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Some time ago I wrote this letter, which I have since edited and revised. But I have left the original date. This letter prepares the reader to understand an important fact in the next essay concerning Babylon and how one enters Heaven. There are two ways to enter Heaven, one easier than the other. -- clint, October 2004
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 09:18:31 Subject: Important Truths
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Here are two important truths that all believers need to know about. This truth will prepare you for a later truth that the Lord may allow me to share concerning the Statue of Liberty, New York City, the U.S.A., Babylon and the book of Revelation.
A few years ago an associate pastor friend of mine in Chico, California told me this story. I'm going to try and tell it as he told it. I will be using quotes, but remember that I don't recall his exact words.
"Clint, I'm never going to retire from the work of the Lord!! I've learned something so important. At our church we had two older couples enter retirement. They were hard workers in our church. They had really done some wonderful things through the many years that they ministered. But, when they got to retirement age they each purchased a Recreational Vehicle (RV) and decided to enjoy their golden years.
So, they took their RV's and moved to the Coast. They were having the time of their lives. They said, 'Goodbye.' They said that they had worked hard in the church and now they were going to enjoy a few years of leisure. We said 'farewell' to them and figured we wouldn't see much of them again. We weren't upset, after all they had really done some wonderful things for many years in the church.
But, after a couple of years both of these couples returned. With each couple one spouse had come down with cancer. They each returned to Chico to find that the sick spouses were terminal.
Clint, I visited them regularly and watched them as they slowly died of cancer. At first they were totally traumatized by the fact that their leisure life had evaporated right in front of them. They felt robbed and cheated by life. Here they had worked for years so that they could enjoy at least ten years of leisure. But instead they were now facing death.
As the cancer progressed they lost interest in their RV's, lost interest in their money and began to have revival in themselves as they prepared to enter glory.
When they died they had absolutely no interest in anything or anyone but Jesus. They each went gloriously into the Kingdom.
Clint, I'm never going to retire from God's work!! God showed me something. Those folks were taken in by an evil spirit. It was the spirit of leisure, a kind of selfish spirit. It robbed them of their ministries. It deceived them into thinking that they had earned the right to take it easy. And, Clint it opened them up spiritually. The Evil One was able to bring sickness through that door left ajar by the self-centered spirit of leisure. [****By the way, just because a person is sick does NOT mean they are out of God's will !!!]
But, when they returned and got serious about death they had revival. The process of dying had a cleansing effect on them. It turned them back to the Lord in a new and fresh way! They were delivered of that wrong thing and went on to be with the Lord.
Clint, I'm never going to retire from God's work! I'm going to work for Jesus until I go home to be with him. I don't want to get tricked into that selfish I-deserve-the-easy-life thing."
That's the story of my associate pastor friend in Chico as I recall him sharing it. He was an associate pastor in a very successful church. Now for the Scripture background.
In Ephesians the Spirit of God tells us: "Neither give place to the devil." [Eph. 4:27] "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." [Eph. 5:15-17]
In the Gospel of Luke Jesus says, "...No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." [Luke 9:62]
"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first." [Luke 11:24-26]
"And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. '...ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?'" [Luke 13:11 and 16]
I believe that these Scriptures teach us many things. One of those truths is that under certain circumstances believers can be attacked by demonic powers. The circumstance that makes such a horrible thing possible has to do with the powers of darkness finding an open spiritual doorway into which they can enter. If they find a spiritual "open door policy" demonic powers can oppress a believer. Such oppression can cause any of a number of negative side effects, sometimes even sickness and/or even death.
Evil, fallen angels patrol. They return from time to time to check out folks who may long ago have been freed from them. They come to see if there might be an attachment point in which they might influence the body or mind of that one. They want to get back to their old host.
Back-sliding, going backwards, growing cool or dabbling in something against God's best will can sometimes open a door for wrong spirits to get a foothold upon our minds or bodies.
I believe that the story of my associate-pastor friend tells us that physical death will bring deliverance to an oppressed Christian. This is not the Lord's preferred and most favored plan. But, if we do not know any better, do not believe in deliverance ministry or for some reason cannot find deliverance, then the process of physically dying can deliver us for glory. I don't mean that death brings forgiveness or salvation. Nor am I talking about suicide. Suicide does not deliver!! Suicide is murder and may well send the one who takes their own life to Hell.
When an oppressed believer is slowly dying, the oppressing spirit(s) find it harder and harder to remain. Finally the spirit of that believer is released to enter Heaven. Oppressing spirits find themselves with only a corpse and they must vacate the dead body. Their work is finished there. When an oppressed person begins to become a poor host for wrong spirits, due to age or terminal illness, those spirits get on the lookout for another victim. They know they must leave. Their home is falling apart. They need another person's life to invade.
I might point out that many denominations only believe that there is one level of satanic troubles and that is "possession." Those who are familiar with the Word of God know that there are many levels of devilish trouble beginning with light oppressions and, if allowed to progress, ending with full possession. That is why I quoted the scripture about the lady in the synagogue that Jesus brought deliverance to. The evil spirit had attacked her in her body and she was bent over. The evil spirit, which was the source of her physical problem, had not entered her spirit. Her mind did not seem to be touched. And it appears that she was not an evil or wicked person. She was just oppressed for reasons not revealed. The wrong spirit attached upon her body and produced an infirmity.
"Possession," on the other hand, is the most severe thing that can happen. That is when the evil spirit is able to penetrate the spirit of a person. Those who are possessed are NOT Christians!! Instead of having Jesus on the throne of their life a possessed person has a wicked spirit(s) of darkness on the throne. If a person goes into possession then their spirit has been taken over by darkness.
But, many believers experience much milder forms of demonic trouble. That milder form of demonic trouble is "oppression." They may be truly born again Christians, but wrong spirits are troubling them in one way or another. Depression, lusts, addictions and fear are some of the more common troubles that can be produced by oppressing spirits of darkness.
Please remember these two truths. You will need them to understand part of what I share in the next essay concerning The Statue of Liberty, Babylon, Rome, New York, and the book of Revelation.
Here are the two truths again in short form:
Wrong Spirits patrol; periodically checking their old hang outs from where they were ejected, for unlocked spiritual doors. Spiritual cooling or backsliding can open doors for devils. When wrong spirits oppress a believer it can cause many varied bad effects, including depression, panic attacks, fear, addictions and even sickness.
This is not God's preferred plan! HE would rather that we receive deliverance ministry, so that we can live our lives in victory and deliverance. But, most believers, in our modern day, who are oppressed get their deliverance when they pass away. It is because so few churches understand or offer deliverance ministry for the oppressed. They have not learned that counseling offers only limited results in deep spiritual problems!
I want to add that there are two ways to get to Heaven. One way is easier than the other. It is easier to get to Heaven, for a Christian, by passing away, or going through a final period of death and dying, than it is for a believer to be translated or taken in the "twinkling of an eye." This truth about physical death versus translation is covered in other essays. But this essay lays some important foundation for that next truth.
clint
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