America a Sorcerer's Apprenticeship

America a Sorcerer’s Apprenticeship

“…when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Luke 18:8b

Jesus asked a very profound and prophetic question during one of His parables to His disciples.

“…when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" -Luke 18:8b

We are living in a time where those prophetic words resonate loud and clear. For once, the witches aren’t ugly old hags but adolescent heroes. They have become charmers, as for Harry Potter who rides a broom, owns an invisibility cloak and magic wand not to mention Sabrina the teenage witch and a plethora of others… for once they have become heroes rather than the villains!

Fun fantasies and strategic entertainment has a special way of altering values, compromising beliefs and changing behavior in adults as well as in children. This learning process has been named "edutainment" a preferred way to train multicultural citizens for the envisioned succeeding community. Its power to influence beliefs and behavior is illustrated by today's marketing firms which spend billions on entertaining ads that touch emotions, ignore the facts and yet motivate people to buy their products.

"I believe television and video are the most underestimated force for good in educating our children in the technological age in which we live. It is important to develop children’s thinking skills." (Anne Wood, Teletubby creator, British Broadcasting Company)

"The challenge to humanity is to adopt new ways of thinking, new ways of acting, new ways of organizing itself in society. In short, new ways of living." (Our Creative Diversity, UNESCO)

A generation of children are becoming desensitized to the occult. Children all over the world can now identify with their favorite characters and learn to see wizards and witches from a popular peer perspective rather than from God's perspective. Those who sense that the occult world is evil, face a choice: Resist peer pressure or rationalize their imagined participation in Harry's supernatural adventures. The second choice may silence the nagging doubts, but rationalizing evil and justifying sin will sear the conscience and shift the child's perception of values from God's perspective to a more comfortable cultural adaptation. Even Christian children can easily learn to conform truth to multicultural ideals and turn God's values upside down, just as did God's people in Old Testament days… "But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward." Jeremiah 7:24

I don’t think people fully realize what they’re dealing with, and I believe that anyone who knows anything about spiritual warfare knows those books can open the door to spiritual oppression; what makes it worse is that children are their targets. Harry Potter books are published by Scholastic Publisher, America’s largest publisher of children and educational books. Harry Potter is a fictional story that is packed with non-fictional implications.

Harry Potter books are ingeniously packaged as harmless fictional fantasy that is actually genuinely dangerous. The necromancy, ceremonial magic, curses, spells, blood sacrifice, incantations, and so on mirrors actual occult rituals! Furthermore, many of the names which permeate these books are actual names of real witches, occult figures, and demonic entities from throughout History. Rowling’s ability in transforming nonfiction into fiction is completely magical. Her cloaking ability is quite impressive indeed, how could Rowling know such intricate details about Wicca if she wasn’t a witch herself? Our law enforcement officials, the media, religious researchers, and sociologists recognized four main categories of contemporary Witchcraft. First we have the teenage self-styled, or dabblers; second there are adult self-styled; third we have the religious or public; and fourth there are small groups. But true followers of the Craft will never disclose their identity to society.

One must seriously consider the names such as Hedwig who was a German saint who lived in the 13th century. There was an order of nuns dedicated to caring for orphans that was established under the patronage of St. Hedwig, which brings to mind that Harry is an orphan. Also, the symbol of owls have long been connected with magic, mystery, and ancient knowledge in folklore. The emblem of Athens was an owl and Hidden Knowledge and owls have long been connected because of Athens. Cliodna also known as Cliodne, was a famous Irish druidess who lived in Medieval times. Alberic Grunnion was a powerful wizard in a German epic poem that has been the basis of many modern works, most importantly the 19th century Wagnerian opera The Ring Cycle. One of the heroes in the poem is given an invisibility cloak by Alberich. Harry Potter was also is given an invisibility cloak by Dumbledore. Nicolas Flamel was a legendary French wizard-alchemist you explore a large and magical world. We have also Paracelsus, Henry Cornelius Agrippa at one time were all famous witches, sorcerers and alchemists throughout the ages. Furthermore, we have names such as Azkaban, Circe, Draco, Erised, Hermes, and Slytherin; all of which are names of real devils or demons… these are not characters of fiction!

Why package these books as fantasy when they are literally crammed full of real black magic ceremonies, real hexes and spells, names of real witches and demons? Why, if this is truly fantasy like J. R. Tolkien’s books, wouldn’t Rowling fill these books with made-up-names and made-up-spells, instead of real curses and names of real witches and demons? Perhaps that is something you should take into consideration.

How serious are the implications of reading these materials? Millions of young people are completely unaware that they are learning how to work with demon spirits. They are getting to know them by name, and speaking their names aloud, opening their souls up to oppression or worse possession. One might tend to see the correlation between the alarming increases of depression, especially in children and teens!

Many Christians have fallen under the subtle seductive spell of witchcraft and have failed to understand what the Word of God has to say about this matter. In fact, witchcraft is not always so mysterious. For example, when you think of witchcraft, you probably think of black magic or conjuring the dead. Christians today are experts at sorcery far more than they may actually realize, “For rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft…" 1 Samuel 15:1a.

Remember when King Saul was ordered to utterly destroy the Amalekites and everything they had: man, woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass? Saul found victory in battle against Israel’s enemy by the grace of God, but failed to obey the voice of God when the dust settled. He spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and kept the best of the livestock (see 1 Sam. 15:1-9).

Saul proposed that his intention was to sacrifice the animals to the Lord, but there’s no excuse for disobedience. Saul was so stubborn that he at first refused to admit his disobedience. He actually justified his actions. Only after Samuel rebuked Saul did he catch the revelation that obedience is better than sacrifice (see 1 Sam. 15:22). In that rebuke and in Saul’s response, we find one too many Christians are practicing this same sin that's in the realm of witchcraft through the rebellion that arises when their fleshly desires become greater than the fear of the Lord.

Saul’s rebellious life led to being tormented by evil spirits. 1 Samuel 16:14, “Therefore, God removed His Spirit from Saul and allowed an evil spirit to torment him.” Likely, Satan and the demons had always wanted to attack Saul; God was now simply giving them permission to do so. Many Christians today are sick and live in torment because of their rebellion to God just as Saul. The Apostle Paul in the New Testament warned those in Corinth “That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.” 1 Corinthians 11:30, these Christians were living a sinful life and also partaking in the Lord’s Supper.

Let’s listen in on Samuel and Saul’s conversation: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice” (1 Sam. 15:23-24, KJV). Unfortunately, Saul didn’t learn his lesson. He continued disobeying God and eventually lost his kingdom. Fear of man was at the root of Saul’ rebellion, but rebellion grows from many roots. If you see rebellion (sin of witchcraft) operating in your life, find the root and rip it out before it takes a toll on your life.

America has become a Sorcerer’s Apprenticeship indeed, while forbidding prayer in the name of Jesus, most schools seem to welcome spells and sorcery in the name of Harry Potter. Some public schools even bus their students to see the movie. Teachers will facilitate classroom discussions that train students to seek common ground and conform to group consensus. Most public libraries where the children go also have huge posters and books promoting Harry Potter in hope they are more likely to prefer paganism over Christianity.

We are living in difficult times and the struggle is real. Furthermore, the Word of God testifies of this: "But mark this: In the last days hard times will come. People will love themselves. They will love money. They will talk about themselves and be proud. They will say wrong things about people. They will not obey their parents. They will not be thankful. They will not keep anything holy. They will have no love. They will not agree with anybody. They will tell lies about people. They will have no self-control. They will beat people. They will not love anything that is good. They cannot be trusted. They will act quickly, without thinking. They are proud of themselves. They love to have fun more than they love God. They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God's power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that. They are the kind who go quietly into people's houses. There they get foolish women to believe them. These women know that they have done many wrong things. And they want to do many kinds of wrong things. They are always trying to learn, but never able to find out what is really true.”

2 Timothy 3:1-7

Surprisingly to many Christians today is that witchcraft is a serious offense in any manifestation. Notice that witchcraft is listed right alongside adultery and fornication as a work of the flesh. Furthermore, witchcraft violates the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3 The flesh opposes the move of the Spirit and resists all things spiritual. This is a serious struggle because Paul assures us that those who practice witchcraft will not inherit the kingdom of God. “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21,

But there is yet good news… If you walk in God's Spirit, you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (see Galatians 5:16). How do you know if you are walking in God's Holy Spirit? The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When you walk in the Spirit, these fruits manifest.

If you know you are challenging God in this area, repent of this sin which God views in the same way as witchcraft, and get back in line with the Spirit. If you are flowing in fleshly witchcraft, crucify your flesh with its passions and desires. If you live in the spirit, walk in the Spirit and walk free from the practice of witchcraft.

May the Lord find faith on the earth when He returns!

Peace,