SACRILEGE
by
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid
(March 4, 2020)
“Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?(Romans 2: 21-22, King James Version [KJV]).
Greetings In The Holy Name Of Jesus Yahshuah,
My brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus Yahshuah. I come before you to speak to you about a subject of defiance, an issue-at-hand, a moral turpitude that renders the defiant one the guilt that comes out of that darkness. The unsettling that is more so than the story of Job, Are you holier than the God you serve?
[Job 4: 17, King James Version (KJV) , “Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?”]. The issue is sacrilege, with Job and Jesus, this was man’s issue that some strongly felt and still feel was born out of a woman but harnessed in the heart of man that created such abominable anger in man that made man not only judge His God but killed His God, our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus Yahshuah. The horribly corruptible hate of man towards His God was to say in his heart, I can kill God, which thereby manifested in such dark thoughts that personally I do not think man could go deeper in the abyss of disbelief than that —- a view of mine shared by many that read the story of Jesus, the Holy Bible, King James Version.
Most importantly, we think of the sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ who took away the sins of man, resurrection in three days from the darkness of the grave — the eternal sacrifice. We know the holy scriptures revealed what it was like before Christ Jesus became the sacrifice of man, for peace, for whether the people suffered because they did not eat their sacrificial meat fast enough or the people suffered because they could not afford to sacrifice and pay the high priests to take away their sins, cleanse them and make them white as snow. According to Leviticus (19: 1-8, KJV):
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.
Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God.
And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, ye shall offer it at your own will. It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire. And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted. Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the Lord: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.”
This is why we must not let history repeat itself, for in our thoughts if and when we say the problem is always leadership, then what is the resolution? What is the answer? No matter how much man tried to hide the feelings of rancor towards God, those reactions witnessed in the holy scriptures and in the gospel readings revealed man’s need and desire to steal away the power of their God [Matthew 4: 1-2, KJV, Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness and after he fasted 40 days and nights he was hungry and Satan tempted him]; to kill their God [high priest Caiaphas did not accept the first punishment of Jesus, insisted on death]; and, to destroy their God [the high priest’s influence over the people to question all the Godly decisions made by Jesus, calling it blasphemy or sacrilege, therefore denying that Jesus was God with the power of God].
More importantly, we clearly see here that in the story of Job, his friend, Eliphaz the Temanite made note that the people accepted Job’s counsel, giving him power and authority to witness the truth to them and guide them through life’s pitfalls, stumbling blocks, trials and tribulations, which in his friend’s heart and mind placed Job above those he witnessed to and counseled, giving him God-like, power and authority.[Job 4: 1-8, KJV]. Therefore, his friend could not quantify or qualify, in the hours Job spent with the people without complaints coming for them about his way in God’s way or qualify in the sincerity of those decisions made in counseling, why Job received at the hand of Satan the same punishment as a hard-core, non-repentant sinner? [Job 4: 5, 7, KJV, “But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee and thou art troubled. ... Remember, I pray thee, whoever perished being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?”]. We find, that Satan disconcertedly tempted Jesus, to worship him and made fun of the Angels that cared for Jesus, [Matthew 4: 6-10, KJV], when he was still able to confront and eventually take the life of God, for Jesus, the Godman was the Son of God, with all power and authority. Yet, the power of possession that Satan used on the disciples, Judas Iscariot [Luke 22: 3, KJV, “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”; John 13: 27, “ And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. “], Peter [Mark 8: 33, KJV, “But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.”], and the people of God [Luke 4: 33-36, KJV]:
“And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.”, even, the animals shows the spiritual presence of devils everywhere-in the temple and out on the roads amongst the people, in particular, there was naked man with a legion of devils in him and when he saw Jesus the devils spoke out to Jesus [Luke 8: 27-32, KJV, “And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)
And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.”; Mark 5: 11-13, KJV, “Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.”].
However, the reactions of the people under the influence of the high priests and power of possession of Satan gave Satan power over the people, for their fear made them choose the thief and made them say, Crucify him, when Pilate used his power to release a condemned man at the time of the Passover. [John 18: 12-19, KJV, “Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.
But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.
Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not. And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.”].
The hearts of the people denied Jesus as their God and made them think their was no hope against such evil darkness, destroying God.[biblestudytools.com, “What are the references to Demons in the Bible? Demons in the Bible can refer to the forces of evil in the world as well as the devil himself. We are continually warned throughout scripture to be wary of demonic forces attempting to corrupt and influence. While many of the demons we must look out for are external, the Bible also reminds us we may have demons living within our own psyche that need to be recognized and expelled. According to the Bible, demons are involved in multiple activities.
They are organized under Satan in hierarchical levels known as rulers, authorities, powers, and spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6: 10-12). Demons have the ability to “demonize” people. This is what the Bible identifies as demon possessed although the exact phrase, “demonic possession,” is never actually used in Scripture. People can be demonized which is another term for demonic possession (Luke 8: 30). Many believe that about one-third of the angels joined in rebellion with Satan against God Almighty. These fallen angels are what the Bible refers to as demons. The Bible never says that the number was actually one-third. However, that number has been speculated by many for a variety of reasons (Isaiah 14: 12-15; and 2 Peter 2: 4-10). Demons are able to take shape, form and be visible to humans (Job 4: 15).
Demons may be exercised, or driven out, from a possessed person. However, this may be dangerous if not followed by stringent cleaning and discipleship. Without proper spiritual care, the person might then be open for a seven-fold infestation (Matthew 12: 45). Demons confuse the truth by utilizing demonic lies and half-truths (1 John 4: 4). Those who worship idols and pagan gods are really worshipping and sacrificing to demons. Demons live to deceive people into worshipping themselves (1 Corinthans 10: 20-21).
The Bible teaches that demons can inhabit animals (Matthew 8: 31).
During the time of the great tribulation, demons, who since the fall, have been imprisoned in the lowest level of hell, are released to wreck incredible pain and torture upon those who are not Christians (2 Peter 2: 4-5, Revelation 9: 1-7).
Demons will eventually be chained along with Satan in the lowest level of hell, often called the “Abyss”, where they will be tortured for eternity (Revelation 20: 10).
God has given us every too necessary to stand against Satan and win. The best weapon we have in consistently defeating Satan is effective and constant discipleship.?Dr. Roger Barrier, Do Demons Still Exist Today. “; biblicalarchaeology.org, “So if there’s no Satan in the Hebrew Bible, where does the devil come into the details of Eden?
The worldview of Jewish readers of Genesis 2 - 3 profoundly changed in the centuries since the story was first written. After the canon of the Hebrew Bible closed, beliefs in angels, demons and a final apocalyptic battle arose in a divided and turbulent Jewish community. In light of this impending end, many turned to a renewed understanding of the beginning, and the Garden of Eden was re-read—and re-written—to reflect the changing ideas of a changed world. Two separate things happened and then merged: Satan became the proper name of the devil, a supernatural power now seen to oppose God as the leader of demons and the forces of evil; and the serpent in the Garden of Eden came to be identified with him. While we begin to see the first idea occurring in texts two centuries before the New Testament, the second won’t happen until later; Eden’s serpent is not identified with Satan anywhere in the Hebrew Bible or New Testament.
The concept of the devil begins to appear in second and first centuries B.C.E. Jewish texts. In Enoch “angel” who “led Eve astray” and “showed the weapons of death to the children of men” was called Gadreel (not Satan). Around the same time, the Wisdom of Solomon taught that “through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who are on his side suffer it.” Though this may very well be the earliest reference to Eden’s serpent as the devil, in neither text, nor in any document we have until after the New Testament, is satan clearly understood as the serpent in Eden. At Qumran, though, Satan is the leader of the forces of darkness; his power is said to threaten humanity, and it was believed that salvation would bring the absence of Satan and evil.
By the first century C.E., Satan is adopted into the nascent Christian movement, as ruler over a kingdom of darkness, an opponent and deceiver of Jesus (Mark 1: 13), prince of the devils and opposing force to God (Luke 11: 15–19; Matthew 12: 24–27; Mark 3: 22–23, 26); Jesus’ ministry puts a temporary end to Satan’s reign (Luke 10:18) and the conversion of the gentiles leads them from Satan to God (Acts 26: 18). Most famously, Satan endangers the Christian communities but will fall in Christ’s final act of salvation, described in detail in the book of Revelation.
But curiously, although the author of Revelation describes Satan as “the ancient serpent” (Revelation 12: 9; 20: 2), there is no clear link anywhere in the Bible between Satan and Eden’s talking snake. The ancient Near Eastern combat myth motif, exemplified in the battle between Marduk and Tiamat in Enuma Elish and Baal and Yam/Mot in ancient Canaan, typically depicted the bad guy as a serpent. The characterization of Leviathan in Isaiah 27 reflects such myths nicely:
On that day YHWH will punish
With his hard and big and strong sword Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisted serpent, And he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.
So the reference in Revelation 12:9 to Satan as “the ancient serpent” probably reflects mythical monsters like Leviathan rather than the clever, legged, talking creature in Eden. In the New Testament, Satan and his demons have the power to enter and possess people; this is what is said to have happened to Judas (Luke 22: 3; John 13:27; cf. Mark 5:12–13; Luke 8:30–32). But when Paul re-tells the story of Adam and Eve, he places the blame on the humans (Romans 5: 18; cf. 1 Corinthians 15: 21–22) and not on fallen angels, or, on the serpent as Satan. Still, the conflation begged to be made, and it will seem natural for later Christian authors—Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cyprian, Irenaeus and Augustine, for example—to assume Satan’s association with Eden’s talking snake. Most famously, in the 17th century, John Milton elaborates Satan’s role in the Garden poetically, in great detail in Paradise Lost. But this connection is not forged anywhere in the Bible.”
(Dolansky, S., 2019)].?
Moreover, was this one-and-the same, destroying God when the Levi sect of Israel’s people, denied the God they served, in the ownership of the Ten Commandments, saying they were afraid of God, so they could take the Ten Commandments, that were written by the hand of God and say, The Law of Moses, a Levite. Levi, decided to take charge, power and authority over Israel, killing 3,000 men because of the sacrilege of building a golden calf while Moses was with God. We must say Levi, started stealing power and authority from Christ Jesus with the taking of the Ten Commandments. Levi and Simeon showed the same sacrilege when Dinah the daughter of Jacob and Leah was raped by a distant kin that wanted to marry her. Jacob consented to the marriage yet Levi and Simeon killed the men in the Canaanite tribe. Why did Levi and Simeon overrule their father Jacob in the decision made about the distant kin marrying Dinah, after rape?
More so, we continually think about the relationship of a father and his children. We, also think how the children take or feel about the punishments judged upon them by the father—-not sparing the rod of obedience to God. This thought takes us to The Flood, God’s punishment that man could not pay God back for destroying life on Earth because the only men God let live were Noah and his family. Let us, emphatically think about Post-Flood, and how Noah and his family got on with living the life God gave them, under their God Yahweh, that God purged the rebellious disobedience of man yet we find the seed of going against God was still in man. In parallel events, Noah’s son mocked his father Noah’s nakedness while he slept and told his sibling about their father’s drunkenness and nakedness. We think about Cain and Abel, even though God walked among them still, outside of the Garden of Eden, and provided challenge in instruction that Abel won over Cain, to Adam and Eve’s sons, how Cain killed his brother and asked God, Am I my brother’s keeper? We find, Job questioned the sincerity in the hearts of his children but God did not mention anything about Job’s children just Job’s desire to be holier than Yahweh. We must come to think, had man hated God in those paralleling events and if man had power and authority to get at God then, would man have tried to kill a most powerfully endowed God? Was the killing of Jesus, predisposed in man, as taking advantage of the opportunity to kill God, even though Jesus came to die for the sins of man, to save man, in saving grace? Is this the iniquity of the flesh is weak that keeps children rebelling against the judgements of their parents, plotting and scheming to take out their parents as we saw in the story of King David and his son, who planned to take power and authority from Bathsheba’s son, Solomon? Was this the same sacrilege that was in King Saul’s heart when all the high priests were murdered in the temple that helped soon-to-become King David.
In closing, demons do exist and demons do have a lot to do with sacrilege. In prayer, the faith of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus Yahshuah is real, honest-to-goodness truly and the power of God is able to fight all the battles, for us, if He wills. We continually go the last mile in faith with our God, walking with God, believing in the faith of saving grace, to make the crooked straight, to bind the forces of evil that stand in constant attack against us. Christ be with you.
God be with you. Let the sustaining faith help the Holy Spirit comfort you over and through the storms of life. God bless. Amen.
