A Cry for Help From an Evil Place
My teacher’s voice was a drone somewhere toward the back of my mind as I sat gazing out the classroom window. Suddenly, my attention was shifted back to the classroom as a piercing scream brought my daydreaming to an end.
“Stop it! Stop it!” wailed a girl two seats ahead of me, clutching at her head.
This was no high school prank, for the girl was clearly in pain. Then, inexplicably, she picked up her desk and hurled it across the room at me, before rushing from the room, trailed by a concerned friend. We were stunned.
As she exited, still holding her head, she tripped and fell, striking her head on a concrete gutter. Her friend rushed to her as blood spilled from a severe gash.
“Help her! Help her!” yelled her now equally distraught friend.
It was a lesson I’ll not ever forget—a lesson, I learned later when I spoke to her, that should give pause to any who think they can dabble innocently with the occult.
In the midst of our classroom, the poor girl’s head had been seized by invisible hands, and squeezed as if in a vice. And when she threw her desk, she told me, it was aimed at some invisible thing so hideous she wouldn’t describe it.
Her misadventure had begun with a ouija board brought to a party at her home. The lights had been dimmed and some amazing things began to happen. Some were funny. But some were quite serious. It was enough to build her interest, however, and give her a taste of the world of spirits.
More seances and contact with the spirit world followed until she’d had enough and tried to escape. In the weeks prior to the classroom encounter, she’d visited every priest and minister in our town. They prayed with her, seeking protection from the literal demons that were beginning to torment her. Then came the day in school.
Any contact with the occult isn’t a game, although it often begins that way. There’s something about us that seeks the supernatural. The movement of a pointer on a board, guided by an invisible hand, is enticing. So are the numerous television shows and movies featuring the supernatural, and especially those that demonstrate power. Almost without exception, their target audience is the teenager.
But what’s their appeal? The occult preys on human weaknesses. There’s our fear of death and what lies beyond it; there’s the desire to communicate with those who have died, even though it is humanly impossible. That’s especially true of our loved ones.
My friend’s mother had died of cancer and in a conversation one of her friends asked if she’d like to attend a seance and speak with her. She accepted and what started as curiosity turned into a terrible nightmare. She lost control of her life; pain followed her, as she was “visited” in the night by a force that inflicts hurt without any apparent cause.
what’s the Bible say?
In the Gospel of Mark (chapter five) is a story of Jesus, who upon landing on a lakeside beach, is met by a wild, demon-possessed man living among the tombs. He’s dressed in rags, and wears the remains of broken ropes and shackles that could not restrain him. The man is frightening and unconfinable, going about mutilating himself and screaming.
Upon seeing Jesus, he runs to Him and worships Him (verse 6), but his possessing spirit cowers in fear, begging Jesus not to cast him out of this body. Jesus asks him his name.
“Legion,” replies the demon, “for we are many” (verse 9).
Jesus commands the spirits to leave, and they take up residence in a nearby herd of swine. The pigs, now maddened by the presence of the spirits, run over a cliff and into the lake where they drown.
Mark doesn’t go into detail about what happened to the man—he does say he wanted to stay with Jesus—but it isn’t hard to imagine his joy and that of his family when he went home and described his healing and what Jesus had done for him (verse 20).
In this battle between Jesus and the demons, His word proved infinitely more powerful. The demons didn’t even dispute with Him. And in our world—which is at war with the supernatural—that same power is available. Jesus cast out demons wherever He encountered them, restoring people, and He will do the same for anyone who comes in need to him.
My school friend is now married with two beautiful girls. She still longs to see her mother again. Now, as a Christian, she has a firm hope that she will, for she believes—but not through the spirit world. Her hope is in the coming resurrection morning.
For now, though, there are no invisible hands crushing her head. She senses the love of God in her life. It’s a love that enfolds her, supports her and leads her.
The Devils Seduction
The Bible clearly condemns spiritism or dabbling with satanism and spirits (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10-12), as they all have their origins in the devil, whose only goal is our destruction. The origins of supernatural evil was war in heaven (Revelation 12: 7, 8), in which Satan with his rebellious angels were defeated and cast out (Revelation 12:9) and are now attempting to deceive humankind. This is a very real battle (Ephesians 6:12), one which Satan will win except we arm ourselves with the “full armour of God” (Ephesians 6:11).
It is clear that any “appearing” of the human dead will be angels of Satan masquerading in their likeness, for once in the grave, the dead are no more (Job 14:10) and know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5) until the return of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). Until then, Satan is busy seducing people in the belief of a life beyond the grave , enticing them to the dark side (Genesis 3:4, 5; 2 Corinthians 11:3) where, with them on his turf, he consumes them (1 Peter 5:8).
It is possible to escape, and the Bible contains examples of many ensnared in satanist practice, including Ephesian converts (Acts 19:19), who responded by severing their connection with it, burning valuable books on satanism.
His efforts to seduce will intensify in the days just prior to Christ’s appearing (Revelation 12:12), when Satan works even harder (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10) to deceive whomever he can, including the well educated and knowledgable, culminating in his appearance as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15).
This is short-lived, however, and Satan, his evil angels and his human followers are doomed, condemned to eternal death in a lake of fire (2 Peter 3:5-7; Revelation 20;10, 14).—Lee Dunstan
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