- Mar 5, 2024
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Christ Can Break The Chains That Bind, But Will You Want Them Back?
Demons seek to enslave us. They first tempt us to sin, and if we give in to their influence they then seek to bring us under bondage, not just to the sins we commit but to themselves as well. Thankfully the answer is Christ, who frequently cast out demons during His earthly ministry. He can break any yoke and grant us freedom from any spiritual enslavement. The question however is this: Will we desire to keep the freedom He grants us, or will we return to the bondage we were delivered from?
Jesus warned this could potentially happen, and that those delivered can end up in an even worse state than the first time around if they choose not seek the Lord to fill them with His Spirit after being cleansed:
43 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. (Matthew 12:43-45)
This was happening during Peter's time. Some had been delivered from their bondages after turning to Christ, only to turn back as a result of being seduced into heresy. The Gnostics were increasingly infiltrating churches, and despite naming the name of Christ they were like "springs without water," meaning the Holy Spirit was not in them but they were in-dwelt by demonic spirits instead, so waiting around for Spirit-filled teachings to come from their lips was like waiting for rain that was never coming.
17 These are springs without water, and clouds driven by a tempest for whom the gloom of darkness is reserved. 18 For in speaking vain over-exaggerations, they allure through the lusts of the flesh and sexual licentiousness those having almost escaped from the ones living in error. 19 promising them freedom while themselves being slaves of corruption. For by whom anyone has been overcome, by him also he is held in bondage. 20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the recognition of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it was better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to have turned from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having been washed, to wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:17-22)
As Peter here stated, some had escaped their bondage by recognizing Christ as Savior only to now be seduced back into it, a claim confirmed by early church writers who attested this was going on during the New Testament era. It had in fact happened to some of the earliest converts to the faith, as was said of Nicolas, mentioned in the book of Acts as being "full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom." At some point he was turned, and became the leader of the Gnostic sect called the Nicolaitans.
The Nicolaitanes are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, as teaching that it is a matter of indifference to practise adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Wherefore the Word has also spoken of them thus, saying, "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." Revelation 2:6 (Ireneaus, Against Heresies, 26:3)
Some victims made it back out and returned to the true faith, yet others became so bound up by guilt and shame that they could no longer make a true commitment to Christ. Others were so bound by their sins that they couldn't part with them even if they wanted to serve Christ:
Such are the words and deeds by which, in our own district of the Rhone, they have deluded many women, who have had their consciences seared as with a hot iron. Some of them, indeed, make a public confession of their sins, but others of them are ashamed to do this. And in a tacit kind of way, despairing of [attaining to] the life of God, they have apostatized altogether, while others hesitate between the two courses, and incur that which is implied in the proverb, "Neither without, nor within," possessing this as the fruit from the seed of the children of gnosis [i.e. the children of "knowledge," falsely so-called]. (Ireneaus, Against Heresies XIII, 7)
All That Glitters
The reason demons succeed at bringing men into bondage is because they use deception. They dupe sinners into falling for what looks good to the eyes, never showing them the ugliness that lies behind the mask. This begins with how they use the physical attractiveness of human beings to incite their victims into receiving thoughts of perversion. I often quote from Harold Pittman in this regard because his testimony is so applicable. After being escorted by angels and shown what actually takes place in the spirit world, he shared this:
The angels told me that I was going to be permitted to see a human being actually being possessed by one of these demons. When we crossed through the dimension wall, we came out in a different room in the same hospital where my body was… In that room were two people, a young man and a young woman… The couple had no idea that we were there, and apparently thought they were completely alone. Standing between them was the most despicable looking of all creatures, of which they were totally unaware. He looked like an overgrown, stuffed green frog that was all out of shape. The man and the woman were talking and laughing as though they had just exchanged a joke. The demon, however, was between them and moving slowly toward the man's face. His every movement was calculated, much as a cat's movement is calculated when he is stalking a little bird. The man could not see him, and did not realize what was about to happen. I was just a few feet from the man, and could not warn him because he could not hear me. I could not communicate to him because I was totally in the spirit. When the demon reached the man's face, suddenly, like a puff of smoke, he disappeared into it, appearing to have penetrated the pores of the skin... As I turned away from the two, the angel began to tell me about the sovereign will of man, and how this demon made himself look beautiful and desirable to this individual. The angel stated that this individual, by his own sovereign will, had openly invited this thing to enter. To the man, the demon looked so desirable and beautiful, but I got to see him for what he truly is - ugly, despicable, and nauseating.(Harold Pittman, Demons: An Eyewitness Account, P.53-56)
The same principle of demons making themselves look attractive to their victims appears in the testimony of a former Satanist high priestess who invited a high ranking demon into herself. At first the demon appeared beautiful, up until the moment he entered her. This testimony also illustrates that once demons take up residence in a human being, they are determined to stay and keep them in spiritual bondage forever.
I drew on the floor with chalk a very large pentagram, then drew a circle around it… carefully I placed a black candle in each corner of the pentagram, then a much larger black candle in the center. All were lit… I asked no questions, but obeyed the high priestess' instructions to the letter. I sat on the floor, staring into the black candle in the center of the pentagram, murmuring, "Oh great Satan, the power and builder and creator of the universe, I beg thee, give me a demon to be the guide and light of my life - to give me all wisdom and knowledge. My beloved, Oh master, grant me my wish!" At that point the high priestess spoke the name Mann-Chan to me. I then said, "Mann-Chan come, you are welcome in my body, I bid thee arise from your hiding place." I took the powders and the herbs and blood and cast them into the boiling kettle. The steam rose and immediately the room was filled with a very foul odor… immediately there was a woosh and a huge flame. As the light died down over the next few seconds, I could see the figure of what appeared to be an incredibly handsome young man. He had coal black hair and piercing black eyes that radiated intelligence. I hurried to my knees beside the pentagram. With a rag, I wiped away the chalk to form a clear pathway through the pentagram. The young man, who was actually the demon Mann-Chan in physical form, stepped through to the outside of the pentagram on the pathway that I made... He told me that he would give me all wisdom and knowledge, he would be my teacher and guide… I agreed, very much awed by his beautiful countenance. He then walked straight into me. But, in the instant before he entered, he changed from the human form to the demon he really was. HIDEOUS! He was naked, his face had changed from beauty to hideous cruelty. The beautiful coal black locks of hair had become dull brown and were course and sparse and stubby like pig bristles. His eyes were incredibly dark and evil, his mouth open to show long, sharp, dirty yellow fangs. He had long arms, and his hands had stubby fingers tipped with long sharply pointed nails. He uttered a horrible hideous loud laugh of triumph as he stepped directly into my body. I screamed out, first at the sight of him, and then at the pain of his entrance. Searing, agonizing pain, such as I had never before experienced. I felt as if my body was on fire…
Demons seek to enslave us. They first tempt us to sin, and if we give in to their influence they then seek to bring us under bondage, not just to the sins we commit but to themselves as well. Thankfully the answer is Christ, who frequently cast out demons during His earthly ministry. He can break any yoke and grant us freedom from any spiritual enslavement. The question however is this: Will we desire to keep the freedom He grants us, or will we return to the bondage we were delivered from?
Jesus warned this could potentially happen, and that those delivered can end up in an even worse state than the first time around if they choose not seek the Lord to fill them with His Spirit after being cleansed:
43 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. (Matthew 12:43-45)
This was happening during Peter's time. Some had been delivered from their bondages after turning to Christ, only to turn back as a result of being seduced into heresy. The Gnostics were increasingly infiltrating churches, and despite naming the name of Christ they were like "springs without water," meaning the Holy Spirit was not in them but they were in-dwelt by demonic spirits instead, so waiting around for Spirit-filled teachings to come from their lips was like waiting for rain that was never coming.
17 These are springs without water, and clouds driven by a tempest for whom the gloom of darkness is reserved. 18 For in speaking vain over-exaggerations, they allure through the lusts of the flesh and sexual licentiousness those having almost escaped from the ones living in error. 19 promising them freedom while themselves being slaves of corruption. For by whom anyone has been overcome, by him also he is held in bondage. 20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the recognition of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it was better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to have turned from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having been washed, to wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:17-22)
As Peter here stated, some had escaped their bondage by recognizing Christ as Savior only to now be seduced back into it, a claim confirmed by early church writers who attested this was going on during the New Testament era. It had in fact happened to some of the earliest converts to the faith, as was said of Nicolas, mentioned in the book of Acts as being "full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom." At some point he was turned, and became the leader of the Gnostic sect called the Nicolaitans.
The Nicolaitanes are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, as teaching that it is a matter of indifference to practise adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Wherefore the Word has also spoken of them thus, saying, "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." Revelation 2:6 (Ireneaus, Against Heresies, 26:3)
Some victims made it back out and returned to the true faith, yet others became so bound up by guilt and shame that they could no longer make a true commitment to Christ. Others were so bound by their sins that they couldn't part with them even if they wanted to serve Christ:
Such are the words and deeds by which, in our own district of the Rhone, they have deluded many women, who have had their consciences seared as with a hot iron. Some of them, indeed, make a public confession of their sins, but others of them are ashamed to do this. And in a tacit kind of way, despairing of [attaining to] the life of God, they have apostatized altogether, while others hesitate between the two courses, and incur that which is implied in the proverb, "Neither without, nor within," possessing this as the fruit from the seed of the children of gnosis [i.e. the children of "knowledge," falsely so-called]. (Ireneaus, Against Heresies XIII, 7)
All That Glitters
The reason demons succeed at bringing men into bondage is because they use deception. They dupe sinners into falling for what looks good to the eyes, never showing them the ugliness that lies behind the mask. This begins with how they use the physical attractiveness of human beings to incite their victims into receiving thoughts of perversion. I often quote from Harold Pittman in this regard because his testimony is so applicable. After being escorted by angels and shown what actually takes place in the spirit world, he shared this:
The angels told me that I was going to be permitted to see a human being actually being possessed by one of these demons. When we crossed through the dimension wall, we came out in a different room in the same hospital where my body was… In that room were two people, a young man and a young woman… The couple had no idea that we were there, and apparently thought they were completely alone. Standing between them was the most despicable looking of all creatures, of which they were totally unaware. He looked like an overgrown, stuffed green frog that was all out of shape. The man and the woman were talking and laughing as though they had just exchanged a joke. The demon, however, was between them and moving slowly toward the man's face. His every movement was calculated, much as a cat's movement is calculated when he is stalking a little bird. The man could not see him, and did not realize what was about to happen. I was just a few feet from the man, and could not warn him because he could not hear me. I could not communicate to him because I was totally in the spirit. When the demon reached the man's face, suddenly, like a puff of smoke, he disappeared into it, appearing to have penetrated the pores of the skin... As I turned away from the two, the angel began to tell me about the sovereign will of man, and how this demon made himself look beautiful and desirable to this individual. The angel stated that this individual, by his own sovereign will, had openly invited this thing to enter. To the man, the demon looked so desirable and beautiful, but I got to see him for what he truly is - ugly, despicable, and nauseating.(Harold Pittman, Demons: An Eyewitness Account, P.53-56)
The same principle of demons making themselves look attractive to their victims appears in the testimony of a former Satanist high priestess who invited a high ranking demon into herself. At first the demon appeared beautiful, up until the moment he entered her. This testimony also illustrates that once demons take up residence in a human being, they are determined to stay and keep them in spiritual bondage forever.
I drew on the floor with chalk a very large pentagram, then drew a circle around it… carefully I placed a black candle in each corner of the pentagram, then a much larger black candle in the center. All were lit… I asked no questions, but obeyed the high priestess' instructions to the letter. I sat on the floor, staring into the black candle in the center of the pentagram, murmuring, "Oh great Satan, the power and builder and creator of the universe, I beg thee, give me a demon to be the guide and light of my life - to give me all wisdom and knowledge. My beloved, Oh master, grant me my wish!" At that point the high priestess spoke the name Mann-Chan to me. I then said, "Mann-Chan come, you are welcome in my body, I bid thee arise from your hiding place." I took the powders and the herbs and blood and cast them into the boiling kettle. The steam rose and immediately the room was filled with a very foul odor… immediately there was a woosh and a huge flame. As the light died down over the next few seconds, I could see the figure of what appeared to be an incredibly handsome young man. He had coal black hair and piercing black eyes that radiated intelligence. I hurried to my knees beside the pentagram. With a rag, I wiped away the chalk to form a clear pathway through the pentagram. The young man, who was actually the demon Mann-Chan in physical form, stepped through to the outside of the pentagram on the pathway that I made... He told me that he would give me all wisdom and knowledge, he would be my teacher and guide… I agreed, very much awed by his beautiful countenance. He then walked straight into me. But, in the instant before he entered, he changed from the human form to the demon he really was. HIDEOUS! He was naked, his face had changed from beauty to hideous cruelty. The beautiful coal black locks of hair had become dull brown and were course and sparse and stubby like pig bristles. His eyes were incredibly dark and evil, his mouth open to show long, sharp, dirty yellow fangs. He had long arms, and his hands had stubby fingers tipped with long sharply pointed nails. He uttered a horrible hideous loud laugh of triumph as he stepped directly into my body. I screamed out, first at the sight of him, and then at the pain of his entrance. Searing, agonizing pain, such as I had never before experienced. I felt as if my body was on fire…
