Abominations- Sorceries
There are many types of sorceries. They are worse than deadly sins, they are abominations. The type of sorcery that this document will primarily address is this; intentionally ingesting chemicals for the purposes of altering one’s state of mind.
If you were to drink a caffeinated beverage, or take the correct dose of sleeping pills, you would probably not get high, or drunk. You take these drugs to affect your level of alertness: being awake vs. falling asleep. They do not affect your state of mind, but only your level of alertness—within that same state of mind. Some stimulants, like Cocaine or Speed, do affect your STATE of mind. They make you high. This is why they are illegal. True Christians submit to the Government’s law unless they contradict God’s law. However, God’s law calls using mind-altering drugs “sorcery”, and forbids it in the strictest way possible.
It is a deadly sin
Revelation 21
8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the
sexually immoral, those who practice
magic arts, the idolaters and
all liars--their place will be in the
fiery lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death." (NIV)
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But the fearful,
and unbelieving, and the abominable,
and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers,
and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second
death. (KJV) |
Galatians 5:19-21 (New International Version)
19The
acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and
debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft;
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the
like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not
inherit the
New
International Version (NIV)
Revelation 9:20-21 (New International Version)
20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood–idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
The blue letter bible online cites Thayer’s Greek Lexicon as translating the underlined words above as follows at http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/5/1098737913-6327.html
Pharmakos
1) one who prepares or uses magical remedies
2) sorcerer
from pharmakon (a
drug, i.e. spell-giving potion)
Spell-giving potions
Many would say that using drugs to “get high” or “get a buzz” is not magical: That drugs and alcohol do not put you under a spell. Nowadays, we use terms like “high”, “under the influence of”, “on”, to describe the effects of drugs (including alcohol) that we use to intentionally alter the state of our consciousness or awareness. We no longer call them “spell-giving potions”. That does not change the spiritual effect of this deadly type of sin.
1 Corinthians 6
9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the
1Pe 4:3 For the time past of [our] life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
It is an abomination
There are many types
of sorceries, and spiritism is nothing new.
Leviticus 20
27 " '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.' "
Deuteronomy 18
10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter
in [1]
the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in
witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who
consults the dead. 12 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.
13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.
The King James Version makes it clear that these are abominations.
Deuteronomy 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.
One of these sins is a “necromancer”, or “one who consults the dead”. This abomination is warned against elsewhere in scripture. Regardless of these warnings, many today consult Mary, or other dead saints in prayer.
“A charmer”
Some of these terms
are difficult to translate into our daily language. Let’s look at some of the words used above
that seem to be parallel with the Greek word for “sorcerers”.
Charmer
chabar {khaw-bar'}
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/2/1098740152-6422.html
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1) to unite, join, bind together, be joined, be
coupled, be in league, heap up, have fellowship with, be compact, be a
charmer a) (Qal) 1) to unite, be joined 2) to
tie magic charms, charm b) (Piel) 1) to unite with, make an
ally of 2) to unite, join, ally c) (Pual) 1) to be allied with, be
united 2) to be joined together d) (Hiphil) to join
together, pile up (words) e) (Hithpael)
to join oneself to, make an alliance, league together |
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Authorized Version (KJV)
Translation Count — Total: 29 |
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AV - couple
8, join
8, couple
together 4, join
together 3, compact
1, |
Jim Morrison was
described by his keyboardist as a “Shaman”. Jim sang about “breaking through to the other
side”. This is the type of spiritual
activity that mediums engage in. Anyone who
uses drugs to alter their state of mind is entering (through disobedience to
God’s word) into the “other side”:
Opening themselves up to spirits other than the Holy Spirit: Demon spirits.
“a consulter with familiar spirits”
http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/1/1098740621-4233.html
explains how this phrase is also translated as “bottle” or container: Because the medium was considered as an empty
bottle for the demon to enter and possess—in order to make predictions or
perform other spiritual activities.
1 Corinthians 6
18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits
are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19Do
you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are
not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with
your body.
A Christian would never intentionally open their body up to be inhabited or even influenced by demon spirits. By using chemicals to alter their state of mind, they are doing just that. Joe Schimmel’s tape entitled Drugs And The New Age Revolution proves this point by presenting research on LSD, among other things.
Turning to the occult
The occult is a broad term which refers to
spiritual things that are forbidden in scripture.
Leviticus 20
6 " 'I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.
Do you “turn to” confessed spiritists, such as the author of Harry Potter, by reading their work? What TV channels and movies do you turn to? Do they have occult content?
Ps 101:2-8
2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life-- when will you come
to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart.
3 I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not
cling to me.
4 Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have
nothing to do with evil.
Turning to the occult for entertainment is not spelled out as an “abomination”. However, Lev. 20 that those who follow this course will be cut off. Jesus used similar terminology to describe those who do not continue to follow ONLY Him:
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while
every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[ 15:2 The Greek for prunes
also means cleans.] so that it will be even more fruitful.
(Whole Chapter: In
context: )