SPIRITUAL GIFTS FOR THE BELIEVER

The non-biblical practice of tongues ceased under the power of the Holy Spirit with the Diaspora of the Jews in 70 A.D. due to their lack of stewardship of the Word to the Gentiles. The practice of tongues continues even today as an emotional ecstatic outlet for people who have their feelings as the control center of their life and as a satanic operation.

Satan has his own tongues movement. The Engastrimuthos or ventriloquist demon can possess an unbeliever, and throw his voice through that unbeliever and speak in another language. Some time ago, philologists were interviewing a lady from India. This lady was speaking in an Indian dialect that none of the language experts could understand. They started writing it out, tracing it historically and it was a dialect in India that had gone out of existence about 500 years before the time this woman was speaking. What was happening? She was indwelt and controlled by a ventriloquist demon that was speaking in an ancient Indian dialect not even in existence at the time the lady spoke. Therefore, she could not have known the language. The demon knew the language, and was speaking through her. The language experts could not understand how this could happen. Of course, as unbelievers and language experts, not having the knowledge of spiritual gifts, they did not understand this whole operation as a satanic function. There are instances when demon possessed unbelievers do actually speak in another language, through what the Hebrew language calls the "OB" demon (pronounced "Ahv").

The Holy Spirit’s Restraint of Satanic Evil

The mystery of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10 refers to a perversion of the Truth and something that relates to satanic power. This verse says that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work and that it is being held back by God the Holy Spirit until He removes His own restraint. This refers to the Tribulation period. There is evil today which seeks to counterfeit things which are bona fide. This evil comes from the Old Sin Nature. The Old Sin Nature produces the motivational evil of arrogance which produces all the mental and verbal sins, the different lust patterns, the trends of the Old Sin Nature, and a lot of counterfeit concepts. An arrogant person might think he's a spiritual giant based on what he does or doesn’t do in his life. The Bible is very clear that if anything you practice in your life is perfectly innocent, but becomes a stumbling block to an unbeliever or weaker unbeliever, it should be discontinued in their presence.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-10)

We all have our do's and don'ts. We simply call them good decisions in contrast to bad decisions. We know there are a lot of bad decisions related to the motivational evil of arrogance which is related to the motivational evil of the Old Sin Nature. This is like a counterfeit evil coming from the Old Sin Nature. We think of it as carnality or sin. When you have the "mystery of lawlessness," you have an evil that comes right from Satan himself. It comes right from the pit of hell itself. You must remember that all evil is not overt sin. There are areas of overt sin that come from carnality, as opposed to the influence of evil from Satan. Of course, we know that all sin is evil, whether the sin of the mind or the sin of the tongue, or the sin of overt behavior. All evil is not sin, but all sin is evil.

We are talking here about the motivational evil of arrogance, not the motivational evil of the Old Sin Nature. We are talking about the evil that comes from satanic concepts and from the doctrine of demons. The "mystery of lawlessness" is already at work. Some of this has always existed from Satan’s fall right on down to the present day. It’s more or less in its mystery form. Remember, the Greek fraternities of the ancient world all had secret rites and rituals that would-be members of the fraternity had to go through to become members. It was called musterion in the Greek or mystery in the English. It was information which was only available or understood by people in the fraternity. That's why musterion is used of Church Age doctrine. Church Age doctrine pertains only to the Church Age. It didn't pertain to Old Testament times, nor will it pertain to the Tribulation period or the Millennium. It is the unique characteristic of the Christian life.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10, musterion is used in an evil sense. It refers to the "secret power." Just as there were secret rites, often those rites and rituals had a dynamic all of their own. Many Greek fraternities were involved in demonic operations. We see that the same word is used here of demonic operation. It is used of demon function. It simply means that some of this is in its mystery form today and is in operation, but it is restrained by the Holy Spirit.

The corrected translation of 2 Thessalonians 2:7 is "the secret power of lawlessness is already at work, but the One who now holds it back, (God the Holy Spirit), will continue to do so until He, (God the Holy Spirit) is taken out of the way." The Holy Spirit restrains Satan's worldly function of evil. He will do this until He is taken out of the way. This is a reference to the Rapture of the Church which will usher in the Tribulation period.

The Holy Spirit’s Restraint Through the Believer

This restraint of the Holy Spirit does not refer to the Holy Spirit per se, but to His spirit working in the Christian through the filling of the Holy Spirit. This is the filling of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, especially in the mature believer who is controlled most of the time by God the Holy Spirit. By this, He acts as a restrainer upon satanic evil. God the Holy Spirit acts as a restraint upon lawlessness in His ministry of filling the Christian, controlling his soul, and changing his life from the inside out.

There will be ministries by the Holy Spirit which will continue during the Tribulation period. No one can be saved apart from the Holy Spirit. In His convicting ministries, He makes the Gospel real to the unbeliever so the non-Christian can go from being an unbeliever to a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ by receiving Christ as Savior. God the Holy Spirit then creates a human spirit, and gives us the gift of eternal life. This is the salvation ministry of the Holy Spirit which is available and operational in every dispensation of man’s history and future up until the Eternal State.

This will function during the Tribulation, but because the Tribulation is the resumption and conclusion of the Jewish Age, the ministry of God the Holy Spirit will simply be called enduement. Enduement is God the Holy Spirit coming upon believers in the Tribulation, filling them, and empowering them to fulfill a ministry as unto the Lord. For example, the two witnesses, Moses and Elijah will obviously have the enduement ministry of the Holy Spirit as they did in their respective generations. The 144,000 Jewish evangelists will also have the enduement ministry of the Holy Spirit. When the restraint of the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, He cannot remove His omnipresence. He will still be in the world as always. He will be regenerating people, creating the human spirit, imparting eternal life, and He will be empowering certain mature believers in the important evangelistic ministry.

When 2 Thessalonians 2:8 says "the lawless one will be revealed," it's not the wicked one, but the lawless one. What is lawlessness? It is anything and everything that is anti-God. All we know about the true and living God, His person, His plan, His essence, His characteristics, and His destiny for the human race is from the Bible. So really, lawlessness is anything that is anti-Biblical. For example, you have the laws of divine establishment. We have freedom. So anything that is anti-freedom is lawlessness.

And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; (2 Thessalonians 2:8)

Socialism and Lawlessness in the Tribulation Period

If you are anti-capitalism, anti-free enterprise, or if you believe that the welfare state is a good thing, you are against what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that the freedoms exhibited under capitalism and free enterprise are the true forms and functions of government. The maximum evil that will exist in the Tribulation under the Man of Lawlessness as one of the four kings functioning under maximum satanic evil, will involve his whole western European empire which will be a welfare state empire. Socialism is evident today in nearly every European nation, except for Britain because the iron maiden, Thatcher, pulled away from socialism in many areas. Also, except for Switzerland, every other nation in Europe is a welfare state. That is socialism. You will have socialism as the primary force of lawlessness in the Tribulation period.

The King of the East (China and other eastern nations) in the Tribulation will be under communism. The King of the North (Russia and other northern nations) will be under communism. The King of the South (the pan-Arabic bloc) will be under different degrees of despotism and tyranny. The King of the West (the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire) will probably be a socialist empire. Anything that is anti-freedom, anti-marriage, anti-family, anti-national entity, anti-military, anti-law and order and free enterprise, is lawlessness. The Man of Lawlessness will be the full epitome of satanic evil. He will be the most evil individual that has ever lived. Why? He will be indwelt by his majesty, the devil himself.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 says that the one coming will be in accord with the activity of Satan. This is the Lawless One, the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire who will be indwelt by Satan. This will be displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, counterfeit signs and counterfeit wonders. Martin Luther was right when he said "'Satan is the ape of God." There will be supernatural power unleashed in the Tribulation period in the five spheres of power politics. There are five when you consider the Jewish dictator in Palestine and his demonic dynamics. It's all demonic dynamics and that's why you have this maximum evil.

that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)

2 Thessalonians 2:8-9 says that the Lord Jesus Christ will overthrow the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming. A little more detail on his rise and fall is given in Revelation 19:11-16.

And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9)

And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." (Revelation 19:11-16)

Revelation 19:11-16 depicted the Lord Jesus Christ as the rider of the white horse. This will be His great victory at His Second Coming. Armies will follow Him, also riding on white horses and dressed in fine white linen. This is a reference to the Church Age believers in resurrection bodies. He will rule them with a rod of iron. Psalm 2:9 tells us that He will smash these nations to bits with the rod of iron. This will be the destruction of all these lawless forces at the Second Coming. This will be the destruction of all these satanic evil forces and anti-God forces at the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is obvious from Revelation 19:17-21 that not only will there be a wedding reception on the earth, but all the carrion fowl are going to have a great supper. This is the great carnage of all the millions who are slaughtered in the Armageddon campaign. The false prophet is the Jewish dictator of Palestine in the Tribulation period who will perform miracles and miraculous signs on his behalf. The Jews always look for signs. The pseudo-messiah will provide counterfeit signs to direct the Jews to worship the Abomination of Desolation. With these signs, he will delude the Jews into worshiping the Beast, but the Beast will be the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire and will be captured.

"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware." (Psalms 2:9)

And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God; in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great." And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:17-21)

Demonic Dynamics of the Tribulation Period

In Revelation 19:20, it says the signs will not be false, but very real. They will not take place under divine dynamics, but under demonic dynamics. They will take place under the power of Satan. With his signs, he will delude those who will have received the mark of the Beast. They are unbelievers only, because in the Book of the Revelation, we are taught that those who had received the mark of the Beast are condemned, with absolutely no possibility of salvation. Remember that their names will be blotted out of the Book of Life when they receive the mark of the Beast. They will have passed the point of no return. Unbelievers will receive the mark of the Beast and they will worship his image. The Abomination of Desolation will be erected in the Tribulational temple in Jerusalem. The two of them, the Beast and the False Prophet will be thrown alive into the fiery lake of fire deep in the heart of the earth. This location is also called Torments where they will stay throughout the Millennium.

And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20)

Revelation 19:21 says the rest of them were killed with the sword in the Armageddon battle at the end of the Tribulation period at the Second Coming. This is not the picture of the sweet kind gentle Jesus presented by the theological and political liberals. This is not the sweet and gentle Jesus that wants us to disarm ourselves and lay down our armaments and to enter into unilateral nuclear disarmament. This is not the gentle Jesus that wants us to reduce severely or eliminate our missile defensive capability or "star wars" defense. This is not the Lamb of God who came into the world, did not raise His voice, was meek, mild, gentle, and totally obedient to the Father's plan. That was the First Coming of Jesus Christ. This is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The Lamb of God has become the Lion and He will roar at the Second Coming. So much so that all of the carrion fowl in the Middle East will gorge themselves on the flesh of those who are destroyed in the final conflagration of the Armageddon campaign.

And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:21)

2 Thessalonians 2:9 says the coming of the dictator of the Restored Roman Empire will be in accordance with the norm and standard of the working of Satan and will be displayed with all kinds of counterfeit miracles and signs. The ruler of the Restored Roman Empire, in association with all power of signs, miracles and lying wonders, (tongues is a lying wonder because you lie with your tongue), and healing, will be accomplished by the indwelling and removal of demons in the unbeliever during the Tribulation. It is accomplished today in just the same way regarding unbelievers.

that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, (2 Thessalonians 2:9)

This dictator is the product of satanic evil and everything he thinks, says, and does is in association with the power of Satan. All power, or dunamis in the Greek, from which we get the English word dynamics, is satanic power which will empower all of these counterfeit signs, wonders and miracles. This is something that will exist as it does today with the apostasy of the last days of the Church Age. We see so many things today that are similar to those that will exist in the last days of the Church Age. Are these the last days? No one knows for certain, but the Bible shows us how it will be then. In those days, a combination of the Ecclesiastical Movement and the Ecumenical Movement will bring the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire into power. In the middle of the Tribulation, he will destroy it.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 says that every sort of evil deceives those who are perishing because they refuse to love the Truth and thereby be delivered or saved. The purpose of these counterfeit gifts will be to prevent unbelievers from receiving Christ as Savior. For this reason, God sends them a powerful deluding influence so that they will believe the lie which is all of the satanic propaganda of the Ecumenical Movement and the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire. The negative volition described in those who "did not receive the love of the truth" in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 goes all the way back to their negative volition at God consciousness and is the principle of heathenism. They sent up negative signals instead of positive signs, and that became tantamount to rejecting Christ. The strong delusion is a powerful or satanic influence such that they will believe his lies, the ecumenical lie, and the politics of the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire. Why will they believe this lie? Because ventriloquist demons will be controlling individuals, especially the rulers of the earth. This is the reason for the universal lawlessness during the Tribulation period. They will have taken pleasure in wickedness and will have rejected the only basis for receiving the righteousness of God. They will enjoy their religion. To become a part of this religion, all will have to receive the mark of the beast.

and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)

2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 provides a fantastic challenge for each of us who as Christians. That is simply the Greek word stete which means to stand firm or stand your ground. You have the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and you can fulfill your destiny within the plan and purpose of God, through the power of the Spirit and the Word. Any portion of the prophetic Word is given to challenge us to hang in there with the components of the Christian life.

But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He called you through our Gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15)

Paul goes on in 2 Thessalonians 3:1-12 and says that the Thessalonians talked about the power of Christ at His Second Coming, and that under His omnipotence, he produces the Christian way of life. They were to take their stand against the wiles of the devil as are we by application. Paul said that each of them had the power not to be idle, not to be unemployed, not to be a slacker, not to be letting down, but the power to do what they should do. Many Christians in Thessalonika were waiting around for the Lord's Second Coming. They quit their jobs, lived off other people and waited for the Lord to return. Paul said that was wrong. When Paul arrived with Timothy, Luke, and Apollos, they had the right to ask for a salary, but they did not. They worked and paid for everything they received and didn't ask for anything. Paul told the Christians in Thessalonika who were sitting around and unemployed to go out and try to get jobs. He told them not to slack off and be idle while waiting for the Rapture to occur. That was the misapplication of a true doctrine.

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither let him eat. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-12)

In 1 Thessalonians 3, Paul talks about the Day of Christ or the Rapture of the Church. He then talks about the Day of the Lord which is the same as the Tribulation period. They had received false information that they were already in the Tribulation and there would be no Rapture. They thought the Second Advent was going to occur soon, so they refused to work and chose to live off other people and wait for the Lord to return. He said that if anyone had the attitude that they would not work, then they should not eat. Paul told them to look at the example he had set for them. Paul and his team had pastored their church for almost 15 years and had done part-time work. They fixed clocks, painted houses, did substitute teaching, and cleaned toilets. That's the example Paul and his team had set.

The Mechanics of Speaking in Tongues as a Satanic Operation

I now want to get into the mechanics of speaking in tongues as a satanic operation. This is a perversion of what was once bona fide according to the Scripture. It is no longer bona fide. Under demonic function, it is a perverting influence in our own day and age.

In our study of 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, we saw the phrase, "deluding influence" which can also be translated, a strong delusion or perverting influence. The tongues and healing movement is a perverting influence. It perverts people away from the Gospel. It perverts people away from Bible truth. That's why a pastor in a local church cannot even leave the front door open a small amount to this false and evil teaching. We must speak out against it. Some may say that is not being loving and sweet and kind. Remember, the loving Jesus is also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who under the power of God, is going to destroy millions at the Second Advent. Under God's power, we have to take a stand. If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)

Stand firm with the power of the Spirit and the power of God's Word! Take your stand as in 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17. Don't rebuke, but resist. The pentecostals are big on rebuking. In one example, they would take people down into a room and screen them to make sure the "act" would go according to their plan. Anyone who could not fake a psychosomatic experience or illness and could not get emotionally worked up, was excluded from the lineup. For those selected for the healing line, they would fake the rash, the healer would command the rash to leave the person, and the rash would go away. They would then "praise" God and say that a miracle had been performed by God. For those people with obviously serious maladies such as the loss of both arms or legs, there's no way to fake it. They don't send them through the line. When there is sometimes a healing, it's because the demon in the healer communicates to the demon in the person, the demon who induced the illness, and he tells this demon to leave. The other demon leaves, and the person appears healed. So there you are. Demon-induced illness. Demon-induced healing. Don't sell short the power of Satan. Next to the power of God it is the strongest power in the world. It is much more powerful than the power of your free will, which is a mighty and fantastic power. Your free will must be linked with grace and God’s truth through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to resist Satan’s power.

So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17)

The Strong Delusion of False Teaching

We have studied that deluding and perverting influence of 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. This strong delusion is also described in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 8:19-20. The word "they" refers to male mediums and spiritists. In the Old Testament, they had to contend with false prophets who were males. We have to contend with both today. It is interesting that the major leaders of the Charismatic Movement were all women. Did you know that women started all the major cults except for Mormonism?

And when they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. (Isaiah 8:19-20)

Women can be wonderful responders to doctrine, and wonderful responders to false doctrine as well. They are very strong responders in spiritual things. Where there is positive volition, God can use a woman, one who is spiritually mature, using her gift, talents and abilities under the constituted male authority which God has established for the local church. Men are not to be tyrants in the church, but to be loving administrators. Women are to be those loving responders serving the Lord under unconditional love toward all the brethren.

Tongues and the Engastrimuthos Demon

In Isaiah’s time in Israel, the Jews had to contend with men who were false prophets. The false prophets were telling others to consult familiar spirits or mediums. The Hebrew word OB (pronounced "Ahv") refers to the OB demon who is both a ventriloquist demon and a language demon. Sometimes, when the OB demon indwells the unbeliever, he takes over and controls his body. His demonic soul controls the vocal chords of the unbeliever and he controls his voice. He impersonates voices or makes his voice sound like someone who has already died. He makes it sound like he has been contacted and is giving information about the eternal future. He can also control the vocal chords of the non-Christian and enable this person to talk with a demonic voice or to speak in another language. Whenever an unbeliever is under the control of a demon, the demon controls the body, bypasses the human soul, and gives information from his demonic soul. It is always in a different voice. It is never the voice of the person being indwelt.

The Greek Old Testament is called the Septuagint which means 70 in Latin. There were 70 translators that brought this Old Testament translation into existence in what we call the inter-testament period. It was after Malachi, but before the New Testament was given. The Greek language translates the Hebrew word OB as Engastrimuthos. This refers to a ventriloquist demon, a fallen angel, who controls the vocal chords of the unbeliever being indwelt by that demon. It causes the person to speak in a different voice and sometimes in a different language.

The Hebrew word OB in the Greek word engastrimuthos are the same word used in the Septuagint to translate the word "serpent." Throughout time immemorial, serpent or snake worship has been related to demon possession. All we have to do is go back to the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden. You must understand that the serpent of the Garden of Eden was not like the snakes we have today. The serpent walked on four legs and could converse with the man and the woman before the Fall. When the serpent started speaking to Eve, she didn't think it abnormal that the serpent was speaking to her. She conversed with the serpent constantly. She thought of it as her pet. When the serpent became indwelt, it had a volition and lent itself to satanic indwelling. Satan spoke through the serpent and initiated the temptation which led to the fall of Eve and then Adam.

Isaiah 8:19 involved men who were telling others to consult familiar spirits, OB demons, or mediums indwelt by ventriloquist or language demons. The Hebrew word referring to consulting familiar spirits, OB demons, or mediums who are indwelt by ventriloquist or language demons is in the masculine gender and means a wizard or a man who is demon-possessed. The Hebrew word WITCH is transliterated and means a demon-possessed woman. In the phrase "who whisper and mutter," the word whisper here means a high falsetto sound.

And when they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? (Isaiah 8:19)

In Australia, there are two historical records of men who were both serial killers. Both men wouldn't rob, beat or otherwise molest women, but would grab them and choke them to death saying, "I want your voice" and start singing in a high falsetto voice. One of those cases was an American soldier. This was during World War II, when our troops were stationed there. This American soldier became a mass murderer. He killed several women and did it under the same modus operandi. He would grab and strangle and say "I want your voice" then under the control of the demon who loved violence and was speaking in a high-pitched voice. Demons love sex and violence. This is also a good explanation for the rise of perverted crime within our nation.

When you study the characteristics of demon possession, it fits the Minnesota mass murderer Jeffery Dahmer to a tee. Often, men or women who become involved in this, start with autoeroticism and get into pornography that leaves them wide open for demon possession. Under the possession of these demons controlling their bodies, they commit these heinous crimes. That is not to say that all mass murderers are demon-possessed, but many fit the mold. This is demon-induced psychosis.

In another example involving high falsetto voices, several years ago there was a man, quite prominent in the United States with his headquarters in Long Beach. He would get a group of people together and claim to be a channeller. When the so-called spirit of some person from hundreds of years back would take control, he would start speaking in a high-pitched voice. He would give all kinds of satanic information in this high squeaky voice.

Isaiah 8:19 also mentions those who mutter. This is the low guttural sound and is also a manifestation of demon possession. Shirley McLain has never told us what kind of voice she speaks in when she is some kind of channeller. It's supposed to be some holy man who lived in ancient Egypt. We don’t know the name she ascribes to him, so we don't know if the voice is a high falsetto voice or just guttural sounds.

This is demonic function and is based on satanic power. Understanding the power behind the gift of tongues is the key to understanding the gift of tongues. The power came from God the Holy Spirit from 30 to 70 A.D. A Spirit-filled Christian might be lead and directed by the Holy Spirit to get up and give the Gospel in another language. The word "he" is used in the strict masculine sense because only men spoke in tongues. Wherever you have a record of a Christian speaking in tongues when the gift was extant and bonafide, it was always a man. That was because God has invested all leadership authority in local churches with men. Women were to be responsive to male authority in serving the Lord in the local church.

Some think believers can be demon-possessed. Theologically, it is inconceivable to think that God the Holy Spirit can share the residency of a human body with a fallen angel. Biblically, you have the parable that our Lord used where a person is indwelt by a demon and the demon leaves. As a result the person gets into self-reformation, cleaning up his soul. and when the demon returns, he again indwells this soul because it is vacant. The demon can return because of this vacancy. If there is a no-vacancy sign put on our soul because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the demon cannot re-enter. He can do so only when the life is vacant.

We also see in Isaiah 8:19 that believers are not to go to any of these individuals, but to the Bible, which is divine revelation. We are to inquire of our God. We are not to try to consult the dead for our answers to life’s problems or situations. In other words, consulting the horoscope, Ouija boards, tarot cards, spiritists or mediums for information on people who have died is just plain out of line!

The Many Forms of the Perversion of Spiritual Gifts

There are many forms of perversion of the Word of God. Many charismatics think the body of Christ is a tongue. Other doctrinal believers consider the body to be an ear. They take in doctrine, but never follow through with ambassadorship. It's really a tragedy. They take in doctrine and become occupied with the person teaching whether in person or on tape, but forget to apply it to their lives under the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. They are not occupied with Christ. The same blind loyalty they have had to one man, they attach to another man. He may become a disillusionment to them in some way, or go home to be with the Lord. They then take that same loyalty and attach it to yet someone else. They never realize that application of the Word to those around them that are saved and unsaved is a very important part of their spiritual lives.

That was what the Corinthians did in their carnality in 1 Corinthians 1:12-18. All of their carnality was not manifested in their abuse of tongues. Some were saying they were "of Paul" or "of Apollos," or "of Peter." Then the "super spiritual" began to say they were "of no one" or "of Christ." What they meant was they didn't recognize anyone's authority. Paul said they were all wrong. Even those who said they were of Christ. You should appreciate any and every pastor loyal to the Truth, because it is Truth that can bring you to the place of occupation with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ." Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, that no man should say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void. For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:12-18)

Many who consistently take in the Word from doctrinal pastors have a habit of idolizing certain pastors and Bible teachers. When these pastors and Bible teachers fail them, they take that blind loyalty and attach it to someone else. The whole issue is they are not occupied with Jesus Christ, but with some man. This is wrong! Moreover, I don't believe any pastor should send his tapes into a geographical area where there is a good local church. This is nothing more than beating the drums for one’s own ministry beyond the purpose of the local church. That is my opinion, but it's pretty sound based on the Word of God.

Many other grace pastors also have that same policy. Whenever people receiving their tapes get into a grace-oriented local church, they stop sending them tapes. They are no longer needed. They are under a good pastor in a geographical area who is loyal to the Truth. It takes great humility to do that, but it keeps people from identifying one man as a personality cult or cult figure.

There are many perversions of the Truth. You can think that the body of Christ is just a tongue, like the tongues crowd. Or you can think it's an ear, like the doctrinal legalist, making a system of legalism out of taking in the Word of God. They may take it in from a person to whom they have blind loyalty and a certain vocabulary. If you don't mimic the vocabulary, you're a heretic. It has gone that far. People leave good grace-oriented local churches because the pastor doesn't mimic the vocabulary of some other Bible teacher that they want. In other words, they want just a robot. They don’t want a pastor, just a puppet. They want certain terminology and forget that it is the mechanics and underlying meaning that you are to apply to your life - not vocabulary! Vocabulary is required for advanced learning and communication in an advanced field of study, but it is not relevant to others outside that area of study. We must understand that we have to relate these spiritual concepts to others near us in our own words and in words understandable to most others. Doctrinal terminology or jargon can be useful for learning while in Bible classes, but must be translated for discussion with unbelievers and believer friends. Each pastor should derive his own terminology that best suites his congregation for maximum spiritual growth in his local church.

Prophecy as a Satanic Function

In Acts 16, Paul and his missionary partner, Silas, had been thrown into prison. This took place while they were establishing the church in Ephesus. In Acts 16:16, a spirit predicting the future was a certain young teen-age girl who was possessed with a spirit of divination. A spirit of divination is from the Greek word puthona from which we get our word python. This refers to the fact that the worship of serpents is directly connected with demonism. This worship of serpents has been with mankind since the Garden of Eden.

And it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune telling. (Acts 16:16)

Satan was the first to use the serpent to reach out and tempt to draw people away from God's plan. He used the serpent in the Garden to reach the woman. His majesty the devil or Satan is the ruler of this world and has also functioned as an Engastrimuthos demon. He will do that again when he indwells the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire. He will speak as a language demon and function as a familiar spirit or spirit of divination. He will actually perform the duties of the Engastrimuthos or ventriloquist demon. He will be the one behind all of the false doctrine of the Tribulation period. Through these particular functions, he will perform all types of pseudo-miracles, pseudo-signs and pseudo-wonders or lying wonders. Satan will have his own tongues and healing movement during the Tribulation period. This will be part of the package in concert with the ecumenical religious system that will lead the whole world astray. This false package will be intended to lead them away from the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Revelation 17:12-13, it says that the whole world will have one mind and will give it over to the beast and will wonder after the beast. His followers will live all over the world. Although there will never be strictly a one world government, his particular realm of governmental influence will be the western world. He will be the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire. The King of the North or Russia will be the evil power that will initiate the Armageddon campaign after wiping out the United States in the middle of the Tribulation period. It's easy to see how short the coup could be based on the last coup in Russia that brought down the hard-line Communists.

"And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. "These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13)

The coup in Russia led some of our leaders to say that the forces of tyranny had been put down and freedom, openness, and democracy had won out. History teaches us that these forces will never be removed. The Russian Bear is still alive and well and will eventually become the King of the North of the Tribulation period. All other elements are still in place.

Remember, it will be the Pope in the ecumenical religion system that will bring the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire into power and prominence. It will find its fruition in the five spheres of power politics in the Tribulation period. It will all be a part of Satan's new world order. It feels good to realize we will watch all of that in the sky in our resurrection bodies and rejoice in the victory of God who will take care of all that at His Second Coming.

In the phrase "Woe, O Ariel" in Isaiah 29:1, the word Ariel is a code word for Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the city where David settled. The phrase "add year to year, observe your feasts on schedule" means they will continue with their rituals without reality and will continue in their indifference and hostility to God's truth. They will keep up the overt facade of thinking they are all right in their self-deception and blind arrogance and that other people will think they are all right because they go to church. They will go to the temple and keep all the appointed sacrifices, even listen to Bible doctrine, but they will reject it. They will go through all of the outward overt motions.

Woe, O Ariel, Ariel the city where David once camped! Add year to year, observe your feasts on schedule. (Isaiah 29:1)

The Hebrew word ARIEL is very similar to the word for the Brazen Altar or the altar for burnt sacrifices. They were keeping all of the sacrifices in Jerusalem, but it was all a sham. It was all ritual without the obedience to the Word of God. They observed the rituals and sacrifices, but just as the animals were consumed on the altar, Jerusalem will be destroyed. She will be consumed by fire. This was a prophecy concerning the Fifth Cycle of Discipline.

Isaiah 29:2-3 contains an idiom in the Hebrew for conquest. When a king conquered in the ancient world and there was unconditional surrender, the ruler of the conquered people had to come before the conquering king and he put his head down in the dust. The king would put his foot on his neck and he would dictate the provisions of the unconditional surrender. This would cause the defeated king to whisper or mumble out from the dust. It becomes a very effective analogy picture of what happens with the Engastrimuthos demon. The ventriloquist demon speaks out of the earth. The demon throws his voice and it appears to be mimicking the loved one's voice exactly as coming up out of the earth. It would be believed that the soul had come up and the soul was giving all of this false doctrine. This passage is a reference to demon possession.

And I will bring distress to Ariel, And she shall be a city of lamenting and mourning; And she shall be like an Ariel to me. And I will camp against you encircling you, And I will set siege works against you, And I will raise up battle towers against you. (Isaiah 29:2-3)

Revelation 16:12-14 has another reference to the OB, or Engastrimuthos demon, or the language demon. He can use all his powers to speak in another language, giving out all this false doctrine. Angels are much more intelligent than mankind. Angels can master any language in a very short time. The demon can use very eloquent vernacular or technical language in speaking through the unbeliever.

And the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (Revelation 16:12-14)

The seven mixing bowls of judgment will take place during the last three and one half years of the Tribulation period. In the middle of the Tribulation, as a part of the Armageddon war, the King of the East will advance on Palestine.

The "three unclean spirits like frogs" refers to the frog plague in Exodus 8:2-6. The plagues were the judgment of God upon the gods of Egypt. They worshiped the frogs. Behind the frogs was a whole system of demon doctrine. Frogs are used here for propaganda or satanic information which is initiated by three high-ranking demons. In the phrase "coming out of the mouth of the dragon" in Revelation 16:12-14, the word dragon in the Greek is DRACHON which means super genius. This will not be some mythical creature. This is a reference to Satan, the super genius. This says that frogs will come out of super genius Satan. The phrase "out of the mouth of the beast," refers to the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire or the false prophet. He will be the antiChrist who will rule Palestine and will be the Jewish dictator during the Tribulation.

"But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite your whole territory with frogs. And the Nile will swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and on your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. So the frogs will come up on you and your people and all your servants." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the streams and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.' So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:2-6)

The spirits of demons performing miraculous signs are the counterfeit signs of 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. This is the tongues and healing movement and other ecclesiastical religious evil propaganda. Political propaganda will come from the ruler of the restored Roman Empire and his right-hand man, the Jewish dictator or the false prophet. There will be significant demon activity here.

that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

It goes on to say in Revelation 16:12-14 that in performing miraculous signs, they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. The great day of God will be the final Battle of Armageddon at the Second Coming. It will be a very quick battle. The Lord will destroy them all with the sword which proceeds from His mouth and with the splendor of His coming.

Speaking in Tongues Today as a Satanic Operation

Today, speaking in tongues is a satanic operation. We're talking about demonic function here. We've pointed out that this temporary spiritual gift was the ability of a Spirit-filled Christian who had the gift prior to 30 A.D. For example, someone with the gift of tongues in Jerusalem would stand up and, although he was thinking of the Gospel in his own language of Chaldean, when he opened his mouth, he might speak in the language of "Put." The language of Put is the Biblical word for Libya which is still a nation today.

Libya will be a part of the King of the South which will attack the Jews in the Tribulation period. When the Jews defeat them, Libya will link up with the King of the North. They will be confederates with Russia when Russia comes down trying to destroy Palestine in the Tribulation period. What we've seen in Russia today has great prophetic significance from the standpoint of glasnost and perestroika. In Russia’s efforts to cause some liberalization and reform, they put out a carrot to attain a certain amount of democracy. The response of the hardliners or the Stalinists caused a coup. This coup could have originally been engineered by those formerly in power or those to gain power. Either way, the whole thing could have been orchestrated to get the West to believe that Russian communists have changed their soul. They never will. They changed their faith, but they never will change their soul. A certain amount of openness, a certain amount of democracy, and freedom might be handed out in minuscule doses to the people to get the West to continue to give billions and billions of dollars in low interest loans. This deception is to try to save the failing Russian economy.

During the Tribulation period, what is likely to happen is Russia, who wants the wealth of the land because of its wrath upon the Jewish people, will attack Israel trying to annihilate all of the Jews completely. Their wrath is against the Jews because of this desire for the wealth of the land.

These are exciting days. We might not have much time left to reach out and lead people to the Lord who are positive at the point of God consciousness. If we don't do it, God's going to find someone else to do it. We could have that marvelous privilege of gathering in the last few members of the Body of Christ and when the last member receives Christ as Savior, completing the Body, the Body goes up. This mystical spiritual Body, of which He is the head, will become the Bride of Christ. Resurrection bodies will be received in the Lord's presence and He will then take us back to His Father's house. We will remain there with Him until the Second Advent.

Thousands of Jews are leaving Ethiopia for Israel. Thousands of Jews have come to Israel from the North. If there is a mass exodus of Jews, it could be the mass migration of the Jews back in the land where they will be a nation among nations. This migration could become the same as indicated by the Bible at the beginning of the Tribulation period. The Rapture could be far closer than we think! Of course, we cannot know with certainty as indicated in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4. The Rapture will come like a thief in the night. However, definite signs will be occurring far ahead of the Rapture to set up the ultimate events of the Tribulation period.

For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4)

Tongues Will Be Part of the Credentials of the Ruler of the Restored Roman Empire

This global spiritual regathering of the Jews will await the Second Coming of Christ. The reason I point that out is that in the Tribulation, as we have already studied, we see there is a great perversion of the Truth. Tongues will be a demonic function and will be part of the credentials of the ruler of the Restored Republic, the King of the West. The European community will become the 10-nation confederation in the Tribulation period.

Remember the poster of the European community. Their official poster depicts a Tower of Babel rising up just as if it was a rebellion of God. The Tower of Babel is depicted rising up out of fields of computers and other high tech hardware. At the top, a circle representing the nations of the European community and each nation is represented by a star turned upside down. This, of course, is the pentagram or the sign of Satan. The whole thing is a demonic operation. The ruler of the Restored Roman Empire will be indwelt by the devil himself. His majesty the devil will find his masterpiece and seek to control the entire earth through the ruler of the Restored Roman Empire.

A part of his propaganda that leads people away from the Truth will be counterfeit signs and counterfeit wonders and miracles, and the tongues movement. We see this from 70 A.D. right on down to the present time. Tongues have not been bona fide since 70 A.D. They fulfilled their purpose. God gave them as a prophecy to warn Israel of the upcoming dispersion when God would destroy their nation because of their rejection of Christ. They had 40 years of evangelism through the gift of tongues. Yet throughout that generation, the overwhelming majority of Jews rejected Christ. There were thousands of Jews who received Christ, becoming the original Hebrew Christians, but the majority rejected Christ. About 500,000 Jews were slaughtered in the siege of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman General. The rest were taken into captivity as described by the historian Josephus.

Demon Possession and the Perversion of the Gift of Tongues

The perversion of the gift of tongues has power involved. However, the power is not the power of God. This perversion involves people being led away by their emotions with their emotions controlling their souls. They get involved in speaking unintelligible gibberish as does the Charismatic Movement. Their whole emphasis is upon feeling, and getting worked up through agonizing, tarrying, and singing very emotional songs. People get themselves worked up through body movement where the emotions take over. This is much like what happens at a rock concert. When the emotions take control, gibberish starts coming out and that's from the power of the Old Sin Nature. However, there is also demonic power. Here, unbelievers are indwelt by the ventriloquist or language demon and speak in the demons' language.

The man in Mark 5:1-2 lived in the first century and behaved in many ways like the mass murderer in Milwaukee, Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed all of those people with cannibalism being involved. Demons love violence. That's one thing to keep in mind. We see it from this passage. It talks about a ventriloquist demon who converses with the Lord Jesus Christ. Mark 5:1-2 says the Lord and His disciples went across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit, came from the tombs to meet Him. This man was demon possessed. The demon had taken over the man’s body, controlled his vocal chords, and spoke to the Lord through this man. This man still had some of his free will left and ran to Jesus. He had heard about the Lord Jesus Christ and about His disciples. Shortly before this time, the Lord had called to His disciples who believed in Him and were to be His followers. These were to be His emissaries and students without portfolio. They believed, obeyed, and related this to others. This man had heard about the Lord Jesus Christ and he knew it within his soul. He had a tinge of feeling still remaining. He had a tinge of volition left and believed this man could help him and ran to meet the Lord Jesus Christ.

And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, (Mark 5:1-2)

The man in Mark 5:3 lived in the tombs. Would you call that an abnormal living condition? You might say that sometimes your bedroom looks like an abnormal living condition, but I don't think any of you live in a tomb. This is usually indicative of people who are demon-possessed where the demon takes over and controls their bodies at will. Remember, Jeffrey Dahmer also lived under very abnormal conditions. Now, as to the man living in the tombs, no one could bind him anymore. He had abnormal strength. This also characterized Dahmer . Of course demons have super intelligence. When a demon controls the body of a person and is using that body to carry out his nefarious activities, there is usually sexual perversion. Demons are very much behind bondage domination and sadomasochism. They sponsor this type of thing. It's obvious that the Marquis de Sade was demon possessed. It’s obvious from reading his journals. Demons can no longer involve themselves in sexual activities or any type of procreation within the angelic or human realm. To compensate, the demons seek their sexual or violent satisfaction through the body they possess and control.

and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; (Mark 5:3)

This man had abnormal living conditions, abnormal strength, and had often been chained hand and foot. He tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. In Mark 5:4-5, he was clearly abnormally strong. Angels are superior to the human intelligence and strength, which is true of elect angels and, of course, fallen angels.

because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. And constantly night and day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and gashing himself with stones. (Mark 5:4-5)

This man was indwelt by many demons. We don't know if the chief demon’s name is Legion, or that there were many demons in him. He may have had the exact number of demons that would comprise a Roman legion. That is certainly possible. A Roman legion consisted of 3,000 to 6,000 men. We really have no information on how many demons were in this man. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out, and cut himself with stones.

There you have it. Abnormal living conditions, abnormal behavior. This is always true where the demon takes over and controls a person. Like the medium or spiritist who is indwelt by a demon, the demon starts controlling his or her vocal chords. He can mimic the voice of a dead person and cause it to appear to be coming from the sky or up out of the earth. When the medium or spiritist goes into their trance, they can’t think because the emotions take over and control their souls. There is no sense or rationality, so the demon just bypasses the human soul and uses his soul to take over the body and communicate to the people in the seance. This keeps those attending the seance from ever receiving Christ as Savior. This again is abnormal behavior whether it's a medium, or someone who is indwelt by a sex or violence demon. Because of the demon influence and control, they are involved in this abnormal criminal behavior.

We must never take the attitude that these people are beyond salvation. We must realize that any unbeliever who becomes demon influenced or demon possessed does so by his own free will. He becomes involved in something that leads to demon possession. It might be the tarot cards. It might be the Ouija board. It might be a horoscope. It might be getting into the cults, especially the spiritists, or a new age cult.

People involved in the New Age Movement today are in one of the fastest growing religions at this time. Much of Satanism has joined up with the New Age Movement. These New Age people think of Lucifer as their Messiah. Over 50% of these people say they talk regularly with the dead. Of course, they don't talk with the dead. They talk with a demon who is impersonating the dead. This always leads to some of the weirdest abnormal behavior found among the New Age people. All you have to do is try to keep up with the kookiest things that Shirley McLane is constantly involved in. The channeller, the spirit from ancient Egypt that speaks through her is a demon. I don't know what she calls him. That's abnormal behavior. There's her book called "Out On A Limb." A Christian apologist wrote a refutation to it and called his book "Out On A Broken Limb." That's what it is. The Bible never advocates New Age dogma or concepts. That is not Christianity. That is the concept of Buddhism and Hinduism dressed up in Christian vocabulary.

The man in Mark 5:6-7 lived in abnormal conditions, with abnormal strength and behavior. Yet, when he saw Jesus from a distance, he recognized the Lord. He ran to the Lord and fell on his knees in front of Him and shouted at the top of his voice. It says he shouted out because his body was the body of a man possessed by demons. He was not really speaking. The ventriloquist demon that was talking was in charge of all the other demons that indwelt this poor unbeliever. It was a very sad and horrible situation to see a person in such a pitiful condition. In the past, however, he had gotten involved in some cult operation that left him wide open for demon possession.

And seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!" (Mark 5:6-7)

He was shouting at the top of his voice, but the demon was talking. Even fallen angels recognize the deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ created all of the angels. One-third of the angels rebelled against Him under the leadership of Lucifer, who became the devil or Satan. A day is coming when all of the demons are going to everlasting fire. All demons will be removed from the earth at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. They will be identified with fire. That's the baptism of fire for demons. They will all be removed. They will go into Tartarus and be kept there until the Great White Throne judgment. Then, they will pass into the Lake of Fire. Because it is not yet their time, the demon pleads with Jesus not to torture him by consigning him with all of the fallen angels to eternal fire.

Mark 5:8-10 is an example of bona fide exorcism. The Lord Jesus Christ has authority over all demons as the unique God-man and the eternal Son of God. Jesus Christ is perfect sinless humanity as well as the Son of God in one person. He is the one who provided salvation for Israel and the entire human race in His first coming. He has authority over the entire angelic realm, whether elect angels who willingly do His bidding, or the demon fallen angels who unwillingly do His bidding. When He tells them to do something, they have to do it, whether they want to or not. Jesus ordered the demons to come out of the man although there could have been as many 3,000 to 6,000 demons involved.

For He had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" And He was asking him, "What is your name?" And he said to Him, "My name is Legion; for we are many." And he began to entreat Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. (Mark 5:8-10)

The Association of Demon Possession with the Practice of Tongues Today

As we go on in Mark 5:11-12, it's very interesting what happened here. When Jesus asked the demon his name, the demon replied, "my name is legion for we are many." He begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them, perhaps thousands, out of the area.

Now there was a big herd of swine feeding there on the mountain. And the demons entreated Him, saying, "Send us into the swine so that we may enter them." (Mark 5:11-12)

A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. This was Palestine, where under the Mosaic Law, Jews were not permitted to raise pigs. They could not eat of this animal, especially in the ancient world. It was a dirty animal. It was a scavenger. It was not like hogs raised today without danger of trichinosis being present. With proper preparation, your sausage, bacon, or ham is perfectly safe. We are not under the Mosaic Law today. These Jews were under the Mosaic Law and they loved this bootleg pork. Nothing tastes better than something you shouldn't have and they were buying it and eating it against the Mosaic Law.

These Jews were responsible for growing these pigs and selling bootleg pork all over Palestine. What hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders! They were saying they were keeping all of the mandate commands and principles and statutes of the Law. However, they were sneaking home and eating ham. In Mark 5:11-12, the demons beg Jesus to send them among the pigs and allow the demons to go into them. Jesus gave them permission and the evil spirits went into the pigs. They were given permission to enter the pigs because the Jews were bootlegging all of the swine over the land. Jesus' sense of humor is shown in the demons being sent into the pigs and causing them to drown in the Sea of Galilee. The herd was about 2,000 in number, but that doesn't mean there were just 2,000 demons. There could have been more than one demon possessing each pig.

Mark 5:13-14 says they rushed down the steep bank into the lake, fell off the cliff and were all drowned. Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside and the people ran out to see what happened. The Lord Jesus Christ caused judgment to come upon the pigs, because the Jews were violating the Law. God judged them for this bootleg pork, but he also judged the demons.

And He gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea. And their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. (Mark 5:13-14)

Mark 5:15-17 says that they came to Jesus and saw what had happened. They saw the man sitting there who had been possessed by the legion of demons. That makes it pretty clear, doesn't it? We had at least 3,000 demons that had indwelt this man. He's sitting there, no longer dressed in abnormal attire, in his right mind with no abnormal behavior, and they were afraid. They were amazed at what had happened. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon possessed man and they told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. Talk about your negative volition! Did they admit they had been out of line or involved with this bootleg pork? No. They knew they had been disobeying the Law of God and what He established for them. They knew they were a special unique client nation to represent Him and bring His Son into the world. Did they think this was the Messiah? He had cast out all these demons. This man had been completely healed. He had been converted to a normal state of mind. They should have realized that this man had to be the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of the world. They should have received Him as their Savior. They should have invited Him to stay and teach them God's Truth. They did not. They told Christ that they didn't want Him around. After all, Jesus Christ had just killed off their lucrative bootleg pig business.

And they came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the "legion"; and they became frightened. And those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. And they began to entreat Him to depart from their region. (Mark 5:15-17)

That had to be the quintessence of materialism. These people preferred to sell hogs on the black market over the free gift of everlasting life. They preferred not to be in that privileged band sitting at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ to receive His teaching. They begged Him to get out of their region. They wanted their illegal operation back again.

In Mark 5:18, as Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him. Jesus did not let him go. He told him to go home to his family and tell them how much the Lord had done for him and how Jesus Christ had mercy on him. Mercy is receiving what you don't deserve. This man didn't deserve this great deliverance and healing, and the wonderful salvation that he received by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. None of us deserve it. He did not receive what he did deserve. He deserved to continue under that horrible demon oppression because he had done things as an unbeliever that invited the demons to come in and take control.

And as He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was entreating Him that he might accompany Him. (Mark 5:18)

The occult can get unbelievers involved in demon possession. False teaching can cause the believer to come under demon influence, but never demon possession. A Christian can never be demon possessed. He can be totally neutralized in going from babyhood to adolescence to maturity in normal spiritual growth because of the reception of the doctrine of demons. All false teaching comes from fallen angels. It comes from demons who are responsible for false doctrine.

We are all responsible for the decisions that we make. These people with their bad decisions begged Jesus to leave. Here we see this man who had been healed. He had been delivered and wanted to follow the Lord. He wanted to become a disciple. The Lord said in Mark 5:19-20 that he could not become a disciple and told him to stay and tell others what Christ had done for him.

And He did not let him, but He said to him, "Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you." And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone marveled. (Mark 5:19-20)

The newborn babe in Christ can tell others about how he or she has received Jesus Christ as their Savior. It doesn't take three to five years after salvation before a person is qualified to witness for Christ as some Bible teachers say. A new born babe can witness simply by telling someone what they did. They can simply say they’ve become a Christian and have just met Jesus Christ. This formerly demon possessed man was told to explain how he believed and found the way of salvation. He was told to tell others how he believed on Jesus Christ and took Him not only as the Messiah of Israel, but as the Savior of the world. He was told to tell others that he had accepted Christ as his personal Savior. Obviously, in staying in that area, the Lord was going to make sure the man was going to have the means of spiritual growth.

The man went away and began to tell about Jesus in Decapolis. He immediately went out and started evangelizing. That's fantastic. His light was shining. The candle was just lit, yet the candle was going everywhere. Some have the idea that we can't be the light of the world or the salt of the earth until we become mature believers. This is not so. One second after salvation, you can tell someone else what you did. You just believed in Christ and received Him as your Savior. That's witnessing. That's testifying. You are just giving your personal testimony.

This man went throughout ten cities. There are believers who have been taking in Bible doctrine for 10 to 20 years who have never witnessed to the glory of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ or told someone else about their believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. They justify this by saying they don't have the gift of evangelism. You don't have to have the gift of evangelism to witness! You can do the work of the evangelist and you can do that one second after salvation. That's exactly what this man did. He did it in the ten cities. Decapolis means there were ten cities around the shore of Galilee. He went to every city telling people about his deliverance and giving his testimony about what Jesus had done for him.

Scripture contains several cases where demons and even elect angels came in and took control of the vocal chords of both animals and people. The first example was his majesty the devil who controlled the vocal chords of the serpent in the Garden and communicated the temptation to Eve. Another example was the Lord permitting an elect angel to indwell Balaam’s donkey. I like to call Balaam’s animal the donkey and Baalam the ass. He was obviously the ass because he was a believer who had apostasized and was totally indifferent to and hateful of Bible truth. He received a message from his own donkey. The Lord permitted the elect angel to give that message through the donkey. The elect angel was controlling the vocal chords of Baalam's donkey and spoke to him in Mesopotamian because that's where Baalam was from. He got the message in his own language. He didn't get it in Hebrew or any other language. He heard it in his own language.

We see that what takes place in the demonic realm can also take place in the realm of the elect angels. However, we are talking about the ventriloquist demons controlling the vocal chords of animals for evil purposes. Satan always likes to ape what's bonafide or what God uses among His own people and the realm of the elect angels. So, Satan, of course, has ventriloquist demons. They have super intelligence. They can master a language or perhaps several languages very quickly. That's how great their intelligence is. They are behind unbelievers speaking in tongues or foreign languages. Satan will use this in the Tribulation period to deceive many, and cause that situation described as strong or powerful delusion. All the satanic propaganda of the religion of the beast during this period will be designed to lead people astray and keep them from receiving Christ.