If you believe in
Jesus Christ you believe- EVIL SPIRITS EXIST.
This is truth. A
truth we love to ignore or regulate to a fictional context such as books,
movies, and tv shows. We don't want to think of them as a REALITY. Just when do
we suppose their reality was done away with? Some might say when people became
enlightened. They might say when people stopped believing in witchcraft -
witches and sorceries. When science came into fashion over superstition. Yet, our SAVIOR believed and believes in evil
spirits. The very Savior we claim to love knew the reality of evil
spirits. The Apostles knew that evil
spirits were real as well- they dealt with them, casting them out of the people
they were possessing.
Now read the
following--
Act 19:13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists,
took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord
Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
Act 19:14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a
Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
Act 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus
I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
The evil spirit used
the man's voice to speak and ANSWERED those trying to get it to release the man
it was possessing. The EVIL spirit
ANSWERED! The evil spirit told them it KNEW
JESUS, it KNEW PAUL as forces that had the POWER of GOD to command it to
obey. The evil spirit did NOT know these
pretenders who dared to use the name of Jesus, a name they did NOT believe in
as their Savior. This evil spirit using
the man it possessed ATTACKED all of those pretenders- SEVEN sons of a CHIEF of
the PRIESTS of the Jews.
Act 19:16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was
leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they
fled out of that house naked and wounded.
One man against
SEVEN men! One man possessed by an EVIL
SPIRIT.
This all happened
after Jesus died, was raised from the grave and went to heaven. This all
happened while the apostles lived and were spreading the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Act 19:17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks
also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord
Jesus was magnified.
What had happened to
the seven sons of the chief priests of the Jews was spread far and wide. People
witnessed their attack, they witnessed their lying to the evil spirit who KNEW
they weren't coming to it in the name of the SAVIOR, in the power of the Savior. They also knew that the true witnesses of the
Savior were able to cast out evil spirits. They realized the TRUTH of the WAY
being spread by the Apostles, the Disciples of the Savior and they had to
believe!
Act 19:18 And many that believed came, and confessed,
and shewed their deeds.
Act 19:19 Many of them also which used curious arts
brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted
the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
Many of those who
believed PRACTICED evil ways! Read that!
They USED CURIOUS
ARTS.
They USED BOOKS of
these CURIOUS ARTS.
They USED VERY
EXPENSIVE BOOKS of CURIOUS ARTS, things they knew were CONTRARY to the WAY Of
the Savior Jesus Christ.
They BURNED these
books publically revealing their commitment to the WAY, the TRUTH they were
learning and believing.
This is truth and
today we discount this and believe that NOTHING we do matters at all. We tease
the evil spirits, we live with them among us and we laugh and play and believe
that it's all good.
I'm not saying any
of us know where the evil spirits are, who they are possessing. It seems as if
there isn't a way to know as there was back in the days of the Apostles. Some
say they know, and maybe if I were confronted boldly by one inside someone I'd
know, I just can't know that I would. I don't have the answers to this but I DO
know that EVIL SPIRITS did NOT DISAPPEAR from the earth.
I know EVIL ways
have not disappeared from the earth.
Curious arts are
still prevalent and used all the time- ALL THE TIME. And they are used by those
who have NO idea they are using evil, and they wouldn't believe you if you told
them they were. They see no EVIL, they see no harm in their curious arts.
We know this--
Deu 18:9 When thou art come into the land which the
LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of
those nations.
Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one
that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth
divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar
spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an
abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God
doth drive them out from before thee.
ABOMINATIONS-
Divining.
Observing times.
Enchanting.
Witchery.
Charmers.
Consulters with
familiar (EVIL) spirits.
Wizards.
Necromancers.
We know this--
Dan 2:1 And in the second year of the reign of
Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was
troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Dan 2:2 Then the king commanded to call the
magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to
shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Dan 2:3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a
dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Dan 2:4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in
Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew
the interpretation.
Dan 2:5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans,
The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with
the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be
made a dunghill.
Dan 2:6 But if ye shew the dream, and the
interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great
honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
Dan 2:7 They answered again and said, Let the king
tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
Dan 2:8 The king answered and said, I know of
certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from
me.
Dan 2:9 But if ye will not make known unto me the
dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt
words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the
dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
Dan 2:10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and
said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter:
therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any
magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
Dan 2:11 And it is a rare thing that the king
requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the
gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
Dan 2:12 For this cause the king was angry and very
furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
Dan 2:13 And the decree went forth that the wise men
should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
Dan 2:14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom
to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the
wise men of Babylon:
Dan 2:15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's
captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing
known to Daniel.
Dan 2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king
that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the
interpretation.
Dan 2:17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the
thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
Dan 2:18 That they would desire mercies of the God of
heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish
with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Dan 2:19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a
night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Dan 2:20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name
of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Dan 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he
removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and
knowledge to them that know understanding:
Dan 2:22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he
knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
Dan 2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of
my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now
what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's
matter.
Astrologers,
soothsayers, magicians- NONE of these
are of GOD!
Daniel- a prophet of
GOD, he alone had GOD on His side.
All these things we
do today and think harmless, GOD FORGIVE US! PLEASE GOD FORGIVE US!
With our minds we
SERVE YOU, and YOU ALONE!
Bless us! Keep us in
YOU! SAVE US FROM OURSELVES! KEEP US FROM EVIL! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!
Let us look SOLELY
to YOU for ALL THINGS, not to any person at all whatsoever, but YOU!
In the name of our
Savior, Jesus Christ our LORD! Now and forever, AMEN.
