Should Christians Consult Astrology (Horoscope / Zodiac)?

Introduction

Years ago, I was requested to immediately counsel a young man on the verge of suicide. He was severely undernourished (a year ago, he had weighed 90 kgs / 198 lbs).

This young man was extremely troubled about his encounter with a roadside astrologer who read his palm. Apparently, the astrologer challenged this young man by boldly claiming to predict his future. The astrologer asserted his credibility by precisely stating the favorite color, favorite flower, and the date of birth of the young man.

Then the astrologer dropped a bombshell upon the unsuspecting young man saying that he would die within a year. The young man went into a depression and consistently lost weight and his emotional health. Thus he contemplated suicide.

This is astrology, in its evil glory. But by the grace of God, the young man was delivered and began to live a healthy life.

A concise introduction to Astrology is that “the exact alignment of the heavenly bodies (planets, stars) at a person’s birth greatly influence, if not determine, an individual’s life, including character, temperament, and accomplishments. People who practice astrology seek to discover their horoscope—a forecast of daily, monthly, or yearly events in light of their birth sign under the Zodiac. The practice of astrology can be traced as far back as ancient Mesopotamia and was a common practice among the ancient Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, and Romans.”¹   

   

Does astrology truly play a role in man’s life?

Scientists Expose Astrology’s Deceit

Interestingly, scientists consider astrology as nothing but a waste of time and energy for man. They term astrology as a pseudo-science. Their strong conviction is that astrology plays no role in man’s life.

In 1975, a group of leading astronomers, astrophysicists and scientists that included 18 Nobel Prize winners denounced the pseudoscience of astrology through their publication, “Objections to Astrology: A Statement by 186 leading Scientists,” in the Humanist magazine.²   

Prominent non-Christian scientists Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, and Bill Nye debunk astrology. They deem astrology as a primitive belief system that places humans as the focal point of the universe.

They contend that astrology is as vague as it can be and has not considered the astronomical developments after 2 AD. They also declare that astrology refuses to consider the discovery of new planets and ignores the shift in the earth's rotation axis.

            You may watch these scientists debunk astrology in this video clip: 

Eminent Christian astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross describes astrology as that which…

“bases horoscopes on the moment of birth, not the moment of conception when, in fact, one's genetic characteristics are fixed;

ignores the gravitational forces of non-solar system bodies (e.g., the pull of gravity by the obstetrician on a newborn child is about six times greater than that of Mars);

treats the various nuclear, magnetic, and gravitational forces exerted by solar system bodies (e.g., the sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, etc.) as if they were of the same magnitude. In reality, differences of many orders of magnitude were long ago verified by research;

ignores significant solar system bodies, e.g., Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, asteroids, comets;

fails to take into account tidal forces, also gravitational differences resulting from the irregular shape of some solar system bodies;

ignores the motion of the sun with respect to other stars and with respect to the center of the galaxy;

ignores the wobble in the earth's rotation axis, which by now has shifted the astrological sun signs by one or two constellations (making a typical Leo in reality a Gemini);

omits two constellations along the ecliptic (the "path" of the planets and other bodies in our solar system);

fails to provide conclusive evidence of a direct causal link between celestial positions or "aspects" and human personality and interactions.” ³

Even the most secular American sitcom, Big Bang Theory, denounces astrology through its character Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon debunks astrology as, “…the mass cultural delusion that the sun's apparent position relative to arbitrarily defined constellations at the time of your birth somehow affects your personality.” That astrology is a “mass cultural delusion” is a strong statement!

Sheldon speaks here...

            It is interesting to observe the non-Christian scientists debunking astrology. This should motivate our non-Christian friends to sincerely reconsider their position on astrology, especially if they consult astrology and zodiac signs.

The Bible Condemns Astrology

More interestingly, quite a number of Christians consult astrology. Some even take pride in their zodiac signs!  

However, the Bible, in no uncertain terms, condemns astrology.

Astrologers are considered as God’s opponents and worthy of God’s judgment in Isaiah 47: 13-14.

The context of Deuteronomy 4 is to urge God’s people to follow HIM and tightly hold on to HIM amidst all temptations and distractions that tend to draw us away from God. In this context, God’s people are commanded not to worship or serve the sun, moon or the stars (Deuteronomy 4: 19).

The sun, moon and the stars do not offer anything to a Christian. It is futile for a Christian to follow and respect (worship) these heavenly bodies.

A Christian sins against God when he consults the heavenly bodies - sun, moon and stars.

There were days when I, while being a devoted Christian, stepped into my workplace and consulted the horoscope / astrology section in the newspaper as my first task for the day. The seemingly prophetic words in the horoscope either made or ruined my day even before the day began, so to speak.

It took me less than a minute to read and integrate that which was written for my zodiac sign. But those few seconds of consulting my horoscope was like injecting a slow poison into my veins.

I was a slave to astrology and my life was determined by the words that were in my zodiac sign for that day.

Instead of allowing God to lead my life and following God’s will for my life, I intentionally and mindlessly removed God from my life. Although God was in me, I did not recognize or respect HIS presence when it came to running the matters of my day to day life.

I did not worship God for I had more faith in astrology than God. I worshipped astrology and not God.

I was also imprisoned in another weird esoteric (mysterious) belief.

Since I belonged to the zodiac sign Pisces, I somehow believed that, by default, I would be friendlier with another Piscean. This mechanically motivated me to alienate myself from people who were supposedly antagonistic to a Piscean. What a great killjoy!

This imprisonment led me to disobey God’s second greatest commandment of loving my neighbor (Mark 12: 31). In other words, I loved a Piscean more than anyone else. In the process, I was being godless and walking away from the one true living God.

There are more Scriptural affirmations (Leviticus 20:6, Deuteronomy 17: 2-5, 18:9-13; 2 Kings 17: 16; 1 Corinthians 10: 21) that mandate us to avoid astrology in any form, manner or size whatsoever.

As the real life story narrated in the introduction suggests, astrology could also partner with the demonic. When astrology partners the demonic, the consequences are disastrously evil.

False Teaching in Christianity

“Gospel in the Stars” theory (GIS) is a good case in point. GIS was published in the mid 19^th century by Ms. Frances Rolleston.

Minimally, GIS claims to have uncovered the gospel message present in the stars and constellations. Rolleston also claimed to have found many zodiacal connections in the Bible.

GIS in another instance of truthlessness for it contradicts the Bible through poor scholarship. Therefore there is no excuse for a Christian to seek the counsel of astrology.

Few online resources that satisfactorily debunk GIS are mentioned in the endnotes for those interested in a deeper pursuit of this theme.  

Conclusion

Christians sin against God if and when we consult astrology. A Christian should repent and seek forgiveness from God and discard astrology from his / her life totally.

If you are a Christian and if you still consider astrology as harmless, then I pray that you would see the truth spoken in God’s Word against astrology.

There is no mid-position in Christianity. As Christians we ought to realize that we are either for God or against HIM.

We either worship the one true and living God or worship the sun, moon and the stars. We either follow the counsel of the Spirit of God or follow the sun, moon and the stars.

These words are written in the context of the unpardonable sin, and I pray that these living words from the Bible would open the eyes of our heart and mind, “The man who is not on my side is against me, and the man who does not gather with me is really scattering. That is why I tell you that men may be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit cannot be forgiven” (Matthew 12: 30-31, PHILLIPS). Amen.

Endnotes:

¹ http://www.reasons.org/articles/testing-the-claims-of-astrology

²http://americanhumanist.org/what_we_do/publications/Humanism_as_the_Next_Step/Chapter_9:_The_American_Humanist_Association

&

http://digilander.libero.it/astroitalia/cialtrones.pdf

³ http://www.reasons.org/articles/astrology-help-hoax-or-harm

Further reading to debunk GIS (Gospel In The Stars):

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v3/n1/gospel-in-stars  

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/arj/v6/n1/gospel-in-stars-further-examination

http://www.equip.org/articles/is-there-a-christian-zodiac-a-gospel-in-the-stars/

Useful Read:

http://www.equip.org/bible_answers/what-is-wrong-with-astrology/

Four Blood Moons in 2014-15: Christ’s Second Coming & End Times or Israel’s Tragedy?

Introduction

In 2008, Pastor Mark Biltz of ‘Church For All Nations’ predicted that Christ’s second coming may occur in the Fall of 2015 (his book, “Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs” is to be published on March 18, 2014). Subsequently Pastor John Hagee’s book “Four Blood Moons: Something is about to change” (published in October 2013) seems to endorse Pastor Mark Biltz’s prediction.

The four blood moon event is creating considerable interest in certain segments of Christianity that anticipate the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy about Christ’s second coming or the end times. The four blood moon event in 2014-15 is also predicted to bring a change / disaster upon the nation of Israel.

Blood moon is a reference to full lunar eclipse – the earth in between the sun and the moon. In a full lunar eclipse, earth’s shadow is cast on the moon so that the red light from the sun is reflected on to the moon making it appear red like blood - hence the term, ‘Blood moon.’

Four total lunar eclipses in a row are called ‘Tetrads.’

Significance of Tetrads Coinciding with Jewish Holy Days

NASA reports the following dates for lunar eclipses in 2014-15: ¹

Table # 1: Lunar Eclipse in 2014-2015

Date	Eclipse	Jewish Holy Days 2
15-April-2014	Total Lunar	Passover
8-October -2014	Total Lunar	Sukkot (October 9)
4-April-2015	Total Lunar	Passover
28-September-2015	Total Lunar	Sukkot

                                                                                                                               

The oncoming tetrad in 2014-15 (row of four total lunar eclipses) coincides with Jewish high holy days – hence the connection to the nation of Israel.

NASA has seemingly confirmed the occurrence of blood moons on the first day of Passover and first day of Sukkot, seven times on back-to-back years since 1 AD. In other words, tetrads coinciding with Jewish holy days have occurred only seven times since the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Table #2 describes the dates and historical significance of the seven tetrads that coincided with Jewish high holy days:

Table #2: Dates & Historical Significance of Seven Tetrads Coinciding with Jewish Holy Days Since 1 AD

#	Total lunar eclipse	Jewish Holy Days	Historical Significance
1	162-163 AD	Passover & Sukkot	Severe elimination of Jews in 3 years by Antonine Plague, following the tetrad.
2	795-796 AD	Passover & Yom Kippur (?)	Establishment of a demilitarized zone (DMZ) between France and Spain, ending centuries of Arab invasions into Western Europe, by King Charlemagne.
3	842-843 AD	Passover & Yom Kippur (?)	Shortly after the eclipses the Vatican church in Rome was attacked and looted by an Islamic invasion from Africa.
4	860-861 AD	Passover & Yom Kippur (?)	Shortly after the eclipses the Byzantine Empire defeated Arab armies at the Battle of Lalakaon in Turkey and stopped the Islamic invasion of Eastern Europe.
5	1493-1497	Passover & Sukkot	Tragedy: 200,000 Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. Triumph: America was discovered in the same year. Today America is the home for more than 5 million Jews (cf. Esther 4: 14à “…relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place…”).
6	1949-1950	Passover & Sukkot	Tragedy: Holocaust (1933-1945) – murder of 600,000 Jews and elimination of 5000 Jewish communities.3 Triumph: Israel’s war of independence - May 1948. Israel became 59th member of UN – 11th May 1949.
7	1967-1968	Passover & Sukkot	Tragedy: Israel’s six day war – 5th June 1967. Triumph: Jerusalem became a part of Israel.

(?) – There are references to these total lunar eclipses occurring on Sukkot.  

This video briefly outlines Pastor Hagee’s thoughts.

So there does seem to be an activity in the world during the tetrads that coincides with Jewish holy days. But we should also observe that the tetrads of 795-796, 842-843 and 860-861 have little or nothing to do with the Jews, although they coincide with the Jewish high holy days.

Significant ‘tragedy-to-triumph’ story for Israel have occurred in Israel during the previous three tetrads. These events around Israel are used by Pastor Hagee and Pastor Biltz to make significant claims.

        The Jewish Talmud, one of the central texts of the Jewish people, records the rabbinic teachings of 600 years, from 1 AD through to sixth and seventh centuries. The Jewish Talmud (Babylonian) states that it is bad omen for Israel when the moon is in eclipse. It also states that if the moon is as red as blood, there would be trouble in the world (Talmud - Mas. Sukkah 29a).⁴

Therefore there is a certain credibility built in the predictions that there could be trouble in the world with a possible localization to Israel during tetrads that coincides with Jewish high holy days.

        

        Must one be dogmatic in predicting a disaster upon the world or Israel during a tetrad? A report from NASA website states that there were other tetrads⁵ during the same periods as mentioned in table #2.

For instance, NASA website recorded a tetrad in 2003-2004: 16-May-2003, 9-Nov-2003, 4-May-2004, and 28-Oct-2004. None of these dates coincided with Jewish festivals.

Notably no major disasters were recorded around this period, except for a 6.6 magnitude earthquake on Oct. 23, 2004 in Niigata, Japan that killed 40, injured 3100, and affecting tens of thousands of people.⁶ This lone incident does not motivate us to claim that tetrads usher in disasters in the world, let alone Israel.

The Middle East is as similar to the other sensitive and potentially volatile parts of the world. The Middle East is a region with a definite possibility of escalation of unrest. The sectarian unrest in Islam – the Shia-Sunni tension, seems to escalate.

The sectarian unrests are escalating in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Iran and Syria are sensitive locations. So we cannot eliminate the possibility of anything in and around Israel anytime, let alone during the tetrads.

However, an assertion that something significant could happen in and around Israel when a tetrad coincides with Jewish festivals is not totally out of order. But an assertion that something significant will happen in the world during a tetrad seems totally and surely out of order.

Tetrads and Christ’s Second Coming & End Times

Pastor Hagee seems to make two contradictory statements. On the one hand, he asserts that no one would know when Christ would come. On the other hand, he confidently speculates the possibility of the oncoming tetrad ushering in the messianic age – the Lord’s second coming.

        

       In line with the second coming of Christ, the Bible articulates three thoughts:

        1. The Bible unequivocally speaks about the signs that would precede the Lord’s return (Matthew 24; Luke 21: 7 - 36). Lunar and solar eclipses are mentioned as signs - blood moons are presented as signs (Joel 2: 31; Matthew 24: 29; Acts 2: 20; Rev 6: 12).

So the tetrad coinciding with Jewish holy days in 2014-15 cannot be discounted as totally irrelevant, considering the previous three tetrads.

2. The Bible says that the Lord’s coming is near (Zephaniah 1: 14; James 5: 8). It has been 2000++ years since this was said. So as much as we eagerly await the Lord’s return, HIS return is nearer than before, for 2000++ years have elapsed since this statement was first made.

But knowing that one day is like a thousand years in the Lord’s sight (2 Peter 3: 8), any prediction about the season or the day of the Lord’s glorious return will always be in the realm of uncertainty. All we can say is that the Lord’s return is near.

3. No one knows the exact timing of the Lord’s return. Mark 13: 32 states, “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”

It is quite interesting to observe Christ mentioning the shorter time period (hour), and the longer time period (day), while making this statement. The word “day” in this verse could mean a 24-hour time period or of time in general (cf. John 14: 20).

        Thus it would be wise not to speculate the hour or date or even the season in which Christ will return in all HIS glory.      

Conclusion:

1. Tetrads need not bring disaster upon the world.

2. Tetrads that have coincided with Jewish high holy days have not brought disaster or changed Israel’s political climate, every single time. Out of the seven occurrences (Table #2), the Jews were affected by four tetrads, and were unaffected by three tetrads.

3. The previous three tetrads that have coincided with Jewish high holy days did surely have an impact upon Israel.

4. The turbulent political climate in the Middle East at present does indicate a possibility of increasing unrest in the region in the near future. This may include Israel.

5. Although something could happen to Israel in 2014-2015, one need not be dogmatic to assert a sure possibility of such an event occurring. This is based on (2).   

6. With reference to the Lord’s glorious return, we can most surely assert that the Lord’s return is near, for the signs of HIS imminent return are in abundance. There is nothing wrong in eagerly expecting the Lord to return in 2014-15.

But in light of Mark 13:32 and the likes, it would definitely be unwise and futile to mention a timeframe for the Lord’s return.

7. Yes, we should be on the alert (Matthew 25: 13; Mark 13: 37), for the Lord’s return to judge the world is certain. But then our life in this world is uncertain, for our life is like a vapor – alive one day and dead the next (James 4: 14).

We could be dead even before we encounter the tetrad. But we would be safe, come what may, death or tetrad or anything, if we are with the Lord Jesus Christ – if we have accepted HIM as our God, and love HIM will all our life (cf. Romans 8: 38 - 39).

My prayer is that all who read this should be with the Lord Jesus forever and ever. Amen.

Endnotes:

Yom Kippur: Eight days after Rosh Hashanah, is the Day of Atonement, of Divine judgment, and of “affliction of souls” (Lev. 23:26-32), so that the individual may be cleansed of sins.

Passover (Pessah): Festival celebrating the Exodus from Egypt and liberation from bondage.

Sukkot: Described in Leviticus 23:34 as the “Feast of Tabernacles.” Begins 5 days after Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement & divine judgment (Lev 23: 26-32).

…the information on Israel high holy days is available at:

http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/IsraelExperience/AboutIsrael/Spotlight/Pages/Jewish%20Festivals%20in%20Israel.aspx

¹ http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/lunar.html 

² http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?country=34

³ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/history.html

⁴ Talmud - Mas. Sukkah 29a - http://juchre.org/talmud/sukkah/sukkah2.htm#29a

⁵ Other tetrads:

AD 162 – 163, 180 – 181, and 198 – 199

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEcat5/LE0101-0200.html

AD 766 - 767, 784 -   785, 795 -   796

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEcat5/LE0701-0800.html

AD 802 -   803, 813 – 814, 824 – 825, 842 – 843, 860 – 861, 878 – 879, 889 – 890

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEcat5/LE0801-0900.html

AD 1428 - 1429, 1457 - 1458, 1475 - 1476, 1493 - 1494

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEcat5/LE1401-1500.html

AD 1909 – 1910, 1927 - 1928, 1949 - 1950, 1967 - 1968, 1985 - 1986

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEcat5/LE1901-2000.html

⁶ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0922878.html#ixzz2vI1F68O7

Useful Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_antisemitism

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-25471361

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-25458755

http://redmoonrapture.com/portfolio/history

http://www.pray4zion.org/TheComingBloodMoons.html

http://blogs.christianpost.com/comets-of-god/four-blood-moons-19804/

http://www.voiceofrevolution.com/lineoffire/shows/line_of_fire_03_04_14.mp3

Should We Fear Evil Spirits & Demons?

Evil spirits / demons exist. Searching for “witchcraft,” “black magic,” “voodoo,” “séance” on the internet affirms their existence. Quite a few practice these and there are others who consult these services for evil purposes.

Black magic and witchcraft (terms that I use interchangeably) employ supernatural powers for evil purposes. Let us consider some instances of witchcraft in different parts of the world:

In December 2013, ‘Livescience’ the science news website reported a Bahraini parliament official Mohammed Buqais demanding his government to crackdown on witchcraft. Buquais narrates a “story of a wife who consulted a witch doctor for help in making her husband obedient. The sorcerer gave her a magic ritual to follow — one that included contaminating his meals with her blood. The result, Buqais claimed, was that the man became paralyzed and has remained so since 2006.” ¹

If witchcraft is prevalent in Bahrain - a tiny Arab kingdom with a million people, then one can only imagine the presence of this evil practice in larger countries.

‘National Geographic’ reported the killing of albinos in Tanzania for their body parts to be used by witch doctors.² These witch doctors supposedly assume the presence of magical powers in albino body parts such as limbs, heart, tongue etc.

Black magic is prevalent in India. Maharashtra, a western state, approved a bill to curb such activities.³

Black magic is existent in China, the world’s largest populated country. The black magic practices are grouped under the term ‘ku.’ ⁴

Media has reported instances of black magic practice in the USA and UK. For more information, you could refer to this article.⁵

Practice of witchcraft / black magic include:

Use of voodoo dolls for evil purposes. They can make a voodoo doll of their enemy and prick the doll with needles so to inflict pain and even death.

People interacting with spirits through Ouija boards for sinister purposes. (Interaction with spirits is termed as Séance.)

Demonic rituals performed by sacrificing people (including children) and animals for evil purposes.

This video describes the evil of human sacrifices during the celebrations of Halloween in America.

It is reported that even corporates take to witchcraft.⁶

The demonic threat is real in every life. It takes one person to resort to black magic and then there are innocent victim(s). So the possibilities of invoking the demonic are quite large.

Not surprisingly, the Bible talks much about demons.

Demons are often described as spirits (Matthew 8: 16; Luke 7: 21; Acts 19: 12, Revelation 16: 14 et al.). These wicked forces in heavenly places are invisible (cf. Colossians 1: 16). The Christian struggles“…against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6: 12, NASB).

Since angels obtain their great power from God, their powers are limited by the will of God.  In other words, angels, good or evil, cannot exercise their powers without God’s permission (cf. Job 1: 12, 2:6).

Satan is the chief of demons. He opposes God and the work of Christ through temptation and deception. Satan opposes and hinders Christians in God’s service (1 Thessalonians 2: 18) through all available means, and blinds the minds of unbelievers “so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4: 4, NASB).

Demons inflict diseases (Matthew 12:22; Mark 9:17; Acts 8: 7) and oppose the spiritual progress of God’s people (Ephesians 6: 12). They incite one against another, kill, and destroy property (Job 1: 13-19).

Since demonic existence and attack on mankind is factual, we then wonder if all people are vulnerable to demonic attacks or only a few. If only a few are vulnerable and fearful of demonic attacks, what separates these few from the others?  

Common sense suggests that the weaker is destroyed by the stronger. From a creational perspective, angels are stronger than humans; so humans are weaker than the good and evil angels. Therefore, all humans are susceptible to demonic attack from the evil angels.

However, humans can prevent demons from attacking them, if they are, in some way, stronger than the demons. How? Employing a stronger demon is unwise for it is equivalent to inviting a more powerful hazard into our lives. 

The other option is to get behind a good force that is more powerful than the most evil demon. This seems to be the only safe and a viable option.

The good force is God – the Almighty being, the ruler of heaven and earth. Since God created angels, HE obviously is more powerful than HIS creation. 

The sovereign God (because of HIS grace, goodness, love, mercy, compassion, and justice) protects HIS creation against the schemes of the evil one. HE protects those who love and those who reject HIM. This is HIS common grace.

Occasionally HE removes the hedge of HIS protection and permits the demons to attack us. Why? Because God is good, HE removes the protection for a good reason. We may be aware of some general reasons, but we may be mostly unaware of the specific reason.

Although man is vulnerable, can he get under the protective umbrella of God’s presence to live a fearless life?  Yes it is surely possible. But there is a condition. The condition is that we should not be fragile; instead we should be strong in God.

The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 describes fragile Christians. These fragile Christians exhibit three fatal traits:

1. They do not understand the Word of God.

2. They fall away when persecuted.

3. They succumb to the worries of this world and deceitfulness of wealth.

Exhibition of one or more of these traits exhibits the fragility and the enormity of the distance between this individual and God.

            Instead of consciously and intentionally remaining in the Lord, this person consciously and intentionally drifts away from God. The reason for the occurrence of these three traits in a Christian life is due to man’s separation from God.

When man is separated from God, he is very much vulnerable to demonic attacks. He is both actively and passively open to the demonic. He can either actively employ the demonic to hurt others or be passively hurt by those employing the demonic.

In contrast, there is a Christian who hears the Word, understands it, bears fruit, and remains strong in the Lord. He does not employ the demonic to hurt others, for he loves everyone (Mark 12: 31).

This strong Christian is not vulnerable to demonic attacks. Or is it so?

Being strong in the Lord does not guarantee a 24x7 protection from the demonic. Even though this man devotedly opposes the evil, there are moments when God removes the hedge of HIS protection to permit a demonic attack on this strong Christian.

So we have two groups of people. One group remains intimate and strong in the Lord. The other group is separated from God.

Although both these groups are vulnerable to the demonic, they live differently.

Which of these groups of people are more likely to fear the demons? The answer is obvious; the group that is separated from God is the one that lives in fear of demons, and will surrender to the demonic, even to the point of death.

The strong Christian who understands God and HIS Word does not fear the Satan or his demons for he is deeply rooted in God. The strong Christian will remain in the Lord even when there is a demonic attack against him.

The strong Christian will victoriously live through the demonic attack and will finally emerge victorious by the power of the living God – the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Apostle Paul was given “a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment…” (2 Corinthians 12:7, NASB, Emphasis Mine). The Lord did not remove the demonic from Paul’s life although Paul pleaded with the Lord. Did Paul then lose hope or faith in God? No!

Instead he thundered, “most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12: 9b-10, NASB, Emphasis Mine).

Although Paul was under a demonic attack, he was glad, he boasted about his weakness, he was content, and importantly he was strong. What a fascinating testimony of a man under a demonic attack. He did not fear demons, but he endured and remained victorious even through the demonic attack.

Job is another classic example. To begin with, the demons robbed him of his family and possessions. Then they inflicted painful sores upon him.

But his wife, who should have been a pillar of strength to Job, incited Job to curse God and die.

But Job the Gentile, not even a member of God’s chosen race – the Jews, displayed a monumental faith in the Lord and said, ““You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips” (Job 2: 10, NASB). 

Although Job was under a severe demonic attack, he did not lose faith or hope in God. This is yet another marvelous testimony by a powerful man of God.

Powerful Christians neither fear the demonic nor lose hope or faith in God during the demonic. Why? Powerful Christians know and trust their God too well that they are in constant communication with God through prayer. Thus they overcome the demonic. They even disregard their life for the sake of God and HIS glory. 

How could one gain this power? It is rather simple. Accept the Lord Jesus, love HIM with all your life, live in Christ always. Seek Christ with an incessant hunger by the reading and understanding of HIS Word and constant communication (prayer).

What do you do if you are under a demonic attack? Pray to Jesus and request your strong and gifted Christian friends to pray for and over you, for it is only the Lord Jesus who can drive away the demonic from your life and offer you a victorious life even through the demonic. Amen.

Endnotes:

¹ http://www.livescience.com/41938-black-magic-crackdown-bahrain.html

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/652454-when-corporates-take-to-witchcraft.html

² http://news.nationalgeographic.co.in/news/2013/10/131011-albino-killings-witch-doctors-tanzania-superstition/

³ http://www.ibtimes.com/indian-state-adopts-bill-against-superstition-black-magic-first-time-after-anti-superstition-1509722

⁴ http://www.biroco.com/yijing/ku.pdf

⁵ http://thetruthwins.com/archives/the-fastest-growing-religion-in-america-is-witchcraft 

& 

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-dark-side-of-halloween-is-the-kind-of-stuff-that-real-life-nightmares-are-made-of

⁶ http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/652454-when-corporates-take-to-witchcraft.html