And the evil spirit answered and said,
“Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
Acts 19:15
Paul had a powerful walk with God. God used him so mightily that extraordinary miracles occurred through his life. Cloths that touched Paul were taken to the sick, and the sick were healed (Acts 19:10–12). Evil spirits were cast out. Paul's preaching and teaching were instrumental in building a strong church in Ephesus. Paul's ministry was so impressive, in fact, that others tried to duplicate it. Seven sons of the chief priest, Sceva, attempted to cast out demons the way Paul did. They confronted an evil spirit and attempted to exorcise it “by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” These men were trying to use a spiritual power that Paul had acquired after years of walking closely with his Lord. They could imitate Paul's words, but they could not duplicate the power that was his through his personal relationship with God. The evil spirit retorted, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” The demon then viciously attacked them and humiliated them. The evil spirits were fearfully aware of Jesus (James 2:19); they were familiar with Paul's influence over the powers of darkness. But the demons had no knowledge of the seven sons of Sceva.
You can duplicate the words and deeds of a spiritually mature Christian, but you cannot inherit his or her walk with God. Christian maturity takes effort; it comes over time. If you ignore the place of prayer and if you neglect your relationship with Christ, you will not grow in your faith. Imitating the faith of others will not give you victory. Only as you nurture your own relationship with Jesus will your life be filled with spiritual maturity and power.
- Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
In our day and age Hollywood has created some things that, should you be able to bring someone from even 20 years ago to the present day, they would consider what they see as real as the ground they stand on. Horrors, science fiction, aliens, even watered down fiction about Satan and demons. Looking at YouTube you can find people who've immersed themselves so much into this escapism that they can't function without it. They truly believe what they are involved in. It blows my mind to see just how far people go to mimic this false reality.
Satan has been the primary force behind these deceptions from Hollywood. Christian themed movies are mostly made elsewhere. As Scripture says what does light have to do with darkness?
People will believe in concepts like a show called Lucifer and will laugh off things like movies portraying God as someone who isn't at all like the God of the Bible. They won't take God seriously but they will take prideful, selfish indulgence seriously. They want what they want, when they want it. You must accept them as they are, and they don't have to accept Christians as they are.
Scripture says that in the last days lawlessness will increase. People don't and won't listen to the truth. If you read in Revelation 9, even after horrific judgments upon the Earth in the early years of the Tribulation, it says plainly that mankind refuses to repent of their ways. Read it:
The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders, nor of their witchcraft, nor of their sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.
This was after billions had already just died from obvious judgments with a Spiritual nature. The things that had attacked mankind surely were not of the Earth.
People are caught up also in a medical world that is controlled by Satan as well. It's extremely ironic that their first rule is "Do no harm". Yet in how people are 'treated' they hardly follow this. Long gone are the days of being treated with the intent of Doctors to actually heal people. They need repeat customers or there's no money in it. They do not at all consider demonic activity as the reason for behavior or physical problems. Yet it's extremely clear that in the Gospels this was everywhere even back then.
The Spiritual world exists. If you acknowledge evil then you must acknowledge good. If you acknowledge any aspect of Spiritual activity then you must include the reality that God exists.
Even in the days of King Saul, medium's and spiritists were banned. Yet he sought one out to talk to Samuel. These kinds of people, the medium's and fortune telling people are demonically controlled. Demons are real. You see them in the news and do not recognize it in what you see.
Even now, someone reading this is going to deny what is being said.
Demons trap people. Demons are fallen Angels from the Kingdom of God. They left with Satan when he tried to usurp the Throne of God before this world was born.
I know, personally, of people who are trapped by demons. As Jesus told the Disciples, when they weren't able to cast out a certain type of demon, only through prayer can those kind be dealt with. You think those demons gave up? Unless Jesus made them go somewhere away from people they came back to go after someone else.
The reality of what is coming upon this world isn't global warming or pandemics. It isn't fossil fuels or carbon emissions. It is the last of the calls to repentance before Christ returns. Yet as we read people won't. I still believe that the Spiritual warfare against Christians will reach a fervor like it was at its beginning in the book of Acts. Persecution will grow. Satan wants to destroy the Church. The world will feel cheated when the Rapture happens and the true Church is taken. The evil in this world will explode after the Rapture. You think these bombings, these wars, are bad? They are a schoolyard brawl compared to what's coming.
Your only hope in these ever intense times is a right relationship with Jesus Christ. Only by coming to Christ for Salvation can you be protected by the arms that bore your sin on Calvary. You can be scared all by yourself or you can seek out the one who always has the power to save. So-called mental health experts are calling this so-called pandemic a mental health crisis. This is still Spiritual warfare. In the tombs Jesus found one who was thought to have mental problems. The man was possessed by demons. People get treated every day for illnesses that aren't physical in nature.
Getting your life right with God is always where you should begin. But even some Christians will believe their Doctors before they believe God's Word.
Look at the world around you. Really question what you have allowed yourself to believe. If your beliefs aren't based in the Word of God then you likely have been deceived.
Continue in prayer those of you who are believers. The day is fast approaching for our departure.
For those of you still refusing to come to Christ, oh the horrors you will be experiencing both now and after the Rapture.
I implore everyone to get on your knees and get your life right before God. Now.
Not later, not when you think you will have time. Now. The demons believe in God and shudder. They more than some of you. They know what the Bible says and know that their future is certain. That God's will WILL be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
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