What do you know about witchcraft? Are you sure what you think you know is actually fact? Is it even important that we know about witchcraft? Good questions? I think so. I personally think it is very important that we know about witchcraft because it is very popular today, and becoming more popular all the time. If someone doesn't know what it is they can't recognize it when they see it around them. Also, they may fall victim to a form of witchcraft themselves.
Many teens turn to witchcraft just to be cool or rebellious. Many adults turn to it because of the mysterious nature, and the freedom and power it is alleged to give its participants.
Even though witches don't worship Satan, as many believe, they still are into things controlled by Satan.
What Is Witchcraft?
Witchcraft is the use of spells and magick to bring about change. Witchcraft is not a religion, but there are witches in many religions. Some seek the help of spirits with their spells but others do not.
What Is A Witch?
A witch is anyone who practices witchcraft. This person can be male or female. Some witches claim to only do good magick to help others, while some will not mind putting a 'hex' on someone. A hex is a spell meant to cause another harm.
Some witches are actually Satanists, some are atheist, and some even claim to be Christian. Just because someone claims to be a witch does not tell you anything about their religion. The belief by many that all witches are Satan worshippers is pure myth. This myth is spread by Hollywood mostly, but also by misinformed ministers who do not know any better, or simply have their own agenda in perpetuating the myth.
Signs Of Witchcraft
Do you know how to tell if your friends or relatives are into witchcraft? Short of asking them directly there are a few things you can look for to help you decide. Please be advised these things are only indicators and not positive proof this person is a witch.
Items to look for are...
* Candles - I'm not saying anyone with candles in the home is a witch. Candles have other innocent uses, but witches do often use candles in their rituals. If you see the candles on something that looks like an altar then look carefully to see if that is a Christian altar. If it does not look like a Christian altar then it is possibly a magickal altar. At that point you might want to see if other indicators are also present.
* Incense - Incense is used by those who are not into witchcraft. Some people just like the smell, but as with the candles it is also used in rituals of witches. Look for other indicators.
* New age or occult books - Sure someone could read these books out of curiosity, but if there is an abundance of them it would tend to indicate a real involvement in witchcraft. Look for other indicators.
* Pentagram - the five pointed star. If a person wears a pentagram they most likely are into witchcraft. Other indicators would pretty much guarantee it.
* Hatred of Christianity - Generally speaking witches hate Christianity. If your friend or relative absolutely hates Christians or anything related to Christianity that is a strong indicator. Again, look for other indicators.
* Nature lover to the point of worshipping nature - It is good to love and respect nature, but some people take it to the extreme of actually worshipping nature. If you know someone who does this they just might be a witch. Look for other indicators.
* Believes in a God and Goddess or just Goddess - Witches sometimes worship a male and female divinity, calling them God and Goddess or Lord and Lady. These gods and goddesses may also have different names. There are feminist witches who only worship Goddess. Look for more indicators.
* Believes in many gods and/or goddesses - Some people believe in many gods and goddesses. Many of these people are witches. Look for more indicators.
* Talks about spells and/or magick - Those who talk a lot about doing magick most likely participate in this activity. It is wise, however, to look for more indicators.
* Owns tarot cards - Owning tarot cards does not make one a witch, but it is an indicator. As always, look for more indicators.
* Uses psychics - Many witches look to psychics for help and guidance. Often these psychics are into witchcraft themselves. There are misguided people who use psychics who are not witches, also. Look for more indicators.
* Into astrology - Definitely look for more indicators because many people trust their horoscope, but many witches are absolutely fascinated by astrology.
None of the above things alone confirm that a person is a witch, but if you see several indicators then you can pretty much count on it. Most of us have heard the old expression, "If it looks like a duck, and it walks like a duck, and it goes 'quack quack' it is a duck".
What Is Wrong With It According To The Bible?
In Galatians 5:19-21 it says The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
God's Word makes it very clear; those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. In other words, all those who practice witchcraft will go to hell unless they are saved by grace through putting their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for the remission of their sins. Witchcraft is an act of the sinful nature. Is is not of God.
But, What About Christian Wicca? Isn't It Ok?
Christian Wicca is a blending of two religions - Wicca and Christianity. People who follow this path will take what they like from both religions and ignore the rest. This is very dangerous spiritually. If one is truly a Christian then they should stay far away from all forms of witchcraft. If one has never been saved in the first place Christian Wicca will just keep them from the soul-saving grace of Christ. Living a life based on principles of a made-up religion does not satisfy God's requirements. We must be saved to evade the horrors of hell.
What about The Christian Witch?
As I said above, Christians should stay far away from all forms of witchcraft. We need to pray for God's help and never resort to spells and magick to get what we want. We have a wonderful Father who loves us and cares for us. When we need help from a spirit we can call on God, who has numerous angels he can dispatch to aid us.
Conclusion
I encourage anyone involved in witchcraft to turn from it, and ask God for forgiveness. Jesus is the only way to find true happiness and realistic hope. Without Him eternity is only dark and demon-infested. Hell and Heaven are real. Don't make the wrong choice. Choose Jesus Christ and choose eternal bliss.
Witchcraft Word Study
It is not uncommon for Wiccans and other witches to talk about the Hebrew and Greek words that were translated into the King James Bible as "witch," "witchcraft," "sorcerer," "sorceress" and "sorcery." They like to say that English Bible translations have mistranslated those words and in the original languages of the Bible witchcraft and magick are not condemned. Using this word study I can show that they are wrong, that the Bible clearly condemns witchcraft, and when it uses the words mentioned above it means exactly what it says. It is referring to magick and those who practice it.
The word "witch" does not appear in the New Testament of the King James Version, and only appears twice in the Old Testament (Ex. 22:18 - Deut. 18:10). The Hebrew word is "kashaph" - to whisper a spell, i.e. to enchant or practice magick - sorcerer, witch.
Exodus 22:18 - Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
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.
The word "witchcraft" appears twice in the OT and once in the NT. In 1 Samuel 15:23 the Hebrew word is "qecem" and it means... a lot: also divination, divine sentence, witchraft. In 2 Chronicles 33:6 it is the same word as in Ex. and Deut. from the previous paragraph. In Galatians 5:20 the Greek word is "pharmakeia" and it means... to dispense medication or poison, sorcery, witchcraft.
1 Samuel 15:23 - For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...
2 Chronicles 33:6 - 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.
Galatians 5:18-21 - Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
The word "witchcrafts" appears three times in the OT and not in the NT. The Hebrew word is "Kesheph" and it means... magick, sorcery, witchcraft. It appears in 2 Kings 9:22, Micah 5:12 and Nahum 3:4.
2 Kings 9:22 - And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?
Micah 5:12 - And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:
Nahum 3:4 - Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.
The word "sorcerer" is not used in the OT but is used in two verses in the NT. It is in Acts 13:6,8. The greek word is "mages" and it means... magician.
Acts 13:6 - And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
Acts 13:8 - But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
The plural "sorcerers" appears four times in the OT (Exodus 7:11, Jeremiah 27:9, Daniel 2:2 and Malachi 3:5).
Exodus 7:11 - Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
Jeremiah 27:9 - Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
Daniel 2:2 - Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Malachi 3:5 - And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
The word "sorcery" is not found in the OT but is used once in the NT. The scripture is Acts 8:9 and the greek word is "mageno" which means... to practice magick.
Acts 8:9 - But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
The word "sorceress" is found only one time in the OT and never in the NT. The scripture is Isaiah 57:3 and the greek word is "anan" and it means... to act covertly, i.e. practice magick - enchanter, soothsayer, sorcerer.
Isaiah 57:3 - But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.
So now we can see that the claims of those who say that the Hebrew and Greek words are mistranslated are simply not true. The Bible clearly condemns witchcraft. It is wrong, and all those who practice witchcraft will go to Hell if they do not renounce it, and come to believe that Christ died on the cross for their sins, and ask Him to be their Lord and Savior.
(In this article all scripture is from the King James Version.)
Salvation Explained
I am confident most people have heard Christians talk about "being saved" or getting "born again." Maybe you haven't really understood what they are talking about. There seems to be a lot of confusion about the subject of salvation, so I thought I would put a little light on the subject. I want to make it so simple "anyone" can understand, so here are a few verses from the Bible that will help us, and I will comment on each briefly.
The Bible says that
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) In other words we are all sinners that have failed to live up to God's standards. The Bible also tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) Just as criminals get punished with a death sentence if their offence is serious enough according to the Bible we all deserve death because of our sin. That is how serious sin is to God. Does that sound harsh? Perhaps you think you haven't done anything worthy of death? Whether you feel that way or not is irrelevant; the Bible says it is so. But the good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) and again in Romans 5:8 it says God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
What does that mean? Well, it means that Christ took our place and died for us. That is what happened on Calvary - a hill of crucifixion. As a free gift to us Christ died for our sins. He took our place and suffered for us so we don't have to die in our sin and be lost for all eternity in hell. This is how God demonstrated his love for us. Isn't that awesome?
In another part of the Bible it says that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9,10)
So let's look at the above scripture for a moment. What exactly does it mean to 'confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord"? Well, first of all in order to honestly confess that Jesus is Lord you have to accept him as your Lord. The word 'Lord' simply means 'master'. So to confess him as Lord you will simply accept him as your Master and make a decision to live for him. Now, to believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead is pretty self-explanatory. He died, was buried, and God raised him from the dead.
So you see, it's very simple actually. If you believe that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and then God raised him from the dead, all you have to do is ask him to be your Lord and he will 'immediately' forgive you and save you.
Now confess Jesus as your Lord so you and others know that your salvation is real.
So there you have it. That is all there is to salvation. It all comes down to a simple choice; do you want to go to heaven or hell. Heaven is a place of wonderful peace and happiness and hell is a place of torture and misery without end. Sounds like a no-brainer doesn't it? But, many will harden their heart and end up in hell for several reasons. Some will simply put off the decision until later, but never actually get around to it. Many will simply not believe the gospel truth, while others will be deceived into thinking there is another way to be saved. How about you? Will you believe the wonderful Gospel of Grace or will you harden your heart against God and continue to live in sin and end up in hell for all eternity?
I've presented the Gospel of God's Grace to you in simple terms. So now it is up to you.
Heaven or hell; it's your choice. Jesus is a great savior and worthy of our trust.
The Christian life is a life worth living - a life with meaning and peace of mind.
I hope you will make the right decision. Jesus loves you enough to die for your sins.
What greater love is there?
(copyright 2006 Steve Holder - All Rights Reserved)
