A Warning!

Preface

I have to admit that it wasn't easy for me to write this book. On the contrary, at times it was extremely difficult just to write a few lines and to put my thoughts clearly into words. Apart from obvious attacks from the enemy, I was constantly questioning myself, examining my motives and asking others to examine them with me. Why write this book? Is it really legitimate to say "the Holy Spirit commanded me to"? Probably my critics will say the same.

I have had the urge to write another book for a long time. At first, I always thought it would have to be a deeper study of a specific area of the prophetic ministry. Various people close to me were also encouraging me to put something else down on paper. Then, contrary to all my expectations, it suddenly all became very concrete and I was particularly astonished when the words "Witchcraft in the Church" established themselves more and more firmly in my mind and would not let me go.

So I felt I was being drawn into a journey of exploration in the Bible, and to write something on the subject of witchcraft. However, the title of this book is "Witchcraft in the Church - God's Antidote" because I believe that it is God's intention to reveal witchcraft in the church, to fight it and to stamp it out. And that is the purpose of this book.

Still, I must also confess that the longer I wrestled with this subject the more questions arose in me. The whole topic is extremely complex and not easy to see clearly. I had to delve deeply and intensely once again into the question of God's being, only to find God turning all my preconceived ideas about Him and what He was like totally upside down. I realized that I myself need a much deeper perception of God and to experience a closeness with Him and His presence if I am really to come to know Him. Writing this has made me really hungry for a closer walk with God in my life. I would like to stress that I have by no means all the answers on this subject. God has the answers and we have to keep on seeking Him and constantly experiencing Him in order to find the answers. And it is vital to note that there is no room in our intellect for these answers. On the contrary, our rational mind will oppose these answers and refuse to grasp them. But God Himself, in His power and sovereignty, can never be grasped intellectually or with our rational minds. I pray therefore, "... that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way." (Eph. 1: 17-23)

Please read the Bible quotations! I have deliberately quoted frequently and at length from the Bible because I believe it is important that God's Word should be at the centre and be read. Peter Winzeler, November 2001

Part I

Holy Spirit, as it is described in the Bible (Acts 1, 8)? We yearn for healing and freedom, and even preach about it, but it occurs all too seldom! What is the reason? Can it be that we Christians are living, paralysed, under a spiritual blanket? Can it be that we are the victims of a deception or illusion? Can it be that we have been bewitched?

Just because this happened to the Galatians in Biblical times, does that mean it couldn't happen to us in our modern era, too? The Greek word used in the original text here in Galatians (ebaskanen) comes from the root "baskaino" and means "to bewitch" or "to cast a spell on". The devil wants to lead the whole world astray (Rev. 20, 8) and this does not exclude Christians by any means. Jesus prophesied it and yet we Christians are often blind to the fact:

"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people... For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-- if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." (Matt. 24: 10-11, 2425)

A Spiritual Supermarket

The church is not a spiritual supermarket where we can satisfy the desires of our flesh and souls. On the one hand, the focus is often on "good vibes". On the other hand, therefore, people want to see manifestations, signs and wonders. Especially in charismatic circles people tend to accept everything unusual and apparently supernatural at face value. However, the Bible tells us something quite different:

"Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thess. 5: 19-22)

ever experience the Holy Spirit in action in our services and evangelisations. Are we really seeking the depth of God? Are we cleansing ourselves from sin by repenting and turning away from our own ways? Do we seek reconciliation with God and our brothers and sisters through the blood of Jesus? Do we refuse compromise and false solidarity with the world? Do we sanctify ourselves by His truth, by prayer and through His Word? Personally I believe - and I know that this is a daring statement - that there is more witchcraft in the church today than there is prophetic revelation.

What Does God Want Of Us Today?

God is preparing the Bride for His Son. The body of Christ must be cleansed and sanctified. Spiritually generated unity will ensure that the Bride is adorned more and more. God wants a Bride without blemish or wrinkles, a holy Bride for Jesus. This is why God is calling Christians to repent. We should all worship Him. He wants to free us from witchcraft and the power system of Babylon. He wants to purge spiritual arrogance, snobbishness and pride from our lives. We are to turn aside from the worship of institutions, religious systems, names, churches, ministries, gifts and individuals! He wants to lead us back to His presence, to His "Shechinah", the divine glory and indwelling of the presence of God in people (Rev. 21, 3). But those who don't turn away from their pious sorcery and Christian idol worship will have no share in the glory of God here on earth, nor in the Tree of Life in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21, 8; 22, 18-19).

Revival or Judgment?

This little book is a very serious appeal to the Church of Jesus. An appeal to repent, to turn aside and to seek holiness, before God imposes it on us on the Day of Judgment. "If church leaders would only stop playing church and become what God has called them to be, a genuine revival would break out in our churches!"²

Yes, I believe in revival. However, I do not believe that we will see it unless we repent and undergo a real change of heart. Revival has its price, just as genuine obedience has its price, Today, God is looking for people who chase after Him wholeheartedly and are not just after a share in a wishy-washy Christian grace, anointing, and blessing from God.

"For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." (2 Chr 16: 9)

I sense there is a one-sidedness today, especially among the prophetic voices in the western church, where there is primarily talk of revival and grace and very little about judgment and God's justice. Do we really know the only true and sovereign God?

"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; ... The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Ps. 34: 16.19)

The Problem of the Church

"Men are God's method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men... what the church needs today is not more or better machinery, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use - men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer!'³

But in our present-day "Christian" era - or rather, "post-Christian" western world - the church has a massive problem: it has no more power! It is no longer the church built on the Rock of Jesus and planted on the Hebraic root of the Messiah (Rev. 22: 16). "Although wherever Christianity penetrated, it forced occultism into the background, many Christians still remained true to their old ideas and kept up old practices. (. ..) In so-called 'Christian' Europe sorcerers and astrologers were highly regarded during the Mediaeval period. The Enlightenment pushed occultism further into the background. But it was precisely the over-valuation of human reason that often stimulated man's neglected emotional and mystical yearnings. ^A

Could it be that we have fallen for one of the devil's oldest lies, namely that humans are like God, or at least can produce divine results? The devil was not only a liar, destroyer and murderer from the beginning; he was also a sorcerer, as we shall see.

Introduction

Something Is Wrong With Us, But What?

"You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" Galatians 3: 1.3

The secret has been out for a long time: the Church in the western world is sick. Terribly sick. While Harry Potter, Pokemon and all the other offspring of Hell are making fortunes in this highly developed occult society of ours, seducing our children in spite of their "Christian upbringing", we Christians are busy "playing church".

"In the 21st century we are living in an age of vagabond religiosity, of soft occultism, of technologisation that even invades artificial worlds and, simultaneously, the renaissance of magic in its most varied forms. You can find countless addresses and websites on topics such as magic, sorcery, witches, witchcraft on the Internet, just as you can in bookstores, "I

We think we can escape from the spirit of this world and protect ourselves at the same time by cutting ourselves off from everyday life, almost like a sect. While the Devil is slaking our children's spiritual thirst and providing them with supernatural experiences in the demonic realms, we have not the slightest inkling that anything could be wrong with us! We are far too busy distancing ourselves from the false doctrines of our so-called brothers and sisters in neighboring churches and seeking our own wellbeing in ministry and church service, to have any energy left over for us to resist the devil! The saddest part is that we are still absolutely convinced that everything is fine just as it is. And yet we are seriously sick.

We Christians are sick because we seriously lack God's presence and nearness. The membership of individual churches is stagnating or even declining. The members themselves are often impotent, living in sin and bondage, and simply unable to get free, whereas church leaders are busy, above all, in expanding their ministries, empire-building, and frantically hanging on to their position and power. We may well talk of the power of God and preach sermons about it, but where is it, this mighty power of the Holy Spirit, as it is described in the Bible (Acts 1, 8)? We yearn for healing and freedom, and even preach about it, but it occurs all too seldom! What is the reason? Can it be that we Christians are living paralyzed, under a spiritual blanket? Can it be that we are the victims of a deception or illusion? Can it be that we have been bewitched?

A Spiritual Supermarket

"Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thess. 5: 19-22)

Testing is not the same as quenching the spirit or dulling the Holy Spirit. Yet we often don't know how to test something in a healthy manner, or have no time to do so. Just as if we were in a spiritual supermarket, we consume everything that somehow looks spiritual or could make us feel good. All the same, the church is the dwelling place of God because the church is the body of believers, who in turn are a temple of the Holy Spirit. It should all go as He determines it and not as we would like it to go! We must stop, once and for all, playing at churches and chapels. We cannot go on living in such a superficial relationship with Jesus. We cannot replace the Holy Spirit by programs aimed at humans! Have we still not yet noticed that His presence has almost completely disappeared from our churches and congregations? Haven't we yet noticed how cold our hearts are growing? It is only because God still grants us His grace that we ever experience the Holy Spirit in action in our services and evangelizations. Are we really seeking the depth of God? Are we cleansing ourselves from sin by repenting and turning away from our own ways? Do we seek reconciliation with God and our brothers and sisters through the blood of Jesus? Do we refuse compromise and false solidarity with the world? Do we sanctify ourselves by His truth, by prayer and through His Word? Personally I believe - and I know that this is a daring statement - that there is more witchcraft in the church today than there is prophetic revelation.

What Does God Want Of Us Today?

Revival or Judgment?

"For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." (2 Chr 16: 9)

"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; ... The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Ps. 34: 16.19)

The Problem of the Church

What is Witchcraft?

'Do not practice divination or sorcery. “Leviticus 19: 2 6”

I realize that some will be shaking their heads by now when they hear phrases like "witchcraft in the church", "pious sorcery" and "Christian idol worship". I can also hear people saying, "Oh yes, that happens among them, but not among us! And certainly not to me!" Watch out! Because if this is how you are thinking, you are already caught in the sticky cobweb of sorcery. For sorcery always operates against the unity of the Spirit and against fellowship with God. It boosts the ego and pushes pride, especially among religious-minded people. In order to track down the secret of "witchcraft in the church" - and above all, to recognize and to combat it - we need to define what we mean by "witchcraft".

Brief Definition of Witchcraft

Witchcraft is a work of the flesh (Gal. 5: 19-21) which opens the door to a demonic power that bewitches people (Gal. 3: 1) with the result that they assume and exercise a counterfeit spiritual authority and position which has not been given to them by God, in order to manipulate, dominate and control other people, and to do so consciously or unconsciously, in place of the working and anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Occultism

First of all there is witchcraft or sorcery, which we all recognize immediately and with which we definitely do not want to be involved. This includes the whole of occultism, the whole range of esoteric practices in all its forms of magic rituals:

"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no-one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD Your God has not permitted you to do so." (Deut. 18: 9-14).

So much is plain to us: we want nothing to do with this blatant witchcraft and we don't even want to get anywhere near such people (although in my counseling ministry I constantly come across Christians who are involved in occult practices such as horoscopes, pendulums, spiritual healers, natural healers etc. and who are thus under the influence of witches and sorcerers),

Spiritual Power and Counterfeit Spiritual
Authority

There is, however, yet another form of witchcraft. This witchcraft has nothing to do with blatant rituals or occult practices. In brief: witchcraft is counterfeit spiritual authority. It makes use of an unholy spirit to dominate, manipulate and control others. It is a spiritual power which a person assumes, consciously or unconsciously, and uses to his or her own advantage. Among primitive pagan peoples who believe in animism, it is called "life force".

I prefer to use and understand the expression "witchcraft" as an umbrella term for any kind of spiritual power that does not have its source in Jesus and does not operate through the Holy Spirit. This life force is not a spirit or any individual spiritual being. It is essentially more like a substance or an energy. The best comparison is with anointing or power, except that this anointing and power do not come from the Holy Spirit. The spirits who operate with this power or force are unholy ones, who influence anyone who opens the door to them. (This, unfortunately, happens very quickly and without our being aware of it.) This happens if we don't accept our place, allocated by God, in the general scheme of things, in our family and congregation, if we are discontented, rebellious, or even resigned. Witchcraft also takes effect where we try to do things for God out of our own strength or if we attempt to purchase the love of God or the gifts of the Holy Spirit by our religious achievements. It happens wherever we recommend or ordain ourselves for a ministry, and push our way into a spiritual office or position of leadership. This power of witchcraft begins by confusing the Biblical image of God, then distorting it and finally replacing it by a false image of God. It will affect us by changing our personality and finally making us a different person.

When this happens we have already reached a stage where we need outside help, because we are then already in a state of confusion or double-mindedness in which we are unable to distinguish the Holy Spirit from magic. This force prevails wherever the Holy Spirit is not operating exclusively. This "life force" is to be found wherever the Spirit of God is not moving. It fills the whole atmosphere, since the prince of this world still has influence and the prophecies of Isaiah and Habakkuk have not yet been fulfilled:

"They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the

sea. "(Isaiah 11: 9)

"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." (Hab: 2, 14).

Therefore, until the time comes, we must do everything in our power to make sure that we live our lives in a way that allows us to really know Jesus and His Holy Spirit and to have a deep, living relationship with him. There are difficult times ahead. But those who know God will also know the "secret place", His "Shechinah" (God's dwelling-place among mankind) and they will have the antidote for witchcraft.

Distinguishing between Sorcery, Divination
and Witchcraft

The Bible does not distinguish between sorcery (magic) and witchcraft. Various terms are used in the Greek of the New Testament depending on the kind of witchcraft. In the Old Testament there is a detailed list of the occult practices that are an abomination to God (Deut.18:9-18).

The main distinction in this book is that sorcery is concerned with controlling, manipulating and dominating, in other words, influencing and commanding other people, spirits or even God himself. Depending on the form it takes, it usually consists chiefly in indirect contact with demons, magic words, actions and rituals, formulas and curses. Sorcery is within everyone's grasp and anyone can perform it.

Divination and fortune-telling is a special form of sorcery or magic aiming at making contact with the unseen world. It deals with knowledge and insights gained from the unseen world and which are normally inaccessible to humans. This knowledge is obtained using horoscopes, clairvoyance, table tapping and glass moving, Ouija boards, cards, pendulums and other methods of questioning the unseen world. There are two types of fortune-telling: out-and-out phony’s operating with tricks, and people who have so-called mediumistic faculties. Frequently these people have a genuine gift from God, but because of their godless way of life it is being misused by the devil. Anyone who has been involved in the realm of divination or the occult and is converted to Jesus must first of all experience release and deliverance from these powers before the Holy Spirit can heal, cleanse and renew the divine gift of prophecy. It is a mistake for people who have come from an esoteric or occult background, and have repented and been converted, to be allowed to work straight away in a prophetic ministry. However, the Bible does not distinguish between fakes and mediums, since in the New Testament the same term can be used for deception and sorcery. Sorcery always cheats us, wanting to deceive and seduce us.

Witchcraft on the other hand is a higher, more subtle level of sorcery. It includes secret knowledge available only to initiates and operates through fetishes, amulets and other objects, as well as by directly invoking demonic forces through the witches and wizards themselves. This category also includes shamans, medicine men, witch-doctors, spirit-healers, magicians etc. There is frequently direct contact with demons. Most witches and wizards have made a pact with the devil and dedicated themselves to his service. They are usually possessed. They act as experts in their particular area. However, it is not easy to draw the line between sorcery and witchcraft. All the same, it must be said that in addition to people who are fully aware of being witches there are also some who are witches without being consciously aware of the fact. Especially in Pentecostal and charismatic churches, the possibility of there being Pentecostal or charismatic witches exists!5 Both conscious and unconscious witchcraft is an abomination to God and is condemned, for sorcery and witchcraft are always mixed up with spiritual prostitution, which is idolatry. Conscious or deliberate witchcraft deserves the death penalty:

"Do not allow a sorceress to live." (Exod. 22: 18; cf. Acts 13, 6-11; Rev. 21, 8)

"You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads." (Lev. 20: 26.27)

Although it normally develops rapidly into demonic power, sorcery and witchcraft have their sources in our fleshly nature. The attempt to manipulate others by applying emotional pressure is an elementary form of sorcery, even if motivated by a desire to serve the Lord.

Our Fleshly Nature - A Neutral Place?

Many Christians live in the belief - or rather, under the delusion - that the unseen world is divided into three parts. They think of the tripartite image of man: spirit - soul - body; or they argue from the Holy Trinity: Father - Son - Holy Spirit; and hence they believe that the "flesh" is a neutral area of the unseen world. This belief is usually not immediately obvious. It derives from a humanistic way of thinking colored by Greek philosophy, which in turn is a fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

"Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig-tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear

figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water... Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you Find disorder and every evil." (James 3: 10-12; 15-16)

James makes it very clear here that there is only light or dark, and no "twilight zone". What is translated here as "earthly, unspiritual, of the devil" could also be translated as "fleshly, sensual and demonic". It is a gross error to believe that the flesh is a neutral place! This is impossible, as there is only the visible world and the invisible world.

"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and -on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." (Col. 1: 16)

The Bible shows us that the world we cannot see is in fact the real world. For what is visible is temporal, transient; but what is invisible is eternal (2 Cor. 4,18). Our flesh (in Greek: sarx) is by no means neutral, it has fallen away from God and therefore is predestined to permit sin to enter and with sin, demonic influences. The flesh is often the door the devil uses to slip into our lives and to separate us from God. We Christians are also "flesh". The Greek word "sarx" refers to the corporeal envelope, the body, of a creature. But it also means human nature, our earthly aspect. This earthly side has been opposing God from the moment man fell from grace. It is the basis of sin and rebellion against God.

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal. 5: 19-21)

Therefore, whoever walks in the flesh and behaves as if he were acting in the spirit has not only committed a "fleshly" error but has also opened a door for the demonic powers of sorcery, magic and witchcraft.

Now that we have defined witchcraft we shall go on in the next chapter to find out where it comes from and where the origin and source of witchcraft is in the church.

The Source: Separation from the Root

"These are the men who divide you, [people] who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit." Jude 1: 19

Actually, the source of witchcraft and why it has gained entry among mankind is very simple and easy to find. Man was taken in by Satan's lies, disobeyed God, and thus cast himself out of Paradise by breaking his relationship with God. The moment that this' happened a vacuum was created in the human soul which man, now being separated from God, tried to fill with a substitute, a similar substance to the presence of God. Over the course of the centuries this separation has been repeated over and over again in different ways so that the powers of witchcraft have gained entry more and more into Christianity. This has remained so until this day, although most Christians don't realize whose spirit they really are. In the following paragraphs I will show how these separations occurred and what the consequences were.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

Probably the greatest mistake man ever made was that fateful bite into a forbidden fruit! We don't even know what kind of fruit it was and what it tasted like. That is, however, irrelevant because it was not the fruit that caused man to fall but his rebellion and disobedience before he took that bite. So what was this Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil doing in the Garden of Eden in the first place? And while we're on the subject, how come Satan, in the form of the serpent, had the right to be there anyway? Really, God must have known it was all going to go wrong! If you use this argument, you are blaming God for your own failure. These are precisely the arguments that humanists use. "Yes, but if God is love, why does he let all these disasters and so much injustice happen on the earth?" It is not God, but man himself who has distanced himself from God by his disobedience and rebellion, and who therefore must bear the consequences. God said:

"Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (Genesis 1: 26)

and not "Come on, let's make some puppets who will be governed by us and the powers of darkness!" Right from the very beginning God gave man authority and responsibility. Together with life came the authority to rule and the responsibility to make decisions. The whole story has a lot more to it than appears at first sight. It is much more profound than we think, indeed so profound that I believe we still have to bear the consequences of these events in Paradise in spite of our redemption through the blood of Jesus.

God made man and planted a garden for him. Don't think God only planted a couple of trees, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. On the contrary:

"And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2: 9)

So don't think that Adam was standing there with just two trees in front of him, and the devil putting pressure on him to make up his mind. God had created a whole garden full of trees, and the Tree of Life was in the middle. What a prophetic picture of Jesus, who is life itself. This was the most valuable tree in the whole garden, and man was allowed to eat its fruit! For God had said:

"You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (Genesis 2: 16-17)

Thus, the Tree of Life was at that time in no way taboo! Man was even supposed to enjoy eating its fruit, that was what God had commanded. The only restriction imposed on man was not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The devil used tactics that could only have been foiled by absolute obedience to God's word.

1. The devil approached the woman (Gen. 3: 1). When God gave Adam the command, the woman had not yet been created (Gen. 2: 17. 22). Thus God put the onus on Adam. The devil made his attempt through the back door. We see quite clearly that Eve had been informed by Adam, for when the devil tempted her on her own and in secret, she knew perfectly well what God had said and also what the consequences of disobeying this command would be (Gen. 3: 23). However, she had probably only had her instructions from Adam and not direct from God.

2. The devil took God's words, which probably only Adam had heard direct, and twisted them.

3. Satan enticed Eve by offering her a secret, and aroused greed (the desire to have what she saw) and pride.

The devil knew that if he could get man to fall into the same sin that he had fallen into, he would have power over mankind and would capture his territory. This is why he didn't ask the direct question: "Did God say you must not eat from the Tree of Knowledge?" but instead turned it around and generalized the words of God:

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" (Genesis 3, 1)

God had actually said the very opposite: that they could and should eat from all of the trees in the garden, with one small exception! Only at the second attempt, when the woman had joined in conversation with the serpent, did he question what God had said:

"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3: 4-5)

Never get into a conversation with the serpent. Jesus told us Himself that we should be as shrewd as serpents (Mat. 10: 16) but as guileless as doves. We should never think we are clever enough to outwit the devil. Others believed this before us, and were led astray (Rev. 2: 24). God has never told man to chat with the serpent. Man was to name all the creatures and to rule over them (Gen. 1: 26; 2: 19). The moment we get involved in discussions with the devil he will bewitch us and bedazzle us or fascinate us by something else that will draw us away from God. An experienced man of God once said, at a deliverance ministry I was attending: "Don't get discussing with devils, just drive them out!"6 How right he was. At any rate, Eve got herself involved in a discussion with the devil about what God had said. That is something we should never do. The devil is very clever and knows the word of God so well that he even dared to have a theological discussion with Jesus Himself. The devil tempted Jesus by using arguments taken from the Word of God (Mat. 4: 3-11)! Jesus didn't argue with him. He simply countered with the Word of God, but correctly quoted. Eve, however, was dazzled - or bewitched, bothered and bewildered - even before she had eaten the fruit, in the moment that

.. the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (Genesis 3, 7)

The story shows that if we start chatting with the devil we are immediately exposed to the power of witchcraft. We can also see that witchcraft can be around us and influencing us before we have sinned. Eve ate of the fruit and Adam was not man enough to guide his wife in the right way. Instead of rebuking her and getting her to repent, he accepted the fruit from her and ate it too. An interesting point is that during the whole time Adam never once intervened although he was nearby (Gen. 3, 6)! There is absolutely no reason to blame the woman. Adam was there all along and watched the whole thing without lifting a finger. Probably he, too, was dazzled and unable to resist.

The Result and the Consequences

It had happened. Both had now eaten of the forbidden fruit. The whole of mankind had now fallen, not just a part. And indeed, their eyes were opened, but not in the way the serpent had promised them. Even if Satan promises you something that looks really tempting and good, never forget: he will always use the truth as well as lies to fool and bewitch you. As a result of their disobedience, Adam and Eve had gained more knowledge but they were transferred from the spiritual plane to the carnal plane. This knowledge was of the soul, which is fleshly, and not a gift of discernment by the Holy Spirit. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is like the Tree of the Soul, whereas the Tree of Life represents the spirit. This was a fundamental shift, a total bewitchment of mankind. When they realized that they were naked, they hid from God, although they ought to have known that you can't hide from God. But they had lost this spiritual insight. Instead of the bond between the human spirit and the spirit of God, a bond of the soul with the powers of darkness had come into existence (Gen. 3: 711).

The consequence of this terrible story was, and still is for many people, that they had to move out of the Garden of Eden, the constant presence of God, and were separated from God. Not until all of this had happened did God have to take drastic measures. Now he had to protect the Tree of Life from men, forbid man to eat its fruit and drive him out. He even set mighty angels at the entrance to the garden to make quite certain that man, in his sin, would not have eternal life on earth (Gen. 3: 22-24). The consequence was not "only" that man was banned from God's presence, which was spiritual death, but from then on man would also have to die a natural death because he was no longer allowed to eat of the Tree of Life and dwell in the company of the Eternal. Pain and sweat, more consequences for the body and soul, were among the results of incorrect human behavior.

Animism - Belief in Spirits

Animism or simply a belief in the spirit world is at the root of all religion. From the very start darkness lay above the original waters (Gen 1: 2), in other words: the spirit world existed even before the earth was created. Into this darkness, into this spirit world, God gives His light, His Messiah, who divides the light from the darkness (Gen. 1: 3-4). This all occurs before the foundations of the earth are laid (cf. John 1: 1 et seq.; Col. 1: 15-18; 1 Peter 1: 18-19). God made sure that His light was accessible to man at all times. Thus Paradise provided a place in which man could have intimate fellowship with God and where the Tree of Life (Jesus is life) stood in the middle (Gen. 2: 9). With whom did Adam walk in the garden in the cool of the evening? With God the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit? (Gen. 3: 8).

In Hebrew, it says here "Yahweh Elohim" meaning "God the Lord". It could be translated as the "only existing God" and in Hebrew, interestingly, it is in the plural form. So there are at least two, but two who form a perfect unity. Also in Hebrew the word "ruach" is used, translated here as "cool of the evening". However, "ruach" is the Hebrew term used for the Spirit of God! God, in his fullness, was very near and in close fellowship with man, but with the Fall, and the exclusion of man from Paradise and from close proximity to God, this intimate organic-spiritual fellowship broke down. Since then, man has been seeking ways to get back to God or even to become God Himself. Since the Fall man had lost his authority to Satan (Gen. 1: 26; 3, 13-19), the Prince of this world (Luke 4: 5-7; John l4, 30) and since that time animism, the darkness of the spirit world, has been the breeding ground and starting point for every religion. Forms of animism are found in all religions, in Christianity, in Judaism+, in Islam, in Hinduism and in Buddhism. Especially where words are used to work magic, as an incantation to invoke spirits, worship ancestors or saints, or to strive for vital force, forms of animism can be seen. For instance, Christians can also invoke the name of Jesus Christ as a magic word in a deliverance ministry, or use the body and blood of Jesus in a magic ritual. Even exaggerated striving for anointing and calling repeatedly on the Holy Spirit is equivalent to conjuring up spirits. Where does it say in the Bible that we should call on the Holy Spirit in this way? Naturally, I also talk to the Holy Spirit, as I have a relationship with Him. In a relationship, we talk to one another, otherwise it is not a relationship (John 14: 26; 15, 26).

However, only in the Book of the prophet Ezekiel is there a place where a person speaks to the Spirit of God and then it is only at the command of God Himself (Ezek. 37: 9). The apostles asked God for the Holy Spirit and obeyed the Word of God, so God anointed them with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4: 29-31). Jesus Himself said that we should ask Him and the Father for the Holy Spirit (Luke 11: 9-13). Should we not pay more attention to the testimony of the Bible in such matters? Here again, the Hebrew helps us. God the Father has a personal name: Yahweh or Jehovah. God the Son also has a personal name: Jesus (actually: Yeshua). The Spirit of God, however, has no personal name, "only" a description of His Being and purpose: spirit, wind, comforter, supporter, advocate, teacher. This is something we should consider in our prayers and times of worship.

Animism thus provides not only the source of witchcraft in the church, but it is the most existential form of witchcraft. Whoever becomes involved in witchcraft, therefore, whether deliberately or unconsciously, is tapping into the spirit world of animism.

Anti-Semitism and Replacement Theology

Anti-Semitism is a fundamental form of sorcery and at the same time one of the main gateways for admitting witchcraft into the church. Anti Semitism is one of the strongest of the powers of darkness that exist. Especially in the church in Europe and in the western world, Christian Anti Semitism is widespread and has poisoned believers to a great extent by replacement theology. We have found that witchcraft tries to replace what is authentic, genuine and chosen by God, by putting a fake in its place. Witchcraft refuses to comply with the will of God (Jer. 23: 18-22; Acts 13: 8).

This is exactly what anti-Semitism does. It refuses to comply with the eternal will of God. God was pleased, in His wisdom and sovereignty, to choose Abraham and to conclude an eternal covenant with him.

"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen. 12: 2-3)

From Abraham, a great nation was to arise and all the people of the earth would be blessed. Abraham came from the line of Shem (Gen 11: 10-26) and the nation that was to arise from him was Israel. The promise made to Abraham passed via Isaac to Jacob and from Jacob came a nation: the people of Israel (Gen. 32: 29). God chose Israel for all eternity and through Israel, all the nations were to recognize that He, the Holy One of Israel, alone is God (Deut. 14: 2; 1 Kings 8: 43). From Israel came forth the Messiah, the Root or Branch (Isaiah 11: 2) and salvation would come from the Jews (John 4: 22).

The first church was Jewish, the entire Bible is Jewish and Jesus was a Jew! One of the devil's greatest lies is replacement theology which claims that the Christian community or church has now taken Israel's place and that therefore all the promises apply only to the church. The Jews and Israel are rejected. The so-called "murderers of God" are affected only by the judgment and wrath of God. This false doctrine has been the basis for all the persecution of the Jews throughout the history of the church and it was also the basis for Hitler's holocaust. It is sorcery of the highest order, a total twisting of the word of God by ecclesiastical theology, which even today still causes Christians to reject and inflict pain on the Jews. Yet the Bible says something completely different. We Gentile believers have been grafted by grace into the Israel of God (Gal. 6: 16), the true olive tree (Rom. 9: 11). By God's choosing Israel, we become co-heirs of the promise, fellow citizens of the saints and therefore members of God's household (Eph. 2: 19). The church of God and Bride of Jesus is made up of believing Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2: 10-18). We belong together, but we have by no means replaced Israel! On the other hand, we must not glorify Israel falsely and drift off into a kind of religious magic as "Israel fans". Neither is it necessary for us Gentile believers to become Jews in the flesh, but only in our hearts.

Jewish believers can be a great help to us in learning to understand the Word of God better, and leading a life before God according to the scriptures. We need them and they need us. However, we must not forget that Israel is the firstborn son among the sons (Exodus 4: 22; Jer. 31: 9) and also that the gospel belongs to the Jews first (Romans 1: 16). Once we have let anti-Semitic doctrine or theology into our church, the door is then wide open for false doctrines and the effects of witchcraft to operate on us. The first church was Jewish and able to distinguish witchcraft from the Spirit of God (Acts 8: 8-24; 13: 6-13; 16: 16-18). It fought against witchcraft in the church. Yet ever since the church turned away more and more from the Jewish brothers and sisters and their religious beliefs during the first centuries AD, especially since the council of Nicaea in 325 AD when the church officially renounced everything Jewish and even went so far as to condemn them, witchcraft has had free access to the church. Without exception, all the church fathers were infected by it in one form or another. All churches, whether catholic, protestant, Lutheran, Anglican, or free churches, were built on this theological foundation. Here again, there has been a division, a separation from the root. The church has not only separated itself from Israel but also from the stump and branch of David (Isaiah _ 11: 2; 53: 2; Rev. 22: 16).

Anti-Semitism, which is attempting to foil God's will, aims to destroy God's choosing of Israel so that the church cannot achieve its objective, either. I would like to make two last comments here in this connection:

1. If God's promises to Israel are no longer valid, who then tells us that the promises will be fulfilled for the church and for me personally, e.g. my salvation?

2. Anyone who is politically too far to the right, who loves Israel but hates the Arabs and Palestinians, might also be a victim of Anti Semitism, since the Arabs are also descended from Abraham and therefore Semites, with a promise from God as a people. (Gen 17: 29; Isaiah 19: 20-25; Zechariah 9: 6-8)!

Our attitude should not tend politically to the right nor be Christian-racist and thus anti-Semitic, but we should have a full and complete Biblical picture of God's plan for salvation and his choice of Israel, the church and His Bride, and we should close the door to witchcraft in the church by turning away from our false church theology and repenting of our false Christian actions. As long as Israel behaved faithfully and obediently to the Word of God and lived in the will of God, the genuine prophetic word that Balaam uttered about Israel wais true:

"There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'See what God has done!"' (Num. 23: 23)

This promise would also apply to the church and to the Gentiles if they had not renounced Israel and violated God's Word by their Christian anti Semitism!

Discerning the Word of God:

Old Testament and New Testament

What happened over centuries of church history is today the fundament of belief for many Christians. The value and significance of the Old Testament is considered to be different from the New Testament and therefore of less value. This is anti-Semitism hiding behind a Christian front. Jesus' view of the Old Testament was very different from that of many Christians today:

"I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5: 18-20)

Now it is of course legitimate to say that Jesus is here talking prophetically about the gospels and the New Testament. But the only scriptures that Jesus had were the Torah, the Prophets and the Books of Psalms, in other words the Old Testament. Jesus also foretells consequences here for those who abuse the Word of God in this way: they will end up as the least in the Kingdom of God. However, Jesus goes even further. He tells us that if we leave out the Old Testament and disobey God's commandments, then our righteousness will be no better than that of the religious intellectual or nominal Christians, and we will not go to Heaven. The whole of the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation must be anchored in our hearts, permeate our lives and determine our behavior. If the Word of God is alive and growing inside us through the Holy Spirit, the Word of God will also demonstrate its power in our life and not just intellectual wisdom. St Paul asks us:

"What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would

not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good." (Romans 7: 7-12)

Through the Old Testament, the Torah, or the Law, as it is frequently incorrectly translated, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and convicts us of sin! From my own observation I see that in churches where little attention is paid to the Old Testament, the sins of the congregation are tolerated and the discipline which should be enforced by the congregation - a precept fully in keeping with the New Testament - is non-existent. If we take the Word of God in the Old Testament to mean something different from what it means in the New Testament we are placing ourselves above God and His will, are profaning the Word and are therefore blind. This has far-reaching consequences in the body of Christ. It is one of the results of the separation between man and God, which has also brought forth suffering, and division in the body of Christ.

Confusion in Church and Congregation

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Tim: 4.1)

It is true that general confusion reigns in the church and among the congregation. There are so many denominations which claim to have the pure doctrine and there are so many different doctrines about, that believers and even church leaders no longer know what's what in their beliefs! Many believers I have met have absolutely no idea of the direction they are to follow, are confused and bewildered as to what God wants for their lives. A sorry plight - spiritual apathy and total paralysis. Again, I personally believe that this is a consequence of the church becoming separated from the Hebrew roots and the arrogance which profanes God's Word. Half of the foundation on which the church stands is missing, and this foundation is therefore a false and very dangerous one. Extreme right and left attitudes are becoming visible and are very rarely corrected by the leaders with God's clarity, wisdom and authority.

The church is in a dilemma and - to a great extent - it hasn't even noticed. What Isaiah described is, unfortunately, now an everyday fact in many churches: lived in the will of God, the genuine prophetic word that Balaam uttered about Israel wais true:

"There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'See what God has done!"' (Num. 23: 23)

This promise would also apply to the church and to the Gentiles if they had not renounced Israel and violated God's Word by their Christian anti Semitism!

Discerning the Word of God:

Old Testament and New Testament

"What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would

"When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations-I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts, my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow... See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her-- but now murderers! Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them." (Isaiah 1: 12-17, 21-23)

A Distorted Image of God

Because of our one-sided foundation based largely only on grace and not on God's justice, we automatically have a one-sided, distorted image of God. We want love, acceptance, forgiveness, consolation, healing and grace, and that is precisely what our image of God looks like. We would rather have nothing to do with the strict, just, holy God of the Old Testament. "After all, God is no longer like that nowadays. At that time, when He was Jehovah, yes, but today He is our Father, who loves His children." Yes, but it is only part of the truth.

The New Testament explains it to us: "for our 'God is a consuming fire'." (Heb. 12: 29)

"Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shall be cut off." (Romans 11: 22)

The Holy Spirit even killed believers in the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5: 1 - 11). How would we react if this kind of divine holiness and just righteousness were to reign in our churches? If we knew we could die if we played around carelessly with the Holy Spirit? Can we even imagine such a thing happening in this day and age?

A distorted or false image finally results in a dangerous form of dualism which declares that the God of the Old Testament and the Jews is different from the God of the New Testament and the Christians! The apostle John took a strong line in combating this false doctrine which is also to be found in gnosticism, a dualistic philosophy. Even the gnostic Marcion around 150 AD banned everything Jewish from the Bible. We also find this kind of tendency in Luther, who described the letters of Jude and James as "straw epistles"7. Let us not forget: whoever profanes the Word of God will become blind, one-sided and extremist.

Over-emphasis on God's grace and
goodness

If half the foundation is missing on which a belief is built, the fruit of this belief will be an unbalanced or double-minded personality. In a few circles there is a tendency towards extreme legality. But in many parts of the body of Christ there is an over-emphasis on God's grace, goodness and love. Grace is of tremendous importance, for it is by grace alone that we are saved. This is something I have experienced myself.

But God wants us to lead a life of justice and righteousness and not to exploit His grace shamelessly for our own spiritual satisfaction. If only the grace of God is stressed and not His justice and righteousness, our Christianity is unbalanced and there is a vacuum in our lives that needs to be filled somehow. And it is precisely at this point that we are split and have neither protection nor authority to stand up successfully against the attacks of the enemy and the temptations of the world. Whoever has a split or double image of God will also be double-minded in his personality. We may well proclaim that we are free and healed but this is a spiritual and natural reality in very few cases. In the same way, there is a lot of talk about revival, which is not wrong, but nobody wants to hear about God's judgment. I have personally been forbidden by a dear brother to prophesy God's judgment. The problem is that we have a distorted image of God and therefore a wrong understanding of justice and judgment. All the same, at all costs we must stop consoling ourselves with religious lies!

Up to now we have been dealing with the origin and source of witchcraft in the church, and hence also the ways it gains entry and some of its consequences. In the next section we will look at the different forms taken by witchcraft in the church.

PART II:

Witchcraft In The

Church

Introduction:

God gave His people His Ten Commandments. As a basic principle it can be said that witchcraft or sorcery is always a violation of the first three Commandments:

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. fist Commandment] You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments. [2nd Commandment] You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. [3rd Commandment]" Exod 20:2-7

It is not just a matter of obvious "other gods" and idols. Anything can become a god before Jesus. Anything or anyone who tries to take Jesus' place in our lives or even to occupy an equal place with Him is an idol. In this passage of the Bible we also see the connection between serving idols - which is witchcraft - and the sins of the fathers being visited on the children for generations to come. Also, the importance of God's name is expressed here. Very often the name of God is misused for purposes of sorcery, even among Christians (although they may be doing so unwittingly). These three commandments are of decisive significance if we are to be able to understand the connection with witchcraft in the church. They should be wholly familiar to us, indeed, engraved on our hearts!

Witchcraft in the church has many faces. There are three main "princes" which can manifest themselves in churches through the power of witchcraft and which can paralyze or even kill a church. These "princes" are:

	the spirit of religiosity / the religious spirit
	the spirit of humanism / the humanist spirit
	the spirit of Jezebel / the Jezebel spirit

Who Is Nehushtan?

"He (Hezekiah] did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel." II Ki 18: 3-5

In Hebrew, there is play here on the words nechash - nechoshat, two similar sounding words meaning snake and bronze. On the one hand, God had given this bronze snake and it was simply a snake made of bronze. But on the other hand, the people had given this dead material a name, Nehushtan. The name for the material had become a personal name and behind a name there is always a personality. The link between a person's name and that person's character is always significant in Hebrew. In Numbers 21: 4-9 we read of how the people rose up and rebelled against God and Moses (God's chosen leader). We are told that they grew impatient and they started to speak against God and Moses. So God sent venomous snakes among them, and all who were bitten died.

How a Revival Turned into Idolatry

When the people then humbled themselves and Moses prayed for them, God gave them a sign that pointed prophetically towards the Messiah and to which Jesus Himself referred during His time on earth (John 3: 14). This sign was a snake made of copper or bronze and lifted up high. All those who looked at this bronze snake were saved by it. Why a snake? In many folk religions, the snake is symbolic of a particular god and is connected with witchcraft. It has something mystical and magical about it, and is greatly revered in animistic religions. So why a snake? If we look further back into the history of the people of Israel, we find Moses and Aaron standing before Pharaoh and the snake of God (Aaron's staff) devouring the snakes of the magicians (Chittumaeans; modern-day Khartoum in the Sudan). In this way God demonstrated His power over the Egyptian gods (Exodus 7: 9-12). Let us go even further back to the Garden of Eden. There it was the snake who said:

"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3: 5)

This single statement that caught man out also destroyed the original state of Paradise in the relationship between man and God. Remember, God the Father walked with Adam in the Garden! However, through this event, the Fall of Man, God put enmity between the snake and man (Gen. 3: 15).

Now let's go back to Nehushtan and to our own era. Through all of these events, God wanted to demonstrate His omnipotence. He is the One who has power over the snake, the great Leviathan (Isaiah 27: 1; Rev. 12: 9-15). On Golgotha Jesus ground His heel on the snake's head as it is written in Genesis. All the same, as long as the devil is still wandering around the earth he is looking out for anyone he can devour and trying to deceive us. Satan's deceptions and counterfeits are really very similar to the genuine original gifts from God. Do we not have such Nehushtans in our churches today? Have we not also made idols out of what began as blessings and revivals, by cultivating and conserving the work of the Holy Spirit? Have we not replaced the work of the Holy Spirit by religious forms?

I will even go so far as to ask: Who now rules in the churches? Who has the power and control in our so-called Christian churches? Is it the Holy Spirit of God or a religious spirit of sorcery that we are no longer able to distinguish from the Holy Spirit? Is Jesus the Head of the Church or are we governed and managed by a traditional-religious system? These are questions we have to face. We believe that we can distinguish good from evil (Genesis 3: 5) but genuine discernment of spirits comes only from the Holy Spirit. The people of Israel regarded the snake as something holy because it had been given to them by God. However, they were not looking for the Holy One, but only for a religious satisfaction that would allow them to persist in their sins. Hezekiah, who must have had a real flash of inspiration from the Holy Spirit, put an end to it by recognizing that behind the snake worship there was a demonic power which was separating the people from God.

"Search me, 0 God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Ps 139:23-24

The Power System of Babel

"Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, Daughter of the Babylonians. No more will you be called tender or delicate. Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams. Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no-one. Our Redeemer-- the LORD Almighty is his name-- is the Holy One of Israel. Sit in silence, go into darkness, Daughter of the Babylonians; no more will you be called queen of kingdoms. I was angry with my people and desecrated my inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke. You said, 'I will continue for ever-- the eternal queen!' But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen. Now then, listen, you wanton creature, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.' Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, 'No-one sees me.' Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me.' Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you. Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror." Isaiah 47:1-12

We must let God search us and show us if we have fallen victim to a superficial religious form of Christianity, a power system of witchcraft, and if we are praying more to a religious spirit, which we are invoking and to which we are exposing ourselves by the powers of magic and idolatry in our church. "Lord, please take the blindfold away from our eyes and grant us the grace, like Hezekiah, to uncover the deceptions of the enemy and the idols in our church."

Many congregations and churches are ruled today by committees who exert power and control over the members, instead of by elders who were placed in their position and authorised by God. A system can never replace the Holy Spirit. When people step into the position that should be occupied by the Holy Spirit, for whatever reason, whether deliberately or not, then they have fallen victim to pious or charismatic sorcery. At that point we are no longer connected to the root of the Tree of Life, but to the root of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and it is the fruit of this tree that we will bear. This also causes a shift in the source of revelation, and prophetic ministry in the church is replaced by various forms of witchcraft.

A new divine order is needed in the church, in the leadership, in the entire apostolic and prophetic ministry. God does not permit Himself to be mocked and He does not give His honor to any idol or human person. What we sow is what we will reap (Isaiah 42: 8; Gal. 6:7)!

The Religious Spirit

Once, during a time of prayer, God gave me a vision of what the religious spirit looks like. I would like to describe this vision here: "I saw a great throne. On it sat a giant, toad like creature that looked human. It was a hybrid, half human and half reptile. All over the throne were masses of a sticky slimy substance that was being exuded by this creature. It looked as if the body were excreting this slime through the skin and other orifices. On its head this religious spirit wore a huge bright golden crown. He was constantly making noises and horrible sounds, blaspheming God, swearing and using obscenities. At the same time he was making obscene gestures and exuding even more slime.

When he reached the climax of his disgusting behavior he vomited a viscous yellow mass. As soon as he had recovered he started all over again. The steps and floor all around his throne were covered in this slime and yellow vomit. Amazingly, people were standing in this mess around the throne, in an attitude of adoration, worshipping this religious spirit. They held out their arms to this monster and bowed their heads before him. When this happened, the spirit unrolled his long tongue from his mouth and touched the people standing before his throne. At that moment, the people were filled with a feeling of contentment, but the minute his tongue rolled back they felt a heaviness. And now I saw that their eyes were gummed up by the slime. These people believed they were in the presence of God and before His throne. They believed the slime was the anointing and the oil of the Holy Spirit, and the touch of his tongue was the comforting words of the Father to them. They were the victims of a false image of God and had been trapped in the worship of a religious spirit.

Then I saw the spirit, his crown and his throne getting bigger and bigger, as the worship and devotion of the people made the power and influence of the spirit swell and grow."

"Religiosity is an impure spirit; it is a spirit that makes fun of the things of God. It is a spirit that is spreading in many churches in order to mock the genuine movement of God. It is a spirit that binds people in empty forms. "^s

When Ministries and Gifts are the Central
Focus

Besides Jesus crucified, the Galatians had other doctrines and forces to help them gain their salvation. This probably included the Law but there was also the worship of elementary powers and their forces (Gal. 4: 9) as well as special secret spiritual knowledge (Gal. 1: 6-9). Today's esoteric and occult circles still appeal to the secret arts and the power of angels.

How do things look in our churches? Is attention not frequently focused on people with special gifts or a particular call from God in their life? Is it not true that, when the anointing and the healing are more important than the Anointed and the Healer, we are missing by a hair's breadth the cross on which the Son of God was crucified? We must not be ministry- or manifestation-oriented, but must become more and more like Jesus, otherwise we are going astray. If we are determined to want to see powerful effects or spectacular performances by servants and ministers of God, then Christ is no longer the centre of our attention. In this case we are worshipping the powers and gifts, and in the end the people who exercise them! Yet precisely because so many Christians today are disoriented and empty, they compensate for their lack by turning to spiritual things instead of seeking the Lord who is also the Holy Spirit. Often, men and women are unable to deal wisely with these things if their gifts are being exalted by such people.

The Body of Christ is currently confronted with an enormous striving for the offices of the five-fold ministry (Eph. 4: 11) as well as the search for people with pronounced gifts of prophesy and healing. I sometimes use the terms "exaltation of ministry" and "greed for gifts". The five-fold ministry is intended to equip the saints for their work in the ministry and to lead them into maturity of faith and not to make the members of the body dependent on them and their ministry! It is often forgotten that all the glory for the tremendous gifts and offices belongs to Jesus alone, and that He is the one who has given us these gifts (Eph. 4: 8-10). It is possible to start off well and then to drift further and further away, until we come to a bad end:

"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" Gal 3:3

By the way: St. Paul was writing to a whole region, to the churches in Galatia, (Gal. 1: 2) not just to one congregation or to individual Christians. It was a whole district that was bewitched. The pagan background of the Galatians was Celtic. The Celts, who were pagans and magicians of the highest order (comparable with the Chaldeans in the Bible), had settled this area before it became a Roman province and later was evangelized by Paul and Peter on their missionary journeys. Don't we Swiss and other Europeans share this same pagan or Celtic background? Could this Biblical message not also be read as: "You foolish Europeans, who has bewitched you?"

We must not forget that Satan, as the Bible tells us, also has the power to work miracles and signs that lead people astray:

"The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie." (II Th 2: 9-11)

The Bible speaks clearly here of the power of seduction, which God sends to those who do not accept the love of truth and follow the spirit of falsehood (1 John 4: 6) or a lying spirit (1 Kings 22: 21-23).

The Man Who Wanted

To Be God

"A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honour. The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy; he is put under oath and dare not testify. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." Prov 29:23-25

When we travel along the gift- and ministry-oriented track we already have one foot in religious sorcery. If we refuse to listen to the warnings of the Holy Spirit inside us and let people put us on a pedestal, we will be occupying the place of God and introducing idolatry. Let's recall again what the serpent said to man in the Garden:

"The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil." Gen 3:22

From now on, man wanted to decide for himself what was right for him. He wanted to rule not only over Creation but also over himself. He himself was now the final authority, because he now knew what was good and what was evil. The fruit of this humanism is easily and very quickly recognized in Cain's deed in the next chapter of the Bible (Gen. 4). This basic need to be the centre of attention has its roots in disobedience and in rebellion against God's Word. Once again, through the separation of the original relationship between God and man, man fell beneath a false spiritual authority, under the power of witchcraft.

Humanism

Humanism is clearly defined by a sentence from Greek philosophy: Man is the centre and the measure of all things! Or: "Humanism is the denial of any power or moral virtue set above man (or creation); the rejection and refusal of religion in favor of the belief that mankind (creation) will continue to develop under its own steam. "¹⁰

Pride in our work done for the Lord, of our gifts and ministries, will open the door to the spirit of humanism. God knows that in the heart of man, on its own, there is no good but only evil (Gen. 6: 5). This is why He emphasizes the need to humble ourselves:

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6) "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Prow 16:18)

Humanism will always lead us to pride and egotism. Also, it means that we will seek the Lord for our own sake and not for His! In the end, God becomes an automatic dispenser of satisfaction, or is there only to serve man. "Lord, please give me this and that, anoint me, heal me, comfort me ..." etc. The further we advance along this path, taking God's glory away from Him and bending the Holy Spirit to our will, believing we can manipulate God or invoke Him, the more we are being deceived by pious sorcery and so seduced by it that we in our turn lead others astray!

Charismatic or Christian-Pious Sorcery

When we talk about witchcraft then we usually think right away of false prophets (1 Kings 18: 25-30), witches and sorcerers (Acts 13: 6-8), fortunetellers and necromancers (1 Sam. 28: 7; Acts 16: 16). By doing so we construct a gap between them and us in order to express that we have absolutely nothing to do with witchcraft. This is a deception of the enemy.

The problem with so-called "charismatic sorcery" among Christians arises from our desire, conscious or unconscious, sometimes to take the place of the Holy Spirit. Once again, we are drawn back to the source: Man wants to be like God. It is our fallen nature that makes us like this. It is the original sin of rebellion that drives man to it, consciously or unconsciously. If we do not pray and prophesy in tune with the will of God but behave as if it were God's Holy Spirit who is driving us and speaking, then we are opening the door for this kind of witchcraft. The Holy Spirit is a person. Witchcraft, however, is any kind of spiritual power that does not flow from the source of the Holy Spirit. That means that if we are "in the flesh" but act as if we were "in the Spirit", taking the place of the Holy Spirit, the source of the power and revelation is no longer the Holy Spirit and we are victims of deception. In place of the Holy Spirit there is a so-called familiar spirit to whom we have opened the door by our behavior.

This "familiar spirit" is a generation spirit, or dead spirit, and a prince from one's own family which pretends to be the Holy Spirit. It is so difficult to recognize because it knows my thinking, feelings and wishes so well. Having been active in my family over many generations it is like a part of my life, of my origins, of my past. Precisely because it comes from my family it knows me really well and knows how to deceive me. Unless I have dealt with the problems of the sins of the fathers and generational curses in counseling sessions, unless I have experienced forgiveness and deliverance and continue the battle for my family in prayer, these demonic forces have no difficulty in gaining access to me.

A man in the apostolic-prophetic ministry once said: "Rats live where the filth is and where it is unclean. It is exactly the same where demons are concerned. They are not interested in whether you are a believer or not. They live where it is dark, dirty and unclean. "¹¹

If we are living in sin or if our lives are overshadowed by guilt, we are under the influence of Satan. Therefore prayer can become an incantation and prophecy can become fortune-telling. In this way we become controlling and manipulative even in our prayers. This can lead to physical manifestations in the person for whom we pray, such as migraine, allergies and weaknesses, disorientation, depression and apathy.

The Moral Lesson Of The Waters Of
Meribah

I would like to use a Biblical example to demonstrate how quickly sorcery can slip in. It is the attitude of our heart which decides whether there is room for sorcery or whether the Holy Spirit really reigns. Besides Jesus, Moses is for me one of the greatest role models in the Bible. It is said of Moses that no-one was more humble than he.

"Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. " Num 12:3

What a testimony! Even at the end of his life, Moses was still filled with extraordinary divine power.

"Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone." Deut 34:7

Right to the end this mighty man of God was filled with the spirit of wisdom. Yet even Moses became a victim of this power of witchcraft on one occasion in his life. This situation had far-reaching consequences for him. This was probably the most serious error Moses ever made in his whole life. For one moment this man, who lived in the glory of God and spoke face to face with God as with a friend, lost his fear of God. This moment was the chink through which sorcery crept into his life and cost him the great Promise for his life. We are not out to judge or condemn Moses here. But I want to use this example to show how close sorcery is, even to us!

The people of Israel wandered through the desert and had nothing to drink. There was no water there and so they grumbled to Moses and murmured against the Lord. Moses begged God to help them and He answered:

"Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. “Exodus 17:5-6

Moses did exactly as the Lord had commanded him. The people were given water to drink and the glory was given to God. They called the place Massa (temptation) and Meribah (contention).

Two books later (Number 20) and probably towards the end of Israel's wandering in the desert, we find them once again in the same situation. The people are encamped in the desert again, with nothing to drink. And once again the children of Israel are complaining to Moses. So Moses and Aaron go to the Tent of the Meeting and seek God. We are told that the glory of the Lord appeared to them:

"The LORD said to Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so that they and their livestock can drink." (Num 20:7-8)

This time Moses was not to strike the rock but to speak to it with the authority of God. God did not want to operate in the same way as before. He wanted to have the glory for this miracle. A wise spiritual father, talking about leadership, once said to me: "If something has worked once in your leadership and you think you now know how it functions, never do it again!" 12

Thus, Moses took the staff and gathered all the people before the rock. But instead of speaking to the rock he began to scold the people. Moses was angry that the people had not trusted God. At that moment his heart was not turned towards God. And instead of standing before the people in the fear of God, and speaking to the rock with the authority of God, he turned to the people and his heart was filled with anger. Attention was now concentrated on Moses and not on what the Lord wanted to do. They were not looking at the rock (symbol of Christ) but at Moses, His servant. In this situation Moses was the centre of attention and not the Lord. Then came the disaster:

"Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank." (Num 20:11)

Moses did not speak to the rock as he had been commanded to do by the Lord, but he struck it, not just once but twice. Through the chink of Moses' anger, the enemy crept in. God had not said that He was angry with Israel, but Moses was of a different opinion to God. How often do we think that we are of the same opinion as God and we are not at all. God's thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55: 8-9). Thus Moses fell into disobedience and rebellion, and rebellion is sin, just like the sin of witchcraft:

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." (1 Sam 15:23) (KJV)

Now, where was the witchcraft actually in this example?

Witchcraft was in the fact that Moses trusted more in the staff of the Lord than in the Lord of the staff! Do you see this fine nuance? Because the attitude of Moses' heart was wrong, the power of witchcraft was able to slip in and speak in place of God. It is so easy, through our behaviour, to pass by the Cross of Golgotha or to shift the "centre of the cross". Moses had seen the staff turn into a snake several times (Exodus 4: 2-3) and had seen this snake swallow Pharaoh's snakes (Exodus 7: 10-12). He himself struck the waters of the Nile which turned into blood (Exodus 7: 20). The staff played a significant part in many of the plagues. It was the tool of God's authority, the sign that He is the shepherd. The staff was also instrumental in dividing the Red Sea (Exodus 14: 16). Above all, however, Moses had learnt through experience that it had worked once before when he struck the rock with the staff and water gushed out so that the people could drink (Exodus 17: 5). Shortly before the situation described, where Moses was disobedient to the word of God, he had seen the staff bloom (Numbers 17: 17-25). This confirmed the God-given leadership and authority of Moses and Aaron before the entire nation. So Moses knew, and had plenty of experience of it, that God worked miracles through the staff.

And this is where the witchcraft lies. Moses trusted in the power contained in the staff as well as in the authority of his own person as the servant of God, so that he himself dictated how the miracle was to happen. It was as if this staff was now a magic wand which he could use to make anything happen because God was in the staff! This is how an animist would read and interpret this story.

Moses and Aaron both had to bear the consequences of this rebellion (or this sorcery) and they paid a high price for it!

"But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD and where he showed himself holy among them." Num 20:12-13

Incidentally, Moses was God's friend. Through his deep bond with God he had a profound Messianic view. I am convinced that it was clear to Moses that the rock represented the prophetic symbol for the Messiah, the Christ, from whom living waters would flow. In a symbolic sense, in his rebellion he struck God's Messiah in the face. This is a symbol we can transfer to ourselves when we, as God's servants, try to put ourselves in the limelight and steal His glory.

"For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ." (1 Cor 10:1-4)

Have we understood the moral lesson of the waters of Meribah? Do we see just how close sorcery and witchcraft can be to the working of the Holy Spirit? How quickly we can miss the cross of Jesus by a hair's breadth, if we put ourselves in the limelight as servants of the Lord instead of Him who is the Lord of His servants? That is charismatic or pious sorcery. It works eagerly for itself, i.e. for the person in whom it has found room, and thus takes the glory away from God. It is deceptively similar to the working of the Holy Spirit, but it takes place in rebellion, in disobedience to Him. What it has in common is the appearance of being the work of God. Moses learnt his lesson. He never did such a thing again.

Of course God had His hand over them and gave His people water to drink - after all, Moses was His friend. Yet we can see, from the severity of the punishment for his disobedience, that anyone who lives in close confidence with God and behaves disrespectfully to Him draws God's condemnation into himself far more quickly. If anyone goes on like that and this kind of situation is repeated over and over again, the Holy Spirit will gradually withdraw and His place will be taken by a spirit of witchcraft. It is absolutely essential for us to test our hearts and make sure why we are doing something and whether it really is for the Lord or for ourselves as servants of the Lord.

The Cross Of The Lord Or The Crucified
One?

This story repeats itself in our time in the lives of many Christians without their even noticing. We take an object that God actually did once anoint and we put it in the place of the Anointed One. The cross as a symbol is a particular example of this. Many Christians see the symbol of the cross as an actual force against evil. Yet the power is not in the cross itself, but in Him who was crucified.

Have you ever seen a vampire film? Before I came to believe in Christ I watched occult and demonic films over and over. Especially as a schoolboy and in my teenage years, I was fascinated by vampire films. In these films the symbol of the cross - whether it's a wooden cross, a metal one or simply a piece of jewelry - is used as a magic talisman. In these films, even just crossing your fingers has power against evil. Those people claiming this power of the cross, however, were by no means believers. They trusted in an object and in the innate power of that object. That is magic. White magic if you like. But magic remains magic, and has its origin in the greatest sorcerer of all time: the devil. If you have watched horror or fantasy films, it would be a good idea to release yourself from them in the name of Jesus. It is possible that you have not yet been delivered from the spirits that they conjured up!

This pattern continues today in many religious people, including Christians. Think of Catholics with their crucifixes and statues of saints, Evangelicals with their holy traditions or Charismatics with various objects (oil, mantles, instruments etc.). I am not claiming that God never works through symbols or objects. The Bible testifies to this very clearly through the mantle of Elijah (2 Kings 2: 13-14), the shadow of Peter and the handkerchiefs of Paul (Acts 5: 15; 19: 12). Even in the case of Jesus himself, there is an instance of this, in the healing of the woman with an issue of blood, when she touched the hem of His garment (Luke 8: 44).

In all these circumstances the belief of the people concerned was fixed very clearly on God. Those people who used the object were characterized by living a life in God's presence. We have to understand that as soon as our belief is fixed more on an object or a gift than on the giver, our belief turns into magic.

We must at all costs prevent this kind of charismatic sorcery and combat it wherever we find it. And we must stand up in constant prayer warfare against the "familiar spirit" in particular.

The Gift of Discerning Spirits

The ability to discern spirits is therefore a very important tool that God has given to His body. This gift can be used effectively against witchcraft because it uncovers witchcraft and sorcery. On the other hand, even this extremely mighty and effective gift of the Holy Spirit can be abused through applying it wrongly.

The discernment of spirits is an ability to recognize and distinguish between different spirits, whether they are good or evil, as well as callings and anointings. This ability can also recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit, i.e. where He is moving, and follow Him. It can also reveal the motivation in a person's heart. This discernment can be received by hearing

or sight, but it also works on other senses such as feeling, tasting, smelling and bodily manifestations.

A ministering prophet must have this gift! It is also a useful tool for judging prophecies and prophets. Very clear examples of this gift are: Jesus with Peter (Matt. 16: 23); Peter with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5: 1-11); Peter and the sorcerer Simon (Acts 8: 18); Paul and the fortune-teller (Acts 16: 16-24); Ahija of Silo and the wife of Jeroboam (1 Kings 14: 2-6) and Elisha and Gehazi (2 Kings 5; 20-27). Today we, as believers, urgently need this gift both personally and for our congregation. If this gift is absent and does not manifest itself in anyone, it is possible for a whole congregation to go astray.

Prophecy Versus Sorcery In The Church

The devil is not a creator. Nevertheless, with the power given him by God he can imitate the genuine article. He always tries to deceive us, to dazzle us with his false light and to seduce us in this way. Exactly the same thing applies to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The devil has invented or conjured up an imitation or counterfeit for each one of the gifts of God. The power that is manifested in these "gifts", however, is a demonic force that doesn't stop when it meets a believer unless this believer is strongly rooted in a relationship with Jesus and the Word of God.

"Why is it so important to Satan to replace the genuine article by a counterfeit? First of all, it is clear to him that there are many religious people about who would never consciously worship evil. And so he presents them with an attractive counterfeit to distract religious people from the truth. All those who feel drawn to these kinds of counterfeits continue to believe that they are serving God. They are even firmly convinced that the real worshippers of God are the ones who are being led astray."' ³

1. Shamanism, philosophy

2. Psychoanalysis, clairvoyance, Positive

thinking philosophy

3. Natural healing, spirit healing

4. Magic and witchcraft

5. Fortune-telling

6. Spiritism, clairvoyance, parapsychology

7. Demonic speaking in tongues through a medium, or

oracle

8. Mediumistic ability to interpret oracles

Text Box: 1. Shamanism, philosophy
2. Psychoanalysis, clairvoyance, Positive
thinking philosophy
3. Natural healing, spirit healing
4. Magic and witchcraft
5. Fortune-telling
6. Spiritism, clairvoyance, parapsychology
7. Demonic speaking in tongues through a medium, or
oracle

8. Mediumistic ability to interpret oracles

1. The word of wisdom

2. The word of knowledge

3. The gift of faith Grace-given healing

4. Miracles

5. Prophecy

6. Discernment of spirits

7. Speaking in tongues

8. Interpretation of tongues

Text Box: 1. The word of wisdom
2. The word of knowledge

3. The gift of faith Grace-given healing
4. Miracles
5. Prophecy
6. Discernment of spirits
7. Speaking in tongues

8. Interpretation of tongues If we are fixated on signs and wonders we will very easily fall prey to these deceptions. The following list (based on 1 Cor. 12: 8-10) is intended to help you recognize Satan's imitations:

This list is far from exhaustive and not intended as a standard. It is offered only as a support in discerning spirits.

Checking the Source

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." I John 4:1

The distinctions between the gifts of the Spirit are not always clear, but we should always, whatever the circumstances, test the spirits. The gifts of the Holy Spirit always aim, above all, to:

1. Glorify God the Father and Jesus Christ

2. Demonstrate the greatness, sovereignty and being of God

3. Work towards the salvation of the person concerned.

The gifts are there to trigger an initial spiritual ignition, to strengthen the faith of the person concerned and to edify him/her. The gifts are incomplete, a patchwork, but love is eternal! In the exercise of all these gifts, love is the absolutely decisive factor (1 Cor 13).

Gifts without love lead to destruction - gifts with love lead to restoration (Mal 4: 5). The Holy Spirit is the love of God (Romans 5: 5). This is why the Holy Spirit acts in love and in an orderly way (1 Cor. 14; 32-33. 40). The essential thing is constantly to remain in "the counsel of the Lord" in order to be able to make the necessary distinctions. (Jer.23: 18.22; cf. Psalm 33: 11, Prov. 19: 21)

Christian Literature and the Word of God

"Guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge." (1 Tim 6:20)

In these days, most Christians read religious literature more than they read the Bible itself. There is a real flood of Christian literature but not everything has its origin in the Spirit of God. Some books are inspired by a spirit of criticism or are strongly humanistic or even influenced by sorcery. The problem, first and foremost, is not the literature itself, although I sometimes feel uncomfortable when I pick up books in a Christian bookshop (with a charismatic-evangelical tendency) and I feel nauseated without even knowing what's inside them. This is another way in which the discerning of spirits can manifest itself. I have tested this several times by putting the book away and then picking it up again. When I then looked at the contents I usually found the sources of inspiration mentioned above mixed up with Christian thinking.

As I said before, the main problem is not the content of the literature but the fact that this flood of literature prevents the believer from reading the Bible. This in turn leads to a situation where people no longer know what the Bible actually says. Then you hear answers like: "I think it says that in the Bible (but I'm not sure and don't really know)" or "I used to know where it says that (but I don't any more)" and finally "The Bible doesn't give any precise information about that, it isn't clear on that point."

This automatically results in our assuming that what we read in these books is identical with what the Bible says. And that, again, means that we are not leading people to the will of God but to the doctrines spread by our favorite authors. In addition, when people come for help in counseling sessions and we point them to passages from the Bible that give help in their lives or demand obedience from us humans, they reply, "Oh but I read in this book ..." and "But this or that author says ..." We must bring people once again to spend the greater part of the reading time available to them in reading the Bible. If we do not know the Word of God we are easy meat for the devil and his demons. Now we say: "But the Holy Spirit will inspire me when I need it." Yes, that is true, if we are filled with the Word of God and carry it in our heart:

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26

Only if we spend enough time in the Word of God will we ever come to know God better, know what we have to do, and the Holy Spirit will have more room in our lives.

Christian Specialization

Another area where we believers are in danger of losing our way and landing in sorcery is the cultivation of Christian specialists. There are indeed specialists in the Kingdom of God and they are certainly necessary. But if we develop a culture in which we always go to a specialist for each problem, we will be spiritually immature and dependent on people. If we only seek the "highlight" from a prophet or at a conference, we will have completely missed our target (Ezek. 14). The prophet becomes an oracle, a mouthpiece where we can ask God questions but do not learn to listen to the voice of the Shepherd, to know His voice and to obey Him (John 10: 27)

Jezebel And The

Queen of Heaven

"When Joram saw Jehu he asked, "Have you come in peace, Jehu?" "How can there be peace," Jehu replied, "as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?" II Kings 9:22

The Jezebel spirit is one of most powerful enemies of the prophets in the Bible. This spirit blends impurity and unholiness in itself. It is a combination of witchcraft and prostitution.

This spirit always opposes the prophets of God and tries to kill them (I Kings 19: 1-15). The Jezebel of the Bible not only opposed the prophets and killed them, but she also defiled the whole land of Israel by introducing the cult of Baal. This cult consisted of worshipping different gods and goddesses, including Astarte or Ashtoreth (I Kings 11:5; or Asherah, Deuteronomy 16: 21), the goddess of fertility of the Sidonians. We come across her again and again in the Bible. She is identical with the "Queen of Heaven" in Jeremiah:

"The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me to anger." (Jer 7:18; cf Hosea 3:1) or with the Artemis of the Ephesians14 (also known as Diana):

"... doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?" (Acts 19:35)

The Jezebel spirit serves the Queen of Heaven. The working of this spirit will always lead to the worship of the Queen of Heaven and hence to a false and wrongly interpreted sexuality. This is clearly shown in the fertility rites of the followers of Baal and in those of the Greeks. Whenever Jezebel is in power she assumes sole authority and, being opposed to the order of creation established by God, she also twists human sexuality and brings it under her rule. Is it not the case that in many fellowships nowadays homosexuality, pornography and promiscuity are not only tolerated but even considered as being in the will of God?

Jezebel seized a power which had not been given to her. The only reason she could do this was because Ahab did not obey God's commandments and did not assert his own God-given authority:

Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. (I Kings 16:30-31)

This is why Jezebel was able to seize control of the land and to separate the entire nation of Israel from God. The name Jezebel means literally "without fellowship"! This is precisely the pattern we still find today in Christian churches. If a church lacks the leadership structure of God, the Jezebel spirit has free rein. One of the greatest "successes" of this spirit is the belief that only women can have this spirit.

The Jezebel spirit is normally found where leadership in the church, family or marriage is weak. We stand in a spiritual battle which is very real. When the Bible tells us that, in the end times before the second coming of Jesus, God will send the prophet Elijah whose prime purpose is to achieve reconciliation (Mal. 4:5,6) then the Jezebel spirit opposes the church. This spirit attempts above all, within the church, to lead the prophets astray into promiscuity and witchcraft:

"Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols." (Rev 2:20)

If it succeeds in this, the people of God are confused and lose their sense of direction. This is also shown in the example of John the Baptist (Matt. 11: 2-5; Mark 6: 14-29). John had a very clear prophetic vision of who Jesus was:

"The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"... When he saw Jesus passing by he said "Look, the Lamb of God!" John 1:29

Note that John had this vision before anyone at all knew that Jesus would die as the Lamb of God. Yet when John came into contact with the Jezebel spirit through Herod, Herodias and Salome, he lost his prophetic gift (Matt. 11: 2-3):

"When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

Isn't this story familiar? After Elijah had just slain 450 prophets of Baal and blood was flowing in rivers, and Elijah had been confirmed by God Himself as the man of God, a declaration by Jezebel was enough to make him afraid and to fall into a deep depression to the point where he wanted to die (1 Kings 19: 1-4). If God had not seriously intervened Elijah would probably not have been able to fulfil his purpose as God wanted him to. And so we see how this spirit bewitches the prophets and ultimately wants to kill them. Prophets who are bewitched lose their God-given prophetic authority, their prophetic vision and the gift of discernment. If God Himself does not intervene, this is the end of these prophets.

The spirit of Elijah, that is the Holy Spirit and His end-time prophetic community, will rise against the spirit of Jezebel, the powers of witchcraft and prostitution, and will eventually overcome them. Whose side are we on?

Rebellion and The Spirit Of Death

As we have seen from the example of Ahab, rebellion against God and His word is the door we open to the Jezebel spirit. We can also see this from the example of King Saul:

"For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." (1 Sam 15:23)

Whoever rebels against God will lose his authority and anointing from God! This verse also expresses the fact that there is an intimate connection between rebellion and witchcraft. Our relationship to God is disturbed and destroyed by rebellion and witchcraft. This is equivalent to spiritual death. Rebellion will always lead to death. Adam and Eve rebelled against God's commandment and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. From that moment they had to die. God not only limited their life span, He also expelled them from His most intimate fellowship, out of the Garden of Eden. To be shut out from fellowship with God means spiritual death. Remember the name Jezebel means "without fellowship". Once we are outside this fellowship with God an unclean spirit will try to find entry. Without the fellowship of God we are without protection. The example of King Saul shows that when the Holy Spirit has withdrawn, another spirit takes His place:

Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. (1 Sam 16:14)

Although Saul tried hard, he could no longer hear God speaking to him. This finally resulted in a man called to be a leader by God going to a necromancer: "He enquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go and enquire of her." 1 Sam 28:6-7

The most amazing thing in this story, however, is that the prophet Samuel actually appeared for this spiritualist and prophesied the death of Saul! This particularly impressive example in the Bible shows us three important things:

1. God can transcend all things and even use a spiritualist as His mouthpiece. He has sovereign control over everything supernatural.

2. In addition to charlatans and cheats there are oracles, fortunetellers and spiritualists who have a real gift from God, but this is misused.

3. A mixture of godly and godless works is possible! Although the Holy Spirit does not link Himself to an unclean spirit, there are instances in the Bible where a sort of combination results. The borderline is difficult to perceive here. That is why the gift of discerning the spirits is of such vital importance.

This whole story shows us one thing above all, however: that rebellion is the beginning and death is the end. Is Saul in Heaven or in Hell? Rebellion is a serious matter which attracts the spirit of death and which, in the end term, means eternal separation from God. Jezebel wants to lead the people of God astray and kill them. This is why she works together with the spirit of death. To emphasize the seriousness of this matter I would like to describe a dream I once had.

They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon. (Rev 9:11)

The Dream about Abaddon

It was an afternoon at home, when I was taking a nap. I was really only half asleep, not really sleeping. Perhaps, for that reason, the word "vision" might be better than "dream" (actually, God speaks to me more through visions when I'm half asleep than he does in dreams when I'm properly asleep!). I don't know how long it was. I perceived it as a short experience that lasted only a few seconds, but at the same time very profound:

"I saw myself walking along a rocky path. It was a sort of cave path where the light was very dim. The way was very narrow and led in only one direction. At the end of the path it was dark but I could see a glimmer of light, as if from a flickering fire. As I went along the path it grew colder and colder until it was quite icy. Suddenly the path opened up and I was standing on an enormous rocky plateau surrounded by a cave in the rocks. Now I could also see where the flickering light was coming from. In front of the rocky plateau there was a deep ravine that plunged into ground. The light came from this ravine, a kind of abyss. Now that I was so close I could see tongues of flame coming out of the abyss. Two dark figures stood on either side of it. They were dressed in black, carrying weapons and a large key.

Amazingly, all of this didn't bother me unduly. I didn't speak directly to these figures but in my thoughts I wondered where I was and who they were. As if they could read my thoughts one of them hiding his face, replied: "We are the guardians of this place. We watch over the dead so that no-one can come in here who does not belong here, and no-one who belongs here can go out. " At that moment I realized that standing before me were two angels of death, two demonic beings, yet even this didn't bother me very much. In spite of the fire it was icy cold, and I could see my breath as a vapor.

But then something terrifying happened. All of a sudden everything went pitch black in the cave and all my human feelings were seized by a demonic terror. I no longer could feel the cold and I couldn't see anything, but I had a panic-stricken feeling of being watched. I felt defenseless, helpless and naked. I expected the disaster that was menacing me to strike me dead any second. The whole atmosphere was suddenly filled with death. I felt as if I was breathing in death when I tried to gasp for air.

At that moment I realized that a spiritual being was filling the room. It wasn't like the demon figures, the guardians, I had seen before. It was a spirit without a body, and yet it had form. It was a cloud, some kind of invisible substance in which two eyes slowly materialized. I was scared to death when I looked into these eyes. I had never seen such eyes before. I had never met such a penetrating, destructive and hate-filled expression. As I looked into these eyes I felt murder, death, hatred, and anger coming at me. I started to understand that I was facing one of the most demonic and death-bringing beings. At that moment the scales fell from my eyes: Abaddon! This had to be Abaddon, the Prince of the realm of death, the angel of the abyss. This was the most horrible place I had ever been and which I would hope no-one would ever have to be in. It was naked horror. I felt far away from God and separated from Him. That was the most dreadful feeling I have ever experienced. At that moment I awoke."

When I woke up I didn't know what had happened to me, I had the feeling I had only been in that place a few seconds and yet it seemed to affect my whole life. I asked God what was the purpose of this. Why had He shown me this place, and above all, why had He shown me Abaddon, for this name had become engraved deep in my spirit. God's answer comprises more or less the following points:

1. God wants us to know that this terrible place, Hell, really exists and that we should warn people that that is where they will go without Jesus. He wants us Christians to know what it means to be separated eternally from God.

2. He wanted to teach me something about the unseen world, namely that there are different demonic spiritual beings. There are different forms, powers and a hierarchy: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:12). There are differences and this is something we must be aware of, especially in spiritual warfare.

3. God didn't want to teach me something about Himself but about His Being. It is written: "God is Spirit" (John 4:24), just as Abaddon was able to fill only that room, the Spirit of God is able to fill the entire universe. The Holy Spirit is a spiritual being and does not have a shape as we humans do. This taught me to understand God's Being and His power better. (Although this is only possible to a very limited extent, as our intelligence can never grasp God.)

I was pretty astounded later on when I read in a Christian book on Harry Potter about the "dementors" who guard the place called "Askaban". The description of these beings and that place is identical with my vision!

Prophets and the Spirit of Impurity

Prophets are called to lead a holy and righteous life before God and mankind. They, too, are of course saved by grace, but God uses a different standard to measure them in terms of holiness and lifestyle. True prophets live out their lives in the presence of God and spend a lot of time in the "tabernacle of congregation" or "tent of meeting" (Exodus 33, 7-9).

In this tabernacle there is a pure and holy atmosphere, which should be reflected in the life of the prophets. The life of a prophet should reflect God's Being. This is why the devil keeps trying to smear the prophets by an unclean or impure spirit. He often does this by looking for a human weakness which he then bombards with desire. For desire, we could also say craving or wanting something very much. Since prophets are also "seers" (1 Sam. 9:9) they are particularly vulnerable visually and therefore to sexual temptation or lust (1 John 2:16). I even risk the statement at this point that visually prompted lust is not only a point of entry for sin but that it contains in itself a spiritual power. It holds us fascinated (or enchanted, bewitched!) by something (Genesis 3:6).

If we allow this lust or desire to satisfy our personal appetites we are already opening the door to the spirit of impurity. Many prophets who appear in public are smeared and have ceased to keep making themselves holy for God. They minister using a God-given gift but they are under the influence of an unclean spirit. Zechariah knew this and prophesied:

"On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more, " declares the LORD Almighty. "I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land." (Zech 13:1-2)

Zechariah saw this connection between the prophets and the spirit of impurity very clearly. Today there is so much impurity mixed in with the gift of prophesy. The prophets themselves are dazzled and have lost the gift of discerning the spirits. Many today claim to be prophets or to have the gift of prophesy. However, I feel that we are living in a time that has already been described in the Bible:

"The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions." (1 Sam 3:1)

This is exactly how I perceive our present age. We are experiencing a flood of prophecies and visions, but "revelations and visions from the Lord" are truly rare. Whole books are being written today about so-called revelations and visions. Apocalyptic literature is much sought after again. But most of these books miss the point, as they often incite believers to read more books of this kind than the Bible itself. Clear, pioneering or warning prophecies are scarce. Prophecies deal more with love, grace and God's favour towards His children and an imminent revival. Yet on the day when the true river of God starts to flow from Jerusalem and we really see the Spirit of God visit the earth, this is what will happen:

"On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his prophetic vision. He will not put on a prophet's garment of hair in order to deceive. He will say, 'I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth."' (Zech 13:4-5) the same as the prophet Micah ben Moresheth:

"This is what the LORD says: "As for the prophets who lead my people astray, if one feeds them, they proclaim 'peace'; if he does not, they prepare to wage war against him. Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them. The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God." (Micah 3:5-7)

As I myself teach about the prophetic ministry and lead workshops on the subject, I have investigated this subject intensively since I came to be a believer, and have gained insights into the Christian-prophetic scene. I often come across people who have been hurt and abused by prophetic sayings or who are very afraid of prophecy. In the workshops I then experience how God meets these people and heals them, freeing them of their fear. Often I have been ashamed of things I have seen or heard that had been done under the guise of prophecy. I am ashamed of how prophecy is, for the most part, being dealt with in an immature and wrong way. At the same time, I want to mention here that prophecy exists. Yes, and prophets really exist: genuine, mature prophets, people of integrity, for whom the most important thing is not their gift, office or ministry but to be and to live like Jesus. You can recognize this kind of prophet by the following characteristics as described by Micah:

"But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin." (Micah 3:8)

I have often met "prophets" who were bewitched and trapped in sexual sin. They simply went on prophesying and acting like a prophet in office (and even emphasized this often enough themselves). However, they were living an impure life and even living in adultery. In such situations, I feel myself full of cramps, even to the point of feeling physically sick. This is a reaction brought on by the gift of discernment of the spirits. In such a case I try to talk to the leaders. However, a prophet living in sin is not necessarily a false prophet! Unfortunately, spiritual leaders often live in the mistaken belief that they are on the right path because although they are able to live in sin, their gift continues to "function". God does not remove a gift right away if we fall into sin. It is only if we fail to listen to His correction and make people dependent on us and our gift, thus leading them into idolatry, that we become false prophets. (Deuteronomy 13:1-6)

Listen again to the prophet Micah, who once more shows us this distinction between genuine and false prophets:

"Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD and say, "Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us." (Micah 3:11)

.. we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us,

False Prophets

“Saying that the day of the Lord has already come." ( 2 Thes. 2:1-2)

False prophets are not always easy to recognize immediately. But in the end they will always lead us away from God and from worshipping Him (Dent. 13:2-6, 18:9-22; Jer. 23:9-40; Ezek. 13:1-23; Matt. 7:15-23; l John 4:1-6; Rev. 19:20). Jesus warns us very strictly that many false prophets and anointed ones (Christ) will come doing great miracles and if possible leading the chosen ones astray (Matt. 24:11-24).

This is a reality which we absolutely have to face. Worst of all are people who truly have received a gift of prophecy from God but who fail to display any prophetic character. These prophets will use their gift to sow discord and strife, bringing confusion and division. Other characteristics and traits of a false prophet are: egoism, independent action, living an impure life, self-glorification, self justification, rebellion, being driven by their own desires and fear of men, greed and avarice, profit-seeking, adulterous behavior, pride, pomposity, stubbornness, hypocrisy, mendacity, fear etc. A lot of other characteristics could be listed here, but the important thing is not to measure the gift by its effect, by signs and wonders, but by the character and righteousness in the life of the prophet. An important instrument in the church for recognizing false prophets should be a "testing committee for prophecies" (1 Cor. 14:29; I Thes. 5:19-21). The principle should be: Where there is no committee available for testing and judging prophecy, it is better not to practice prophecy. "Over the years I have realized that prophecy is an incredibly powerful and strong tool. It is like a car with lots of horsepower, and before you drive off you should check that the brakes, the steering and all the other safety devices are in good working order. If they aren't, and you haven't checked them, it would be better to leave this car in the garage."' ⁵

Abuse of Prophecy

It must be quite clear to us that a distinction has to be made between mistaken, unfulfilled and false prophecy. Not everyone who makes a mistake is a false prophet. The transition or bridge that can be erected leading from mistaken to false prophesy is the abuse of prophesy. If we do not use our prophetic gifts in the service of God, the body of Jesus, for the church or the individual, but instead seek advantages for ourselves and try to compensate for what is lacking in our soul or nature, we are practicing witchcraft (Acts 8:9-25). If our motivation for the ministry shifts its course, a spirit of lying replaces the spirit of truth (II Chr. 18:6-27; John 15:26). The spirit of truth is the spirit of prophecy, which in turn is the Holy Spirit (John 16:13.15; Rev. 19:10). Opposed to this is the spirit of lying and fortunetelling, in other words witchcraft (II Kings 9:22; Hos. 4:12; 5:4; Mi. 3:5-8; Acts 13:6-12; Rev. 2:20). How can such abuse come about?

Self-Glorification and Manipulation

"There is no greater abuse than that of a leader anointed in his ministry, who does not humbly acknowledge the weakness of his flesh. Self justification, spiritual abuse and the false exercise of spiritual power can be the consequences of this problem."' ⁶

I have listed below 10 points which, when disregarded, can lead to abuse, self-glorification and manipulation. If you fail to put these into practice over a long period of time and if their neglect is not corrected, you will gradually turn into a false prophet.

The Ten Anti-Abuse Commandments:

1. Never let yourself be tempted to prophesy from egotistic motives (fortune-telling).

2. Never prophesy out of greed or acquisitiveness - this is what false prophets and magicians do!

3. Don't compensate your own psychological needs by prophesying - this creates dependency.

4. Don't prophesy with an unclean heart (sin; impurity).

5. Don't prophesy with a hard heart (anger; resentment; bitterness; hatred).

6. Don't manipulate people you don't like by prophesy (commands; control).

7. Don't let yourself be manipulated and moved to give someone "a word from the Lord" through hypocrisy.

8. As a prophet, you must be integrated into the church hierarchy and be subject to the leaders of the church, otherwise you will tend to get into a controlling position and no-one will correct you.

9. If you do not live a life in accordance with spiritual precepts and unless you want to make progress in holiness, do not prophesy.

10. A wounded prophet compensates and manipulates, a healthy prophet brings wisdom and healing.

"Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. The tongue of the wise brings healing." (Prov 3:7-8; 12:18)

Caution Is Needed!

Be careful about prophesying dates! Don't try to foretell whether an expected baby is going to a boy or a girl when you are in the early stages of your ministry. Be careful about partnerships and marriages. Statements such as "This is going to be your husband / your wife" can be confusing or even destructive. The amount of truth or fulfillment quotient is 50% and thus corresponds to the amount of truth in a fortune-teller's forecast. This kind of prophecy is a type that points the way and should only be exercised publicly by mature prophets who have been confirmed in their ministry in the body of Jesus. Incidentally, there are such prophecies in the Bible with clear indications of time and the names of those concerned, but they are very rare. The real prophets of the Bible seldom made such statements.

Beware: it is strictly forbidden to include any insider knowledge or personal prejudices in a prophetic statement. This would be obvious manipulation, i.e. witchcraft.

Three Waves of Impurity

Around the year 2000 God spoke to me and told me that different waves of impurity would break over the body of Christ. At the time, I was not aware of the urgency and the necessity to publish this impression. However, as God spoke to me repeatedly I realized that it was now time to write down and publish these impressions. As this chapter is about the spirit of impurity, I would like to include these prophecies here.

1. In my quiet time while I was reading the story of Joseph and how he resisted Potiphar's wife, the Holy Spirit spoke to me very seriously and insistently: "How would you react? Would you resist, even if it all happened in secret and you knew that nobody would ever find out about it?" This question from God filled me with horror as I became aware of my weakness as a man. I was led into a time of repentance and fear of the Lord, in which God continued to speak to me and give me a very serious warning: "Look, a wave of adultery will break over my body, the body of Christ. There will be a strong wave of impurity over the priests of my church. The leaders will be particularly affected. Take heed and be watchful. This wave will seize the whole of my body and will flood some areas. Be steadfast and abide in me, that is the only way to stay safe. Only with me are you protected. Walk in fear of the Lord and you will be saved."

2. In February of 2002 during prayer I suddenly saw Switzerland in a vision, shown like a map. All at once I saw spidery frogs appear out of nowhere. First just a few then more and more of them. They came out of the ground and out of the forests. They spread over the whole country until the whole land was covered in frogs and not a speck of land was left visible. It was a scary, nauseating picture. They spread their sticky green slime over everything. I heard the Holy Spirit say: "There is a wave of impurity over the land. Unclean spirits of prostitution and pornography cover the whole country. They don't even stop at the churches and leaders. Sanctify yourselves and cleanse yourselves of all impurity, because I want to come over the land. I want to sweep away this spirit of impurity but you must keep yourselves clean. Especially the young generation of leaders in this country. The enemy is trying to separate you from me by this uncleanness. Sanctify yourselves and cleanse yourselves for my sake!"

3. Recently I read a book called `Buying And Selling The Souls Of Our Children - A Closer Look At Pokémon"'⁷. This book inspired me and once again God spoke to me: "This is only the beginning. There is another, even bigger wave of impurity approaching. This is a wave bringing sorcery and witchcraft, a wave of unholiness that is coming. This wave will infiltrate the church through the children of believers and paralyze the church, put it into a spiritual sleep, as if leading to religiosity and idolatry. The children are the enemy's target of attack. He wants to misuse them through role-playing and witchcraft and to make them insensitive to my Holy Spirit. Pray for protection for your children, and pray for the discernment of spirits because without it you will be led astray. Be alert and pray for your children, and that the parents and church leaders will live in my wisdom and in fear of me."

These prophecies are intended to alarm but they are warnings from the Holy Spirit which we should take seriously and to which we should pay real attention. One of the services of the Holy Spirit is to warn us of disaster, and to show and teach us how He protects us. Therefore:

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. " (Rev 2:7)

`Jesus' warning not to let ourselves be led astray in chaotic times should challenge us to pray all the more intensively for false replacement theology to be exposed and true prophecy to be revealed. "¹⁸

Or, as Jeremiah put it:

"The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading." (Lam 2:14)

Now we have gone extensively into the forms of witchcraft that we have in the church and how they can manifest themselves. In the 3^rdpart of this book I will now look into God's antidote and His answer to witchcraft in the church, as well as how we can protect ourselves and escape from it.