At the end of the 19th century the
world is poised on the brink of coming together, at least in the dreams of the
intelligentsia looking forward to a bright new age of peace, prosperity, and
human understanding. The Tower of Babel is being rebuilt. The fullness of the
Gentiles has come in. Satan’s plan of drawing all men together in one final
stand against their Creator appears to be coming to fruition. Several possible
Anti-Christs are prepared by him as he does in every generation; an overweight
cigarette sucking, cigar chomping Edward the VII of England, related to every
other European monarch and called the “Uncle of Europe”, his cousin, German
Emperor Wilhelm the II, heavily influenced by Englishman Houston Stewart
Chamberlain’s anti-Jewish rant “The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century”, and
any number of their other relatives such as Czar Nicholas II of Russia, and
American presidents with a messianic vision of America, Britain’s offspring,
such as William McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.
But
it was not to be. The Gentile powers, now in their finest hour, were about to
begin a century of war that would destroy the flower of their manhood, their
myth of superiority over the people of their colonial possessions, and the
foundations of their entire civilization. A “Great War” would start in 1914
that would not officially end until October 3, 2010 when Germany made its final
reparations payment which had been imposed on it after it lost the first round
of fighting on November 11, 1918. During those 90 + years 150 million human
beings would lose their lives in the bloody conflict of war, tens of millions
would be driven from their homes, and the supremacy of European civilization
would be eliminated as first the colonial powers including Great Britain would
be eclipsed, then the Soviet Russian Empire would dissolve, and then America,
which reigned supreme from 1945 would slowly start to see its economic power
and position of preeminence decay.
The
fullness of the Gentiles has come in and its passing was a century of death and
anguish. But, here God in the flesh is trying the resolve and faith of one
Gentile woman who comes to him pleading for deliverance for her beloved child;
a simple story of faith with tremendous implications. He has made her a promise
of deliverance for her daughter in the present tense as they spoke, delivering
her from afar, evidence of His power as the God of the universe, in the flesh.
How
must it feel for the devils that stand behind the Gentile nations (Daniel
10:13, 20) to know that that their world is ending, that the primacy of their
civilization is passing, and that the glory of their culture was neither able
to stand up against the God who created the people of those lands nor prevent
His will from being fulfilled. As Jerusalem stands at the heart of the earth,
so Christ, not Kaiser Wilhelm II as he planned according to an author I read,
will enter the Eastern Gate (Ezekiel 46:12) and reign on earth for a thousand
years until eternity begins.
30 And when she was come to her house, she found the
devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
Finally, the
woman finds out that her daughter has been delivered of this devil. It has
become more common than not, in the age of secular humanism as the established
religion, not to imagine any mental or physical disorder as the work of a
spiritual entity. But these entities that are invisible to the human eye unless
they take on a body do exist according to the Bible and according to the Bible
they do operate in the bodies and lives of people. If you don’t believe that
you don’t believe the Bible. If you don’t believe the Bible then you don’t know
if you are saved even and your faith is based on your own feelings rather than
a solid foundation.
Devils exist and
do cause many diseases and mental illnesses. Dr. Ruckman had pointed out that,
in his opinion, most mental illnesses are the result of not being willing to
forgive others, not being willing to be forgiven by others, undealt with sin,
and not forgiving yourself. Depression itself can be looked at as anger turned
inward. However, my point here is that along with any proven chemical
imbalances in the brain or a personal emotional and spiritual issue, there are
also those who are affected by unseen spiritual entities.
Can a Christian
be possessed or are those people indwelt by the Holy Spirit only subject to
oppression? Well, as Dr. Ruckman has pointed out, if a devil has your tongue,
your eyes, or any part of your mind I’m sure you aren’t going to quibble about
semantics. Deal with the spiritual first by getting right with God through
Christ, forgive your enemies and those who have done you wrong, declare your
sins to God and ask Him for forgiveness, allow others to forgive you when you
have asked them to forgive you or when they have chosen to forgive you for
something you had not even addressed, and when you know God has forgiven you,
accept His forgiveness and move past it. From the physical standpoint, if you
are under a doctor’s care, within reason, comply with his requests and take
medication as directed.
Many medications
are designed only to stabilize your condition so you can think clearly. This is
often important in order for you to think clearly enough to address your
spiritual issues. Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t need to take
medication prescribed for you whether it be Lithium for bipolar disorder or a
drug to address chronic, clinical depression. Suddenly stopping your
medications on your own can make you intensely depressed and even suicidal. Do
not take this on yourself without your doctor’s advisement. Of course, proper
rest, a good diet, and regular exercise are fundamental to mental health as
well as these spiritual and medical issues.
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