Monday, August 22, 2011
The Stars Predict That Christians Read Horoscopes
This is hardly new ground, but relevant still. Unfortunately.
I occasionally looked to horoscopes. For "entertainment" of course. I especially sought this entertainment as i sought a mate and approached life changes and sought direction for my life.
Later, during my spiritual "yondering days" i looked to them thinking God would speak to me through them. After reading "dark mission" by richard hoaglund, i even began to think that horoscopes might have some validity through hyperdimensional physics. After that, i sought out horoscopes that were touted as more accurate.
This was all after i was saved.
I was having a talk with someone who appears to be a Christian. Reads the Bible, goes to church, and this person mentioned that their horoscope had said something that resonated. I said that horoscopes were definitely forbidden by the Bible, but i was told that it purely for entertainment. Like Harry Potter or Star Wars.
Not good examples to make a case justifying horoscopes. Harry Potter, at best should be watched/read with the most discerning and mature eye. I read them when i was an immature believer, and finished the series once i had been more mature. As i was immature, who knows how that affected me.
I can more or less guarantee that the stuff in Harry Potter will only serve to spark a kids interest into the occult. After all, it was merely a mention of "Ray's Occult Books" in Ghostbusters 2 that sent me straight to that section of the library.
Star Wars too should be enjoyed responsibly. It is after all, basically pantheism packaged with starships and laser swords. Once you know that, it's easier to separate. It is still dangerous though, because the philosophy is so tied into the story. If you read the books, some of them contain parts that are basically how to manuals for new age meditation.
Perhaps both should be avoided altogether.
Anyways...
So apparently, horoscopes are OK for Christians, as long as its "only entertainment." Maybe, we ought to bust out a tarot deck or two with a ouija board, and rune tiles to have a church fortune telling fundraiser. Grab a channeler, maybe Blossom Goodchild, have her do some channelings for us...for fun of course. Even new agers know enough that oujia boards are not toys.
OK, off the soap box. What does God have to say about astrology, and even fortune telling, for fun or not?
My main source! Read it! But i had some of these scriptures before going there.
http://www.gotquestions.org/astrology-Bible.html
And here:
Daniel 2:2 - 6
He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king,
he said, "I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means."
Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, "Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means."
But the king said to the astrologers, "I am serious about this. If you don't tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble!
But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!"
Daniel 2:9 - 10
'If you don't tell me the dream, you are doomed.' So you have conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I'll know that you can tell me what it means."
The astrologers replied to the king, "No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer!
(Thanks blueletter Bible, sorry, no link today)
Looks to me like Nebechadnezzar took his astrology pretty seriously. He didn't seem like he hade merely missed the latest "Babylon Idol" (pun intended) that is, entertainment. He was greatly disturbed! Notice also that the astrologers are powerless to give their king ANY wisdom. Some things never change, astrology still has little clue what's going on, and still no wisdom to offer.
Isaiah 47:13 - 14
Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from [these things] that shall come upon thee.
Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: [there shall] not [be] a coal to warm at, [nor] fire to sit before it.
(E)
Again, astrologers are shown to be essentially powerless. Not to mention, their ultimate destiny is fire, aka hell. They have no knowledge or power to help avoid calamity. i will avoid the snarky comment i was going to make.
At best it seems that astrologers can't get anything straight. But what about those times when a horoscope seems to ring true in your life? Surely, the stars must have aligned for your own, unique situation and destiny. Right?
Even in those rare instances where a horoscope has some truth, it is never 100%. Usually it's quite vague or almost fits, but i can guarantee a horoscope will never EVER be 100% accurate. Only the Word of God is. But why some horoscopes have any degree of accuracy would be due to demonic influence. Hence why Christians should avoid astrology and fortune telling. It's a foothold for Satan to get into your life. He's been in my life due to these footholds, and i can assure you it's not fun or entertaining.
Enough of what i say, here's what God has to say about fortune telling.
Leviticus 19:31
"Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the LORD your God.
(E)
Isaiah 8:19 - 20
Someone may say to you, "Let's ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do." But shouldn't people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead?
Look to God's instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.
(E)
So God's pretty clear that those consulting the spirits of the dead become defiled. I would propose even by consulting them indirectly through horoscopes. Isaiah says it well. Why would we rather listen to the spirits of the dead, rather than turn to the God who loves us, and gave His Son for us?
I would submit that horoscopes are but one of many doctrines of demons affecting the church. We were warned about those in 1 Timothy 4:1. I challenge you to find the doctrines of demons you're taking heed to and get rid of them.
But there is a real prediction and it's 100% accurate. It's called the Bible. And God gave us a road map of what the future is. He has authenticated it, by showing that His Son, Jesus, has power above that of the seducing spirits who give us horoscopes. He also has told us the end before it happens, and had that mapped out before any of this even started.
Acts 16:16 - 18
One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters.
She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved."
This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And instantly it left her.
(E)
Jesus Christ has power over these fortune telling spirits and EVERY evil spirit, and even the good ones (angels). The story from Acts proves that fortune telling comes from demons.
So, will you bend your ear to Satan and his spirits who give us nothing but lies and half truths? The ones who seek to drag us to hell and the lake of fire with them? Or are you going to repent and turn to God?
I occasionally looked to horoscopes. For "entertainment" of course. I especially sought this entertainment as i sought a mate and approached life changes and sought direction for my life.
Later, during my spiritual "yondering days" i looked to them thinking God would speak to me through them. After reading "dark mission" by richard hoaglund, i even began to think that horoscopes might have some validity through hyperdimensional physics. After that, i sought out horoscopes that were touted as more accurate.
This was all after i was saved.
I was having a talk with someone who appears to be a Christian. Reads the Bible, goes to church, and this person mentioned that their horoscope had said something that resonated. I said that horoscopes were definitely forbidden by the Bible, but i was told that it purely for entertainment. Like Harry Potter or Star Wars.
Not good examples to make a case justifying horoscopes. Harry Potter, at best should be watched/read with the most discerning and mature eye. I read them when i was an immature believer, and finished the series once i had been more mature. As i was immature, who knows how that affected me.
I can more or less guarantee that the stuff in Harry Potter will only serve to spark a kids interest into the occult. After all, it was merely a mention of "Ray's Occult Books" in Ghostbusters 2 that sent me straight to that section of the library.
Star Wars too should be enjoyed responsibly. It is after all, basically pantheism packaged with starships and laser swords. Once you know that, it's easier to separate. It is still dangerous though, because the philosophy is so tied into the story. If you read the books, some of them contain parts that are basically how to manuals for new age meditation.
Perhaps both should be avoided altogether.
Anyways...
So apparently, horoscopes are OK for Christians, as long as its "only entertainment." Maybe, we ought to bust out a tarot deck or two with a ouija board, and rune tiles to have a church fortune telling fundraiser. Grab a channeler, maybe Blossom Goodchild, have her do some channelings for us...for fun of course. Even new agers know enough that oujia boards are not toys.
OK, off the soap box. What does God have to say about astrology, and even fortune telling, for fun or not?
My main source! Read it! But i had some of these scriptures before going there.
http://www.gotquestions.org/astrology-Bible.html
And here:
Daniel 2:2 - 6
He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king,
he said, "I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means."
Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, "Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means."
But the king said to the astrologers, "I am serious about this. If you don't tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble!
But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!"
Daniel 2:9 - 10
'If you don't tell me the dream, you are doomed.' So you have conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I'll know that you can tell me what it means."
The astrologers replied to the king, "No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer!
(Thanks blueletter Bible, sorry, no link today)
Looks to me like Nebechadnezzar took his astrology pretty seriously. He didn't seem like he hade merely missed the latest "Babylon Idol" (pun intended) that is, entertainment. He was greatly disturbed! Notice also that the astrologers are powerless to give their king ANY wisdom. Some things never change, astrology still has little clue what's going on, and still no wisdom to offer.
Isaiah 47:13 - 14
Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from [these things] that shall come upon thee.
Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: [there shall] not [be] a coal to warm at, [nor] fire to sit before it.
(E)
Again, astrologers are shown to be essentially powerless. Not to mention, their ultimate destiny is fire, aka hell. They have no knowledge or power to help avoid calamity. i will avoid the snarky comment i was going to make.
At best it seems that astrologers can't get anything straight. But what about those times when a horoscope seems to ring true in your life? Surely, the stars must have aligned for your own, unique situation and destiny. Right?
Even in those rare instances where a horoscope has some truth, it is never 100%. Usually it's quite vague or almost fits, but i can guarantee a horoscope will never EVER be 100% accurate. Only the Word of God is. But why some horoscopes have any degree of accuracy would be due to demonic influence. Hence why Christians should avoid astrology and fortune telling. It's a foothold for Satan to get into your life. He's been in my life due to these footholds, and i can assure you it's not fun or entertaining.
Enough of what i say, here's what God has to say about fortune telling.
Leviticus 19:31
"Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the LORD your God.
(E)
Isaiah 8:19 - 20
Someone may say to you, "Let's ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do." But shouldn't people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead?
Look to God's instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.
(E)
So God's pretty clear that those consulting the spirits of the dead become defiled. I would propose even by consulting them indirectly through horoscopes. Isaiah says it well. Why would we rather listen to the spirits of the dead, rather than turn to the God who loves us, and gave His Son for us?
I would submit that horoscopes are but one of many doctrines of demons affecting the church. We were warned about those in 1 Timothy 4:1. I challenge you to find the doctrines of demons you're taking heed to and get rid of them.
But there is a real prediction and it's 100% accurate. It's called the Bible. And God gave us a road map of what the future is. He has authenticated it, by showing that His Son, Jesus, has power above that of the seducing spirits who give us horoscopes. He also has told us the end before it happens, and had that mapped out before any of this even started.
Acts 16:16 - 18
One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters.
She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved."
This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And instantly it left her.
(E)
Jesus Christ has power over these fortune telling spirits and EVERY evil spirit, and even the good ones (angels). The story from Acts proves that fortune telling comes from demons.
So, will you bend your ear to Satan and his spirits who give us nothing but lies and half truths? The ones who seek to drag us to hell and the lake of fire with them? Or are you going to repent and turn to God?
Friday, August 19, 2011
Don't be Such A Pill: Medicine and the Occult
Part 1: Western Medicine
To lay the groundwork for what's to come later looking at alternative and herbal medicine, we need to have a good foundation of what we're already familiar with in the west. Many argue (sometimes rightly in the case of reiki, sometimes wrongly in other cases) that certain medical practices are demonic. This comes alot of times with unfamiliar practices.
Things like reiki are clearly demonic, based on testimonies of former practitioners, whereas something else like taking an herbal med or a traditional prescribed med could be beneficial, or end up in a spiritual gray area. One could argue that even taking certain prescribed meds could open the door to the demonic. So too with acupuncture or chiropractic, sometimes cited as witchcraft or occult or perfectly safe depending on who you ask.
So, before getting into the meat. God clearly made human beings, in His own image. God never made us to die, but as a result of our rebellion against Him we have been sentenced to die. The only way to escape death is through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection and whether or not we accept and believe that. If we do, our bodies will be resurrected like Christ's, knowing death nevermore.
Sadly, as a result of the Fall in Genesis, our bodies wear out and die. Despite this, i believe that God made our bodies capable of healing themselves to an extent. This is incontrovertible. When you cut yourself, it heals. If you break an arm, it heals. When you have an ailment, time will usually heal it. God made a remarkable creation when He made the human body. For more major things, even with medical care, we need to realize that it is God who ordains if a person is to be healed or not.
But, as we all too often learn, sometimes our body just isn't up to the task of fixing itself, and so we consult a doctor. In the west, there is often little to no spiritual conflict with going to the doctor, though recently there are alarming trends which we can get to later. On one hand, going to the doctor is OK for the average Christian, but the same person may avoid acupunture or something else due to it's origins.
But do any of us really know when or what the origins of modern medicine are? Or how about the medical advances that were made by big pharma companies like Bayer during the Holocaust? How about the medical knowledge obtained by Germany's Dr. Mengele or the atrocities of Japan's Unit 731? If we're rejecting medical help because it has origins we dont agree with, then Christians should avoid most western medicine on principle. Without a doubt, some of our current medical treatments were learned by some of the worst methods, while others were not.
So what are the origins of modern medicine?
My brief search into the topic turned up some interesting results.
Many would say that Hippocrates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocrates) would be considered the father of our modern medicine, and to be sure there is alot of truth to that. But some posit that the ancient Egyptians had a form of medicine. Still others claim that the Phoenicians invented it.
I've long known that Egyptians used honey as an antimicrobial agent. This article talks alot about the things Egyptians did for medicine. Many of their treatments are still used today in some form.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-05/uom-eng050907.php
The egyptians should also be well known for their heavily pagan society. If one were to base all of their opinions on medical treatment based solely on the culture of origin, then we'd have to probably cut alot of our present treatments due to their use by a pagan culture.
Despite these more ancient claims of treatments, Hippocrates is often credited with the formation of modern medicine.
http://lib-sh.lsuhsc.edu/fammed/grounds/history.html
This article explains his methods, mainly that he observed external symptoms and tried to diagnose internal problems. He also did the occasional controversial dissection. So, in light of this, he did certainly move things along in regards to observing, diagnosising and treating illness.
However, the Bible is clear that touching dead bodies is unclean, and i would presume cutting them up is frowned upon also.
Numbers 19:11
http://bible.cc/numbers/19-11.htm
Personally, i would rather not be cut open on death. Still, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, did things not in line with the Bible. Current Jewish belief, i've been told, stresses that the body is not to be touched. I'm not familiar with this thought in antiquity.
OK, so ceremonial uncleanness is hardly a deterrent, or good excuse for avoiding medicine, but there are a few occult links to western medicine. The following link explains the common "serpent/pole" symbol that many associate with medicine. The author ties the double serpent to the god mecury the god of commerce, and the rarer single serpent to the god of medicine.
http://drblayney.com/Asclepius.html
Another interesting blog, describes further some of the occult ideas in medicine. I don't agree with all of it, but the point that the god hermes (mercury) is also the god of liars and thieves is interesting in light of Revelation 18:23 which idicates that the nations were deceived by "sorceries" aka pharmakia, which can mean more than just drugs. David Guzik's commentary on blue letter Bible is an interesting take on that verse.
http://occultsymbols.blogspot.com/2009/07/caduceus-decoded-secret-symbols-reveal.html
Moving back to Hippocrates, he subscribed to the theory of "humors." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humorism) That is, the body could have an internal imbalance of the four classical elements of earth, wind, water and fire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_element). The elemental theory was widely held across various pagan cultures, but was not necessarily a pagan belief, though it occasionally works its way in.
The humors theory treated illnesses by trying to fix the perceived imbalance. If one had too much "fire" the sickness could be fixed by eating something of the opposite character. This thought was a key component of Hippocrates' work and was in practice until the 1800's. It is still sometimes used in herbal and Chinese medicine. Herbal medicine is another topic, but i think it could be safe to say that the use of herbs works chemically, but people perceived that it was the humors philosophy at work.
Looking back, we can see that medicine had some origins in the pagan past, namely Egypt and Phoenicia, and later the Greeks. While the treatments may not have been occult, they originated in pagan societies.
Later, Hippocrates used a philosophy of diagnosis that was clearly wrong, but not necessarily against God. His belief in the four elements working in a body were probably just a misunderstanding of how things worked. The four elements are neither condemned, nor condoned by the Bible, but they often find their way into pagan beliefs. Take that for what it's worth.
We also can see that there is a blatant occult symbolism in the use of the serpent/staff motif. That could be a study in its own right, but the fact that modern medicine uses this in a few places should indicate what their true goals are. Aside from that, many parties in the medical world and pharmaceutical companies are mainly interested in profit.
So, while there's no specific procedure with occult origins there are some questionable philosophies that helped form modern medicine into what it is today. Does that mean we should avoid it? Not necessarily, but we should exercise discernment, especially in the area of prescription drugs (painkillers, psych meds, etc.) These occult connections aren't all encompassing, but there are some interesting connections.
To lay the groundwork for what's to come later looking at alternative and herbal medicine, we need to have a good foundation of what we're already familiar with in the west. Many argue (sometimes rightly in the case of reiki, sometimes wrongly in other cases) that certain medical practices are demonic. This comes alot of times with unfamiliar practices.
Things like reiki are clearly demonic, based on testimonies of former practitioners, whereas something else like taking an herbal med or a traditional prescribed med could be beneficial, or end up in a spiritual gray area. One could argue that even taking certain prescribed meds could open the door to the demonic. So too with acupuncture or chiropractic, sometimes cited as witchcraft or occult or perfectly safe depending on who you ask.
So, before getting into the meat. God clearly made human beings, in His own image. God never made us to die, but as a result of our rebellion against Him we have been sentenced to die. The only way to escape death is through the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection and whether or not we accept and believe that. If we do, our bodies will be resurrected like Christ's, knowing death nevermore.
Sadly, as a result of the Fall in Genesis, our bodies wear out and die. Despite this, i believe that God made our bodies capable of healing themselves to an extent. This is incontrovertible. When you cut yourself, it heals. If you break an arm, it heals. When you have an ailment, time will usually heal it. God made a remarkable creation when He made the human body. For more major things, even with medical care, we need to realize that it is God who ordains if a person is to be healed or not.
But, as we all too often learn, sometimes our body just isn't up to the task of fixing itself, and so we consult a doctor. In the west, there is often little to no spiritual conflict with going to the doctor, though recently there are alarming trends which we can get to later. On one hand, going to the doctor is OK for the average Christian, but the same person may avoid acupunture or something else due to it's origins.
But do any of us really know when or what the origins of modern medicine are? Or how about the medical advances that were made by big pharma companies like Bayer during the Holocaust? How about the medical knowledge obtained by Germany's Dr. Mengele or the atrocities of Japan's Unit 731? If we're rejecting medical help because it has origins we dont agree with, then Christians should avoid most western medicine on principle. Without a doubt, some of our current medical treatments were learned by some of the worst methods, while others were not.
So what are the origins of modern medicine?
My brief search into the topic turned up some interesting results.
Many would say that Hippocrates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocrates) would be considered the father of our modern medicine, and to be sure there is alot of truth to that. But some posit that the ancient Egyptians had a form of medicine. Still others claim that the Phoenicians invented it.
I've long known that Egyptians used honey as an antimicrobial agent. This article talks alot about the things Egyptians did for medicine. Many of their treatments are still used today in some form.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-05/uom-eng050907.php
The egyptians should also be well known for their heavily pagan society. If one were to base all of their opinions on medical treatment based solely on the culture of origin, then we'd have to probably cut alot of our present treatments due to their use by a pagan culture.
Despite these more ancient claims of treatments, Hippocrates is often credited with the formation of modern medicine.
http://lib-sh.lsuhsc.edu/fammed/grounds/history.html
This article explains his methods, mainly that he observed external symptoms and tried to diagnose internal problems. He also did the occasional controversial dissection. So, in light of this, he did certainly move things along in regards to observing, diagnosising and treating illness.
However, the Bible is clear that touching dead bodies is unclean, and i would presume cutting them up is frowned upon also.
Numbers 19:11
http://bible.cc/numbers/19-11.htm
Personally, i would rather not be cut open on death. Still, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, did things not in line with the Bible. Current Jewish belief, i've been told, stresses that the body is not to be touched. I'm not familiar with this thought in antiquity.
OK, so ceremonial uncleanness is hardly a deterrent, or good excuse for avoiding medicine, but there are a few occult links to western medicine. The following link explains the common "serpent/pole" symbol that many associate with medicine. The author ties the double serpent to the god mecury the god of commerce, and the rarer single serpent to the god of medicine.
http://drblayney.com/Asclepius.html
Another interesting blog, describes further some of the occult ideas in medicine. I don't agree with all of it, but the point that the god hermes (mercury) is also the god of liars and thieves is interesting in light of Revelation 18:23 which idicates that the nations were deceived by "sorceries" aka pharmakia, which can mean more than just drugs. David Guzik's commentary on blue letter Bible is an interesting take on that verse.
http://occultsymbols.blogspot.com/2009/07/caduceus-decoded-secret-symbols-reveal.html
Moving back to Hippocrates, he subscribed to the theory of "humors." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humorism) That is, the body could have an internal imbalance of the four classical elements of earth, wind, water and fire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_element). The elemental theory was widely held across various pagan cultures, but was not necessarily a pagan belief, though it occasionally works its way in.
The humors theory treated illnesses by trying to fix the perceived imbalance. If one had too much "fire" the sickness could be fixed by eating something of the opposite character. This thought was a key component of Hippocrates' work and was in practice until the 1800's. It is still sometimes used in herbal and Chinese medicine. Herbal medicine is another topic, but i think it could be safe to say that the use of herbs works chemically, but people perceived that it was the humors philosophy at work.
Looking back, we can see that medicine had some origins in the pagan past, namely Egypt and Phoenicia, and later the Greeks. While the treatments may not have been occult, they originated in pagan societies.
Later, Hippocrates used a philosophy of diagnosis that was clearly wrong, but not necessarily against God. His belief in the four elements working in a body were probably just a misunderstanding of how things worked. The four elements are neither condemned, nor condoned by the Bible, but they often find their way into pagan beliefs. Take that for what it's worth.
We also can see that there is a blatant occult symbolism in the use of the serpent/staff motif. That could be a study in its own right, but the fact that modern medicine uses this in a few places should indicate what their true goals are. Aside from that, many parties in the medical world and pharmaceutical companies are mainly interested in profit.
So, while there's no specific procedure with occult origins there are some questionable philosophies that helped form modern medicine into what it is today. Does that mean we should avoid it? Not necessarily, but we should exercise discernment, especially in the area of prescription drugs (painkillers, psych meds, etc.) These occult connections aren't all encompassing, but there are some interesting connections.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Knowing God's will
I have struggled with knowing God's will for my wife for a while. I hit a wall, some time ago, then crashed low. Then, God raised me back up, and during the time God was healing/improving me, I felt some purpose and was continually improving. I felt like I was in God's will because He was giving me skills, and slowly rebuilding my faith.
Since then, I left my old job, using the degree I had obtained in college. The degree that God paid for, and allowed me to get high marks in. God worked an amazing miracle with money amd grades. But now, as I am working using my degree, I feel kind of empty. Unfulfilled. I feel again that I've hit a wall, that I don't know what God wants to do with me and the skills He's given me.
I prayed today, that God take my skills, the drawing. The writing and other abilities, and use them for His kingdom. I tell you all this so I can share how God will answer prayer and direct my path. I also want to share that time is indeed short. I believe Christ will return soon, and I want to be operating iin God's will when He comes back. Please be inspired to do the same. Please pray for me, and share your prayer requests as comments and God will help us know and do His will.
In Christ
Since then, I left my old job, using the degree I had obtained in college. The degree that God paid for, and allowed me to get high marks in. God worked an amazing miracle with money amd grades. But now, as I am working using my degree, I feel kind of empty. Unfulfilled. I feel again that I've hit a wall, that I don't know what God wants to do with me and the skills He's given me.
I prayed today, that God take my skills, the drawing. The writing and other abilities, and use them for His kingdom. I tell you all this so I can share how God will answer prayer and direct my path. I also want to share that time is indeed short. I believe Christ will return soon, and I want to be operating iin God's will when He comes back. Please be inspired to do the same. Please pray for me, and share your prayer requests as comments and God will help us know and do His will.
In Christ
The Wonder Years: did Jesus spend His Youth in India?
There are many theories about Jesus. Some even say He didn't exist. But as Chris White says, if that were true, His detractors wouldn't have downplayed His miracles or Messiah-ship, or said that the disciples had stolen His body. Rather, they would have just said that He didnt exist. For many others they think He existed, but was merely just a great teacher. But if that were true, why don't those people actually read and follow His teachings?
Of those who see Jesus as a great teacher only, try to make a lot out of His years between age 12 and 30.
Here are a few theories i found.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_years_of_Jesus
I, for one, side with the Bible, that He is born of a virgin and is Son of the Most High God, ie God the Son. That God loved you and i so much, that He sent Jesus, His Son, to die ofr our sins so that we might be redeemed. Thats it. God loves you and wants to give us all a chance to repent.
But sadly, some people still stick to Him as merely a moral teacher and some make up wild myths about His youth. A number of these have Him traveling to India to learn from gurus, etc. Those theories were fringe for a while, but are becoming more mainstream.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-davids/jesus-lost-years-may-fina_b_179513.html
There are also older books on the subject, and even newer books and a DVD. Even the idea of it started me thinking and was one link in the chain that Satan used to drag me from the faith. While it is certainly not impossible that Jesus travelled to India, there is no proof of such in the Bible, and the extra-Biblical "truth" is from dubious sources.
Nicolas Notovitch was one researcher in the late 19th century who raise the theory. But his claims were controversial, even at that time.
"Edgar Goodspeed describes the debunking of Notovitch's claims as a hoax.
Notovitch's writings were immediately controversial. The German orientalist Max Mueller, professor of indian philosophy in Oxford who'd never been to India himself, published a letter he'd received from a British colonial officer J.Archibald Douglas, which stated that the presence of Notovich in Ladakh was "not documented".
The head of the Hemis community signed a document that denounced Notovitch as an outright liar.[10] The story of his visit to Hemis seems to be taken from H.P. Blavatsky's Isis Unveiled.[11]
In the original, the traveler with the broken leg was taken in at Mount Athos in Greece and found the text of Celsus' True Doctrine in the monastery library.
The idea that Jesus was in India was also inspired by a statement in Isis that he went to the foothills of the Himalayas.[12]"
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Notovitch
It seems that Notovitch merely took the ideas of Helena Blavatsky (precursor to alice bailey) and used them for his own ends. For those not familiar with Blavatsky, she was essentially a spirit medium who was in contact with demonic entities who posed as "evolved spirit beings" and gave her secret knowledge. I recommend looking into Chris White's, Frank Lordi's or Russ Dizdar's information on her and theosophy.
This is hardly a deep look, but Notovitch's plagiarizing of Blavatsky cements its own case as questionable evidence.
Another take on Jesus in India from wiki, is known as the Aquarian Gospel. Little needs to be said about it. The author basically gleaned content from the Akashic Records which i sort of covered in the Edgar Cayce article. Basically, the Akashic Records are only reachable through an altered state of conciousness. Information can be gathered there, usually from an entity, which of course is most likely Satan or his demons. How do i know? because the predictions resulting from the Akashic records are never 100% accurate. Revelation from the Most High God is 100% correct, 100% of the time.
To support the claims of inaccuracy, even wikipedia has pointed out obvious flaws in the aquarian gospel. If it were truly a divine document, it would have been accurate.
Holes in the aquarian gospel
"Eric Pement has pointed out difficulties in Dowling's text:
Dowling misidentified the ancient ruler known as Herod, identifying Herod Antipas as the ruler of Jerusalem, during a period when Herod the Great actually ruled.[2]
The book depicts Jesus as visiting the cities of Lahore, India (pre-Partition in India, now in Pakistan); Shri Jagannath in temple at Puri in Orissa, India; and Persepolis in Persia. Only the temple at Puri existed at that period, but, Lahore did not exist during the period in question, and Persepolis had already been destroyed by Alexander the Great.[2]
The book asserts Jesus Christ had remained in the Jagannātha Temple of Puri for 4 years for preaching the downtrodden and low caste people.
Dowling and Edgar Cayce both claimed to have produced an account of the life of Jesus through the transcription of the Akashic records, but there are significant differences between their accounts.[2]
Dowling claimed that Jesus knew Meng-tse of Lhasa, Tibet but Meng-tse lived 300 years before Jesus’ time.[2]"
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki_The_Aquarian_Gospel_of_Jesus_the_Christ
There are no doubt other stories and evidence. The other accounts come from channelled information ( i believe urantia is one) or from people saying they were Christ). The Christ Krishna link involves made up sanskrit words.
The mana purana reference is someone claiming that he was Jesus. Something Christ clearly warned us would happen.
On a tangent, The Ahmadiyya movement mentioned, believes Christ didnt die on the cross-a common Muslim belief- when the Bible is clear on the matter. Afterall, a roman soldier pierced His side, and proved He was dead. A roman soldier should be able to know when a man was dead.
Those were all from the wikipedia entry, but what caught my interest initially years ago was the Paul Davids movie "Jesus in India." The website for the movie tells the story of how Davids a supposed Christian, heard that Mary had been buried in Pakistan, he later found Notovitch's book which we've already discussed was based on faulty and channelled evidence.
Davids' site mentions that Christ lived on in India, and i have also seen such claims about Japan and the Americas (post resurrection). It can't all be true! My thought, false Christs and/or evil spirits posing as Him, as Jesus warned about.
Moving on. We've seen that the only people who can solidly put Jesus in India during His youth are channelers, or those referencing channelled material.
Why not see if the Bible really says anything about the missing years. I can't claim to answer for everything, but i think we can get some answers just by seeing the hints. Not to mention that a few missing years are hardly a huge issue. Many in the Bible have much of their whole life missing from the Scripture, some of them were hundreds of years old.
First,
http://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-India.html
Next, we have some good evidence in the actual Bible.
Chuck Missler indicates that this is a fair indicator of Jesus Christ's childhood, another matter the scriptures are supposedly silent on.
Psalm 69 8: - 17
I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
When I wept, [and chastened] my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I [was] the song of the drunkards.
But as for me, my prayer [is] unto thee, O LORD, [in] an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness [is] good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Psa&c=69&v=1&t=KJV#top
In short, Joseph and Mary's other children, His half brothers and sisters, likely scorned Him as did those in His town. They likely often considered Him illegitamate, though His Father was THE Father.
We also get the sense elsewhere that Jesus had spent much of His time in and around galilee/nazareth. When He preached there people knew who He was. We don't get the sense of someone who's been missing, but rather someone who's been living amongst them.
The people knew who His vocation, and named His brothers and sisters. They mentioned all of these things, they knew He hadn't been officially trained. If He had just returned from parts unknown, woulnd't the text say so? Wouldn't they say something like, "and He just returned with great wisdom from afar."? They don't mention any such thing.
Mark 6:3 - 5
And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing [him] were astonished, saying, From whence hath this [man] these things? and what wisdom [is] this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mar&c=6&v=3&t=KJV#top
John 7:15
And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Jhn&c=7&v=1&t=KJV#top
This intimate knowledge is pretty insightful that Jesus well known in the are. Had it been otherwise, had He spent 18 years abroad, how would they know this?
Additionally, here are ome other things that are possible indicators that Christ wouldn't have made such a journey. This is my speculation, but i think its based on some good interpretation of the available evidence.
His parents were poor. They offered a turtledoves when He was born rather than a lamb. Turtledoves were the alternative for those with financial limitations.
Luke 2:22-24
"And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord;
(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
Also, He was teaching people and asking deep questions at 12, why would He travel afar for more wisdom?
Luke 2:42, 46-48
"And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast."
"And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing."
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Luk&c=2&t=KJV#24
Joseph was more than likely dead, or at least not around/mentioned. The text isn't 100% clear, but we can guess this. In the event that Joseph was dead, Jesus, as the eldest Son likely would need to help support His mother and brethren until at least one was old enough to support themselves. We saw that He had at least 4 brothers mentioned, plus sisters. Who knows how long He would have had to help support the family.
The family would have been too poor to go normally, especially with that many kids. And Jesus would have had little opportunity to go, as He was tied down learning the Torah (presumably, though we see that His detractors remarked He wasn't formally trained) and being a carpenter. How would He have learned Torah and carpenter skills while on the road and while learning "wisdom" from gurus?
So where did He get His wisdom, if He was living life and too busy/poor to get gain wisdom through school and travel?
First, He is the Son of God. He is fully God, thus His intelligence and wisdom surpass human ability. Second, His wisdom came from the Holy Spirit upon baptism. How much did He know on Earth? We're not told, but being God in human flesh would presumably eliminate the need for formal education and learning from gurus.
This was merely a quick look at debunking Jesus' trip(s) to India. It should be plain to see that the evidence that exists is biased (its from demons) and is proven to be inaccurate. On the other hand, the Bible has enough hints for those willing to look. a little basic Bible study, and research into other sources turned up enough information to cast some light onto Jesus' missing years. Imagine what an extensive study might yield.
Of those who see Jesus as a great teacher only, try to make a lot out of His years between age 12 and 30.
Here are a few theories i found.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_years_of_Jesus
I, for one, side with the Bible, that He is born of a virgin and is Son of the Most High God, ie God the Son. That God loved you and i so much, that He sent Jesus, His Son, to die ofr our sins so that we might be redeemed. Thats it. God loves you and wants to give us all a chance to repent.
But sadly, some people still stick to Him as merely a moral teacher and some make up wild myths about His youth. A number of these have Him traveling to India to learn from gurus, etc. Those theories were fringe for a while, but are becoming more mainstream.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-davids/jesus-lost-years-may-fina_b_179513.html
There are also older books on the subject, and even newer books and a DVD. Even the idea of it started me thinking and was one link in the chain that Satan used to drag me from the faith. While it is certainly not impossible that Jesus travelled to India, there is no proof of such in the Bible, and the extra-Biblical "truth" is from dubious sources.
Nicolas Notovitch was one researcher in the late 19th century who raise the theory. But his claims were controversial, even at that time.
"Edgar Goodspeed describes the debunking of Notovitch's claims as a hoax.
Notovitch's writings were immediately controversial. The German orientalist Max Mueller, professor of indian philosophy in Oxford who'd never been to India himself, published a letter he'd received from a British colonial officer J.Archibald Douglas, which stated that the presence of Notovich in Ladakh was "not documented".
The head of the Hemis community signed a document that denounced Notovitch as an outright liar.[10] The story of his visit to Hemis seems to be taken from H.P. Blavatsky's Isis Unveiled.[11]
In the original, the traveler with the broken leg was taken in at Mount Athos in Greece and found the text of Celsus' True Doctrine in the monastery library.
The idea that Jesus was in India was also inspired by a statement in Isis that he went to the foothills of the Himalayas.[12]"
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Notovitch
It seems that Notovitch merely took the ideas of Helena Blavatsky (precursor to alice bailey) and used them for his own ends. For those not familiar with Blavatsky, she was essentially a spirit medium who was in contact with demonic entities who posed as "evolved spirit beings" and gave her secret knowledge. I recommend looking into Chris White's, Frank Lordi's or Russ Dizdar's information on her and theosophy.
This is hardly a deep look, but Notovitch's plagiarizing of Blavatsky cements its own case as questionable evidence.
Another take on Jesus in India from wiki, is known as the Aquarian Gospel. Little needs to be said about it. The author basically gleaned content from the Akashic Records which i sort of covered in the Edgar Cayce article. Basically, the Akashic Records are only reachable through an altered state of conciousness. Information can be gathered there, usually from an entity, which of course is most likely Satan or his demons. How do i know? because the predictions resulting from the Akashic records are never 100% accurate. Revelation from the Most High God is 100% correct, 100% of the time.
To support the claims of inaccuracy, even wikipedia has pointed out obvious flaws in the aquarian gospel. If it were truly a divine document, it would have been accurate.
Holes in the aquarian gospel
"Eric Pement has pointed out difficulties in Dowling's text:
Dowling misidentified the ancient ruler known as Herod, identifying Herod Antipas as the ruler of Jerusalem, during a period when Herod the Great actually ruled.[2]
The book depicts Jesus as visiting the cities of Lahore, India (pre-Partition in India, now in Pakistan); Shri Jagannath in temple at Puri in Orissa, India; and Persepolis in Persia. Only the temple at Puri existed at that period, but, Lahore did not exist during the period in question, and Persepolis had already been destroyed by Alexander the Great.[2]
The book asserts Jesus Christ had remained in the Jagannātha Temple of Puri for 4 years for preaching the downtrodden and low caste people.
Dowling and Edgar Cayce both claimed to have produced an account of the life of Jesus through the transcription of the Akashic records, but there are significant differences between their accounts.[2]
Dowling claimed that Jesus knew Meng-tse of Lhasa, Tibet but Meng-tse lived 300 years before Jesus’ time.[2]"
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki_The_Aquarian_Gospel_of_Jesus_the_Christ
There are no doubt other stories and evidence. The other accounts come from channelled information ( i believe urantia is one) or from people saying they were Christ). The Christ Krishna link involves made up sanskrit words.
The mana purana reference is someone claiming that he was Jesus. Something Christ clearly warned us would happen.
On a tangent, The Ahmadiyya movement mentioned, believes Christ didnt die on the cross-a common Muslim belief- when the Bible is clear on the matter. Afterall, a roman soldier pierced His side, and proved He was dead. A roman soldier should be able to know when a man was dead.
Those were all from the wikipedia entry, but what caught my interest initially years ago was the Paul Davids movie "Jesus in India." The website for the movie tells the story of how Davids a supposed Christian, heard that Mary had been buried in Pakistan, he later found Notovitch's book which we've already discussed was based on faulty and channelled evidence.
Davids' site mentions that Christ lived on in India, and i have also seen such claims about Japan and the Americas (post resurrection). It can't all be true! My thought, false Christs and/or evil spirits posing as Him, as Jesus warned about.
Moving on. We've seen that the only people who can solidly put Jesus in India during His youth are channelers, or those referencing channelled material.
Why not see if the Bible really says anything about the missing years. I can't claim to answer for everything, but i think we can get some answers just by seeing the hints. Not to mention that a few missing years are hardly a huge issue. Many in the Bible have much of their whole life missing from the Scripture, some of them were hundreds of years old.
First,
http://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-India.html
Next, we have some good evidence in the actual Bible.
Chuck Missler indicates that this is a fair indicator of Jesus Christ's childhood, another matter the scriptures are supposedly silent on.
Psalm 69 8: - 17
I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
When I wept, [and chastened] my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I [was] the song of the drunkards.
But as for me, my prayer [is] unto thee, O LORD, [in] an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness [is] good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Psa&c=69&v=1&t=KJV#top
In short, Joseph and Mary's other children, His half brothers and sisters, likely scorned Him as did those in His town. They likely often considered Him illegitamate, though His Father was THE Father.
We also get the sense elsewhere that Jesus had spent much of His time in and around galilee/nazareth. When He preached there people knew who He was. We don't get the sense of someone who's been missing, but rather someone who's been living amongst them.
The people knew who His vocation, and named His brothers and sisters. They mentioned all of these things, they knew He hadn't been officially trained. If He had just returned from parts unknown, woulnd't the text say so? Wouldn't they say something like, "and He just returned with great wisdom from afar."? They don't mention any such thing.
Mark 6:3 - 5
And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing [him] were astonished, saying, From whence hath this [man] these things? and what wisdom [is] this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mar&c=6&v=3&t=KJV#top
John 7:15
And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Jhn&c=7&v=1&t=KJV#top
This intimate knowledge is pretty insightful that Jesus well known in the are. Had it been otherwise, had He spent 18 years abroad, how would they know this?
Additionally, here are ome other things that are possible indicators that Christ wouldn't have made such a journey. This is my speculation, but i think its based on some good interpretation of the available evidence.
His parents were poor. They offered a turtledoves when He was born rather than a lamb. Turtledoves were the alternative for those with financial limitations.
Luke 2:22-24
"And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord;
(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
Also, He was teaching people and asking deep questions at 12, why would He travel afar for more wisdom?
Luke 2:42, 46-48
"And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast."
"And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing."
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Luk&c=2&t=KJV#24
Joseph was more than likely dead, or at least not around/mentioned. The text isn't 100% clear, but we can guess this. In the event that Joseph was dead, Jesus, as the eldest Son likely would need to help support His mother and brethren until at least one was old enough to support themselves. We saw that He had at least 4 brothers mentioned, plus sisters. Who knows how long He would have had to help support the family.
The family would have been too poor to go normally, especially with that many kids. And Jesus would have had little opportunity to go, as He was tied down learning the Torah (presumably, though we see that His detractors remarked He wasn't formally trained) and being a carpenter. How would He have learned Torah and carpenter skills while on the road and while learning "wisdom" from gurus?
So where did He get His wisdom, if He was living life and too busy/poor to get gain wisdom through school and travel?
First, He is the Son of God. He is fully God, thus His intelligence and wisdom surpass human ability. Second, His wisdom came from the Holy Spirit upon baptism. How much did He know on Earth? We're not told, but being God in human flesh would presumably eliminate the need for formal education and learning from gurus.
This was merely a quick look at debunking Jesus' trip(s) to India. It should be plain to see that the evidence that exists is biased (its from demons) and is proven to be inaccurate. On the other hand, the Bible has enough hints for those willing to look. a little basic Bible study, and research into other sources turned up enough information to cast some light onto Jesus' missing years. Imagine what an extensive study might yield.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)