Who is Your Hero?

     What is the true and ultimate ambition of Satan?  It is summed up in his heart’s desire of "I will, I will, I will, I will, I will be like the Most High (God)."

How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:12-14).

     He wants to be a god, so much so, that he will do anything, including murder, to achieve his goal.  Knowing that mankind could also be tempted with the same desire, he confronted Eve.  Sure enough, she believed his deceptive lie that if her eyes were opened, she could be as a god.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat (Genesis 3:1-6).

     Eve sinned as she allowed herself to be deceived by the devil into disobeying God.  Adam subsequently transgressed and therefore brought judgment upon all of mankind.  Adam willingly and intentionally sinned against God by choosing the will of his wife over God’s command - "You shall not eat of it."

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return (Genesis 3:17-19).

     From the "Fall" forward, Satan has been very busy deceiving mankind in his quest to be worshiped.  Through the practices of witchcraft, idolatry, sorcery, etc., people are deluded into believing that they can have powers such as: foreknowledge, strength, healing, eternal life, and, of course, the power to become gods themselves.  To those who follow him, he is their father.  Yet does he actually care about any of those who worship him.  Absolutely not.  God said that Satan is a murderer and there is no truth in him.  His lies always kill and murder all of his faithful "children" - wherein Hell is their ultimate reward for worshiping him. 

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:44).

When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations.  There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.  For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.  For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you (Deuteronomy 18:9-14).

     You might believe that these are very strong and harsh words that are irrelevant in this day and time.  Don't be deceived, like Eve.  God's Word is eternal, and He never changes.  His Word lasts forever. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35).

But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you (1 Peter 1:25).

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8).

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished (Matthew 5:18).

     The Word of God can no more change than He Himself could change.  Nor can it become irrelevant to appease mankind's desire for sin.  Why would God give such a harsh warning regarding the practices described above?  Ultimately to keep us safe from believing the murderous lies of Satan whose underlying desire is to kill and destroy all that God loves. 

     As described above in Deuteronomy (18:9-14), the very same deceptive practices that Satan tempted man with thousands of years ago are the same ones still in use today.  Many have been repackaged and renamed, but they are still the same. 

     The reference to "maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire" referred to the worship of the Canaanite god Molech to whom children were sacrificed.  Babies were laid in the red hot hands of this pagan idol and burned to death as drums beat loudly in an attempt to drown out their screams of agony.  These days, the screams are not heard because they are murdered before leaving the womb or birth canal.

Witchcraft or Wicca: Regardless of whether it is claimed black or white, it is still the use of occultic powers.  It is an attempt to use the power of the gods to achieve various things.  White witches worship elements and nature deities like Gaia the "Mother Goddess" as well as, Ashtarte, Isis, Osiris and many others by various names.  Our whole saving “Mother Earth" environmental agenda stems from these practices.  Satan is using this to breed fear in his quest to usher in the coming system of the Beast's New World Order (Great Reset). 

     When first dabbling with witchcraft, people are deceived into believing they are using their powers for good; for healing energies to heal the sick; and to achieve prosperity.  Yet, at the heart of it all is Satan who always deceives these individuals into believing they can be gods themselves. As these individuals become further entrenched into witchcraft, they become increasingly influenced by the demons behind it all.  This can be and is dangerous to them personally via a whole host of emotional and personality disorders to full on demon possession.  Make no mistake, these demons will destroy their very lives and possibly those around them.  Yet it was the lust for powers in the first place that eventually deceived and placed these people on a fateful journey towards a literal Hell.

Soothsayers are those engaged in such practices as astrology - prediction of the future by seeking guidance from the stars or planets, or other physical phenomena such as weather, clouds and even noises.  Hundreds of thousands of proclaimed astrologers deceive tens of millions in the US alone into believing in these planetary and physical signs, attributing them to psychic abilities, knowledge, and intuition regarding the future.  However, it is nothing more than demonic practices leading people into trusting in what has been created instead of trusting in God the creator.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen (Romans 1:18-25).

One who interprets omens:  Fortune-tellers and psychics use physical items such as tarot cards, crystal balls, palm readers or Ouija boards, for the purposes of telling the future or contacting dead people by way of seances.  Of course, there are frauds who do this for money alone.  However, the rest are, unfortunately, people whose practices result in actual contact with spiritual forces.  Make no mistake, these conjured up spirits are not the familiar spirits of friends and family.  These are none other than demons who are hell bent on deceiving practitioners into believing their lies.  These demons may seem very friendly and offer up, initially, good advice.  However, as a person sinks further and further into these dark practices, these demonic beings will lead their victims to utter destruction here on earth, and Hell afterward. 

     This is a huge business all over the US and you can find a local psychic or palm reader in most any town.  These practices have even infiltrated our churches as many promote the use of "Christian Tarot Decks" or "The Holy Spirit Board by Holy Spirit Games" sold on Amazon.  Seriously, Christian Ouija boards, and to beat it all, users of these items believe they are establishing a deeper relationship with God when they speak with a spirit!  It stems from their lack of understanding, or just plain unbelief, of God's Word.  Leviticus 19:26 states - … you shall not practice divination or soothsaying.  Leviticus 19:31 states - Give no regard to mediums or familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.  A person who partakes will become defiled - impure, corrupted, debase.  Full on demon possession is, in many instances, the end and subsequently longed for result. 

A sorcerer: This is in reference to the Greek word pharmakeia or the modern terms of pharmacy or drugs.  These are those who, by the use of drugs, cast spells or enter into altered states of consciousness for the purposes of gaining knowledge.  Drugs, sorcery and the occult have always gone hand in hand.  God gave mankind an inner conscience which pricks us when we are doing something that is not in alignment with His Will.  Drugs and alcohol are personality and mood-altering substances that immediately upon use, dull the conscience.  We are then most susceptible to any demonic influence attempting to gain control of our very lives.  "Recreational" drugs and "casual" drinking are myths; delusions made up in order to delude ourselves from believing in their actual destructive results.

     We are living in a time where even churches are holding none other than bar nights for kids - no alcohol.  They claim that it allows kids to have the experience of going out to bars and having fun, with nearly all of the revelry, yet without the use of alcohol.  How about teaching young people to abstain from alcohol and raucous behavior altogether and to enjoy each other's company without mimicking the world at all!  Aren't we supposed to teach our children to not be like the world?

     Do not be deceived or so captivated by anything in this world that it distracts you from the truths of God.  His Word instructs us to separate ourselves from the lustful pleasures of this world and to not be conformed to it.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ (Colossians 2:8).

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15).

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4).

A medium: Those who act as a channel to convey knowledge from the spiritual or psychic world into our physical world.  These practices are very prevalent and very deceptive as even those in high world government offices are known to consult with demons, whether they realize it or not, for advice via a medium. 

     Another aspect of this channeling has to do with alien contact.  Apparently, these so-called advanced alien races require a medium to possess, in order to speak with those here on Earth.  Yet, those studying these contacts admit that everything about it resembles occultic contact with demons - which is the more accurate scenario.

One who calls up the dead: This is the practice of necromancy - contacting or conjuring up the dead.  This practice is on the rise as thousands each year attempt to get in touch with friends and loved ones.  Yet, those that do claim to have been successful are merely experiencing communication with demonic entities whose desire is to deceive these individuals into delving much deeper into the occult.  Why? The devil and his demons hate us.  Yet, the Bible says that Satan can appear to us as an angel of light.  Of course, he and his minions will use any and all deceptions in order to gain a foot hold on our lives.  However, the end result of believing their deceptions is our deaths - to their great delight.

     Be confidently assured that no one can speak with the dead, so do not be deceived into attempting it.  Those "in Christ" are immediately, upon death, ushered into the presence of the Lord.  The unsaved are immediately ushered to a place where they await judgment and the hellish lake of fire in the end.  There is no coming back.  If your deceased friend or loved one was a born-again Christian, then don't desire their return to the here and now.  They would not even want that.  Instead, rightly prepare yourself by accepting Jesus as your Savior, and then joyfully live knowing that you will meet them again in the not-too-distant future.  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).

*****

     The ancient Canaanites partook in most if not all of these pagan occultic practices and were judged by God for doing so.  They also worshipped sex and their goddess of sex Ashtaroth.  They worshipped Baal who they believed could provide them with success, money and power.  Satan is the influence behind all of these false gods – Babylonian or Greek and all other false deities.  When these are worshiped, it is he who receives it.

     The more mankind allows themselves to be deceived by Satan, the more he enjoys what he believes to a god-like standing in our world.  By deceiving men into believing they can be gods themselves, the more they depart from God's Word and truth.  His main objective is to rule the world and God will allow him to achieve this for a very short span of time during the Seven Year Tribulation.  As we are leading up to that event, there seems to be a terrifying effort by him to indoctrinate as many young people as possible into ancient Greek and Babylonian mythology as well as all other occultic practices.  God hates man's attempts to converse with and worship idols and false gods.  Yet, surely people don’t do that in modern times, or do they?  Think again. 

     The Marvel movies have taken a decidedly dark turn into the pagan worship of Greek and Babylonian gods.  Dr. Strange, The Eternals, Thor Love and Thunder are overtly teaching our children that Christianity is ridiculous and that these pagan gods are the source of our existence.  We watch as these false gods are deified and worshipped.  How?  These gods are now heroes that our children look up to and long to be like.  We even buy them action figures to solidify that notion.

     The DC movies have always done the same and the latest Shazam movie is nothing more than further indoctrination into many of the practices of Greek god worship.  As with Marvel, the targeted audience are kids, and their young minds are filled with the longing to be a god like the false deities they are watching - their heroes like Zeus, Athena, Achilles, Mercury, Hercules and Wonder Woman who proclaimed herself to be a god in Shazam. These films also openly mock Christianity.

     Disney seems to make an intentional effort to search out pagan cultures and then create kid’s movies that glorify their practices.  Moana and Encanto are just two of many.  Hocus Pocus 2, while not animated, is a sequel to the 1983 Halloween movie.  This new version goes all out to normalize the occult as well as other pagan beliefs. What many believe to be a cute kids movie, in reality, promotes all of what God in Deuteronomy very strongly warns against.  This is not a game and God is not amused by anyone who attempts to deceive our children into believing the lies of Satan and to practice the occult.

     So, do we openly allow the worship of false gods in our lives and in our homes?  Do we allow our children to be indoctrinated into pagan worship, idolatry, witchcraft, sorcery, etc.?  This is just not acceptable, especially in this day and time as we can see the day approaching.  The devil knows the times as well and has ramped up his efforts to deceive adults into creating the mediums to destroy our children’s futures.  Don't let your children be indoctrinated in anything other than the truth of God’s Word.

     This is an actual life and death issue.  Satan uses the desires of people to become more than what they are in order to deceive them from desiring to learn God's truth about who they should be.  Can we really know God's truth?  Absolutely.  The Bible is, as stated earlier, God's actual Living and Eternal Word.  Instead of allowing our children to be indoctrinated into false god worship, teach them the Word of our real and living God so that they may rightly discern right from wrong and good from evil.  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).  Teach them that upon death they can be ushered into the presence of God.  Teach them that they can one day be given a new, incredible, eternal body, and that they can return to rule and reign upon this Earth with Christ Jesus.  Yet, they can only do so by turning to Jesus in repentance for breaking God’s Laws and then accepting Him as Savior, believing and having faith that He died for the redemption of their sins, and that he arose from the grave to everlasting life.  This is truth and this is life for all who believe. 

     Although Satan will momentarily be worshiped as god via his possession of the man called the Anti-Christ, God will destroy him.  He will be plunged into the Lake of Fire.  Unfortunately, this place, that was originally meant only for the devil and his fallen angels, will one day be the final place that all unbelievers will eternally reside in utter anguish.  These are those who refused to acknowledge their guilt of breaking God's Laws and who refused to accept Jesus Christ's sacrifice for their sins.  

     As we see the stage being set for the final fulfillment of end times events, we also see the ever-increasing effort by Satan to deceive all into believing in him.  Therefore, it is time to lay aside all that we desire that is in contradiction of what God desires for us and for our children.  Accept Jesus now and let Him become your true hero - The All-Powerful Lord of Heaven's Armies, Our Creator, Our Loving Suffering Savior, Conquering King, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, and Eternal Everlasting God.

© 2023 G. R. Workman  

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