World-Old Search For God – Part 1

 By: General James Green

Having traveled the world in our "missionary way", we have come into contact with many, many kinds of witchcraft, secret societies, Divine Mysteries, etc., each having their particular initiatory rites / oaths. The most confusing, of course, are those in India and Nepal.

BE WARNED!

I'LL TELL YOU THE TRUTH, witchcraft is real and the practitioners of such were commanded by God to be PUT TO DEATH!! Some disciples and masters possess extraordinary powers, as we well know. But, being a Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, we have superior power. This, we well know too.

In many occult circles the term "Twice-Born" is found, correspondent to, in Biblical terms, "Born-Again" or "Born-from-Above" (see John Chapter 3). They, like we, recognize that we were born of the flesh, from the womb= "first"; born the "second" time into the Spirit, e.g., the Holy Spirit "making alive", our dead spirit (because of sin!), see Ephesians 2:1-8. For the occultist, the "second birth" is from the womb of the Mysteries.

White or Black Witchcraft?

IN THEIR WORLD, THEY MAKE A DISTINCTION, yet from God's point of view, both are evil. While it is true that within various cults / occult / secret societies etc., Ceremonial magic and Sorcery are destructive and murderous, I'm not about to write about all the intricate theories and practices. But the most dangerous form of black magic are the scientific perversion of occult power for the gratification of personal desire...a master / disciple will barter his/ her eternal soul for temporal power. I have talked to such persons who told us that they have SOLD their soul to Satan.

Within this Black Magic realm we find, in our Bible, necromancy, witchcraft, sorcery, and divinations. Vampirism is not listed but is certainly included. Human sacrifices were, and are, still common.

While we worked in Nigeria, Africa, one could go to the black market and buy human body parts for cursing/vexing/hexing/etc. Thousands die under such evil in Africa. It is well known there.

It can also be stated that under this same general heading is found hypnotism / mesmerism.

Formulate Judgments

THE PURPOSE OF THESE ISSUES is to place in the hands of the average inquirer knowledge about the occult. I'm not writing as an expert, but I have dealt with these evil powers over my 50 plus years of Christian service.

Casting out devils / demons has been an active ministry with me, my wife, and ACMTC. We have learned a few things through the years, so, here are a very few things written that can, and will, help the average man/woman (be they Christian or otherwise). One can formulate his / her own conclusions.

God and Immortality

PROBABLY THIS IS THE BIG QUESTION TODAY; the question of God and Immortality-"Does God exist? Where do we go after physical death?" And related to this, is, "Is there a heaven; is there a hell?" I can assure you THERE ARE!!

"Is There A God?" I can't prove to anyone there is; neither can anyone prove to me there isn't!!! I simply believe the Holy Bible, if you do not, I can't help you.

It comes down to this: If we don't believe in God and His intelligence, His power, His omnipresence, then we struggle for answers...endlessly. Even science today recognizes mathematical logarithms, the movements of the planets in their orbits-they were placed there by intelligent design, not by chance.

What is the "missing link"? The belief in God as Creator!!

The worship of gods / goddesses was primitive man's first attempt of idolatry, and so, mankind has and continues to worship just about everything in heaven, earth, and under the earth.

The ancient Babylonian religion had the god Bel cut off his own head, and other gods caught the flowing blood, mixed it with earth, and from this bloody paste, the first man was created.

The Greeks place the first creation of man at Prometheus in Phocis where the sage Prometheus is supposed to have modeled him out of clay.

I could write many pages on the "creation of man, "but why bother? God created man/woman.

The primitive theories of creation go on almost endlessly, every people having their own explanation. Also, every people has their own version of Heaven and Hell, based on some system of punishments and rewards.

PRIMITIVE MAGIC

PRIMITIVE MAN BELIEVED IN EVIL SPIRITS, demons or gods of TERROR and HATE. In order to cope with this, man used magic, fetishes etc. to war off evil spirits, but in reality, they used demons to fight demons. This oxymoronic way of thinking and doing was skewed, is skewed, and will always be skewed.

Is man smarter today? HA! The imbecilic systems of today are just as primitive. There are magicians who are literally held captive by their very own "supreme" ego. The magician and the modern scientist are much the same; magic is the bastard sister of science, and the other way around.

Spells, charms, and incantations are still used today to bewitch others. This contagion has spread into today's Church. I call it "imitative magic." (Write for our "Recreant Philosophers," AKA, "The Emergent Church" booklet.)

Death!

THE DEATH PENALTY was placed upon those who practiced the occult, worshiped idols, e.g., demon gods, who committed unlawful sex sins (see Ex. 22:19, 20; Lev. 18, 19, 20; Deut. 18-23 etc). We find prohibitions in the New Testament against witchcraft, sex-sins, and idolatry, plus many against various addictions. Galatians 5 speaks of the "works of the flesh". "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal. 5:19-21). And it also speaks of the fruit of the Spirit.

First Priests-Who Were They?

WHO ORGANIZED THE BELIEF in gods / goddesses? Under the head of idolatry we can learn much from the Holy Bible and from secular writings; look up those listed in the Bible Adrammelech to Tartak. Note how many times the words "Living God"/"True God" are found, as opposed to "gods", "other gods", "strange gods", "new gods" etc. The Bible distinguishes between the "Living" or "One True God" and that of heathen/ pagan deities or demons. Worshiping "false gods" was prohibited, and is still prohibited.

Idolatry was/is likened unto spiritual adultery. If one cares to examine the large number of Hebrew and Greek words, one will discover they are divided as follows: 1) Abstract terms, which, with a deep moral significance, expresses the degradation associated with, and stand out as a protest of the language against, the enormities of idolatry; "an empty thing (Heb. 'äwen), rendered elsewhere "nought", "vanity", "iniquity", "wickedness", "sorrow", etc., and only once as "idol" (see Isa. 66:3). Hence 'äwen denotes a vain, false, wicked thing, and expresses at once the essential nature of idols and the consequences of their worship.

2) Those which apply to the idols or images, as the outward symbols of the deity who was worshiped

thru them.

In either, idolatry was, and is, considered SIN! We can find terms like "terrifying thing" (Heb. 'émîm), so-called from the "terror" they inspire in their devotees (like Muslims). Check out In this respect it is closely

Jeremiah 50:38.

connected with "a horrible thing" (Heb. mileseth). meaning, a "fright", "horror", which was applied to the idol of Maachah in 1 Kings 15:13 and 2 Chronicles 15:16, and which was unquestionably the phallus, the symbol of productive power of nature and the nature-goddess Ashera.

We also find in Jeremiah 11:13 and Hosea 9:10 the Heb. Bōshěth, or "shameful thing", which was applied to Baal-peor, as characterizing the obscenity of his worship.

Blocks and logs (Ezek. 30:13) were used as idols, e.g., "false gods" and their symbols (Dt. 29:17; Ezek. 8:10). Other contemptuous terms like "filth" and "abomination" are applied (see Ezek. 16:36; 20:8; 8:10).

"Abomination" (Heb. sh iqqus) is likened unto "filth" and "impurity", especially applies to that which produced ceremonial "uncleanness" (see Ezek. 37:23; Nah. 3:6).

As referring to the idols themselves, the Bible makes much of it. God's Word forbids such things as making images in likeness of Himself or any other creature (see 2 Chron. 33:7, 15= "semblance"; Dt. 4:16= "figure"; Ezek. 8:3, 5= "image").

One might want to look up "representation" (Heb. selem), e.g., "shadow" (see Gen. 1:27; 1 Sam. 6:5; Num. 33:53 and Dan. 3:1). "Image" perhaps most nearly represents it in all passages. Applied to the human countenance (Dan. 3:19="form"), it signifies the "expression".

An "appearance" (Heb. temünäh), rendered "image" in Job 4:16; elsewhere "similitude" (Dt. 4:12), is also rendered "likeness" in Deuteronomy 5:8, and "shape."

An idol is something formed or fashioned, (Heb. 'äsäb, 'ěseb), as seen in Jer. 22:28; Isa. 48:5 ("a figure") all derived from a root "äsäb", "to work", or "fashion", are terms applied to idols as expressing that their origin was due to man's hands.

The Hebrew word, sir (which = "form"), is applied only once to an idol (see Isa. 45:16). The word signifies "a form", or "mold", hence, an "idol".

We can also include (Heb.) Massebäh, i.e., (anything) "set up", a "pillar" (see Gen. 28:18; 31:45; 35:14, 15). Some stone monuments were not considered "idols", but a symbol of some kind (like in Josh. 4:9; 24:26; 1 Sam. 7:12 etc.). Pagan obelisks (like at the entrance of the Temple of the Sun at Heliopolis (Jere. 43:13); and the Palladium of Troy, the black stone in the Kaaba at Mecca are considered idols.

Have you ever considered all the "idols" within the Roman Catholic Church? What about all the idols in and around Washington DC (District of Corruption) here in good ol' USA?

Then we have incense altars (Heb. hämmänîm from hymn) which = “be hot, stand for heating, brazier” (see Lev. 26:30; Isa. 17:8; 27:9; Ezek. 6:4, 6; 2 Chron. 14:5; 34:7 etc.).

An idol was something to look at as well as worship (Heb. maskith), (see Lev. 26:1; Num. 33:52; Ezek. 8:12), which is rooted from säkäh = "to look at, behold" (see Lev. 26:1; Num. 33:52; Ezek. 8:12). Maybe a stone with figures graven upon it?

Places of idol worship were important too. Mountains and high places were choice places for sacrifice and incense burning to idols, (see 1 Kgs. 11:7; 14:23). Groves and gardens were also choice spots as we find in 2 Kings 16:4; Isaiah 1:29, and Hosea 4:13. In 2 Kings 23:12; Jeremiah 19:13; 32:29, and Zephaniah 1:5 we find worshipers using housetops to worship the host of heaven.

Both priests and individuals were intimately connected with idolatrous rites, and the impurities from which they were inseparable.

Both men and women consecrated themselves to idol worship; men as "kawdashe"" = "sodomite" who consecrated himself, a male devotee (by prostitution) to licentious idolatry. Isn't this unclean spirit taking over the American Church today? The whole gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, queer camp is an ABOMINATION unto the LORD God! (see Deut. 23:17 where "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel").

The Bible does not give too harsh an equivalent as some complain; the female (kedéshôth"- "whore"), who wove shrines for Astarte (2 Kgs. 23:7). The same class of women existed among many tribes/nations; they are distinguished from the public prostitutes (Hosea 4:14), and associated with the performances of sacred rites. Not only this, there were ordinary rites of worship which idolatrous systems had in common with the religion of the Hebrews. Offering burnt sacrifices to idol gods (demons) (2 Kgs. 5:17), burning incense in their honor (1 Kgs. 11:8), and bowing down in worship before their "images" (1 Kgs. 19:1, 8), were the chief parts of their ritual; and from their analogy with the ceremonies of true worship were more seductive than the grosser forms.

Israel/Hebrews fell into idol worship many times, Abraham's very own family were idol worshipers (Joshua 24:2), yet our father of faith remained true to God (see Gen. 31:19 where Rachel had the teraphim, eg. the household god/idol). Israel too often combined pagan gods with Jehovah. The traces of idolatry which have been sought in Ex. 17:7; Num. 25:2; Josh. 24:14; Ezek. 20:7; and Amos 5:25, 26 prove this out. The golden calf (Ex. 32) was intended to be a representation of Jehovah after an Egyptian pattern. Amos (5:25) in his rebuke seems to have in view image worship, but not the service of the Assyrian idols "Sakkuth" and "kewon." The worship of "Baal-peor" was done during brief periods of apostasy, which was brought about by the temptations to licentious indulgence offered by the rites of that deity.

Human Sufferings

NO ONE CAN COMPUTE the human sufferings and sheer misery which this idea of sacrifice to an angry god / demon has caused down thru the Icenturies. Fear causes sicknesses and diseases, even death itself. This is the cruelty of serving other gods! The frantic desire to appease their wishes and wrath. I have met such people. I've seen men/women driven into insane and hysterical fits of horrid anguish...this still goes on today my friends.

Witchcraft can and does cause humans to attest to strange (queer) things. The work of demons is no joke. Jesus confronted them openly in His earthly ministry-some were insane demons, some were sickness/disease demons etc.

Angels/Animals / Nature

JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING that can be named has been, and is being, worshiped. Having worked in India (3 times, Nepal once), we have seen it all!

While the Roman Catholic Church worships saints and angels, others worship animals, creeping things, fowls etc., and nature. Demons cause men to violate God's command NOT to worship anything except Him.