REPLY
TO A RESPONSE ON “QUESTIONS ON WITCHCRAFT”
The following answer is a reply to a
respondent to one of our articles in the Articles Directory titled “Questions
on Witchcraft.” To read this article
click Questions
on Witchcraft. She states that her reply is in reference to the directory
of articles; specifically the one on witchcraft. I’ve included her reply and
the things she said about God as well as the questions she asked to be
answered.
THE
RESPONSE STATED
It was quoted Exodus 22:18-20, “Thou
shalt not suffer a witch to live." It has come
to the attention of many throughout the years that words have been
mistranslated from the original texts of the Bible, this verse being one of
them, the "witch" in reference was not to a group of people
practicing the old ways, it is in reference to a group of people who worship satan. It was stated "practitioners of the occult have
Satan as the source of their information not God" Satan is a Christian
ideal, not ours. We are the "Other People"..allow
me to quote from an article....Gen 4:16 Cain left the presence of Yahweh and
settled in the
A
REPLY TO THE RESPONSE GIVEN ABOVE
Man
has known about Satan from the beginning
I ended the article "Questions on
Witchcraft" with this statement: “Now, doesn't this explain how
"God" feels about such? Nathan, practitioners of the occult have
Satan as the source of their information not God. God does not reveal his will
to them. Instead he speaks today to man through the word of Christ, the Bible.”
While many today do not accept the reality
of Satan the Bible clearly teaches that Satan is real spiritual being (Genesis
3:1; Matthew 4:1-11). Most people throughout the world who serve Satan probably
would not accept the fact that he is the god of this world and the power of
darkness. A few would. With the Bible in mind, and the various ages spoken of
in the Bible, we find that Satan first appeared to Eve in the garden of Eden. Moses, who wrote Genesis by inspiration (2
Peter
The false
prophet is depicted as the beast of the earth in Revelation 13:11. (He is
identified as such in Rev. 19:20) He causes the earth to worship the former
beast, i.e. the beast of the sea (the emperor). These three form an alliance as
Satan works to destroy Christ's church.
The great battle that has been building up between these forces of evil
and those of God comes to a head in Revelation 19. The two armies clash; Satan
loses and Jesus wins! The
From the beginning of time Satan has worked
as a liar (John
Most
throughout the world who serve Satan do not claim to worship him,
The respondent claims "the old
ways" for herself and those she belongs to. There is certainly a difference in saying
that Satan is the source of the practices of the occult, and saying that each
person involved in the occult claims they worship Satan directly.
The Bible says that those who commit sin are
of the devil. 1 John 3:8,"He that committeth
sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might
destroy the works of the devil." Hear John again, 1 John
To the Jews
who lived carnally and sought to do Him harm Jesus said, "Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh
of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44) In fact
John said in 1 John 5:19, "We know that we are of God, and the
whole world lies in the power of the evil one." The whole world! (Cp.
Revelation 12:9)
It is our desire as Christians that those
being deceived by the devices of Satan (2 Cor.
Upon one's obedience to the Gospel of Christ
they are translated from one domain to another. Paul said to the church at
The
word "witch" in Exodus 22:18
The word “witch” in Ex.
The
Other People Believe God Is A Local Deity, Not Omnipresent.
She assumes far too much when she says, “Gen
Gen. 4:16 can mean nothing more than Cain
left (went away from) the place where God communed with man just as God
communed with man in the garden. (Cp. Psalm 51:11; 143:7). In Cain's anguished
statement, in Gen. 4:14, to be “driven from the face of the earth” refers to
leaving
Perhaps a brief of Jonah's life is in order
here should anyone think that it is possible to escape the omnipresence of God.
Read Jonah chapters 1-2 and ask yourself if it is possible to walk away from
God's omnipresence? Jonah tried to run from God but "could" he escape
God's knowledge of what he had done and where he was? No! Compare Jonah 1:1-3,
“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the
presence of the Lord... unto Tarshish from the
presence of the Lord.” For Jonah to be able to literally get away from
God was impossible! He fled from the
Isn’t it convenient and self serving to read
Gen. 4:16 and just forget about the rest of the book? Did she forget (being a
minister’s daughter)
about Gen. 1:1? That's only 3 chapters to the left of the verse
she dwells upon. “God” in Gen. 1:1 is same word she says was mistranslated. And
God made the heavens and the earth. Does that sound like God is a local
deity?
Now, going "forward" from Gen. 4 you come to the
Flood (Gen. 7-9). Does it look like God is just a local deity? What are some of
the major points in history that God wants man to remember concerning His
dealings with mankind whom He created? One would be driving Adam and Eve from
the garden of Eden, Gen. 3:23-24. And the next would
be the Flood in Gen. 6-9. The
Who survived the flood? Noah with his wife,
and his three sons with their wives (Gen. 7:7;
The
Other People Say The First Mention of the Other People Is Gen. 4:16.
Quote: Gen. 4:16 Cain settled in there,
among the people of Nod, and married one of the women of that country. Here,
for the first time, is specifically mentioned the "other people" who
are not of the lineage of Adam and Eve. I.e., the
Pagans."
Let’s break this up:
They
say Cain settled in among the people of Nod, and married one of the women of
that country.
Cain was grown and tilling the ground when
he killed Abel. In Gen. 4:16 he went out from the presence of the Lord and
dwelt in the
It is here we see the importance of Genesis
5:4. In Gen. 5:4 after telling about the birth of SETH to Adam and Eve, it
tells us Adam lived 800 years after the birth of SETH and had sons and
daughters. The "daughters" mentioned in Genesis 5:4 are the source of
"wives" in the beginning of the human race. Here is the source of
Cain’s wife! Either he married one of his sisters, or
one his nieces, or so on down the line. There was nothing wrong with this at
the beginning. We must remember that there was "time" for this
because people lived hundreds of years.
She
says: Here, for the first time, is specifically mentioned the "other
people" who are not of the lineage of Adam and Eve. I.e.,
the Pagans."
This statement highlights the importance of
Genesis 3:20. Why did Adam name his wife Eve? Genesis 3:20, "And Adam
called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living." Ops!
There's another mistake in this scenario of the "other people." Eve
was the mother of ALL living! There was no "other people" who were
not of the lineage of Adam and Eve!
Furthermore, the Bible tells us about the
“numerous descendants” who came from the first man and woman, Adam and Eve.
Again, remember what happened at the Flood. Going on after the Flood the word
used to describe “numerous descendants” of one person distinct from others is
“nations” (later translated Gentiles); it appears first in Gen. 10:5 with
regard to the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japeth the three sons of Noah. That’s after the Flood
and doesn’t fit into this witches' tale!
Look at the statement in Genesis
10:1,"Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and
Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood." Genesis chapter
11:1 picks up with the descendants of those three to tell about the tower of
Babel and exactly when and how the nations were divided after the flood
(10:32). Chapter 11:1-2 says the whole earth (all of mankind) was of one speech
and they dwelt together in the
The word “pagan” in the Bible is the same
word as “nations“ (more often translated “heathen”);
you find it in many O.T. books to refer to the Gentiles. In the New Testament
beginning in Matt. 6:7 it is the word “heathen” or Gentile. This word set the Gentiles
off from the Jews (see I Cor. 12:2; 2 Cor. 11:26).
Another So Called "Mistranslation Bit," Gen. 1:26.
Quote: “...and back on the mistranslation
bit, here's another verse that when the proper word is used, makes everything
change..quoted from the same article "Genesis
1:26 - The [Elohim] said, "Let us make humanity
in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the
fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all
the reptiles that crawl upon the earth." Elohim
is a plural word, including male and female, and should properly be translated
"Gods" or "Pantheon." End Quote.
I stated before that the respondent
apparently forgot all about Gen. 1:1,
"In the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth." God here is the same word
as that used in Genesis 1:26. The word "Elohiym." OK folks! I'll say it again, God is the creator of heaven and earth! Is that a
local deity?
The respondent knows so much about God that
she claims that some source proves that "God" in Gen. 1:26 includes
"male and female" gods. She has both male and female in the Godhead!
Hmmm! I wonder if that fits in to her being "nature-conscious"? The Bible teaches no such thing about God! Gesenius Hebrew lexicon: Gesenius,
strongs ref. 430, states the
word is a noun, masculine, and it is plural. God who created the heavens and
the earth is defined as a noun and masculine! He shows where there is a
feminine usage of this Hebrew word in I Kings 11:33. There the word does not
refer to God, but rather to the female goddess, Ashtoreth the goddess of
the Sidonians.
In Strong’s Help: 'elohiym, Hebrew 430, Strong’s 'elohiym,; plural
of Hebrew 433 ('elowahh); ~ he explains that the word
is used of "gods in the ordinary sense," but it is
"specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of
the supreme God." And he points out that it is "occasionally
applied by way of deference to magistrates;…"
To take one definiton of the word in the context of I
Kings
The
description of the "Other People" as "nature conscious"
Quote:
“I have written this to right misconceptions. We, the other people, are
peaceful, and nature-conscious. If we were truly evil, Yahweh would not have
permitted the 'other people' to live correct?”
First,
I don't see people who say, practice and teach such things about God and
mankind as harmless. Maybe they do see and describe themselves as such. I would
warn people to watch out for the “nature-conscious” thing. "Nature"
is the product of God's creative power; it is not God. It appears to me that people
who get overly nature conscious wind up where Paul put some in Romans 1 as
being without excuse.
Romans 1:18-32,
"For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth
in unrighteousness; [19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in
them; for God hath shewed it unto them. [20] For the
invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so
that they are without excuse: [21] Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, [23] And changed
the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made
like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted
beasts, and creeping things. [24] Wherefore God also gave them up to
uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour
their own bodies between themselves: [25] Who changed
the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than
the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. [26] For
this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did
change the natural use into that which is against nature: [27] And likewise
also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one
toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in
themselves that recompence of their error which was
meet. [28] And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient; [29] Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit,
malignity; whisperers, [30] Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud,
boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, [31] Without
understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural
affection, implacable, unmerciful: [32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that
they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but
have pleasure in them that do them."
What greater harm can one do to the Truth
about God than to propose that God is nothing but a local deity? The respondent
assumes the existence of the "other people." Then she applies God’s
law against witches under the Law of Moses to her group, and deduces that they
are not truly evil else God would not have permitted them to live. This goes
nowhere other than to a sterile self-justification. Again, Eve is the mother of
all living. There was no "other people" who were not of the lineage
of Adam and Eve!
We all need to remember that people who do
not serve God in this world certainly serve the god of this world, whether they
admit to such or not. I think it fitting to conclude with John's statement, 1
John 5:19 "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the
power of the evil one." Paul said in 2 Cor. 4:4, "In whom the god of
this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of
the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto
them."
We offer an invitation to all who might read
this article to visit with us in order that you might learn about God and come
to the knowledge of the truth in Jesus Christ. Through Christ and his Gospel,
the new covenant, one can have the forgiveness of their sins and hope of
eternal life (John 3:15; Rom.5:21; Titus 1:1-3). Both belief in Jesus as the
Son of God and baptism for the remission of sins are necessary for one to be saved(Mark
The