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Spiritualism:Of God, Angels, Demons And So Much More... By Ken Raggio "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world," 1 John 4:1. "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:31.
You and I live in a world full of spirits. God is present. Angels are present. Satan is present. Demons are present. And human spirits are present.
Oh, yes. Spirits are real. Have no doubt. Spirits influence virtually every aspect of our lives for good or for bad. During the course of this very day, unseen spirits, good and bad, have accompanied and watched over you and me, and in many cases, have effected our lives in profound, influential ways. God showed His angels to Jacob in a dream. He "dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it," Genesis 28:12. King David said, "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them," Psalms 34:7. Yes, if you are a God-fearing man or woman, His holy angels are assigned to watch over you as "ministering spirits," (Hebrews 1:14). But at the same time, Satan is called "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience," (Ephesians 2:2). The spirits that are NOT of God are variously called, "evil spirits," (Luke 7:21), "familiar spirits" (Isaiah 8:19), "seducing spirits," (1 Timothy 4:1), "unclean spirits," (Matthew 10:1), "lying spirits," (2 Chronicles 18:21), "spirits of devils," (Matthew 8:16, Revelation 16:14), "wicked spirits," (Matthew 12:45), and more. Whether you are aware of it or not, you HAVE been influenced this very day by invisible spirits. Perhaps you have been influenced by good spirits from God, but you may also have been influenced by evil spirits from Hell. Do you know what spirits have influenced you today? The problem is that most people do NOT know how to discern good spirits from evil spirits. Do you realize that you are being influenced by spirits right now? The big question is: "What spirits are influencing you?" Are you able to discern spirits? Will you give me just a few moments of your precious time to teach you some very basic, but very critical and essential lessons about spirits? Above all else, you must learn that the FIRST, ORIGINAL SPIRIT is God (YHWH, Jehovah). Think about it. In the black nothingness of eternity, nothing but the singular Spirit of God existed. God was the first and only spirit. Eventually, all other spirits (i.e., the spirits of angels and men) were spawned by Him. He is called "The Father of spirits," in Hebrews 12:9. Long ago, sin and rebellion among His created spirits introduced tragic chaos into the spiritual universe. Until this present time, enormous conflict rages between the HOLY spirits that are of God and the UNHOLY spirits that are in rebellion and opposition against God. The essence of the conflicts between clean and unclean spirits is called Spiritual Warfare. An incomprehensible amount of hostility, subversion and deception takes place every minute of every day in that unseen world of spirits. You ARE affected by these spirits every single day, whether or not you believe they exist. Evil spirits constantly strive to overthrow everything that pertains to God and His kingdom, and they are only come "to steal, kill and destroy," (John 10:10). For your eternal security, you need to know with certainty what spirits are in the world, and which of them are good and which are bad. This is a vast subject, and ignorance is NOT bliss. If you allow unholy spirits to have unrestrained influence in your life, you WILL be destroyed. That is why you should study this subject with me. Take a look into the spirit realm with me right now. I will introduce you to the universe of spirits and will teach you knowledge that is utterly foreign to most people. But be warned. Knowledge is responsibility. To know is to be responsible for knowledge. But NOT TO KNOW is deadly! If you do not know how to discern the difference between a holy spirit and an unholy spirit, you will be unable to judge righteous judgment with respect to the spirits you entertain, and you will be exposed to the worst of evils. Scan through this glossary to familiarize yourself with the names and definitions of spiritual entities. Then I will have more to say. God - He is the only Eternal Spirit, and He is the original Father of all other spirits (John 4:24). Angels - Angels are spiritual creatures made by God. Two-thirds of them remain in obedience to God, either in Heaven or in ministering to the Saints. One-third of them were cast down to the earth when Lucifer, a chief angel, rebelled against God, (see Revelation 12:3-4). One hundred million angels surround the Throne of God (Daniel 7:10; Revelation 5:11). Angels also serve as ministering spirits to those who shall be the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14). Angels also include cherubim, seraphim and other unique heavenly creatures. The Throne of God rides on a Cherubim-powered "chariot," (see Ezekiel 1). Angels are asexual and cannot procreate with humans. Demons, or Devils - Sinful, rebellious, fallen angels. Every demon was once a holy angel in the presence of God, but was cast out because of his participation in Lucifer's rebellion (Revelation 12:4). God never created an evil spirit. All evil spirits willfully rebelled and sinned against God. There is no salvation or redemption for a fallen angel (Jude 1:6). Satan, Lucifer, The Devil - The first sinner and first fallen Creature Angel. He was the leader of all sin, rebellion, and murder, and is the father of all lies (John 8:44). He is called the Prince of this world. Familiar Spirit - A demon that studies and becomes familiar with human behavior, and often poses or imposters as a person, or as the soul of one deceased. While many people believe that the deceased linger or return as ghosts, the Biblical reality is that the spirits of men NEVER return to earth. These "ghosts" are only familiar spirits (demons) who pose as the souls or spirits of the deceased. For more explanation, see my article The Witch Of Endor. Initiate - One who has been introduced to a spiritualistic encounter Master, or Sage - A familiar spirit purporting to be, or impostering a deceased person, especially one considered to be ancient and wise. Séance - A meeting in which a spiritualist purportedly communicates with the spirits of dead people or other spirits, but is actually communicating with familiar evil spirits Poltergeist - A ghost/spirit that allegedly causes physical disturbances (i.e., rattling windows, sounds of footsteps, etc.) Medium | Channel | Guru - A human through whom spirits supposedly communicate to other people Necromancer | Spiritualist - One who allegedly communicates with and is obsessed with the dead, ghosts. Actually, they are communicating with demons, not the spirits or souls of the dead. High Priest, Priestess | Coven | Witch | Warlock | Mystic - One who has power or influence with evil spirits and conducts spiritual activities by that authority; sometimes conducting sacrifices, offerings, prayers, etc. Hypnotism | Mesmerism | Spell | Charm | Enchantment | Hoodoo | Curse | Potions | Incantations | Mind Control | Sorcery | Magic - The practice of altering a person's behavior so that the subject can be controlled or influenced by the hypnotist, spiritist, witch, priest, sorcerer, etc. Shamanism - Spirits controlled by shamans (Buddhist or other priests, as in Eskimo and Indian beliefs) Occultism | Cabalism | Esoterics - An esoteric or secret doctrine, ritual or practice Clairvoyant | Soothsayer | Diviner | Auger | Mantic | Fortune-teller | Crystal Ball Gazer | Card, Palm, Tea Leaf Reader | Psychic - One who foretells by occult (secret) means Voodoo - Sorcery using charms, fetishes, incantations Astrology | Horoscopes - Illicit beliefs purporting the supernatural influence of stars, sun, moon on human affairs Transcendentalism - Superhuman thought - the purported ability to see past, present, or future Mental Telepathy | Extra Sensory Perception - The supposed transfer of thoughts outside 'normal' sensory channels; "psychic" phenomenon Prophet | Seer - one who sees (past, present, future) happenings. Some prophets are of God; others are false prophets, operating by evil spirits. Psychometry - Psychic divining through physical contact Psychokenesis | Mind-over-matter - Thought affecting physical objects (i.e., bending a spoon by thought) Vision | Dream | Hallucination | Impression - Mental experiences having psychic or spiritual connotations or influence. Can be godly or evil. Deja vu - An experience thought to have previously occurred Wizard | Conjurer | Magician | Sorcerer - One who exercises power in witchcraft, magic and sorcery Satanist, Satanism | Diabolism - Belief in and worship of Satan or other devils Exorcism - The act of commanding demons to remove from habitations, human or otherwise Astral Projection | Out-of-Body Experiences - Supposed occurrences at a 'higher' level than normal human perception Ouija - A tool supposedly for communicating messages between the physical and spirit realms (i.e., Ouija board) Ectoplasm - A vaporous, luminous glow allegedly appearing on a medium during a spiritualistic trance Spiritual Warfare - conflicts between Godly and demonic forces Signs, Wonders, Miracles - Supernatural occurrences in nature Jesus Christ - God incarnate in the man born of the virgin Mary Sons of God - Humans in which God's Holy Spirit dwells, and in some cases, a reference to the holy angels. Word of God - The infallible order of God, spoken or written Heaven - The realm of God, His Angels, and all righteous spirits Hell - The place of eternal captivity for all who reject God's authority Earth - The battle zone between Heaven and Hell, occupied by creatures from both regions. Now, the reason that I listed and defined all the various spiritual items above is to focus your attention upon the fact that we live in a very dynamic spiritual environment in which SPIRITS play a major role. Before God ever created anything in the universe, He was a Solitary, Holy, Infinite, Invisible Spirit. That was before even the angels were created. As far as we know, He created His angels before He created anything material. Before atoms and molecules, God created angels - spirit creatures. Can I demonstrate from the scriptures that angels were already in existence before the worlds began? Yes. God enquired of Job, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? ...When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job 38:4-7. These "morning stars sang." The natural stars were not created until the fourth day of Creation. These "sons of God shouted." God's first human son, Adam, was not created until the sixth day of Creation. So the STARS and SONS in Job 38:4-7 must have been the angels. Nothing else could fulfill this saying. Before the material heavens and earth were formed, and before man was created, "all the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy" as they witnessed Creation taking place. So angels were rejoicing in the presence of God as the Creation of the material universe began. Before God formed the first man Adam from the dust of the earth; before Satan rebelled, and before any devil ever sinned or rebelled; the holy angels of God observed Creation taking place. Do you know that Satan and Adam BOTH shared the Garden of Eden BEFORE either of them sinned? The scripture plainly tells us so. God created the Garden of Eden AFTER Adam was created. This is a very important point. Consider this evidence: "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed," Genesis 2:7-8. Those two verses clearly show us that God made Adam BEFORE HE MADE THE GARDEN OF EDEN. Why is that important to know? Because OTHER VERSES elsewhere in the Bible reveal that LUCIFER was in the Garden of Eden BEFORE HE SINNED! Think about that! Lucifer was in the Garden with Adam before he sinned! Here is the proof... Ezekiel 28 contains an allegory about the King of Tyre which most theologians agree reveals the history of LUCIFER himself - Satan - the Devil. "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; ...Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: ...Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, TILL INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN THEE," Ezekiel 28:13-15. Here is proof that Lucifer - "the anointed cherub" - was IN EDEN, the Garden of God, UNTIL INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN HIM! Why is that significant? Because it proves to us that Satan WAS STILL A HOLY ANGEL when Adam was created. Furthermore, Satan was STILL A HOLY ANGEL when God created the Garden of Eden. Furthermore, Satan committed his first INIQUITY IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN! Yes. Satan was ON EARTH when he committed his first sins. Therefore, we can conclude from this reading that Satan AND Adam were BOTH in the Garden of Eden, BOTH WITHOUT SIN. Lucifer committed the first sin entirely by himself. Here is the record of what he did that was evil. Isaiah 14 contains another allegory, comparing the fate of the evil King of Babylon with the fate of Lucifer himself. "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned," Isaiah 14:12-20. What is revealed in these verses? 1. Lucifer is fallen from heaven. 2. Lucifer is cut down to the ground. 3. Lucifer weakened the nations. 4. Lucifer said in his heart,
B. "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." C. "I will sit upon the mount of the congregation." D. "I will ascend above the height of the clouds." E. "I will be like the Most High." 6. Those who see him will narrowly look upon him. 7. (The King of Babylon) will be cast out of his grave like an abominable branch. 8. The seed of evildoers shall never be renowned (considered famous). So you can see in the verses above that for all of time, Satan (Lucifer) has coveted to overthrow God's creation, particularly mankind, and take dominion over the Kingdom of God. Satan was the PRIMARY EVIL SPIRIT, before all other evil spirits. Satan is the biggest loser in all of God's Creation. Get this... The devil was a sinner when there were no other sinners in the universe! Satan is a usurper. He wants everything God has - from the heavenly throne to the smallest earthly entity. Satan wants to take everything he can take from God. Satan is also a MURDERER and a LIAR. Jesus revealed these facts Himself, when he slammed the hypocritical Pharisees: "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. So Satan AND every evil spirit under His influence are USURPERS, MURDERERS, and LIARS. Ultimately, the most devastating damage that Satan and his minions can inflict upon the Kingdom of God is to overthrow mankind, by seducing men away from God and deluding them to believe in evil spirits rather than the one Holy Spirit of God. Satan cannot inflict damage to the throne of God. Satan cannot defile the streets of gold or the gates of pearl. Satan cannot destroy the remaining angels. He can only operate in the earth realm among other devils and among men. He is the ruler and the prince of the air. His strata is earth. He cannot destroy the earth, because God has reserved that for a particular time and place. Satan's worst blow to the Kingdom of God is to deprive men of their relationship with God. Therefore, Satan and his forces are obsessed with overpowering men, by interfering with their communications with God, subverting men, lying to men, misrepresenting God by employing seducing spirits and false doctrines and a variety of supernatural means intended to deceive. But Satan is NOTHING compared to the Great God who Created us all. He has ALL POWER in heaven and in earth. There is no spirit in any dimension that can equal or compete with the Spirit of God. Look at the evidence. God is the only truly Sovereign Spirit. God is the only genuine Spirit of Truth - there are no lies in God. This Spirit called light out of darkness, and set the sun, moon and stars in their places. This Spirit made birds and bees, and flowers and trees, and mountains and seas, and formed a man out of dust. This Spirit sent judgments upon an evil generation, covering the earth with a flood, miraculously saving Noah and his family in the ark. He called childless Abraham from a pagan country, and miraculously created a child for him in the ninety year-old womb of Sarah. God's angel named Isaac before he was conceived, then prevented Abraham from wielding a knife on him on Mount Moriah. He touched Jacob's thigh, setting it out of joint, then His angel changed Jacob's name (Supplanter) to Israel (Prince with God). He gave prophetic dreams to Joseph, the Butler, the Baker, and Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The Spirit of God was the fire and the voice speaking in a desert bush to Moses, and the God who turned a shepherd's rod into a serpent. That same Spirit God also turned the Nile River into blood, sent pestilences of frogs, and flies, and grievous boils. Passing over Egypt, He killed the subjects of the rebellious Egyptian king. He opened the Red Sea and made dry land for the children of Israel to escape Egyptian bondage. His Spirit was the fire that led Israel by night and the cloud that led them by day. In the wilderness, He brought water out of a rock, and sent rain, fire, whirlwinds and bread from the skies as signs of His power. He buried alive, Korah and his band of rebels, and put leprosy on Miriam's flesh. His angel gave supernatural battle plans to Joshua, and sunk the walls of Jericho. This God poured down fire from heaven onto Elijah's altar, and later carried Elijah into heaven in a chariot of fire. He withered Jeroboam's arm, preserved three men in a fiery furnace, and turned Nebuchadnezzar into a raving maniac. God's Spirit revealed the sins of Eli the priest to the child Samuel. He revealed the thoughts of Saul's heart. He chose David from the sheepfolds to be the king of Israel, and filled Solomon's temple with glory clouds. The Spirit of God revealed great future sights to Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Micah. His angel guided Zechariah and Elizabeth and Mary and Joseph. His star guided the wise men, and his angels instructed the shepherds in their way. His Spirit discerned Andrew's name at Galilee, knew Zacchaeus' desire when he climbed the sycamore tree, and exposed the Samaritan woman's sins. He formed eyeballs in the sockets of a blind man, touched the dumb man's tongue to miraculously speak in the local language, and made a crippled man's legs walk. His Spirit foreknew Judas' betrayal, Peter's shame, and Pilate's verdict. His Angel announced His resurrection from the dead, and His Spirit transfigured Him. He is the God of supernatural visions, dreams, and angelic visitations. The same Spirit spoke dozens of languages on Galileans' lips at Pentecost. His Spirit foretold Ananias of Saul’s name and address and sickness, and foretold Saul of Ananias' name and healing powers. God's Spirit told Cornelius of Peter's name, city, address, and landlord. Then He told Peter that three men were on their way. His Angel assured Paul that the storm wouldn't cost his shipmates' lives, and unlocked the prison doors for Peter. While God's Spirit has always brought life and joy, peace and comfort, and healing to those who were obedient, Satan's spirit has always brought panic, despair and tragedy to those who were obedient to him. What did SATAN ever do, by comparison? Satan's lies caused Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit, Cain to murder Abel, and his parents to be cast out of the Garden. Satan caused Noah's generation and Sodom and Gomorrah to be destroyed. Satan's spirits led Balaam to his demise, filled Saul with a murderous heart, and deceived him by the witch of Endor. Spirits of idolatry used Solomon's wives to destroy him, lured Jeroboam into rebellion against God, and filled Ahab and Jezebel with wickedness and murdering. Satan has caused sin and sickness all throughout the history of man; murder, hate, jealousy, strife, war, death in every form and fashion. The witches and soothsayers of evil times deprived men of their relationship with God. Pharaoh's magicians helped cause his hard, hard heart, and prevented him from believing Moses and the true power of God. The idolatrous priests of heathen nations turned God's people's hearts away from Him many times, and good never came of it. The witch of Endor was terrorized when she realized King Saul had discovered her, because she knew that Saul's great God was much more to be feared than her own foul, demonic powers with familiar spirits. The false prophets of Ahaz satisfied his itching ears, but Jeroboam knew that evil would come of it. While Jeroboam rejected their counsel in favor of a true man of God, Ahaz listened to their demonic advice, and was killed in battle that day. The demons that possessed the maniac of Gadara would have never given him rest, but Jesus' power and authority over them gave the man total release and soundness of mind. Meanwhile, the animals into which the spirits fled immediately committed suicide. The demon in the boy child made him deaf and dumb till Jesus loosed him from them. The unclean spirit of the young woman in Acts 16 would have deceived her forever as to the true saving power of the Gospel, until Paul rebuked the spirit, commanding it to come out of her; then she truly believed the Gospel. The seven sons of Sceva did not realize the awesome destructive force of demons until they tempted them by lightly using the name of Jesus. They were rent sorely. So again, I say: There is no spirit in any dimension that can equal or compete with the Spirit of God. All Spirits of God are greater in power and force than the powers of Satan and the demons. No men will ever have a relationship with demons that can compare in any way with the wonderful way of the Spirit of God on their lives. Therefore, I take my stand with the one, true, living God. I stand upon His Word. I claim cleansing and protection in the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. I live by the authority of the holy name of Jesus, empowered by His Holy Spirit that lives in me, and I resist and rebuke every single spirit that is not of God. The Spirit of the Lord raises up a standard against every evil spirit. He rebukes every power that comes against me and my family while I live in the name of Jesus. I resist every devil around about me and rebuke every unclean spirit that attempts to influence, subvert and destroy my life or the lives of all my loved ones. In the name of Jesus, I command authority over the powers of spiritual darkness, that they be stayed, stopped, hindered, bound, and defeated. I revoke every liberty that every unclean spirit attempts to usurp in our lives. I will henceforth be free to live in the presence of the Spirit of God. I have absolutely no reason to fear Satan or any unclean spirit beneath him. I will not be defeated by any evil force. The Spirit of God living in me is greater than any other spirit I will ever encounter. I claim all my rights, liberties and victories over those spirits in the name of Jesus. Regardless of anything any evil spirit will ever attempt to accomplish against me, I declare my faith in Jesus Christ, whose Holy Spirit dwells in me. Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4) SEE ALSO: "Satan's Doom" I am continually writing new content for this site. Please return often for more material, and tell your friends about www.kenraggio.com , too! THANKS! And God bless you! Ken Raggio 
Click here for BOOKS and VIDEOS by Ken Raggio ALL ARTICLES WRITTEN BY KEN RAGGIO, Copyright 1988-2011 Articles may not be republished on the Internet without express permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Thanks for coming by!
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