Dabbling With the Dark Side? The Bible Clearly Condemns Halloween - BEN GODWIN CHARISMA NEWS

While I personally don't celebrate Halloween, I'm not a killjoy on a mission to rob people of fun. (neepster/Flickr/CC)

Dabbling With the Dark Side? The Bible Clearly Condemns Halloween

10/25/2017 BEN GODWIN  CHARISMA NEWS

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Darkness is used in Scripture as a metaphor for evil to represent all that is sinful and satanic.

In contrast, light is a biblical metaphor for good to represent truth and all that is of God.

The apostle Paul instructed, "Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth ... And do not have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; instead, expose them" (Eph. 5:7-9, 11).

It's a tricky balance for Christians to be in the world without conforming to it.

Jesus prayed, "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).

If we imitate the world, we lose our distinction; if we isolate from the world, we lose our influence. Christians need to engage the culture if we expect to make an impact.

It's perfectly fine for a boat to be in the water, but if too much water gets in the boat, now that's a problem. This brings up the question, "How should Christians treat Halloween?"

The origin of Halloween incorporated a mixture of Christian and pagan practices.

According to World Book Encyclopedia, "Halloween developed from an ancient pagan festival celebrated by Celtic people over 2,000 years ago in the area that is now the U.K., Ireland, and Northern France. The festival was called 'Samhain' (pronounced SOW ehn), which means 'summer's end' and it marked the beginning of the dark winter season and was celebrated around Nov. 1. In the ninth century, the Catholic Church established a new holiday—All Saint's Day, also called All Hallows. 'Hallow' means 'saint' or 'one who is holy.' The evening before All Hallows was known as All Hallow's Eve, eventually shortened to Halloween.

"About 200 years later, the church added All Soul's Day on Nov. 2, a day set aside to pray for friends and family who died. People made many of the old pagan customs part of this Christian holy day. Some put out food for their deceased ancestors, or left lanterns burning in the windows so that ghosts could find their way home for the night. In England, people went house to house 'souling,' asking for small breads called soul cakes in exchange for prayers or songs (thus the origin of trick or treating)."

While I personally don't celebrate Halloween, I'm not a killjoy on a mission to rob people of fun. I do not equate dressing up in a cartoon or superhero costume and collecting candy with devil worship.

Many believers boycott Halloween because of its dark elements. The downside is Christian kids feel like they are missing out. Thankfully, many churches offer alternatives such as trunk-or-treat or fall festivals that provide wholesome fun and safe candy zones to keep kids off the streets.

Some of what happens on Halloween is harmless fun, but anyone with any spiritual discernment cannot deny that there is a sinister side.

"Abstain from all appearances of evil" (1 Thess. 5:22). Sin, like art, starts by drawing a line somewhere! It's an odd contradiction for Christians to dress their kids up as creepy characters they try to teach them not emulate.

At this time of year there is a tsunami of horror movies flooding the airwaves featuring vampires, witches, zombies, monsters, cannibals and savage serial killers. Hollywood and viewers, it seems, have an obscene obsession with and an insatiable appetite for gory violence.

You can't avoid being bombarded by the commercials even if you just watch news or sports. These shows glamorize evil and open the door to demonic influences. Some say it's all just fantasy or harmless entertainment, but, if what people watch doesn't affect behavior, then why do companies spend billions of dollars to advertise to them? 

Related Articles

• Why My Family Decided to Give Up Halloween
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In Greek Mythology, Zeus gave Pandora a box and a key as a wedding gift with a note "Do Not Open." Curiosity overcame her and she lifted the lid releasing all the forces of evil into the world.

The point is there are some doors you really don't want to open.

"Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]" (Eph. 4:27, AMP).

Don't open the door to sin's destructive influence. Slam the door shut in Satan's face!

Halloween is a showcase for witchcraft which the Bible clearly condemns (Ex. 22:18; Lev. 19:31, 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:10-14; Gal. 5:19-21), calling it an "abomination"—morally disgusting, detestable, despicable and abhorrent.

Contrary to popular belief, books and movies, there is no such thing as a "good witch." That is an oxymoron. How can someone controlled by evil forces be good?

Paul asked the Corinthians, "For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion has light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14, MEV).

Christians have no business dabbling in any form of witchcraft: horoscopes, crystal balls, séances, Ouija boards, Dungeons & Dragons, pentagrams, tarot cards, palm reading, spells, fortune telling, mediums, channeling, divination, sorcery, black magic and so forth.

There are only two sources of supernatural power—God and Satan. If something is not of God, where does it originate?

If you are involved in any of these practices, I urge you to repent of it, renounce it and ask God to remove it from your life. Don't gamble with your soul. Satan uses these and other ploys to deceive the masses.

What we need to know about our future is either found in Scripture or can be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).

Like bugs drawn to a light to their own demise, man has an inexplicable, magnetic attraction toward evil.

Robert Rudolph said it well: "Open minds like open windows need screens to keep the bugs out."

The air may seem clean in a house, but the air filter catches many unseen pollutants. There are many false beliefs and deceptions floating around, but the Bible is our filter. Its radiant light helps us discern and dispel the darkness.

"God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Friends, it's not worth the eternal risk of dabbling with the dark side. 

Ben Godwin is the author of four books and he pastors the Goodsprings Full Gospel Church. His weekly telecast, The Word Workshop, airs on TV-16 and Charter Cable No. 10 on Mondays at 9 p.m. and Tuesdays at noon and live streams on TV16HD.com. His website is bengodwin.org.

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In the Wake of Racist Attacks, Christians Like Greg Laurie Turn to Hope - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

White nationalists are met by a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. ( REUTERS/Joshua Roberts TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

In the Wake of Racist Attacks, Christians Like Greg Laurie Turn to Hope

 8/14/2017 JESSILYN JUSTICE  CHARISMA NEWS

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

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After white supremacists stormed Charlottesville, Virginia, Christians like Greg Laurie refuse to let evil win.

Later this month, the pastor and founder of Harvest America will share hopeful messages with more than 100,000 as part of SoCal Harvest 2017.

"In a weekend marked by a form of violence and hatred seemingly more reminiscent of 1967 than 2017, I am reminded of the words from Scripture: 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus' [see Gal. 3:28]. As a Christian and as an American, I am heartbroken by what took place in Charlottesville," Laurie says.

"What's most important is what we do now, in the aftermath of Charlottesville. We must be united against racism in all its forms especially against anti-Semitism, white-supremacy and all associated ideologies. Above all, we must pray that faith, hope and love will win the day in our country. Let those of us in the church lead the way in condemning such vile and evil thinking and lift up a better way, one free of fear, bigotry and hate. Let us lift up the good news of Christ who taught us that it is by our love that they will know us. May God grant us the strength to be a church marked by His love for all people, in all corners of our country and the world, in all situations and at all times," Laurie says.

Laurie isn't the only believer deeply shaken by the weekend's events. Nor is he the only one who knows where to turn in times of distress.

Winfred Neely, a professor of hermeneutics and homiletics at Moody Bible, Institute says:

A Unite the Right protest this past weekend, conceived in hatred, fear, and the heretical doctrine of racial superiority, gave birth to twins:  violence and death. One of the protesters, James Alex Fields, a 20-year-old Nazi sympathizer, plowed his car into a crowd of counter protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring others. The image of his car plowing into a crowd of counter protesters is eerily reminiscent of recent terrorist attacks in Nice and London. As followers of Christ, we must stand against white supremacy or any other kind of racial or ethnic supremacy. At the same time, we should follow the example of the psalmist and lament the Charlottesville situation. "O Lord, how long?" (Ps. 6:3).

God is omnipresent; He is everywhere at the same time in the fullness of His being. God was not absent in Charlottesville; He was present. He observed the violence, the hatred and the death this past weekend. Moreover, Jesus, His Son, understands the pain and ugly face of hatred the scarred the residents of the quaint university town of Charlottesville, having experienced himself the hatred of people (John 15:18), and the violent death of the cross (Rev. 5:9), bearing in His own glorified body the scars of Calvary (Rev. 5:6).

In the attempt to help people who have lost loved one in Charlottesville's turmoil, theological about where was God may not be what people need at this point. The best comfort we may offer to the grieving is the ministry of presence, the ministry of tears and the ministry of silence (Job 2:11-13). Job's friends were at their best when they were silent; when they started talking things went downhill for 28 chapters (3-31)    

One of the most important ways the church can shine in our hate-filled world is to learn from past church failures in the area of race and ethnic relations. It is imperative today that the church be a prophetic voice instead of an echo of the racially divided culture. We must demonstrate in an observable manner the oneness of the body of Christ (John 17:11, 20-21). As we embrace our common mission and purpose, we will be able transcend our ethnic, cultural, and class differences, lament past failure, learn from present hurt, and construct a better and more biblically shaped future.

Support and encourage the vigorous planting and nurturing of multi-ethnic congregations. I pastor a multi-ethnic congregation in Chicagoland; we strive to guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). The fact that we worship and serve the Lord together with mutual understanding and respect has apologetic force, giving us some credibility in our immediate ministry context.

We must dismantle all forms of racial superiority in our evangelical and Christian institutions. The doctrine of white supremacy has been the scourge our nation and the church. We must dismantle it and make sure that we do not substitute it with another form of racial or ethnic superiority. Unless we do this, we will not have credibility in the world. Of course, we must dismantle the doctrine of racial superiority in the larger society as well, but the church must be an example in this regard. God loves the entire human family and our attitudes should reflect the scope of God's love (John 3:16).

Sam Rohrer of the American Pastors Network says: 

The deplorable circumstances in Charlottesville should indeed get the attention of all Americans. Yet, in the midst of this event, for which both sides share blame, these questions must not be overlooked: What has happened in America to produce such increasing hostilities and anger among our people? And can unity be achieved just by our leaders demanding it?

In reality, we didn't get to this place by accident nor overnight. The rejection of moral truth, healing and [the] transformative power of redemption and forgiveness available only through Jesus Christ is where it started. The coarsening of society is assured where life in the womb is cavalierly discarded, where God's plan for the family and human sexuality is jettisoned, where a "selfless others focus' is replaced with a 'selfish-only focus" and where duty is replaced with "right." Such it is today.

Is unity again achievable? The answer is yes. But, for some, even this statement may be dividing—yet it is nonetheless the truth. Unity is not the goal but a byproduct. Unity never demands full agreement in all things by all people. Yet what unity does demand is an agreement on a common body of truth. In the United States, that common body of truth was found in the Judeo-Christian scriptures, where there is God who created life and then 'endowed certain unalienable rights' to the people, who 'under God' agree with God that He is perfect; that mankind is sinful and not naturally good.

But that redemption and healing through faith in Jesus Christ alone can transform the mind and the heart, and heal families, communities and the nation. No one race, no one color, no one nationality has a claim to this truth. Yet, true equality, true justice and true unity can, in fact, result when people from all walks of life agree with God on these truths.

Any nation or people who believes these things can experience peace, security and unity. Our nation once did—not ever perfect, of course—but overwhelmingly embraced this view, and God blessed it as no nation ever before it. We will now, in this time of increasing need, either look to God and agree with Him and do what He says and regain the freedom we so love, or we will look to ourselves, to government or to some man or woman and descend into the abyss of slavery and totalitarianism. There is no other choice.

Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association says: 

For Christians, there can never be any compromise with hate, and there is perhaps no more vile expression of satanic violence than Nazi ideology and the Nazi swastika.

Our nation is polarized to a degree not seen since the late 1960s, and our prayer is for the public discourse to remain vigorous yet peaceful. We must respect each other's right to hold divergent views, while not giving into the temptation to turn our differences into an excuse for vengeful violence.

Nevertheless, while Americans enjoy great freedoms to express virtually any idea in the public square, it is important that we simultaneously maintain the right to clearly and forcefully denounce abhorrent ideas—such as white supremacy, racism or hatred of the Jewish people.

AFA calls on members of the body of Christ, especially, to pray for healing in America, and we humbly ask God to forgive our many sins and pour out His spirit on our land once more.

Jessilyn Justice is the director of online news for Charisma. Born and raised in a pastor's family in Alabama, she attended Lee University and the Washington Journalism Center. She's passionate about sharing God's goodness through storytelling. Tell her what you think of this story on Twitter @jessilynjustice.

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3 Countercultural Ways Jesus Dealt With Satanic Activity - DR. CAROL PETERS-TANKSLEY CHARISMA NEWS

Jesus modeled this authority for effectively overcoming wickedness. (Tim Trad)

3 Countercultural Ways Jesus Dealt With Satanic Activity

 6/4/2017 DR. CAROL PETERS-TANKSLEY  CHARISMA NEWS

Jesus's life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension defeated the kingdom of darkness. His victory in the spiritual realm is vital for our lives both now and in eternity. But evil is still present in our world. How Jesus dealt with evil while on Earth is an example of how we can and should deal with evil as His followers.

As difficult as our lives may seem and as much demonic opposition as we may feel we are facing, we will never see Satan and his whole kingdom of darkness arrayed against us to the degree that Jesus personally experienced. In order to save humanity Jesus had to accomplish the destruction of Satan's kingdom. The incarnation was, along with all its other aspects, an invasion into enemy territory.

For Satan and his realm, Jesus presence here was an ultimate declaration: "This means war!"

Yet Jesus seemed completely unruffled by such strong opposition. He never showed fear or anxiety when He encountered demons or those controlled by them, or even Satan himself. In the Gospels, we never see Him on a hunt for demonic activity; His focus on being about His Father's business of saving humanity seemed unshakable.

But whenever Satan or his demons showed up, Jesus responded with calmness and absolute authority over them.

Jesus' Encounters With Evil

Jesus frequently encountered those who were under the control of demons. The Gospels make several summary statements about Jesus healing those who were possessed or tormented. (Examples include Matt. 4:24; 8:16; Mark 1:32–34; and Luke 4:41.) We have many stories of individuals Jesus set free:

• The sick woman whom "Satan bound for eighteen years," healed on the Sabbath (Luke 13:16).
• The epileptic boy brought by his father for healing when His disciples could not accomplish the task (Mark 9:25–27).
• The demon-possessed man who had been relegated to living in the tombs (Luke 8:26–40).

Jesus comes across as calm and composed, while the demons respond with desperate cries and fear of torment.

This was so very different from what those around Jesus were used to. Ancient Jewish literature recounts how the people of Jesus' day lived in certain fear of demons. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain a number of prayers and liturgies that were used to try to bring relief from demonic oppression. Josephus describes an elaborate ritual involving roots and incantations and spells by which one Jewish exorcist Eleazar attempted to cast out demons. Both the people in general and those who attempted to get rid of demons approached the whole idea with much fear and anxiety.

And here comes Jesus. He has no incantations, no spells, no rituals, no stylized prayers, no sacred objects, no angst, no fear and He doesn't get all worked up. Sometimes casting out demons became dramatic only because of their resistance to Jesus's words. The summary Gospel passages make most such encounters seem almost commonplace and likely no more dramatic than a simple "Get out!" (Mark 1:34).

No wonder the people were astonished (Mark 1:27).

The Authority in Jesus' Words

Every time He encountered Satan or his demons, Jesus responded with calm, authoritative words. This began at His initial encounter with Satan when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Each time Jesus defeated him not with a display of power, but with His words—words from the Old Testament Scriptures (Matt. 4:3-10).

Every time after this that Jesus encountered evil, He responded the same way. He spoke with authority and the demons had to leave. If the demons were causing any sickness or disease, it had to leave along with them. The Roman centurion understood this: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But speak the word only, and my servant will be healed" (Matt. 8:8).

Keep in mind as you contemplate Jesus's words that this was not some magic show. God spoke the worlds into existence with His Word. Jesus is called the eternal Word of God (John 1:1). The power and authority of God Himself was present in those words Jesus spoke. That's why He spoke as He did to Satan in the wilderness. God's power is present in His Word—in Scripture, as Jesus spoke it, and as you and I speak it as well.

You Can Do It Too!

Can you imagine the awed excitement with which Jesus' disciples heard Him say, "You want to do the same things you've seen Me do? You want to preach the good news, heal people, cast our demons and raise the dead? Yes, you can! It's time for you to go out and do it" (See Matt. 10:8).

I can picture them going out two by two, perhaps wondering if it would really work. John says to Peter, "Did you hear Him say what I heard Him say? Do you really think we can do it?" And Peter responds, "You bet! And I'm going to the very first chance I get!"

On their way to the first village Peter, John, and the others would have rehearsed over and over again exactly what they had seen Jesus do and how He had done it. They would have remembered the words He used, the look on His face and even the feeling in His voice. They would have determined to do it exactly as their Master had done. The results were spectacular!

They must have had a predetermined time and meeting place to catch up with Jesus again. When they got there they exclaimed, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your name" (Luke 10:17b). They would have acted as Jesus did, with no fear, no rituals, no anxiety, no long stylized prayers. They just spoke in Jesus' name.

How should you and I deal with evil?

So what does this mean for you and me? What does Jesus as our divine example show us about dealing with evil?

• Have no fear or anxiety. We have absolutely no need to experience fear or anxiety in our encounters with Satan or his kingdom of darkness. We don't go out looking for "a devil behind every bush"; there will be opportunity enough to exercise the authority Jesus has given us when evil presents itself. We are to be alert and firm, but not anxious. (See 1 Pet. 5:8.)
• Fill your mind and heart with God's Word. If Jesus needed Scripture to successfully resist temptation and Satan, you will need it too. Spend time reading, studying and memorizing the Bible. If those words are in your heart, the Holy Spirit will bring them back to your mind when you need them as you encounter evil.
• Remain focused on what God gives you to do. Jesus and His disciples remained focused on ministering to the hearts, minds and bodies of people. The fact that doing so aroused Satan's opposition was almost secondary. Remain focused on what God has given you to do and nothing more nor less. If accomplishing that mission stirs up the devil's opposition, so be it.

Maintaining your focus is important. C.S. Lewis wisely opined that thinking too much or too little about Satan and his kind are equally dangerous traps: "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors."

It's your focus that's important.

Jesus encountered evil more than any of us ever will. You and I can face the kingdom of darkness with the same calmness and authority He did.

Dr. Carol Peters-Tanksley is both a board-certified OB-GYN physician and an ordained Doctor of Ministry. As an author and speaker, she loves helping people discover the Fully Alive kind of life Jesus came to bring us. Visit her website at drcarolministries.com

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Putting the Holocaust Into Its Proper Context - OLIVIER MELNICK CHARISMA NEWS

The Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. (Wikimedia Commons )

Putting the Holocaust Into Its Proper Context

12/5/2016 OLIVIER MELNICK  CHARISMA NEWS

We live at a time when Jewish people are being accused of dwelling unnecessarily on the memory of the Holocaust. But at the same time, we are seeing swastikas being painted on doors, walls and even tombstones across the globe.

Mahmoud Abbas was unanimously reelected as leader of Fatah, and the West is supposed to get excited about the man they believe could make peace with Israel. Let us not forget he is a Holocaust denier who wrote his thesis in 1982 on that very topic under the title "The Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement."

Populist parties are gaining tremendous ground in Europe as the desire to stop and control the migrant crisis becomes a priority. With them, they bring the deep rooted European racial antisemitism we thought was defunct.

Only a couple of years ago on the streets of Paris, I heard people marching and chanting, "Jews to the ovens." It seems a lot of people are either denying the Holocaust, wanting another one or worse, are clueless about the first one.

I don't think we speak too much of the Holocaust, but we don't think about it in its proper context.

Scholars, philosophers, theologians and historians have all grappled with the Holocaust, trying to come to terms with the immensity of its evil in strength and scope. Some within classical Jewish religious thought believe the Holocaust was God's retribution or payback for Israel's sins. In other words, it was God's desire to discipline Israel for her sins and, as such, was part of God's plan all along.

The common name for it is Mi-penei hata ' einu (Hebrew for "because of our sins we were punished.") It refers to divine punishment for the sins of Israel. It is true that the Tenach is replete with stories about the sins of Israel and their consequential discipline from God.

Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize laureate, Elie Wiesel, wrote in 1962 of the religious Jewish reaction to the Holocaust in Commentary Magazine: "The feeling of guilt was, to begin with, essentially a religious feeling. If I am here, it is because God is punishing me; I have sinned, and I am expiating my sins. I have deserved this punishment that I am suffering."

Wiesel, along with many others, feel that while the punishment inflicted by the Holocaust might not be proportionate to the sins committed by Israel, the two are related. Incidentally, if one believes that—as the Bible teaches—the price for our sins is death (Ezek. 18:4), then the Holocaust could be justified. But why would God wait almost 2,000 years to punish Israel, and why inflict pain and suffering on generations that are so far removed from the previous ones?

Others see Israel as the Suffering Servant of Is. 52:13-53:12. They will assign the suffering of the Holocaust to all Israel (all Jewish people.) Although it is beyond the scope of this article to discuss the meaning of Isaiah 53, let's state that this controversial passage definitely speaks of suffering, humiliation and death in no uncertain terms. But it can also refer to a person and not Israel as a whole. If indeed it refers to a person in particular, Yeshua of Nazareth is the only one who would fit that description, especially since toward the end of the passage, after humiliation, suffering and death comes resurrection.

Some speak of Hester Panim ("hiding of the face,") also known as "the eclipse of God." Ps. 44:23-24 speaks of God hiding His face: "Awake; why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise; do not reject us forever. Why do You hide Your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression?"

Was God absent during the Holocaust? From the standpoint of protecting the victims from suffering and death, it would certainly appear to be true. Each and every one of the six million innocent victims—if they could speak—would most likely testify of God's absence or lack of involvement.

Yet, when we speak of the eclipse of God, we must recall what an eclipse is all about: a visual disappearance while the physical presence remains. In other words, God might have been eclipsed or might have been hiding His face during the Holocaust, but He was always there and always within reach. Not only was He there, but He felt the pain of the victims as Isaiah 63:9a tells us: "In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them."

Many religious people, Jewish and Gentile, wound up in the camps. If God was silent, some of His people weren't. The eclipse of God was not because He didn't care, but possibly because for a time, He removed Himself from the affairs of men, leaving the fate of many in the hands of a few. At the very least, He allowed for the Jewish people not to be under His protection, as He had done repeatedly in the long history of the children of Israel.

Isaiah tells us God cared as He suffered affliction for His people. Additionally, God took no pleasure in the death of the many. Even assuming Israel was being punished by the Holocaust for being wicked—a case that cannot be made with absolute certainty—the prophet Ezekiel speaks of God when he writes, "Say to them: As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live" (Ezek. 33:11a).

The Holocaust prompted many Jews who survived the Holocaust to come to the conclusion that God is dead. Again Elie Wiesel, this time in his seminal work Night,depicts the agonizing hanging of a young boy:

"Where is God? Where is He?" someone behind me asked ... For more than half an hour [the child in the noose] stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes. And we had to look him full in the face. He was still alive when I passed in front of him. His tongue was still red, his eyes were not yet glazed. Behind me, I heard the same man asking: "Where is God now?" And I heard a voice within me answer him: "Where is He? Here He is—He is hanging here on this gallows."

But if God died during the Holocaust, why did it come to a halt in 1945? The Nazi war machine was well-oiled and extremely efficient. The liberation of the camps and the capitulation of Germany would militate towards God not being dead and, on the contrary, being instrumental in the end of World War II. This is also in line with His promise never to completely destroy Israel as found in Jeremiah (Jer. 31:35-37.)

I could continue to look at the Holocaust and wrestle further with causes for it. Regardless of how many approaches with come up with, we will most certainly come back to evil being at the core of the catastrophe.

This leads us to the problem of evil. The existence of evil in the world is a topic that is highly debated. Very few believe evil doesn't exist. The Holocaust and how low humanity could bring itself proved evil exists.

Hitler wasn't insane. Insanity would exonerate him of all responsibility for the so-called "Final Solution to the Jewish problem." But Hitler was pure evil. But even when we recognize that, the source of all evil must still be identified.

I don't believe we can properly do such a thing without building our case on a biblical foundation. Morality is based on the balance between good and evil, which is best brought forward by looking at what the Tenach says.

Good and evil cannot exist independently of one another, since one defines the other. Going back to the first book of the Tenach, Genesis, we find out that one of God's most special angels, Satan, rebelled against God and fell from grace. From that point on, he has been working very hard at hating what God loves and loving what God hates. That puts the Jewish people and Israel directly in his crosshairs.

Satan knows that through the Jewish people, more specifically through the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), will come the Redeemer of mankind, the Messiah of Israel. His goal is to stop that from happening, because at some point in the future, Messiah will put an end to Satan's career, and he doesn't care for his retirement plan.

I am often asked if the birth of the modern state of Israel is a direct result of World War II and the Holocaust. I believe the answer is a resounding no. Rather, the Holocaust was an attempt by Satan to destroy the Jews right before they would start fulfilling one of God's most amazing prophecy about their return to their biblical land (Ezek. 36-38.)

There is no doubt in my mind that Satan was aware of the return of the Jews to Israel in the end times. He had to stop it, or at least try, thus the Holocaust. He used Pharaoh to try to stop Moses from being born, he used Herod to try to stop Yeshua from being born and he used Nazi Germany and Hitler to try to stop the Jews from moving back to Israel and fulfilling God's covenantal promises. Satan exploited the fact that the Jewish people weren't under God's protection and were more at the mercy of the nation to attempt their total eradication. He almost succeeded, but God is greater. Not only God is greater, but He is interested in every single soul that exists. God wants to draw them to Him, one soul at a time. 

So again, it is not that we speak too much of the Holocaust, but maybe that we speak of it in the wrong context. 

Olivier Melnick is the author of They Have Conspired Against You, a book on the rebirth of worldwide anti-Semitism and how to fight it, as well as the novel The Rabbi's Triad, an evangelistic thriller. He is also a guest commentator on WorldNetDaily, Times of Israel and other websites such as his blog site at newantisemitism.com. Olivier serves as a Regional Director in Washington state. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Chosen People France.

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Prophetic Dream Serves as Wake-Up Call for Believers - JOHN BURTON CHARISMA MAGAZINE

This is a message all believers should hear. (Flickr )

Prophetic Dream Serves as Wake-Up Call for Believers

 11/3/2016 JOHN BURTON  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Note: This is the second of a two-part series. For part one, click here.

In a fraction of a moment my overwhelming sense of peace and safety and relaxation turned to the most gripping terror I had ever known. It was as if every source of life and good had been eliminated from the atmosphere. Evil dominated the place that just moments ago was so enjoyable.

My mind raced in an attempt to figure out what had just happened. The fear I was experiencing was beyond description. It made no sense. What was going on? Everything was so perfect! Today was supposed to be about enjoying life!

Suddenly, as I was confused, horrified and trembling on the floor, two hands grabbed my ankles. My terror instantly escalated to levels I cannot describe. I quickly looked back and saw nothing—but I knew a demonic entity had grabbed on to me.

The grip on my ankles was like a vice. The thought of escaping was a ridiculous one. It was impossible. My life, which seemingly just moments ago had been under my own control, was now overpowered by an invisible yet horrifying force, a force that I knew had intents—and the ability—to destroy me.

Again, the terror immediately increased nearly to the point of literally losing control of my mind as that demon started to pull me backward—and then down. My feet and legs were disappearing below the floor of that shack. I knew I was going to hell.

How can this be? It's impossible! I'm going to hell? But I'm saved. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. This is contrary to everything I have ever learned in church. Yet the moment was real, and I was losing every ounce of hope. I was about to enter an eternity of continual torture. Never-ending panic, madness and torment was upon me.

The demon kept slowly pulling me downward, as if he was relishing every single moment. My feet were well below the floor and my waist was at ground level. Then, suddenly my hope increased. I thought to myself, "If I say the name of Jesus, the demon must flee!"

So in my new state of hope I was able to squeeze out, "In the name of J—–. In the name of J—–. Ahhhhh!"

I couldn't say it! The demon was controlling my very breath. I was suffocating every time that name was about to be said. I could have said any word in the dictionary but that one. My hope instantly was lost and I started to cry out as I convulsed under the unbreakable control of that demon.

He continued to pull me down, one grueling inch at a time. Finally, my neck and then my mouth were entering hell as my body was taken below. At the height of my madness and terror, and as my eyes were about to descend beneath the floor, I woke up.

I sat straight up, trembling in my bed in that old church building. I was sweating in such volume that my entire bed was saturated. The light switch by my bedroom door was no more than seven feet from my bed. Just two quick steps to the wall would have been all it took to lighten the room. But I was frozen. I sat there for at least three hours in the darkness in absolute terror.

What Just Happened?

I finally fell back to sleep and awoke the next morning. I didn't realize how radically my life had taken a turn the previous night. As I tried to gather my thoughts while the events of the previous night overwhelmed my spirit and my mind, I looked outside the two windows that were there in my bedroom in that old church building. It was a beautiful sunny day—but I did not feel comfortable or relaxed. I was shaken.

I begged God to tell me why I had that dream. What had just happened? Finally, later on that day, He spoke to me, "John, you represented the church. You were comfortable in your place of supposed safety. The storm was intensifying, yet you were lulled into a state of apathy. Many in the church will be surprised one day, just as you were surprised in the dream, to find themselves under the control of demons as they are taken to hell."

"The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that cheer is grief. The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied with his" (Prov. 14:11-14).

There is a way that seems right. Intellectually, it makes sense. Other people seem to confirm that it is right. Common sense tells us that it is right. Even our theological dispositions confirm it is right. But it leads to death. And if it's the type of death I experienced in my dream—it must be avoided at all costs. 

A backslider is focused on his own condition, on his own comfort zone while a good man is in tune with the heart of God. His pleasure comes from intimacy with Father God. His pleasure comes from going where God is going, doing what he is doing and feeling what he is feeling. There is no sense of ease in the storm, but there is satisfaction and joy in the presence of God and by being in active agreement with Him.

This message is a wake-up call for every one of us. Many wonderful people will be terribly shocked to find themselves separated from God forever.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonderful works in Your name?' But then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice evil'" (Matt. 7:21-23).

This Scripture is in reference to those who would call themselves born-again Christians, people who have understood and actually flowed in the power of the Holy Spirit. They understood their heavenly position and earthly authority as they overcame demons. These were your miracle workers.

We need a wake-up call, church. We can't presume to be in a place of safety simply because we said a prayer, go to church, give offerings and talk about Jesus. An intense pursuit of holiness and intimacy is required.

This is a message that must be shouted from the rooftops.

I can't imagine multiplied millions of people who are current following Jesus in an unsaved condition crying out in terror one day, "I'm going to hell? That's impossible!"

"He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars says these things: I know your works, that you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain but are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfected before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you" (Rev. 3:1-3, MEV). 

John Burton has been developing and leading ministries for over 20 years and is a sought-out teacher, prophetic messenger and revivalist. John has authored nine books, has appeared on Christian television and radio and directed one of the primary internships at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City. Additionally, he has planted two churches, has initiated two city prayer movements and is currently directing a prayer- and revival-focused ministry school in Detroit called the School of Prayer. John's mandate is to call the church in the nations to repentance from casual Christianity and to burn in a manner worthy of the King of kings. He is equipping people to confront the enemies of God (established religion, Jezebel and so on) that hinder an extreme, sold-out level of true worship.

For the original article, visit burton.tv.

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Cloak of Deception - The Dream and Reality. Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Cloak of Deception
- The Dream and Reality

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“…the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 NASU)

The dream kept repeating itself, even as I was waking up. Over and over again, the same thing was going through my head. It was a commercial being shown on TV. During the Super Bowl none the less, when millions were watching, unaware of what was really happening. Their homes were wide open to this cloak of deception.

What I remembered most from the dream was its ending. Pictured on the TV screen were two young boys, having a good time playing, unaware of this evil cloud coming over them. It was a gay, immoral spirit. They kept on playing, completely innocent of what was happening about them.

And then the most troubling aspect of this dream was that this demonic spirit came right through the TV, into the living rooms of the millions watching the commercial. Having found an “open door”, the evil spirit from hell was free to bring its presence into the family house. Those viewing that moment, thinking it was just another “super commercial”, were passively, totally unaware of what had just happened. Then I woke up.

This is one of the spiritual movements overtaking our nation. It is an evil one. And even as the story goes of the frog slowly being boiled alive, as the temperature rises in the cooking pot eventually to the point where he no longer is aware of his impending death, so the countries of the world are succumbing to deception. And then they will accept anything, and anyone, who comes along in disguise.

What is going on in America and elsewhere is just this. Sitting by and watching the level of innocence drop over the last decades, what used to be known as clearly being black and white sin is now accepted as the norm, the “way love should be expressed”, the “let it be let it be” accepted reality. We have been given over to a spirit of delusion – the very cloak of deception.

“Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:5-12 NKJV)

How many in the nations have opened themselves up to the spirits of deception, those lying spirits of the evil one, by slowly receiving into their souls, their spirits, their homes, the very lies that can destroy their spiritual lives? As the years have passed, they have succumbed to the enveloping evil cloud, by what they have allowed themselves to be exposed to, and given acceptance of. Evil has found its way through the cracked doors, displayed quietly in ever increasing and accepting measures on the movie screen and the TV shows, as the perversion in sex, drugs and gay lifestyle have been approved within the “enlightened” times we live in.

How are you stopping your kids, your grandkids, from being overtaken with the slow destruction of the enemy? Are you allowing yourself, and them, to sit idly by and let this cloak of deception cover your house and come into your home? Overtaking your life and theirs?

What will you do, and when, will you stop it?

If your life is not founded on biblical truths, on the solid rock that never changes, then you too are exposing yourself to this very thing. And when the time comes to stand against the onslaught of the enemy, you too will give in to its grip. It may be too late.

Prepare yourself now, and those you love, by knowing the Truth and standing strong on His Word. His name is Jesus. Only in Him will you be able to stand.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

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Now Think On This - In the New Year of our Lord 02.13.16 - #242 –“Cloak of Deception” – Saturday at 6:30 am

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve