By Richard Merrell, PO Box 107 Wentworth Falls NSW Australia

THE PRACTICE OF THE OCCULT IS FORBIDDEN IN SCRIPTURE

'There shall not be found in thee one who purges his son or his daughter with fire, one who uses divination, a witch who deals with omens, and augury, a sorcerer employing incantation, one who has in him a divining spirit, and observer of signs, questioning the dead. For every one that does these things is an abomination to the Lord thy God' Deuteronomy 18:10 - 12. SEPTUAGINT

'There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD' Deuteronomy 18:10 - 12. KJV

Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the abundance of thy sorcery, which thou hast learned from thy youth; if thou canst be profited. Thou art wearied in thy counsels. Let now the astrologers of the heaven stand and deliver thee, let them that see the stars tell thee what is about to come upon thee. Behold, they all shall be burnt up as sticks in the fire; neither shall they at all deliver their life from the flame. Isaiah 47:12 - 14. SEPTUAGINT

The occult in this case refers to divinination, calling up the dead, the practice of withcraft, astrology, clairvoyance, seances, dealing with those who have a familiar spirit, etc.

This is not to be confused with the work of the Holy Spirit and the gifts given to christians for the edification of the church. The first is by the work of unclean spirits, the second by the Spirit of God, the HOLY spirit.

Christians have an ORACLE, wherein we enter by the precious blood of Yeshua, even into heaven itself, we enter by a living way through the body of Yeshua that we might obtain help, and that we might worship therein, by the spirit which God has given to us. This is the 'promise of the father' the baptism of holy spirit which alone is given by Yeshua.

Therefore Christians are not to get involved in any area of the occult as described above, but seek unto God in prayer, at the holy oracle, the word of God was given by the hands of angels. For christians to enquire of those who are mediums and astrologers is a wickedness. refer to the texts below. God is the God of the living, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob

UFO's

UFO's are also in the spotlight, they are incursions from the heavenlies into the world of material I believe. We have the precedent set in Genesis where it is recorded that angels came down from heaven and mated with the 'daughters of men' and gaints were the offspring. These angels God has 'cast down to hell,' the Greek word translated thus is tartarus, and these angels are reserved in chains in darkness 'til the judgement, they ' kept not their 'first estate' or form, they left heaven, came to earth and did that which was wicked, see Jude 6; 2 Peter 2;4. There are NO other life forms from other planets, but there are angelic majesties in the heavens, for Paul's epistle to the Ephesians makes that plain enough, " For we do NOT wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." The way to stand against these powers is to be clothed with the whole ARMOUR OF GOD... see vss 13-18. Those who believe that there are other 'worlds' like to quote Hebrews 1:2, " has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds." the word 'worlds' is a bad translation, it is the Greek 'aeons' therefore should have been translated 'AGES,'at Matthew 28:20; Yeshua declares "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the 'world' ie age, (Greek eon).

I DO NOT DENY PEOPLE HAVE SEEN THINGS

Just as it would be foolish for me to deny possession by unclean spirits, when I declare that those who believe on Jesus as Lord and Saviour will receive holy spirit, so too I would be foolish to deny UFO's, however I reiterate that I believe that UFO's so called, are really incursions from the spiritual realm, preparing mankind for the acceptance of the one called 'Anti-christ.' The spirit of ant-christ is already at work denying Yeshua as having come in the flesh, and denying that Yeshua is Lord. This spirit of anti-christ is at work in the sons and daughters of disobedience who rather believe a lie then that Yeshua is the way, the truth and the life ! Satan is able to transform himself into an angel of light and so too his own can transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, but deny the truth at the same time. How many so called ministers of Jesus deny the resurrection of Yeshua, how many deny the miracles of Yeshua, yet they accept doctrines of devils. The New Age with it's abundant esoteric practices, meditation and spiritual healings deceive many into following that which is forbidden by God. People want to know the future and run to mediums and astrologers, but when the wrath of God comes the astrologers won't be able to save themself let alone anyone else. The world is seeking a saviour and the one coming won't be the real one but false.

Why I even had a medium tell me recently that Yeshua was 'beamed up' to a UFO and that is how he will come again, you see the great deception is already at work. He got this from the 'ascended masters' who of course are nothing more than evil spirits. I told him that I had the 'mind of the Christ and that the holy spirit was with me' he quickly backed off and the phone call ended, you see the truth I proclaimed to him or rather to the spirit in him pulled down his deception, I wouldn't have any of it, amen.

It is this writer's opinion that the Anti-christ so called might come in this manner from heaven, a deception upon those who do not believe. Yeshua speaking in Matthew 24 and Mark 13; warned of false Christ's and told the exact manner of His second appearing, he would 'come on the clouds' even as he was to ascend into the clouds, Acts 1. When Yeshua returns he will set his foot on the Mt. of Olives, see Zechariah 14:3,4. He will NOT be coming in a space ship, but in glory with his mighty holy angels.

So don't get involved in the occult as described, christians are spiritual people not spiritists. We have the Christ Yeshua as Lord the holy spirit given to us that we might live unto God, our old life is dead with Yeshua at Mt. Calvary, sin should no longer have dominion over us for we are crucified with the Christ. That means we are alive in the spirit of God and we walk in that selfsame spirit and sin can't touch us for sin can't touch a dead man; if and only IF WE SIN we have an advocate with the Father, even Yeshua the Christ the righteous. The spirit holy that we have received does not sin, so we are not to continue in sin for we have as stated 'died with the Christ.'

We live and move and have our being in Yeshua and him alone, we seek none other, but are faithful unto him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light, in the kingdom of God the Father. We stand firm against anything that opposes the glorious gospel ie: that the Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture, that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the Scripture. 1 Corinthians 15.

BEWARE, THE OCCULT

"And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that are mediums and unto wizards that peep and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God ? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living." Isaiah 8:19

It is clear that God sees the mediums and wizards and astrologers and such as being dead. However God forbids that man call up the dead, a thing which can be done. God does not forbid that which cannot be done. The author was a medium for a number of years, and after I came to Jesus I was delivered of two demons, one by which I astral travelled at night during sleep, and the other a cruel an arrogant spirit which was my familiar spirit or as they are called today 'spirit guide'.   As to astrologers, they will not be able to save themselves on the Day of the Lord, let alone save anyone else from the wrath to come. See Isaiah 47:12-14.

IT is to be noted that the term 'spirit guide' is a falsehood for the only place these so called spirit guides will lead, is straight to hell !

This term as well as 'ascended masters' or whatever, are just deceptions to cover the reality that evil spirits are at work. The New Age movement is so full of all the esoteric religions and spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies. The christian is in warfare with these spirit realms and it is the armour of God that we must be clothed with, to withstand the 'wiles of the devil' as Paul said. Read Ephesians 6.

Other passages from the Scripture which you can read are these:

God's commands; Lev. 19:31; 20:27; Deut. 18:10-14;

A seance from the Scripture : Saul goes to the witch/ medium, 1 Samuel 28:5-19

Saul is punished for this sin, 1 Samuel 31:3-6

         The reason made plain for what happened to Saul, 1 Chronicles 10:13,14

When the word of God was preached at Ephesus those who used magic brought their books and burned them, praise God ! Acts 19:17,18

The occult is a danger ground from which many have ended by suicide, I just praise God that he had me predestined for salvation, having chosen me before the foundation of the world that I should believe and be then conformed unto the image of his  well beloved Son, our Messiah Yeshua - the Messiah Joshua or the Christos Iesous - the Christ Yeshua.

MY TESTIMONY.

Before I knew the Christ I was dead

On my sins I daily fed,

A real great person in my sight

Was myself, mine own delight.

Abominations I did do

In the sight of God 'tis true,

A medium I did become

I really thought that it was fun

To call up spirits in the dark

While forming a circle,

a real great lark.

But Satan caught me by my soul

And took me down into that hole.

That hole that is a place of fear

Of terror, horror and nightmare;

A place where I was held in chains

Chains on my spirit and great pains.

In the dark I was afraid

Of things that walked, unseen,

Things that touched me whilst I slept

And during day behind me crept.

My mind was filled with awful sights

Fear which kept me awake at nights.

Of filth, death and graveyard too

I just did not know what to do ?

But then one day I came to know

About how God loved me so

And how that if I came to Him -

He would forgive me of my sin.

I learnt how Yeshua died for me On the tree of Calvary;

And how that Yeshua  lives today

To wash the sin of men away.

The Scripture also showed me

That from Satan I was free,

I left the hole he had me in

For in the Christ I had no sin.

My life God changed -

I took the Messiah's hand -

He leads me now and it's sure grand

To know that I shall never die

For on Lord Yeshua I rely.

Thankyou God for saving me

I know that it is true

And I will tell other men

About how Yeshua loves them too.

2 Corinthians 3:18

Richard Merrell 1987