In the second part of this series, we specifically looked at Deuteronomy 18:10 in some detail.   This section of Scripture showed that the practices mentioned were those which the people of God should not get involved with.

Let us now look at Deuteronomy 18:11: “(There shall not be found among you) one who conjures spells.”

J R Dummelow listed “this evil practice as the device by which one claimed to weave magic spells and curses by tying knots, etc.” By no stretch of imagination can this be related to “getting information from God”.  Consulter with familiar spirits” – such persons, pretending to speak with ghosts or spirits, “were probably ventriloquists who claimed to hold communications with subterranean spirits.”

They were in fact communicating with demons pretending to be communicating with the “ghosts” of departed ones.

Verse 11 continues: “(There shall not be found among you) a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.”

The Authorized Version translates “who calls up the dead” as “necromancer.”

Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible observe: “‘Necromancer’—This referred to one who made inquiries of the dead, pretending to procure vital information by this device. Despite this evil, futile thing being condemned in the law of God, Saul, king of Israel sought out the witch of Endor in order to have a conversation, as he thought, with the deceased prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 28:7-25).  From the above, it is clear enough that this paragraph deals with a number of evils that having nothing whatever to do with ‘getting a revelation from God….’”

A necromancer pretended to speak with the dead. In reality, he spoke with demons pretending to be the dead relatives of loved ones.

As we read earlier “For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you” (Deuteronomy 18:12).

God’s judgment was upon the Canaanites because of these occult practices, and if Israel took up the same occult practices, they could also expect the judgment of God.

Interestingly, enduringword.com observed: “God did not take these occult actions lightly then, nor does He now. It is consorting with the power of darkness, and always to be rejected by Christians.

“Our culture is becoming more and more accepting of these occult themes and practices, while it is becoming more and more intolerant of Biblical Christianity. In 1991, a ninth grade Junior High Student in Dickson, Tennessee, sued the school board because his teacher wouldn’t accept a research paper written on the life of Jesus. Students were allowed to write on topics such as the occult, reincarnation and spiritualism, and the teacher originally only said that the topics must be ‘decent.’ The student was given a zero on her paper when the topic was declared unacceptable (from an August, 1991 news report).”

And the decline has speeded up in more recent years.  Astrology and Ouija boards are other occult practices condemned by God but tolerated, and maybe even encouraged in our “more enlightened society.”

In decades past, the word occult dealt with anything that was outside of “natural” thinking. It was a generic term that incorporated almost everything that we now view to be part of the non-traditional spiritual frontier.

We have long understood in the Church of God that there are only two sources of spiritual power.  God is the great Creator God who is love, and Satan who is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan has only the power that God allows him to have, but it is considerable, and he is currently the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). God is allowing him some latitude at this time that is within His purpose for mankind. Satan is inevitably involved in the paganism of this world and all of the dark forces that emanate from that.

gaia.com, in its article, “What is paganism?,” gives the following list of books under the heading Paranormal and Occult:

“Tarot, the I Ching, cartomancy, or telling fortunes with regular playing cards, palmistry, numerology, phrenology, crystal gazing, clairvoyance, clairaudience, automatic writing and tea leaf reading. Also séances, astral projection out of body experiences, Ouija boards, mind-reading, auras, ghosts, haunted houses, vampirism, lycanthropy, fairies, brownies and sprites, herbalism, numerology, communicating with elemental forces, reincarnation, past lives, trances, spirit boxes, witchcraft, sorcerers and their familiars, and ritual magic. In addition, there were books on demonology, angelic communication, the dark arts, mind control, ESP for fun and profit…”

It just goes to show how much Satan and the demonic world have influenced so many people that such practices as listed above are accepted in society, and yet the Truth from the Living God can be seen as hate speech.

Paganism, the very opposite of belief in a supreme Creator God, is inextricably linked with occult practices. There are many verses condemning pagan practices in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and looking at an Analytical Concordance of the Bible will reveal these.  Let us quote just a few of so many passages to show the Bible’s consistency in condemning such practices.

Exodus 22:18 says: “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.”

Leviticus 19:31 states: “‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.”

Leviticus 20:6 adds: “‘And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.”

2 Kings 17:17 states: “And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.”

2 Chronicles 33:6 says: “Also he [Manasseh] caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.”

Isaiah 8:19 states: “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?”

Jeremiah 27:9 says: “Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’”

Micah 5:12 states: “I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you shall have no soothsayers.”

Nahum 3:4-5 says: “‘Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, The mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations through her harlotries, And families through her sorceries. Behold, I am against you,’ says the LORD of hosts…”

In the New Testament, in the book of Acts 8:9 and 13, we read about Simon the Sorcerer’s profession of the Christian faith.

^“But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great… Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.”

However, this turned out to be a false conversion, as we read in verses 18-21:

“And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you [The Luther Bible 1984 writes: “… that you may be condemned with your money”] because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.’”

It was thought that this sorcerer had had a change of heart but that was not how it turned out to be. History tells us that he, as Simon Magus, went to Rome and continued his sorcery there; many think today that the Apostle Peter was in Rome, but it was indeed Simon Magus, and not Simon Peter.

Acts 19:19 states what Simon Magus should have done: “Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.”

Galatians 5:19-21 adds: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:… idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies… those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Revelation 21:8 states: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

However, in spite of the above instructions of God in His Word, mainstream Christianity continues to practice old pagan customs.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

In the first part of this series, we looked at paganism in its many forms in the UK and the USA.  Different websites gave us a brief but clear picture of the growth of this phenomenon in these two major nations, which are revealed in our free booklet “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

theconversation.com reports that “Nature religions, commonly described as Paganism (or neo-Paganism), are growing in Australia. In the last Census, 33,148 people claimed affiliation with a nature religion: including Animism, Druidism, and the many traditions of Wicca, the most practised Pagan pathway.”

ca.paganfederation.org reports as follows: “With almost half a century of experience, the Pagan Federation (PF) started in England and shortly thereafter sowed the seeds for its sister organization: the Pagan Federation International (PFI), to respond to the needs of Pagans who did not reside in England. Now PFI has local branches all over the world: including Asia, South America, Australia, United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, The Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Belgium and of course Canada and the USA, and this list only continues to grow!“

This same website also states that in “Canada, we are always interested in talking with members to start pub moots, coffee cauldrons, festivals or events that promote paganism in a positive, informative and healthy manner.”

It has been said that “Paganism is not dogmatic. Pagans pursue their own vision of the Divine as a direct and personal experience.”

Let us review Deuteronomy 18:10-12 where we find a list of many wrong spiritual practices. This passage provides us with clear instructions to avoid wrong and ungodly practices and maintain the right Way that God teaches us to live:

“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.”

In these three verses, we read about passing through fire, witchcraft, soothsayer, interpreting omens, sorcerer, conjuring up spells, a medium, spiritist, calling up the dead. Quite a list of things that God calls abominations! Those who are pagans and belong to the organisations mentioned previously will not care one iota about what God says.

And what is the outcome of such rebellion against God’s Word in today’s world? We know that Satan is the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air (compare 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Ephesians 2:2). He influences mankind to believe that they themselves can make decisions about right and wrong without the necessity of having the great Creator God giving us guidelines to follow in the true worship of Him.  He did this in the Garden of Eden.

We continually see anti-Godly behaviour in society around the world, and Isaiah 5:20 sums this up perfectly: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” For about 6,000 years, man has followed the way that he thinks best and has lost the ability, it would seem, to make sound judgments. History clearly reveals that man has lost his way because he has not been exposed to, understood or seen the right Way of Life to live which is always in his own best interests when God is involved. For more information on this, please see our free booklet “Obeying God Rather Than Men,” and our Q&A, “Who determines what is right and wrong?” 

Looking at Deuteronomy 18:10-12, christianpublishinghouse.co states that “this is a critical passage in the Old Testament, providing explicit directives against various forms of occult practices. This scriptural segment… serves not only as a legal prescription for Israel but also as a moral and spiritual guideline for God’s people. The passage is often interpreted as encompassing a range of occult practices, warning against the spiritual dangers associated with such activities.”

Of course, these are not just “moral or spiritual guidelines”—they are commandments to be followed.

And so, let us review each one of these wrong practices that are highlighted in Deuteronomy 18:10-12.

Verse 10 says: “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire.”

The Margin of the New King James Bible says: “Be burned as an offering to an idol.”

Clarke’s Commentary has this to say: “Leviticus also states: ‘And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD’ (Leviticus 18:21).

“The fire-god Molech was the… deity of the children of Ammon, and essentially identical with the Moabitish Chemosh. Unger’s Bible Dictionary has this to say about Molech: ‘A Semitic deity honoured by the sacrifice of children, in which they were caused to pass through or into the fire.  Palestinian excavations have uncovered evidences of infant skeletons in burial places around heathen shrines.  Ammonites revered Molech as a protecting father.   Worship of Molech was stringently prohibited by Hebrew law’ (Leviticus 18:21; 20:1-5).”

While it is not exactly the same, similar killings of sons and daughters today can be found in the killing of unborn children through abortion.  The end product is precisely the same.

Verse 10 continues: “(There shall not be found among you) one who practices witchcraft.”

What is witchcraft?  Wikipedia gives this definition: “Witchcraft, as most commonly understood in both historical and present-day communities, is the use of alleged supernatural powers of magic.  A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft. Traditionally, ‘witchcraft’ means the use of magic or supernatural powers to inflict harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. Also, Magic is an ancient practice rooted in rituals, spiritual divinations, and/or cultural lineage—with an intention to invoke, manipulate, or otherwise manifest supernatural forces, beings, or entities in the natural world.”  

Verse 10 adds: “(There shall not be found among you to be) a soothsayer.”

Unger’s Bible Dictionary has this to say about a soothsayer: “The soothsayer (diviner) was the pagan counterpart of the prophet, prognosticating future events, or professing to do so by various arts.” They then quote Joshua 13:22 which reads “The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them.” Continuing with Unger’s: “Actually, diviners were energized by evil powers, as the prophet of the Lord was under the control of the Holy Spirit.”

Verse 10 continues: “(There shall not be found among you) one who interprets omens.”

In Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Deuteronomy 18:10-14, we read the following:

“Was it possible that a people so blessed with Divine institutions, should ever be in any danger of making those their teachers whom God had made their captives? They were in danger; therefore, after many like cautions, they are charged not to do after the abominations of the nations of Canaan. All reckoning of lucky or unlucky days, all charms for diseases, all amulets or spells to prevent evil, fortune-telling, [etc.] are here forbidden. These are so wicked as to be a chief cause of the rooting out of the Canaanites. It is amazing to think that there should be any pretenders of this kind in such a land, and day of light, as we live in. They are mere impostors who blind and cheat their followers.”

Verse 10 adds: “(There shall not be found among you to be) a sorcerer.”

We will quote again from Unger’s Bible Dictionary: “Sorcery (Heb. from kashap, ‘to whisper’; Gk. mageia, Acts 8:11; pharmakeia, ‘medication’). A sorcerer was one who prophesied to tell the lot of others, to have power with evil spirits (Isa 7:9,12, Dan 2:2) and was severely denounced (Mal 3:5; Rev 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15). This art was also practiced in connection with pharmacy, the mixing of drugs and medical compounds.

“The term sorcerer (Ex 7:11; Jer 27:9, etc), from the Lat. sors, ‘a lot,’ ‘one who throws or declares a lot,’ would assign it initially the more circumscribed sphere of augural prognostication.   But the term as commonly employed, includes one who practices in the whole field of divinatory occultism.   Sorcery is the practice of the occult arts under the power of evil spirits, or demons, and has been common in all ages of world history.”

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

In October 2022, Antonio Pagliarulo wrote a piece on the nbcnews.com website under the heading “Why paganism and witchcraft are making a comeback” and below are a few excerpts:

“Two weeks ago, in the run-up to Halloween, I visited Salem, Massachusetts, for the first time since the pandemic began. In renewing my annual Halloween pilgrimage, I was bowled over by what I found in the Witch City: bigger crowds, longer lines and a wider and welcome array of merchandise geared toward many different religious traditions and ethnic identities.   

“Amid the curious crowds in black capes and conical hats, bags overflowing with DIY spell kits and candles to enhance prosperity, I overheard the same question: Is magic really real?

“Witchcraft, which includes Wicca, paganism, folk magic and other New Age traditions, is one of the fastest-growing spiritual paths in America.

“For me, the answer is yes. 

“I am one of a million-plus Americans who — whether proudly, secretly or dabbling through the power of consumerism — practice some form of witchcraft. Witchcraft, which includes Wicca, paganism, folk magic, and other New Age traditions, is one of the fastest growing spiritual paths in America.

“In 1990, Trinity College in Connecticut estimated there were 8,000 adherents to Wicca.  In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau figure was 342,000.  A 2014 Pew Research Center study increased that projection several times over in assessing that 0.4% of Americans identified as pagan, Wiccan or New Age. (Most modern pagan worship, of which Wicca is one type, draws on pre-Christian traditions in revering nature.) By 2050, it said, the number of Americans practicing “other religions” — faiths outside Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism — would triple “due largely to switching into other religions (such as Wicca and pagan religions).

“The precise number of witches in America is difficult to determine because many practitioners are solitary and, either by choice or circumstance, do not openly identify as such. But the growth is evident, especially to those who’ve made it their life’s work to study the community.

“‘It’s clearly increasing,’ said Helen A. Berger, who is one of the foremost academic experts on contemporary witchcraft and paganism in America and draws knowledge about its appeal from surveys she’s co-conducted on the pagan community.”

If the writer’s assertion that “I am one of a million-plus Americans who practice some form of witchcraft” is correct, then those involved in just this one country is far larger than the true Church of God has ever been in its nearly 2,000-year history! Jesus said, as recorded in Luke 12:32: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”  The followers of Jesus, the early Christians, were a little flock then and as history shows, has continued to be so down through the ages to the present day.

God doesn’t need huge numbers to do His Work.  In the case of Gideon in Judges 7, we read: “And the LORD said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, “My own hand has saved me”’ (verse 2).  They whittled the number down from 32,000 to 10,000 and then down to 300 which was a reduction of more than 99%.  With this tiny number, God led the Israelites to win a stunning victory and shows that when He is involved, nothing can stand against Him.

Taken from the website paganfederation.org under the heading “What Paganism Is,” we read the following definition:

“Paganism is the ancestral religion of the whole of humanity. This ancient religious outlook remains active throughout much of the world today, both in complex civilisations such as Japan and India, and in less complex tribal societies world-wide. It was the outlook of the European religions of classical antiquity – Persia, Egypt, Greece and Rome – as well as of their ‘barbarian’ neighbours on the northern fringes, and its European form is re-emerging into explicit awareness in the modern West as the articulation of urgent contemporary religious priorities.

“The Pagan outlook can be seen as threefold. Its adherents venerate Nature and worship many deities, both goddesses and gods.”

This is totally at odds with what true Christianity is all about.   The Bible gives us the definition of a true Christian:

Acts 2:38 states: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 4:12 states: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 5:32 states: “And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

And so, putting these three Scriptures together, a true Christian has to repent, be baptised, receive God’s Holy Spirit and keep the Law of God which will help him to obey God.  And, tellingly, there is no salvation in any other, meaning that the Christian faith is exclusive and all other religions are false.  For more information, please see our Q&A entitled: “What is a True Christian?”

On the BBC website, we read:

“The Pagan celebration of Winter Solstice (also known as Yule) is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world.

“Ancient people were hunters and spent most of their time outdoors. The seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives. Because of this many ancient people had a great reverence for, and even worshipped the sun. The Norsemen of Northern Europe saw the sun as a wheel that changed the seasons. It was from the word for this wheel, houl, that the word yule is thought to have come. At mid-winter the Norsemen lit bonfires, told stories and drank sweet ale.

“The ancient Romans also held a festival to celebrate the rebirth of the year. Saturnalia ran for seven days from the 17th of December. It was a time when the ordinary rules were turned upside down. Men dressed as women and masters dressed as servants. The festival also involved decorating houses with greenery, lighting candles, holding processions and giving presents.

“The Winter Solstice falls on the shortest day of the year (21st December) and was celebrated in Britain long before the arrival of Christianity. The Druids (Celtic priests) would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Oaks were seen as sacred and the winter fruit of the mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months.

“It was also the Druids who began the tradition of the yule log. The Celts thought that the sun stood still for twelve days in the middle of winter and during this time a log was lit to conquer the darkness, banish evil spirits and bring luck for the coming year.

“Many of these customs are still followed today. They have been incorporated into the Christian and secular celebrations of Christmas.”

On the website ukpagancouncil.org are the following details:

“The UK Pagan Council is one of the UK’s largest pagan organisations and is here to provide an effective and friendly focal point for whole UK pagan community or those aspiring to pagan way of life.

“The UK Pagan Council is open to any pagans and witches who follow any number of different pagan paths, including Eclectic, Alexandrian, Gardnerian, Wiccan, Druid and many more.

“If you are Pagan, but not a practicing witch, you are welcome to join our community, as many have done so already. There is something for everyone.

“The site features an online social network, online chat, groups, UK Covens Database, UK Moots Database, campaigns, UK and global events, an Agony Witch page, forums, blogs, an online Book of Shadows and much more.”

On another website, paganfed.org, is more information about paganism: “The site features an online social network, online chat, groups, UK Covens Database, UK Moots Database, campaigns, UK and global events, an Agony Witch page, forums, blogs, an online Book of Shadows and much more.

The website whatchristianswanttoknow.com gives additional information on this matter:

“The word ‘pagan’ originally meant a ‘region delimited by markers,’ like a city or a state or even a region that was easily marked off. Now it literally means anyone else’s religion or belief system that rests outside of their own religion. In other words, to the Orthodox Jews, Muslims are pagans, and to the Muslims, the Jews are pagans…and just about every other religion classifies those outside of their own beliefs as pagan or sometimes, referred to as heathen.

“The difference is, heathen are not particularly religious, but pagans are known for the elaborate rituals, ceremonies, and other practices that involve worship of their god or gods (whichever the case may be). Even though this word is no longer commonly used today, if you called someone a pagan in ancient times, you really weren’t identifying them as a religious group or community, but using it as a derogatory term or slang that essentially said, ‘They’re unbelievers…they’re hopeless…they’re dogs.’”

Wikipedia has this to say about modern paganism in the United States: “(It) is represented by widely different movements and organizations. The largest modern pagan (also known as neo-pagan) religious movement is Wicca, followed by Neodruidism. Both of these religions or spiritual paths were introduced during the 1950s and 1960s from Great Britain. Germanic Neopaganism (also known as Heathenry) and Kemetism appeared in the US in the early 1970s. Hellenic Neopaganism appeared in the 1990s.”

whatchristianswanttoknow.com tells us: “Paganism is making a very strong comeback. What attracts so many is their spirituality and carte blanche philosophy for no limits to the human mind. It comes striking close to self-worship because worshiping nature is essentially, worshiping self, as the ‘self is part of the whole.’ Some of the harder edged pagan religions almost see those who do good as evil and those who do evil as good, so paganism isn’t just one belief, it is like the word religion, meaning there are many different belief systems that fall under paganism, such as the Wicca, Witchcraft, Zoroastrianism, Celtic, Druids, and all other sorts of neo-paganisms.

“Some are listed under ‘Spirituality’ in publications and on websites. Some of these have been around for thousands of years, while most of the others are recent human inventions. Let’s be clear. If these are not for God, then they are against God, and we should stay as far away from these as possible… Paganism is growing stronger and stronger, and our children and grandchildren are more at risk than when we were a child.”

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

One eminent and highly intelligent Catholic writer made these observations: “As Catholics, it is essential to speak our sins to Christ through the priest in persona Christi that we might develop habits of examining our consciences, confessing our sins, receiving sacramental grace, resolving to improve, and receiving the real grace of the sacrament of Penance.  Such habits alert us to our vanities and ego and in turn inspire in us reverence and humility.”

We would agree that it is a good habit to use the tool of introspection; 2 Corinthians 13:5 gives us this admonition: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”   This is particularly required of the people of God to do before they take the Passover: “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28), but it should also be an ongoing process throughout the year.

But what is the Sacrament of PENANCE? It is worth spending some time on this whole matter as it is quite revealing about how the largest Christian mainstream group managed to come to this incorrect conclusion through the misunderstanding of Scripture.  On the website yourcatholicguide, we read the following: “Penance is the sacrament by which sins committed after Baptism are forgiven through the absolution of the priest.”

First of all, let us look at the question of baptism.  On the website catholicdoors, we read: “In the Roman Catholic Church, most believers are baptized by pouring (also known as infusion). At the same time, Catholics know that immersion (also known as dunking) and sprinkling are valid ways of baptizing… in A.D. 1311, the Catholic Church proclaimed ‘Baptism is to be administered by tribe immersion or aspersion.” “Aspersion” means “sprinkling.”

We have a free booklet entitled “Baptism – A Requirement for Salvation?”, which covers this matter in detail, showing that baptism by total immersion is the correct and only valid format. 

Secondly, let us look at whether the assertion is biblical that “Penance is the sacrament by which sins committed after Baptism are forgiven through the absolution of the priest.”

Wikipedia gives us the definition of “In persona Christi”: “In persona Christi is a Latin phrase meaning ‘in the person of Christ’, an important concept in Roman Catholicism and, in varying degrees, to other Christian traditions, such as Lutheranism and Anglicanism. In Catholic theology, a priest is In persona Christi because, in the sacraments he administers, it is God and Christ who act through the instrumentality of the priest.” 

This explanation is not totally accurate. The Catholic teaching is not only that the priest acts on behalf of Christ, but that it is the living Christ who is present and acts. In other words, the priest acts in the person of Christ. In that sense, he becomes Christ. When the priest absolves the penitent, he doesn’t say, “God absolves you from your sins” but rather “I absolve you from your sins,” because he is acting in the person of Christ at that moment.

With a priest being involved, the word “absolution” comes into play.  The definition of absolution is “An absolving, or setting free from guilt, sin, or penalty; forgiveness of an offense” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language).  

At the time of Christ, Jews condemned Him when He forgave sins. In Mark 2:7, we read: “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” In Luke 5:21, we read: “And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When He was on earth, Jesus did forgive sins (see Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:10; Luke 5:24; 7:48-49) as He was the Son of God. It is claimed that Christ gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins, while others deny this.

We read in John 20:21-23: “Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

The passage in John 20 is in direct connection with the power and authority to bind and loose, which Christ conferred on His ministers. We state the following in our Q&A on that topic  https://www.eternalgod.org/question-and-answer-70/:

“We are told in Matthew 16:19, that Christ gave Peter the ‘keys of the kingdom of heaven’… Christ continues to say that whatever ‘thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven’ (Authorized Version). Christ addresses Peter in this passage, as the word ‘thou,’ a singular word, shows. However, in Matthew 18:18, Christ does not only speak to Peter, when He says: ‘Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever YE shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever YE shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Authorized Version).’ While the word ‘thou’ (in Matthew 16:19) refers to just one person, the word ‘ye’ (in Matthew 18:18) refers to more than one person.

“In Matthew 18:15-17, Christ had just explained the proper procedure regarding an unrepentant brother or sister. If he or she does not hear ‘the church,’ that is, the ministry, ‘let him be unto THEE as an heathen man and a publican.’ It is the church, through its ministry, which will make the decision to disassociate from such a person. Such a decision involves, of course, a judgment whether or not the person is repentant and whether or not the sins of the person are forgiven. And so, we read in John 20:22-23 (Authorized Version): ‘And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive YE the Holy [Spirit]: Whose soever sins YE remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins YE retain, they are retained.’

“The ministry has been given the authority from God, to ‘bind and loose,’ and to ‘remit’ and ‘retain’ sin. It is critical that we understand correctly the scope of this authority. When returning to Matthew 16:19, we find, in the New King James Bible, the following annotation in the margin: ‘Or, “will have been bound… will have been loosed.”’ The Ryrie Study Bible explains: ‘Lit., “shall have been bound… shall have been loosed.” Heaven, not the apostles, initiates all binding and loosing, while the apostles announce these things…”

“The New American Standard Bible translates Matthew 16:19, as follows: ‘…and whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven’…

“Regarding John 20:23, the Ryrie Study Bible states: ‘Since only God can forgive sins (Mark 2:7), the disciples and the Church are here given the authority to declare what God does when a man either accepts or rejects His Son.’ We might also add that Christ had announced to them that they would soon receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and discernment, and enables especially the ministry, when used correctly, to ascertain whether a person is repentant or not…

“The New Bible Commentary: Revised… adds the following remarks: ‘The promise does not of course mean that God will be bound by anything that Peter says (cf. Gal. 2:11), but that things done according to the will of Christ will have binding validity….’

In another Q&A on John 20:23, https://www.eternalgod.org/i-am-having-trouble-understanding-john-2020-23-did-jesus-give-the-apostles-and-the-church-the-power-to-forgive-sin/ we state the following:

“[It] is critically important to understand… that Peter and the rest of the apostles were given authority to baptize in the name of Jesus Christ and to lay hands on those baptized for the receiving of God’s Holy Spirit. They did not forgive those repenting of sins, but they were guided by God to see in people fruits worthy of repentance and those who did not have them—such as with Simon (Acts 8:18-24). John the Baptist was guided by God as well (Matthew 3:8). But they did not give the Holy Spirit, for this was done by God (Acts 5:32)…

“When Ananias and Sapphira lied to Peter, they died (Acts 5:1-11). To Ananias, Peter said, ‘“…You have not lied to men but to God”’ (verse 4); to Sapphira, Peter said, “‘How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”’ Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things’ (verses 9-11).

“Peter dealt with the sin of lying and there were consequences; however, it was not he who caused the death of Ananias or Sapphira—it was God…

“In the two letters to the Corinthians, Paul addressed a grievous sin being committed and knowingly condoned by others: ‘It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles–that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you’ (1 Corinthians 5:1-2).

“Paul directed that this person be expelled from the Church, and it was to be done by the authority of Christ. That meant the sin was to be judged based on God’s Law: ‘In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus’ (1 Corinthians 5:4-5).

“Because Paul decisively confronted sin by disfellowshipping the man, the sinning individual repented! In this poignant example, Paul ‘retained’ the man’s sins through applying the Law of God. When there was repentance, the man was ‘forgiven’… God uses His Church to lead people to repentance of sins. Now, though, and unlike the priestly administration in ancient Israel, because of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, upon true repentance, God will forgive a person’s sins.”

There is a fundamental distinction between trespasses and sins. Trespass is against another human being, but sin is against God. It is true that we should confess our trespasses to one another (James 5:16). But this does not apply to confessing our sins to others.

We wrote the following in a Q&A on the topic of confessing our sins to others https://www.eternalgod.org/q-a-3815/:

“The Bible teaches that we are to confess our sins to God. We read in 1 John 1:8-9, ‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ Other Scriptures clarify that such confession must be made to God. Romans 14:10-12 states, ‘But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.’

“We read that the people came to John the Baptist, ‘confessing their sins’ (Matthew 3:6). Note, however, it does not say that they were confessing their sins to John. Other Scriptures tell us that confession of sins is to be made to God.

“The practice taught by some religions to confess our sins to a human mediator to obtain forgiveness by that person is not Biblical. We are taught that we have only one Mediator and Advocate between God and man who makes intercession for us before God the Father — Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1-2; Hebrews 7:25). It is God who forgives sin (Mark 2:7; Isaiah 43:25; Acts 5:31). David understood that sin, in the final analysis, is against God (Psalm 51:3-4), as God gave us His law which defines for us sinful conduct (James 4:12).

“John 20:23 does not justify a different conclusion… This passage does not teach confession to a priest… Jesus’ words in John 20:23 — as well as in Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18 — are not to be understood as saying that God’s ministers are free to ‘forgive’ sins — or to refuse to grant forgiveness — and that God is bound by such a decision. Rather, the passages, correctly translated, convey the thought that God inspires His ministers to make those decisions, and whatever they bind on earth HAS ALREADY BEEN bound by God in heaven.

“We should therefore generally not ‘confess’ or tell our sins to others. There is, however, one exception to this rule. We are being told in James 5:16 that we are to ‘confess [our] trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that [we] may be healed.’ The Greek word for ‘trespass,’ paraptoma, is used in numerous additional passages, for instance in Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:1; 2:5; or 2 Corinthians 5:19. It is consistently and correctly translated in the New King James Bible as ‘trespasses’ in those passages. We are told in Colossians 2:13 that God, upon our repentance, forgives us all of our ‘trespasses.’ We are also told that if we forgive men their ‘trespasses,’ our Father will forgive us our ‘trespasses’ as well, but if we do not forgive men their ‘trespasses,’ our Father will not forgive us our ‘trespasses,’ either (Matthew 6:14-15; compare Matthew 18:35).

“The ‘trespasses’ which we need to confess to our brother or sister, in order to obtain his or her ‘forgiveness,’ are those that we have committed against our brother or our sister. Mark 11:25-26 tells us, ‘And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ Unresolved problems between brethren might even prevent healing of physical sickness. James 5:16 tells us, ‘Confess your trespasses to one another [with the goal to ‘clear the air’], and pray for one another, THAT you may be healed.’ After all, Christ told Peter to forgive his repenting brother ‘seventy times seven.’ In Peter’s question, the brother had sinned against Peter and had come to him to express to him his sorrow — in other words, to ‘confess’ to Peter his trespass or sin against Peter…

“If we commit a sin or trespass against someone else, resulting in an offense and a problem within our relationship with that other person, we are to ‘confess’ our sin or trespass to that person, asking him or her for forgiveness, with the goal of restoring our relationship… At the same time, the Bible does not teach that we should ‘confess’ or tell others (including a minister) sins that we might have committed against God. God can forgive and forget (Hebrews 8:12) — people, though, being human, have a long memory many times when it comes to the sins of others.”

When we forgive another person for whatever the problem was, we are forgiving their trespass against us and we are admonished not to hold a grudge.  Leviticus 19:18 reads: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”

It is very different than God forgiving us.   We must understand that there is quite a contrast and distinction between God’s forgiveness and our forgiveness of others.   The following verses show that when we receive the forgiveness of God, He blots out the sin and removes the guilt.

We read in Isaiah 43:25:” “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”

In Psalm 103:3 is further instruction: “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,” and verses 10-12: “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

When the Bible speaks about us forgiving others, it is different than God forgiving us.  God forgives sins because only He can forgive sins that violate His standards.

Regarding the Roman Catholic priest and his involvement in the “forgiving of sins,” 1 Timothy 2:5 is instructive: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” The Greek word for “Mediator” is “mesites” which means “middle man,” and that is Jesus Christ, not a Roman Catholic priest.

The website catholic.com has a very long explanation about absolution and the following is but a brief extract:

“Absolution (Ab = from; solvere = to free), is the remission of sin, or of the punishment due to sin, granted by the Church…  Absolution proper is that act of the priest whereby, in the Sacrament of Penance, he frees man from sin. It presupposes on the part of the penitent, contrition, confession, and promise at least of satisfaction; on the part of the minister, valid reception of the Order of Priesthood and jurisdiction, granted by competent authority, over the person receiving the sacrament. That there is in the Church power to absolve sins committed after baptism the Council of Trent thus declares: ‘But the Lord then principally instituted the Sacrament of Penance, when, being raised from the dead, He breathed upon His disciples saying, ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.’ By which action so signal, and words so clear the consent of all the Fathers has ever understood that the power of forgiving and retaining sins was communicated to the Apostles, and to their lawful successors for the reconciling of the faithful who have fallen after baptism.”

As we have explained above, this interpretation is totally wrong and unbiblical. The website of 9marks concurs, stating:

“If absolution from sin is the meaning of Jesus’ words in John 20:23, then we must ponder exactly what His intention was when He gave His followers authority to forgive sin (or not). Did He make them judges and invest in them power to pass judiciary sentence, granting or withholding divine pardon, as the Catholic Church teaches? Or did Jesus make them His ambassadors to proclaim forgiveness through faith in His name, as Christians believe? In other words, can a sinner receive forgiveness directly from God through faith, or must he avail himself of the Catholic priest’s mediation? The Bible is clear: no priest is needed to mediate between God and man, ‘For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Timothy 2:5). The Catholic teaching of absolution is not scriptural.”

In our free booklet “Why This Confusion About Life After Death?,”  we cover such matters as “A Catholic Priest Cannot Give Absolution to a Dying Person” and many other erroneous and non-biblical teachings.   Quoting briefly from this, we read:

“The Catholic Church believes that a Catholic priest can give absolution to a dying person but this is not biblical. Only God can forgive sins upon true repentance (see Luke 5:21 and Mark 2:7). We read that absolution, in the ecclesiastical sense, implies a remission of sin or its penalties. In the Roman Catholic Church, the power to absolve is vested in the priest as we read above, and he assigns a penance! However, we are NOT to confess our sins to a priest, but to God. Also, this absolution is made in the name of the Trinity which is yet another non-biblical error. There is nothing biblical about this approach at all. As we have seen, the Bible does not teach the Trinity.”

All of this information must surely reveal to those who have eyes to see that, as also in many other matters, the Roman Catholic Church misunderstands what is written in the Word of God.   Those of us in the Church of God must not fall into the trap of accepting non-biblical practices.  We have the Bible as our guide to life and we read a passage of Scripture where Jesus was praying for His disciples when He said: “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:15-17).  

And God’s Word is what we must live by!

Lead Writers: Brian Gale (United Kingdom) and Norbert Link

Many today are engaging in witchcraft and superstitious conduct in one way or another, consulting mediums, or believing in the reliability of horoscopes. They may think that this is harmless or even beneficial and desirable.

Let us ignore what man may think about this topic and see what the Word of God has to say on this matter.   After all, it should be the guide for all who claim that they follow the Judeo-Christian faith, but sadly, history and experience show us that that is not the case with so many.

In the Statements of Beliefs of the Church of the Eternal God and its international affiliates, we read the following:

“Our doctrines and practices are based upon a literal understanding of the ‘teachings revealed in the entire Bible. We believe that the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments are God’s revelation of His Will to man, inspired in thought and word, and infallible in the original writings; that said Scriptures are the supreme and final authority in faith and life, the source of Truth and the foundation of all knowledge.’”

Let us now concentrate on wizards, witchcraft and related concepts.

What is a wizard?  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has this definition: “one skilled in magic: SORCERER”.  Dictionary.com has this definition: “a person who practices magic: magician or sorcerer.”

The Easton’s Bible Dictionary say: “A wizard is a pretender to supernatural knowledge and power, ‘a knowing one,’ as the original Hebrew word signifies. As we will see from the Word of God, such was forbidden on pain of death to practise his deceptions.” 

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary gives several definitions, one of which is “One devoted to the black art; a magician; a conjurer; a sorcerer; an enchanter.”

In the Englishman’s Concordance, we read that this word is translated as spiritist and wizard.  We should know that the Word of God clearly forbids Spiritism and we are not to make any attempt to contact spirits.

There are 11 Old Testament references to “wizard” in Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, noting that the word used is yiddeoni.   Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance states that this is “from yada, properly, a knowing one; specifically, a conjurer; (by impl) a ghost — wizard.”

And so, let us look at some of these references which many do not take into consideration, thinking that they no longer apply today or they may not simply be aware of them.   But we must remember that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

All of the following quotations are from the King James Bible or the Authorized Version (AV), unless noted otherwise:

Leviticus 19:31: “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.”

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers observes:

“Neither seek after wizards.—The expression ‘wizard,’ which in old English denotes ‘wise man,’ ‘sage,’ is almost the exact equivalent of the word in the original. These cunning men pretended to tell people their fortunes, where their lost property was to be found [etc.] According to ancient tradition, these wizards took in their mouth a bone of a certain bird called yaduā, burned incense, thus producing fumes which sent them off into an ecstacy, and then foretold future events. Hence their name, yidonee, as it is in the original. It occurs eleven times in the Bible, and always together with the word translated ‘familiar spirit.’”

Familiar spirit is always a reference to demons. They are called “familiar” spirits because they want to familiarize themselves with us and engage us in conversations with them, such is the case when we consult mediums, wizards, sorceries or other persons involved with the “black art.”

Leviticus 20:6: “And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.”

bibliaplus.org observes: “Witchcraft, being connected with idolatry, was ranked among the crimes which involved treason against Israel’s king, and hence, the severity of the punishment denounced against it…”

Leviticus 20:27: “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.”

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament write: “But because Israel was called to be the holy nation of Jehovah, every one, either man or woman, in whom there was a heathenish spirit of soothsaying, was to be put to death, viz., stoned (cf. Leviticus 19:31) to prevent defilement by idolatrous abominations.”

Deuteronomy 18:9-12, sub-headed “Avoid Wicked Customs” in some renditions of the New King James Bible: “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,or one who conjures spells, or a medium (AV: “a consulter with familiar spirits”), or a spiritist (AV: “a wizard”), or one who calls up the dead (AV: “a necromancer”). For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you” (New King James Bible).

This passage does not say that one can indeed call up the dead. Rather, it is a warning not to do so, as one may come in contact with demons who might pretend to be that dead person who is being “consulted.”

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary points out: “Was it possible that a people so blessed with Divine institutions, should ever be in any danger of making those their teachers whom God had made their captives? They were in danger; therefore, after many like cautions, they are charged not to do after the abominations of the nations of Canaan. All reckoning of lucky or unlucky days, all charms for diseases, all amulets or spells to prevent evil, fortune-telling, [etc.] are here forbidden. These are so wicked as to be a chief cause of the rooting out of the Canaanites. It is amazing to think that there should be any pretenders of this kind in such a land, and day of light, as we live in. They are mere impostors who blind and cheat their followers.”

Isaiah 8:19: “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?” The New King James Bible translates: “Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?”

We read in The Pulpit Commentary: “Verses 19-22. – ISAIAH RECOMMENDS LOOKING TO GOD AND THE REVEALED WORD RATHER THAN TO NECROMANCY. AFFLICTION WILL BRING ISRAEL TO GOD. Isaiah returns, in ver. 19, to the consideration of his disciples. In the terrible times impending, they will be recommended to have recourse to necromancy; he urges that they should look to God and the Law. He then further suggests that, in the coming affliction which he describes (vers. 21, 22), men will generally turn for relief to the same quarter (ver. 20). Verse 19. – Seek unto them that have familiar spirits. In times of great distress the Israelites seem always to have been tempted to consult those among them who pretended to magic and divination. So Saul in the Philistine war resorted to the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:7-20); Manasseh, threatened by Esar-haddon, ‘used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards’ (2 Kings 21:6). Israel generally, oppressed by Syria and Assyria, ‘used divination and enchantments’ (2 Kings 17:17).  There was the same inclination now on the part of many Jews.” 

According to britannica.com: “Necromancy, communication with the dead, usually in order to obtain insight into the future or to accomplish some otherwise impossible task. Such activity was current in ancient times among the Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Etruscans; in medieval Europe it came to be associated with black (i.e., harmful, or antisocial) magic and was condemned by the church.”   This is not something to be involved with!

We read in Isaiah 19:3: “And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.” The New King James Bible says: “… And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers.”

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges points out: “the spirit of Egypt shall fail… lit. be poured out, cf. Jeremiah 19:7. ‘Spirit’ is here used of intellectual power, as ‘heart’ in Isaiah 19:1 denotes courage.  I will destroy or ‘swallow up,’ ‘annihilate’… In their desperation the Egyptians betake themselves to incantations, a sign in Isaiah’s view of hopeless intellectual embarrassment; ch. Isaiah 8:19.   The word rendered charmers means “mutterers” (of magical spells)…”

There are further passages of Scripture that are in accord with those which we have already covered, please see 1 Samuel 28:3, 9; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Kings 23:24 and 2 Chronicles 33:6.

It is interesting that there are those who were initially against approval of witchcraft but who mellowed over the years. Is that what true Christians, the people of God want to be involved with?  The answer should be obvious.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

In the first two parts of this three-part series, we looked at why it is vital to stay with “our calling” and the “Way of Life” to which we have been called.   Nothing less will do.  To repeat the key Scripture in this review, once again, it is in Matthew 24:13: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

But what about those who have succumbed to the dreadful disease of dementia?     We will now address the dementia question for those Church members and their families who are affected.

We quote briefly below from the following sources to show what a traumatic time this can be for those families who have to deal with this problem.

The Biblical Counselling Coalition gives this description of dementia: “In brief, dementia is a cognitive disorder. The affected person’s thinking ability gradually deteriorates. It interferes with judgment and memory and also can create confusion, fear, and irritation. There are several types of dementia. The best known is Alzheimer’s, which was experienced by former president, Ronald Reagan.”

According to the website verywellmind.com, there are seven stages of dementia from “no cognitive decline” to “very severe cognitive decline.”

“Stages 1 to 3 are the pre-dementia stages; whereas Stages 4 to 7 are the dementia stages. Clinicians typically compare the person’s symptoms to the criteria listed for each stage and use their judgment to determine which stage the patient is at.  

“In the final stage, the brain appears to lose its connection to the body and becomes incapable of telling it what to do. The person is likely to progressively lose their motor skills as well as the ability to speak. They may only be able to utter unintelligible sounds or words, if at all. They will need assistance with all personal care tasks such as eating, walking, and using the bathroom.”

The Alzheimer’s Society has this to say on their website:

“The word ‘dementia’ describes a set of symptoms that over time can affect memory, problem-solving, language and behaviour. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.

“People with dementia often experience memory loss. This is because dementia is caused by damage to the brain, and this damage can affect areas of the brain involved in creating and retrieving memories.

“For a person with dementia, memory problems will become more persistent and will begin to affect everyday life. This can be difficult to cope with, both for the person themselves and for the people around them.”

John Dunlop, a medical doctor, wrote the following about dementia: “Dementia can inflict its victims with memory loss and render them unable to care for themselves. It can cause them to wake up every morning not knowing where they are or who is feeding or bathing them. People with dementia often want to say something but are unable to organize their thoughts or even form the words.”

Many of us may have come into contact with those who are struggling with this alarming, distressing and grievous health problem.  It is a very fair question to ask what happens when a Church member develops these symptoms.   Does this affect their salvation in any way when they can no longer remember their calling and commitment to God’s Way of Life that will result in them being in the Family of God for eternity if they endure to the end?

An obvious but important point to make is that God is fair, unlike our adversary, Satan the devil. 2 Peter 3:9 is instructive: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Also, in 1 Timothy 2:4, we read that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

God does not want anyone to fail, but God would like to see that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth. However, He knows that some will be rebellious and turn down the opportunity.  Those refusing God’s offer will be thrown into the lake of fire, as Revelation 21:8 confirms: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Further proof of God’s mercy that He will give everyone an opportunity for salvation is in the message of the Last Great Day, which directly follows the Feast of Tabernacles.   On our website is our Statement of Beliefs where we read under the “Observation of God’s Commanded Holy Days” the following information:

“The Last Great Day which immediately follows the Feast of Tabernacles, once a year. This day symbolizes a 100-year period called the “Great White Throne Judgment,” during which all persons who have ever lived and who were never called by God for salvation during this life, will have their first opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior (Leviticus 23:36; John 7:37; Revelation 20:11-12). At the end of that period, there will be a judgment during which all people who have ever lived and who have refused to accept Christ as their Savior, will be finally condemned to eternal death and destroyed in Gehenna fire (Revelation 20:13-15).”

This shows God’s great compassion for human beings – would He be any less compassionate for those who were faithful until the time of their reason and brain functionality was taken away?   Of course, the answer must be no as He is supremely fair to all.

In the first part of this Q&A, we mentioned 2 Timothy 4:7-8 where Paul said that he had finished the race – he had endured to the end of his life and his life’s work.  It is worth repeating here to make a further point.   The passage reads:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

It is very well worth noting that Paul was still alive when he said this!  Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers observes that “the tense of the Greek verb—the perfect—’I have fought,’ is remarkable. The struggle had been bravely sustained in the past, and was now being equally bravely sustained to the end. His claim to the crown (2 Timothy 4:8) was established.”

Those faithful Church members with dementia will have run their race until they were prevented from continuing to do so.   When is the end of the race?   For those with dementia, it may be at the stage where they no longer remember their “calling” and “Way of Life,” when their personal mental control and memory ceases to function.

God does not want anyone to fail.

In the final analysis, God determines the outcomes in such cases as He knows the hearts of all people.

There is the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, when he lost his mind [compare Daniel 4:16, saying that his heart of man would be replaced with the heart of an animal] – but regained his mind after seven years through a miracle from God.   However, there is no indication that this was anything other than punishment from God for His arrogance. 

Today, dementia sufferers don’t recover and regain all the faculties that they lost. The website of bigthink.com states that “Dementia involves the loss of memory, cognition, and speech. It’s caused by changes in the brain due to injury or disease, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s and it’s progressive, meaning the symptoms get more severe over time.” 

In Philippians 1:6, Paul writes: “… being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Barnes Notes on the Bible explains: “Will perform it – Margin, ‘Or, finish.’ The Greek word – ἐπιτελέσει epitelesei – means that he would carry it forward to completion; he would perfect it. It is an intensive form of the word, meaning that it would be carried through to the end.”

God will have begun a good work in the lives of those called by Him who have faithfully lived the true Christian Way of Life, and not even such a crippling disease as dementia will change that reality.

Further encouraging words can be read in 1 Corinthians 1:6-9:

“… even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We read on the website ncbi.nlm.nih.gov the following information about a sickness, which affects so many in the world and some few in the true Church of God:

“Dementia is a progressive condition which affects over 55 million people worldwide, with nearly 10 million new cases every year.  The term ‘dementia’ indicates not a single disease, but rather a spectrum of different conditions with different clinical phenotypes, which can be caused by a multitude of pathologies that cause changes in the structure and chemistry of the brain. While the most common cause of dementia-related symptoms is a neurodegenerative disease, other causes do exist (e.g., chronic inflammatory disease, alcoholism…). The exact pathological cascade of events which causes the development of symptoms is still unknown, but overall it is thought that a combination of genetic and environmental factors results in the abnormal accumulation of misfolded, toxic proteins in the brain, which then triggers both chemical imbalance and neuronal loss in the brain (a process called atrophy), ultimately leading to the hallmark clinical symptoms that eventually impair the daily functioning of affected individuals.” 

When someone has given themselves faithfully to the true Way of God from the time of their calling and a disease such as dementia removes understanding and recognition of previous learning later in life, Scripture reveals that God will honour that person.

And 1 Corinthians 9:25 reveals that it is “for an imperishable crown.”   It is great news for those who suffer from dementia and for all of God’s faithful people!

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)