The Demonic and Evil

Demon Possession: Fact or Fiction?

Many older folks remember the classic horror film, The Exorcist, that featured a young girl played by actress Linda Blair who became demon-possessed and turned into a hideous monster.

The Exorcist was released in 1973 and became one of the most popular horror films of all time. It was based upon the true story of a boy named Roland Doe (not his real name) who grew up in Mt. Rainier Washington in the 1940s and became demon-possessed after he dabbled in the occult.

Doe came from a family that had a history of being involved with the occult. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, the occult encompasses such practices as astrology, magic, wicca (witchcraft), spiritism, necromancy, sorcery, shamanism, voodoo, satanism and kabbalah.

Doe admitted that his troubles began when he tried to contact his recently deceased grandmother via the Ouija board. Shortly thereafter, he began speaking in strange tongues; furniture began rearranging itself in his home and he began having nightmares. Eventually, Doe became violent and had to be restrained by chains to a bed. Even then, the chains didn't always hold him.

Though Doe was suspected of being afflicted with a rare and dangerous form of schizophrenia, drugs and treatments had no affect on him. Eventually, he was transferred to a Catholic hospital in St. Louis where a priest recognized that he was demon-possessed. The priest administered an exorcism, and after a lengthy struggle, the demon left Doe and he was delivered from evil.

Doe's account sounds similar to the biblical account of a demon-possessed man that Jesus Christ encountered and delivered. (Luke 8:26-39)  Like Doe, the man was violent and unpredictable. And like Doe, the man couldn't even be restrained by chains. When Christ asked the man his name, he answered Legion because he was possessed by a multitude of demons.

Certainly, not everyone who dabbles in the occult becomes demon-possessed. But those who willfully and even innocently get involved in the occult give Satan and his demons a legal right to invade their lives. And they will always take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself.

And so, if you've ever visited a psychic or a fortune-teller, you've exposed yourself to the demonic. If you've ever gotten involved with eastern mysticism and its religious practices such as astral travel, visualization, chanting, transcendental meditation or tantric yoga, you've exposed yourself to the demonic. And if you've ever taken hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD or PCP, you've exposed yourself to the demonic.

Here's God's warning to those who practice the occult: "I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people." (Leviticus 20:6) 

And here's a warning He issued to the ancient Jews: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 18:10-13)

What happens when people make contact with the demonic? In some cases, they can become possessed. But in most cases, they come under demonic influence that manifests in hatred of and rebellion against authority; hostility to those who believe in God--especially Christians and Jews--and an inflated sense of self-worth. 

Those who make contact with the demonic are also under a curse. They have no protection from God and are susceptible to misfortune, calamity and sudden death. If you've ever wondered why some people suffer extreme misfortune and die at a young age, wonder no more.

The antidote is repentance from sin and a life committed to Jesus Christ. It's not complicated. If you confess your sins to Jesus Christ and ask Him to become your Lord and Savior, He'll remove every curse from you and bless you with eternal life. You can bank on that.

Here's what the Bible says: "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, 'Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" (Romans 10:9-13)

Don't wait until tomorrow. Do it now because tomorrow may be too late.

Depravity and the Demonic

The ultimate pothead

There's a direct correlation between the rising violence and moral depravity throughout the world and the increase in occultism, eastern religions, hallucinogenic drugs and sexuality immorality.

How does that correlation work? It works when people make contact with the spiritual realm through occultism (sorcery, magic, witchcraft, necromancy, Satanism etc.), eastern religions (Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Shintoism etc.), hallucinogenic drugs (LSD, Psilocybin, Peyote, DMT, Ayahuasca) and all the various forms of sexual perversion and promiscuity (adultery, fornication, incest, bestiality, homosexuality etc.). 

If we look back in recent history, we can see that violence and depravity began to increase steadily in the early 1960s. That's when the counterculture movement (that was born of the antiwar movement) and its corollaries such as the drug and sexual revolutions grew exponentially. Many young people rejected traditional Judeo-Christian values and turned to drugs, occultism and the eastern religions to find spiritual meaning.

By turning to the east or to hallucinogenics, people made direct contact with demonic spirits under Satan's authority. What did those spirits tell them? Here's what "Jesus" told a woman named Helen Schucman who recorded the demon's "revelations" into the book, A Course in Miracles: "God's name is holy. But no holier than yours. To call upon His name is to call upon your own." "There is no death, but there is a belief in death. Death is the central dream from which all illusions stem." "Sin does not exist. Sin is the grand illusion. Joyously release one another from the belief in sin."

Here's what "Seth" told a medium named Jane Roberts who recorded "Seth's" quotes in a book titled, Seth Speaks. "The soul is not something you must save or redeem. And it is not something you can lose." "A strong belief in sin is highly detrimental." "He (Jesus Christ) will not come to reward the righteous and send evildoers to eternal doom."

Schucman's "Jesus" and Roberts' "Seth" are nothing but demons who spread Satan's lies through those who have contacted them. That's why God's word expressively forbids contact with the spiritual realm, and issues a strong caveat to those who are inclined to ignore His word: "I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people." (Leviticus 20:6)

What penalty did God order the ancient Israelites to impose against those who were guilty of contacting the spiritual realm? The ultimate penalty: "A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads." (Leviticus 20:27)

Certainly, most people who use hallucinogenics or engage in eastern religious practices or the occult don't hear audible voices that encourage them to rebel against God and His laws. However, they open themselves up to contact with demonic spirits that will influence their minds in order to change their worldview. 

When you study the quotes recorded in the books of Schucman and Roberts, you realize that those quotes directly contradict God's word recorded in the Bible. They are designed to seduce gullible people into a powerful delusion that will send them to hell.

But what about sexual immorality? How does that bring one into direct contact with demonic spirits? According to scripture, sexual sin is one of the worst sins that a person can commit. Here's what the apostle Paul wrote: "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

A person who commits sexual sin defiles their body and opens themselves up to demonic influence. The Bible reveals that those who have unlawful sex share directly in the sins of their partners. Paul wrote this: "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, 'The two will become one flesh.' But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit." (1 Corinthians 6:15-17)

Not surprisingly, some of the most anti-Christian people in the world today are folks who've practiced the occult, eastern religions, taken hallucinogenics and are sexually immoral. Is that a coincidence? That's unlikely. 

Depravity and the demonic go hand in hand. They're like a velvet glove on a hand. If you don't believe that, then you're either spiritually blind or part of the problem. And unless you open your spiritual eyes and repent, you're in for a terrible surprise when your life comes to an end here in this world.