Head Physician and Nurse; but a garrison in an enemy’s country, every soldier of which should have some post or duty, at which he should be prepared to make any sacrifice rather than quitting.

Dr. F.B. Meyer, Bible Illustrations, cited by Ron Rhodes in Christianity According to the Bible, pg.189.

Be Forewarned — More Wolves and False Teachings

Heresy Hiding in Plain Sight. 2 hrs/24 min radio program exposing Hillsong’s “worship music.” The first 10-15 minutes waiting to get into the actual program is tedious, and even a few minutes after as they explain what they they are reporting. Have something to do while you’re listening. If this doesn’t wake you to the horrid problems of Hillsong, then you aren’t paying attention.

If the “church” you attend has to do this to get an audience, then it is a goat-pen led by wolves. Imagine the good that money could do in helping Christians in need.

When Christian pastors charge money to attend a Good Friday service, you know they’ve sold out to the devil. And the plot thickens.

Catholics really need to clean their own house.

Beth Moore continues to spiral deeper into false teachings. She doesn’t care WHO she joins with in destroying the church.

A good exposure of the false nature of the Eastern Orthodox religion. I also wrote about that organization nine years ago.

The cult of Young Living Essential Oils.

Beware of Darren Wilson’s horrid false teachings and movies.

The new “churches” are designed for self-glorification.  The idea is to appeal to non-believers, but that is NOT what church is for!

The Pope is now funding those who are trying to immigrate illegally to the USA. Gee, I wonder what Christ would say about helping those who disobey laws?

Claiming to be a Christian seminary or a Christian person doesn’t make it so.  The Christian faith has been abandoned.

More blasphemers supporting homosexual behavior as being okay with God.

A Christian foster and adoption agency has cowardly bent to the fascists and has decided to give children to perverted couples, thereby endangering their lives. They have thereby become wolves to these children.

The double standard of Michael Brown: he is a wolf defending wolves.

Pat Robertson and his “700 Club” need to disappear and quit pretending to be Christian. The man is a false prophet and heretic.

A fellow blogger sent me this link about Seventh-day Adventist teaching. Lots to look at, but more proof that they are indeed a heretical cult.