I am not suggesting some miraculous conspiracy theory about how these cultures developed such similarities around the same time period. There were no “space-men” to assist these cultures; only demons, who wanted to be worshiped by the children of God and to build their own earthly empires. Nor is this a new philosophy; Daniel was given a glimpse of this kind of demonic influence in culture by the angel who appeared in Daniel 10.10-.14. Evidently, demons are considered “princes,” if you will, over major cities, and adhere to a military rank and authority.
Most people know the Bible is full of great historic narratives, and the story of how God tends to his people is often miraculous. What often goes unnoticed is the backdrop, the characters that add color to the story. Today’s example comes from Genesis 24, where Abraham gives his servant one final mission: Find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant chose to accept the mission and set off from the Promised Land to Ur, the birthplace of Abraham and home to a people with a long and vicious memory.
You have probably heard it almost as often as I have, that the God of the Old Testament seems all vengeful and harsh while the God of the New Testament is all about love. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Old Testament is full of mercy and grace extended not just to his people but to the Gentile world also. Sure, there is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Noah’s flood but there is also the salvation of Nineveh, the rescue of the people of Israel on multiple occasions, and the relationships God has with real people.
It was a Christian class on public speaking and the teacher began leading the class in an eastern meditation practice meant to calm one’s nerves. “Close your eyes,” she began, “and think only about your toes. Your toes, then your feet… Empty your mind.” At this point I’d had it, opened my eyes and asked loudly, “Is it okay if instead of emptying my mind I took every thought captive to the obedience of Christ?” Instead of relaxation, tension filled the room but everyone understood what was happening and what was at stake.
Does he lurk in the shadows? Does he reside in basements and cellars and sewers, staying far away from the light of day? Are leaky pipes and fungi his only company? Is the Prince of Darkness to be likened to a Stephen King antithesis of good; an evil force subject to the night, ensnaring the lonely, the curious, the naïve whenever they cross his liar? Quite the contrary.
I hear from a lot of readers about the struggles they are going through. Some have inoperable illnesses like cancer, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Others have a series of health issues that are crippling half the time and merely painful the rest of the time. Some suffer from spousal abuse or children making bad decisions with their life. Some suffer the loss of a loved one. The list is long and disconcerting. The common questions I hear are "Why? Why is there so much suffering?” and the second question is like it: "Can't God do something about it?"
Over the last few months I’ve been asked repeatedly the hard questions about the identity of Jesus, and have decided that a series addressing the major complications of Jesus’ identity should ensue. Since Jesus is our savior, our defender, and our God we should know as much about him as possible and not settle for a Sunday school depiction of him carrying a lost sheep over his shoulder. Jesus is more than a shepherd, a prophet, a king or a savior. He is a person, with all the complexities that a person holds and more since he is also God.
I remember sitting in Moody Church in downtown Chicago one Sunday morning listening to the amazing Dr. Erwin Lutzer and his sermon on Christian Maturity. He illustrated his point saying, “I know that each and every member of our church is a mature believer. I know this because no one has yet challenged my pronouncing the word as “maTurity and not “maCHurity”. Well, I thought it was funny. Still do. What isn’t funny is when a follower of Christ stops growing in faith.
Just about a year ago Think-Biblically ran a series on demonic activity in the modern world. We discussed demonic familiars and their “Strong Man” superiors, demonic oppression and demonic possession. Since then readers have asked for a more scholarly series on the topic of demonism. While every culture has a way to participate with or repel demons, there is no better guide to this unseen realm than the Bible itself. The passage quoted above reveals nine foundational occult practices that are abominable to God (and should be to us as well). These include:
The popular view of Jesus is that of a poor Rabi, a peaceful man who reminded people that religion wasn’t about rules but about learning how to love God and your fellow man. There is nothing wrong with this particular view, except it is incomplete. Jesus did everything he needed to do at that time --and more -- as the suffering servant, but he did not restore Israel at that time, reward the faithful or fully conquer the devil. One might say that Jesus’ mission was as incomplete as our view of him. If you want to know Jesus you need to know all of him, not just the comfortable parts.
We’ve all heard the expression, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”, and it’s usually used to warn against giving or taking too much power over others. It’s a political truth. Yet this phrase says just as much about the nature of man as it does about the nature of power. For instance, it reveals that man is imminently corruptible – a truth the Bible teaches clearly throughout each book – meaning it is a religious truth as well. Man is a political creature who uses religion in a vain attempt to keep from corruption. Politics, however, isn’t evil and religion isn’t holy.
Yesterday we examined a few of the horrors that took place over the last week. I mentioned that while our outrage is understandable that we shouldn’t be surprised, at least not if we understand what the Bible teaches about humankind. Most worldviews disagree with the Bible’s assessment of our nature. Largely, people—including many Christians—think that mankind is either basically good, or morally neutral. We like to think that we’re “not that bad”; we like to point to the villains of history, like Karadzik or the Taliban, to tip the scales of righteousness in our favor.
