Apostasy is throughout the world. Christian principles and then Word of God is being cast away and rejected throughout the world. As a result the day of judgment is coming. God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world. That day grows closer as each day passes!
Acts 17
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the
world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof
he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead.
In these last days before the return of the Lord Jesus the occult has been made very popular by Satan and lost people. Both children and adults are enjoying Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons and many other occult games, books, movies, and TV shows.
Even professing Christian tares encourage the enjoyment of occult entertainment as part of their so-called "freedom in Christ". They argue that it is all make believe fantasy, so go ahead and enjoy all that Harry Potter and the like has to offer. Little thought is given to the fact that the occult is an abomination to the Lord! Here is a reminder on what the Bible says:
Deut 18
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his
son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth
divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a
wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD:
and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive
them out from before thee.
I never thought I would see the day when people who claimed to be Christians would justify the use of witchcraft for entertainment. But those days of great apostasy are here! I've heard from these tares who claim to love Jesus and enjoy Harry Potter's occultism at the same time. They are totally reprobate with no discernment between the Godly and the profane. These people are liars who profess they know the Lord but they deny Him in their actions. But these are the last days before the return of the Lord Jesus and the rise of the antichrist. Therefore this apostasy is to be expected even from those who "claim" to be Christian.
Titus 1
16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him,
being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
The coming kingdom of the antichrist will have the occult as its foundation. As a result we can expect to see an increase in the promotion and acceptance of the occult the closer we get to the time when the antichrist rises to power after. Of course the antichrist is currently being restrained but that restraint will end at the rapture of the Church.
The goal of this article is to make this point. The occult will ultimately destroy all those involved. Satan is a hard taskmaster and he seeks to enslave and destroy souls. The occult is one sure way to bring great destruction into a person's life. To prove this point we will be looking at the life of King Manasseh who did much evil before the Lord with his occultism. As a result, God judged this man and brought him to failure and destruction. The same fate awaits all people who involve themselves with Satan's world of the occult.
MANASSEH
Before we look at the Scriptures, here is some information about King Manasseh. He became King at age 12. He came from a good family with a Godly father who pleased the Lord. His father was good King Hezekiah. As a result of his upbringing, Manasseh was exposed to Godly influences in his early life. After the death of his father, he became King of Israel. King Manasseh totally rejected all of his father's Godly training and influence. He completely rejected the Lord and gave his whole being to the occult and idolatry. Manasseh tried to tear down and destroy all the good and Godly things done by his father. Since he rejected the Lord, Manasseh totally turned himself over to the devil and to the ways of darkness. He was involved in idolatry, witchcraft, wizards, and all forms of the occult. He worshipped the sun, moon, and many false gods. He tore down the things of God in Israel to build the things of the devil in their place. He sacrificed his children to demons and did much evil before the Lord. King Manasseh led many in Israel into the worship of the devil with all the false gods and occult practices.
With the above introduction in mind, here is a quick summary of his entire life. He became King at age 12 and totally rejected all things of the Lord. Manasseh led himself and Israel into occultic practices and idol worship. As a result God sent great judgment into his life. After judgment, Manasseh repented of his idoltry and occultism. He turned back to his Godly roots and humbly committed himself to the Lord. As a result God restored King Manasseh to the land of Israel to be king again. Manasseh tried to turn back the years of damage that he had done. But the spiritual damage was done in Israel and many people chose to stay with the occult and idolatry. Manasseh could not completely undo all the evil he had done before he repented before the Lord.
Here is what the Bible says with comments between the verses about the life of Manasseh:
2 Chronicles 33
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem:
Above is the introduction and the fact that Manasseh was King for 55 years.
2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
An interesting point is that God brought judgment on the heathen who were in the land before God gave it to Israel. These heathen did the same occult sins and their judgment resulted in their destruction and being cast out of the land of Israel.
Below is a list of all the occult sins done by King Manasseh. Notice that Manasseh worshipped false gods and got himself heavily involved in occult practices.
3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had
broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves,
and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
4 Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD
had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.
5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts
of the house of the LORD.
6 And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley
of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments,
and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with
wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke
him to anger.
7 And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the
house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son,
In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the
tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
8 Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the
land which I have appointed for your fathers; so that they will
take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the
whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.
That is quite a list of sins. But today if you were to grab a Harry Potter book you will read of the same things. The occult really does not change from one generation to the next. Satan just re-packages it in an acceptable way to deceive those who reject the Lord. The entire world of the occult belongs to Satan and his demons.
As you can see Manasseh got heavily into the occult. He set a very evil example in Israel.
9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.
Notice that people in Israel were also led astray into the occult by the evil practices done by King Manessah. Occultism doesn't just affect one person. Many are offended and led astray by evil practices. There really is no such thing as a victimless sin! People are influenced by sin and evil in their midst!
10 And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.
Warnings were given but Manasseh and his people refused to listen. That reminds me of today. Many professing Christians today are enjoying the occult and they have been warned. Sadly, their hearts are hard and unteachable and they will not listen.
11 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
The time came when the warnings were given and it was time for judgment. The same will be true today. One day the warnings will cease and it will be time for judgment. People may laugh and mock the warnings for now. But that will quickly change once judgment falls on such evil sin.
In this case the Lord used the Assyrians. Manasseh was captured and removed in chains from Israel. In defeat and shame he was carried off to Babylon.
12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
Here is the point in the life in King Manesseh when he repented of his sins of occultism and idolatry. He was captured and removed from his kingdom in Israel and was afflicted. At this low point in his life he realized his great sin before the Lord. He repented of his sins and humbled himself before the Lord and called out in prayer and supplication.
13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.
God who is rich in mercy and forgiveness restored King Manesseh to Israel as King. Manasseh learned his lesson and he learned that the Lord, He is God!
To me this is a very good quality of King Manasseh. He at least repented and turned back to the Lord. Many people I see today have hearts so hard that they will not repent or humble themselves before the Lord. These people are totally unteacheable and in rejection of sound Biblical doctrine and teaching. Ultimately they will go on and one day accept the mark of the beast given by the antichrist and be forever lost.
In the next set of verses we see King Manasseh try to undo all the damage he had done when he gave himself over to the occult and idolatry.
14 Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the
west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the
fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great
height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.
15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house
of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of
the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of
the city.
16 And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon
peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve
the LORD God of Israel.
As you can see King Manasseh did many things to restore the worship of the Lord in Israel. Here is where we see that the sin of King Manasseh had greatly affected other people in Israel. His sins were not "victimless". Others were influenced away from the Lord by the sins of King Manasseh.
17 Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only.
Verse 17 begins with the word nevertheless. Even though King Manasseh tried to undo all the damage he had done, some people chose to stay with their idols. The high places is where they went to worship their false gods. Many people who were led astray made the choice to stay in rebellion and rejection of the Lord. The attack of the Assyrians and the repentance of Manasseh was not enough to cause these people to change their ways.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his
God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of
the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of
the kings of Israel.
19 His prayer also, and how God was intreated of him, and all his
sin, and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places,
and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold,
they are written among the sayings of the seers.
20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his
own house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.
This concludes the life of Manasseh. Sadly, he is remembered for being a wicked King in Israel. Not too many people realize that Manasseh was judged for his wickedness and then he repented and was restored by the Lord.
Lets look quickly at King Amon the son of Manessah who became King after the death of Manasseh. Here is a boy who was also influenced by the sins of his father.
21 Amon was two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and
reigned two years in Jerusalem.
22 But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did
Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images
which Manasseh his father had made, and served them;
King Amon rejected the things of the Lord and fell deep into occult sin and idolatry (just like his daddy did when he first became King). However, King Amon didn't learn from the life lessons of his father and he went deep into the occult.
23 And humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.
God also sent warnings to King Amon but his heart was very hard. He refused to repent and reject the occult and idolatry. Instead of repenting, King Amon sinned more and more.
24 And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house.
As a result of his hard heart, God's judgment came and the reign of wicked King Amon was put to an end.
25 But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.
WARNING TO PARENTS
By reading the above account it is very easy to see that the occult only brings death and destruction. It also leads others astray from the Lord as witchcraft and the occult influences others.
In these last days I have seen parents who are indifferent to the occult. They freely let their children get involved in the many forms of occult entertainment available today.
Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, occult games, occult TV shows, and movies are popular. Some people even go out of their way to justify their love the occult. The funniest argument I've heard is about the Lord of the Rings. People claim the occult is OK because the author of Lord of the Rings is supposed to be a Christian. I see! So if the author of the Satanic Bible is supposed to be a "Christian" does that make the Satanic Bible acceptable? Yet people will use many silly excuses to justify their love of the occult. All they are doing is showing their rebellion and rejection of the Lord for all to see!
Don't forget this: The occult is the occult and it is never acceptable! By the way, the author of Lord of the Rings is a part of the cult of Roman Catholicism which denies the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross and salvation by faith apart from works. He is not a Christian according to the Bible.
Remember the occult is an abomination against the Lord. It is such a serious sin that in Old Testament days it was an offense worthy of the death penalty.
Lev 20
6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits,
and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my
face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
CONCLUSION
You should take this article as another warning about the occult. Witchcraft and occultism is not harmless fun. It will lead people to death and destruction. The Old Testament account of King Manasseh is an example for those who live in these last days before the return of the Lord Jesus. We can learn through example by reading about the life of King Manasseh. We have clearly seen the destruction that the occult brought into his life, his family, and the nation of Israel. The Christ rejecting world has openly accepted the world of the occult and enjoyable fun and entertainment. Satan has used Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings to prosper witchcraft and occultism in these last days. But all this witchcraft and occultism should not be an issue for God's people! Do not be influenced and do not let yourself or your family get involved with the occult. If you have a rebellious heart then the occult will surely bring death and destruction into your life and the life of your family!
Here are some suggestions for parents:
- Do not let the occult into your house in any form. This includes Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, occult books, occult tv shows, occult movies, occult computer games etc.
- It is not harmless fun. The occult is an abomination to God and is to be rejected and avoided by God's people.
- Your children and your family will be devastated by the occult. Do not think for one second that by allowing the occult into your home, that people will not be influenced and hurt by it. Read the above account of King Manasseh and see how his occult sins affected the children of Israel and even his own son!
- Once involved in occultism, you may repent but the damage done to others may not be reversible. If you love the Lord then do not allow the occult into your home at all.
- Remember the fact that children living in your home are still under your care and authority. Therefore, they have no right whatsoever to bring any occult into YOUR home. All the occult is to be destroyed from your home and no one has any right to bring it in again!
- Do what the Bible commands. Gather up occult books, occult games, occult movies, rock and roll, and anything related to the occult and darkness. Then take all these evil items and destroy them out of your home and your life! Here is an example of what the early Christians did when they purged their homes and their lives from evil occultic things:
Acts 19
18 And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed
their deeds.
19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their
books together, and burned them before all men: and they
counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces
of silver.
20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
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