The debate in our land intensifies on the issue of immigration. For example, questions are asked: who should we let in, should we exclude some or not, and should we be protected from those of certain belief systems whom might intend to harm us. A week before Thanksgiving in Turkey this year, Obama said regarding whom we let into our country, “it is good to remember that the United States does not have a religious test…” He went on to denounce any calls for a religious test for refugees and immigrants, saying: “That’s shameful. That’s not American. That’s not who we are.”
Then on Pearl Harbor Day aboard the USS Yorktown in Mount Pleasant, S.C. “Donald Trump took his plan for tightening the nation’s borders to a new level— and drew condemnation from Republican opponents as well as Democrats — by calling for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” He said the ban should apply “until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on” with regard to the attitudes of Muslims toward Americans and terrorism. ‘Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.’ Much of the crowd gave the policy a… standing ovation.”[2]
Which one is right? Does the Word of God speak to this issue. Now this command we are examining this week in our series “True Law is God’s Law” might seem to have nothing directly to do with immigration, but I hope to show you this morning that the principles involved in the application of this law very directly relate to this same issue.
The Treatment of Those who are at War Against God – Exodus 22:18 “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” I have to say that of all of God’s Law which stands in our era this is one that has sustained the most direct and consistent attack; unending ridicule and slander have been heaped upon it. Much fodder has been made out of the Salem witch trials, which if you understand the law of God there were massive violations of the principles of justice in those trials. Yet the pro-witch propagandists would have us believe that Salem was the accurate application of Exodus 22:18. It was not.
There has been a wholesale and retail marketing of the evil of witchcraft in all its forms in our day. Way back with the Wizard of Oz there was the good witch Glenda who was opposed to the wicked witch of the West. There have been countless positive messages about witches, wizards, fortunetellers, sorcerers, shamans, and mediums ad infinitum. What we need to understand is that all such individuals have aligned themselves with Satan in a war against the One True God. This law deals with the treatment of those who have declared war upon God.
To understand the Command in the larger context, turn to Deuteronomy 18:9-15. Let’s look at these nine forbidden practices:
• he that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, (this is child sacrifice that was practiced by many of the pagan religions where they would literally burn their child to death.
• he that useth divination, (divination is a methodology usually employing some physical object in order to uncover answers to any question you might ask of the spirit world, that is receiving answers from the demons who are part of the Satanic kingdom of darkness).
• he that is an observer of times, this refers to Astrology, that is predictions by the stars, planets or moon; horoscopes; are referred to as ‘observing times.’ “Although the Bible does not go into great detail about astrology, it certainly makes its position clear. We should never trust in astrological beliefs or predictions. Our lives are not determined by the stars or movement of planets.
• he that an enchanter,
• he that is a witch,
• he that is a charmer, (these three are all expressions of similar practices, “occult magic or divination are a manifestation of demonic powers or the result of demon possession (Acts 16:16). Of course, the power of Satan and his demons is extremely limited compared to God’s power. Those who follow the path of the magic arts are on the wrong path – a road that leads away from God, not toward Him.”)[3]
• he that is a consulter with familiar spirits,
• he that is a wizard,
• he that is a necromancer. These three ares the practice of mediums.
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