Churchwork
02-01-2006, 05:41 AM
Necromancers
Let us pursue one step further this matter of passivity as a condition for the operation of evil spirits. We are aware of one class of people who especially relish communicating with these spirits. People usually do not hanker to be demon possessed, but this special class craves to be so possessed. These are the soothsayers, the augurs, the mediums, the necromancers. By accurately observing the cause of their possession we may come to understand the principle of demon possession. These people tell us that in order to be possessed by what they call gods (who actually are demons) their will must present no resistance whatsoever but be favorably disposed to accept whatever comes upon their bodies. To render their will completely passive their mind must first be reduced to blankness. A blank brain produces a passive will. These two elements are the basic requisites for demon possession. Hence a necromancer who is waiting for his "god" to come upon him lets down his hair and shakes his head for a continued period until it is dizzy and his mind completely out of action. As the latter is turning blank his will naturally becomes immobile. At this point his mouth begins to move unconsciously, his body gradually trembles, and before long his "god" descends upon him. This is one way of becoming possessed. Although there may be others, the principle for every spiritist is the same: to achieve passivity of will through a perfectly blank mind; for all spiritists agree that when spirits or demons alight upon them their heads can no longer think and their wills can no longer act. They are unpossessed until this state of an empty mind and an inert will is reached.
A mind which is passive and assailed by evil spirits can be identified readily through the eyes. Man’s eyes reveal his mind more than any other part of his body. If the mind is passive a person reading may look at a book and yet no idea will enter his brain nor make any impression in his memory, While he converses with people his eyes tend to wander around, up and down, flitting in all directions. It is surely a most impolite manner, but he cannot look straight into another’s face. On another occasion he may act in the opposite extreme by gazing at another’s face without so much as blinking, as though transfixed by some unknown power.
Such gazing can be most serious because the devil uses this means to induct the believer into the attitude of a necromancer. Frequently, upon gazing long at the speaker’s countenance the believer begins to listen no longer to what he is saying but is instead intent upon listening to the many thoughts which the malevolent powers at that moment are begetting in him.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Matthew 4.8-10 Satan is willing to forfeit all the things in the world and their glory, but he is loathe to give up the worship of man. Satan is now the prince of this world. His lifelong wish is to receive man’s worship. He hides behind the idols of many religions to receive human worship. This explains why many idols have spirits, since Satan is behind them all. Satan aims at depriving God of man’s worship. For this reason, the Bible states over and over that our God is a jealous God. It is written: "Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts" (Amos 5.26-27). The word "seek" in John 4.23 is an emphatic verb in Greek. God seeks for worshipers because Satan schemes to rob God of worship. "Nor take their names [those of other gods] upon my lips," said David (Ps. 16.4). During the Old Testament period a sorcerer or a necromancer must be stoned to death. Even if the wife of a man’s bosom should be the one to entice him to go and serve other gods, she too must be stoned to death. And her husband was required to cast the first stone.
This time the Lord reprimands him and calls him by the name of Satan because of his attempt to rob the Divine of worship. And the Lord ends by invoking this scripture: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (v.10). The Lord is coming soon. We must reject all attempts at depriving God of His worship.
Mat 13:4 and as he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them:
Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, [then] cometh the evil [one], and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side.
Matthe 13.4,19 "By the way side"—The field is the world. The way side is that which borders the field, hence this description speaks of the air (that which borders the entire earth)—the habitation of evil spirits. "By the way side" typifies those who are near to evil spirits such as the necromancers, the idol worshipers, the demon-possessed, and the morally corrupt. These people will not accept the word of the kingdom of heaven. "Birds" stand for the evil one, even Satan. The word is preached to the heart, so Satan tries to blind the minds of the unbelieving so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ should not dawn upon them (see 2 Cor. 4.4). These people do not understand because their "heart is waxed gross" and "their eyes they have closed" (these words in 13.15 point to the Jews who reject Christ). This class of people are not saved.
Let us pursue one step further this matter of passivity as a condition for the operation of evil spirits. We are aware of one class of people who especially relish communicating with these spirits. People usually do not hanker to be demon possessed, but this special class craves to be so possessed. These are the soothsayers, the augurs, the mediums, the necromancers. By accurately observing the cause of their possession we may come to understand the principle of demon possession. These people tell us that in order to be possessed by what they call gods (who actually are demons) their will must present no resistance whatsoever but be favorably disposed to accept whatever comes upon their bodies. To render their will completely passive their mind must first be reduced to blankness. A blank brain produces a passive will. These two elements are the basic requisites for demon possession. Hence a necromancer who is waiting for his "god" to come upon him lets down his hair and shakes his head for a continued period until it is dizzy and his mind completely out of action. As the latter is turning blank his will naturally becomes immobile. At this point his mouth begins to move unconsciously, his body gradually trembles, and before long his "god" descends upon him. This is one way of becoming possessed. Although there may be others, the principle for every spiritist is the same: to achieve passivity of will through a perfectly blank mind; for all spiritists agree that when spirits or demons alight upon them their heads can no longer think and their wills can no longer act. They are unpossessed until this state of an empty mind and an inert will is reached.
A mind which is passive and assailed by evil spirits can be identified readily through the eyes. Man’s eyes reveal his mind more than any other part of his body. If the mind is passive a person reading may look at a book and yet no idea will enter his brain nor make any impression in his memory, While he converses with people his eyes tend to wander around, up and down, flitting in all directions. It is surely a most impolite manner, but he cannot look straight into another’s face. On another occasion he may act in the opposite extreme by gazing at another’s face without so much as blinking, as though transfixed by some unknown power.
Such gazing can be most serious because the devil uses this means to induct the believer into the attitude of a necromancer. Frequently, upon gazing long at the speaker’s countenance the believer begins to listen no longer to what he is saying but is instead intent upon listening to the many thoughts which the malevolent powers at that moment are begetting in him.
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Matthew 4.8-10 Satan is willing to forfeit all the things in the world and their glory, but he is loathe to give up the worship of man. Satan is now the prince of this world. His lifelong wish is to receive man’s worship. He hides behind the idols of many religions to receive human worship. This explains why many idols have spirits, since Satan is behind them all. Satan aims at depriving God of man’s worship. For this reason, the Bible states over and over that our God is a jealous God. It is written: "Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts" (Amos 5.26-27). The word "seek" in John 4.23 is an emphatic verb in Greek. God seeks for worshipers because Satan schemes to rob God of worship. "Nor take their names [those of other gods] upon my lips," said David (Ps. 16.4). During the Old Testament period a sorcerer or a necromancer must be stoned to death. Even if the wife of a man’s bosom should be the one to entice him to go and serve other gods, she too must be stoned to death. And her husband was required to cast the first stone.
This time the Lord reprimands him and calls him by the name of Satan because of his attempt to rob the Divine of worship. And the Lord ends by invoking this scripture: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (v.10). The Lord is coming soon. We must reject all attempts at depriving God of His worship.
Mat 13:4 and as he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them:
Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, [then] cometh the evil [one], and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side.
Matthe 13.4,19 "By the way side"—The field is the world. The way side is that which borders the field, hence this description speaks of the air (that which borders the entire earth)—the habitation of evil spirits. "By the way side" typifies those who are near to evil spirits such as the necromancers, the idol worshipers, the demon-possessed, and the morally corrupt. These people will not accept the word of the kingdom of heaven. "Birds" stand for the evil one, even Satan. The word is preached to the heart, so Satan tries to blind the minds of the unbelieving so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ should not dawn upon them (see 2 Cor. 4.4). These people do not understand because their "heart is waxed gross" and "their eyes they have closed" (these words in 13.15 point to the Jews who reject Christ). This class of people are not saved.