IN THIS ISSUE:
What Does The Bible Say About — UFO’s
Covenant –R.S. “Bud” Miller
Purpose And Vision — Copyright Information
Letters To The Editor — Our Answers
Spiritual Warfare — Steadfastness Needed for Victory
Exposing Satan’s Devices — Two Powers in the Earth
End Times — Mark of God or Mark of the Beast
Prophetic Voice To The Church — Prophecy for the Church
Little Foxes (Little Compromises) — Smoking
Share And Tell — Internet Testimonies
Prayer Focus Spotlight — Praying for Others
Special Guest — Pastor Steven Ross
Book Review — Exposing Satan’s Devices
Poetry Corner – Prophetic Poem
Personal Word From The Millers –Closing Words
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT….UFO’S?
by Betty Miller
UFO Followers
There has been a lot about UFO’s (Unidentified Flying Objects) in the news headlines lately. The tragic events stemming from the extra-terrestrial beliefs of members of the Heaven’s Gate Cult in Rancho Santa Fe, California, U.S.A., made headlines. Thirty-nine cult members committed suicide with the belief that a spaceship was following the Hale-Bopp Comet (the great comet of 1997) and they were to die so their spirits could rendezvous with the alien ship and be taken to a higher realm of life. As the background of this group was investigated, more and more astounding and bizarre revelations were exposed. The group’s belief that they were catching a ride on a UFO hiding behind Comet Hale-Bopp plus the fact that eight of the male members of the group had been castrated were weird enough, but one of the most blasphemous things that we learned about the group’s leader, a man called “Do”, was that he believed he was Jesus. (“Do’s” real name was Marshall Applewhite.) Below, we quote from information posted on Heaven’s Gate website:
“A member of the Kingdom of God — the Evolutionary Level Above Human — I, who am called “Do”, acknowledge that: I am about to return to my Father’s Kingdom. This “return” requires that I prepare to lay down my borrowed human body in order to take up, or reenter, my body (biological) belonging to the Kingdom of God (as I did approximately 2000 years ago, as Jesus, when I laid down the human body that was about 33 years old in order to reenter my body belonging to the Kingdom of Heaven).”
There was already a lot of cyberspace controversy about this comet and the purported spaceship following it. It was supposedly intelligently guided and designed to prove to the world that extraterrestrial and/or nonphysical spirit-beings exist along with spaceships or “flying saucers”.
The Roswell Incident
Another UFO controversy making the headlines was the Roswell, New Mexico incident that fifty years ago reported the crash landing of what some called a “flying saucer”. The military found scraps of metallic foil and stick-line material near Roswell, N.M. back in 1947. At first, the report said the wreckage came from a flying saucer, but this report was quickly withdrawn and it was claimed instead that it came from a weather balloon. In 1994 the federal government said the balloon-borne apparatus was actually used in a top-secret monitoring project. Others believe the government has covered up evidence of an actual alien body that they found at the time of the crash. Government leaders have officially closed the case declaring they were dropping test dummies along with their balloon experiments.
The Phoenix Sightings
In the state of Arizona, where my husband and I reside, there have also been recent UFO sightings. The Arizona flap (also called the “Phoenix Sightings”) became big news to the UFO research community March 13, 1997, when an enormous object (or objects, depending on whom you talk to) was observed over several Arizona cities by thousands of witnesses and videotaped by dozens of them. (The object was most often described as a series of six lights forming a v-formation and trailed by a seventh light. The other common descriptive was that it was enormous — reports describe it as anywhere from three football fields to a mile long — and silent as it passes.) The object was seen by Arizona air traffic controllers who reported that it did not register on their radar screens. At last report, there was still no explanation of the strange lights.
End Time Deceptions
Over the last year there have been many movies, books, etc. that have dealt with this topic; the movie, Independence Day being one of them. There is a reason why there is such an interest in this subject. What does the Bible have to say about UFO’s and extraterrestrial beings? First, let us look at some scripture that will give us some answers as to what is going on in the world at this time. In Matthew 24:3-14, Jesus gives us a description of our day.
Matthew 24:3-14:
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
This scripture tells us that in the time that Christ is to return to this earth the above conditions will be happening. Jesus particularly warns His people against “deception”. Those sober minded people that are not even Christians can take one look at the “Heaven’s Gate” cult members and realize they are deceived. They just don’t understand how they got that way. Here is a man named “Do” that claimed he was Jesus Christ, just as the above scripture says some would do. This man was a false prophet leading others astray. What gave him the power to be able to do this? How were people so deceived that they would commit suicide? “Do” talked about moral righteousness and doing good and even quoted the Bible on occasion. This man was controlled by a seducing devil (evil spirit) that deceives others. Because he had an evil supernatural power he was able not only to deceive others, but he himself, was deceived in the process. “Do” was communing with demon spirits that he thought were extraterrestrial spirits from another planet. Actually these were demons from hell that were not only talking to him but manifesting themselves to him as well. He even believed the lie that he was Jesus Christ.
The true answers to the above questions lie within the scriptures. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 says,
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
How can we protect ourselves from this sort of deception? The Bible tells us that we must study the Bible so we can know what the Holy Scriptures tell us about this kind of thing and avoid it.
Luke 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
2 Timothy 3:13-17 & 2 Timothy 4:1:
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.
If “Do” really had known the Scripture he would have known the Lord’s admonition in Deuteronomy 4:19 that says,
And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
“Do” would not have been looking to the “heavens” and spaceships for the answers to life but would have been seeking the true creator of the heaven. His followers would have been spared if they had known this scripture:
Matthew 24:23-27:
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
The scripture tells us that Jesus will one day return to this earth to judge all people and it is that event we should be preparing for as we watch the heavens for His return. He declared that this event would occur during a time of great deception in the earth (a perfect description of our day.)
“Do” was not only very deceived but so were all his followers. The men that he convinced to be castrated did not know the scripture that warns against that lie found in I Timothy 4:1-3:
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
It easy for most people to agree that “Do” and his followers were definitely deceived and listening to demons or if they don’t believe demons exist, they at least know he was deranged. Some people believe that the reports of those who say they have had an encounter with an extraterrestrial being or a UFO are just imagining these things because they have watched too many science fiction movies. (Some of these reports probably do fall under this category.) However, many of the true believers in aliens and UFO’s cannot be dismissed simply as oddballs or eccentrics. They include scientists, intellectuals, government leaders and astronauts. What are these strange sights invading the heavens and does the Bible give an explanation for them?
Natural or Supernatural?
First of all, we must understand that all unexplained sightings or strange manifestations have their origination from one of two sources: the “natural” or the “supernatural”. If the source is something in the natural it can be explained by scientists or other people responsible for the occurrence. (The military sought to do this in regard to the crash of the so-called Roswell flying saucer with the explanation of a weather balloon and dummies falling from the sky.)
But what about unexplained lights in the sky that don’t show up on radar such as the lights over Phoenix? If no physical explanation can be found for this phenomenon then we must assume we are dealing in the “supernatural” or spiritual realm. Then we must realize that all “supernatural” occurrences come from two sources: Satan or God. In the spiritual realm there are two kingdoms, Satan or the devil’s kingdom and God’s kingdom.
Since Satan is the enemy of God, he tries to lead people into deception by taking their attention to things that are not of God in order to ensnare their souls. The current emphasis on UFO’s and aliens (extraterrestrial beings) is a disguise for Satan’s activities and demons. They are designed to lead people astray. His tactic then is to blind people to the gospel of Jesus Christ by capturing their minds with a New Age philosophy that incorporates a belief in UFO’s and aliens.
Demons Impersonating Aliens
Many science fiction movies over the last number of years have conditioned the hearts and minds of this generation to accept demons as aliens from outer space. Even very young children view E.T. as a friend. This sets them up to accept demons as good entities instead of the evil beings that they are. It is no wonder that “Do” was deluded into believing they were good heavenly visitors. Star Trek and Star Wars, along with a host of other science fiction movies, has encouraged an interest in life in outer space , thus preparing a whole generation to accept UFO’s and aliens. They should be taught to stand against the deception that comes along with these movies and encouraged to understand the reality of a real heaven and hell. As Christian parents we should be very careful about allowing our children to view these sorts of movies as it prepares children early to accept the witchcraft and New Age philosophy incorporated in such films.
Most people that see UFO objects or “little green men from mars” are actually seeing something. What they fail to realize is what they see are not aliens from another planet, but evil spirits disguising themselves as aliens, to lead people astray. In many cases, the reason they see these demons manifest is because they have in some way opened their spirit up to receive this sort of deception. How can one do this? When anyone tampers with the things of darkness (Satan’s domain) he becomes susceptible to Satan and his demons attacking or manifesting themselves to them.
Witchcraft Involvement Can Cause UFO Manifestations
Many people that see UFO’s or extraterrestrial beings either have been involved in some type of witchcraft or the place they encounter these things has been a site for witchcraft or perhaps their close friends or family are involved in it. What is the scriptural definition of witchcraft? It is the power or practice of witches. Anything that is evil or occultic in nature constitutes witchcraft and is an abomination to God. The Bible speaks of Manasseh, one of the most wicked kings in Israel, practicing witchcraft and as a result Israel was taken captive by their enemies. (1 Chronicles 33). King Saul in the Old Testament consulted a witch for guidance and it resulted in his downfall and death (1 Samuel 28).
Misguided Christians often partake in witchcraft practices without knowing the truth about what they are doing and they end up suffering the consequences of their involvement. This happened to me many years ago when I, in ignorance, was going to “fortune tellers” and began studying astrology and other occultic teachings. I came under a very oppressive spirit of fear and torment and my health began to fail. Next, I started having severe relationship and financial problems. I knew nothing of the spiritual world of demons, until demon spirits began to invade my house and I began experiencing the manifestations of frightening sounds and smells. (The sound of a window glass breaking, yet there were no broken windows in the house. After I would go to one of my fortune tellers for a “reading” and would come home I would smell bees wax candles burning in the house; racing through the house I could find no candles burning.) Most of my fortune tellers claimed to be religious people, as they would many times do their readings with our hands placed on a Bible. (They would also ask me to put my money for their fees under the Bible.)
They were deceived and I fell into the trap of deception myself as I did not know the scripture forbade such practices. Not until I was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to study the scripture did I receive deliverance from these demon spirits.
Supernatural phenomenon surrounding UFO’s in different areas can many times be traced to the practice of witchcraft in that area. When corporate Satanic practices are going on in certain vicinities, unexplained sounds as well as weird displays of sights, lights, and electrical shorts can occur. These will occur without any natural explanation as they are coming from the Satanic spirit world. Many times the practices by witches’ covens will produce these sorts of Satanic manifestations. One of these practices is the slaying, blood letting and castrating of cattle or other animals. People who know nothing of the spirit world think these deaths were the result of extraterrestrial beings attacking the cattle or animals. The truth is those who are Satan’s followers are seduced into animal sacrifices in order that they might know higher realms of his power. Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy these souls and damn them to hell.
Other scripture in the New Testament of the Bible tells us what we are to pursue and what we are to avoid so that we do not come under Satan’s influence. Witchcraft is in this list.
Galatians 5:19-25:
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Lack of Knowledge Opens the Door for UFO Visits
Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge….”. Many of God’s own people can be destroyed if they become involved in some of our modern-day cults and New Age practices. We must seek the knowledge of the Word of God so that we are not vulnerable to Satan and his demons. Many Christians are wasting time reading too many worldly books and watching too much secular television while their spiritual knowledge of the things of God is very limited. This gives the enemy an advantage over them. The Lord does not want us to suffer destruction. The Bible tells us in John 10:10 that we have an enemy (Satan) who is a thief and he is the one who robs and destroys our lives. Jesus has come to give us the abundant life.
John 10:10-11:
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Many people who are deceived by cults are ignorant Christians who do not know their Bibles. We must return to the Word of God as the standard for our guidance and our answers. We are warned in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 to not accept any other gospel but the gospel of Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:3-4:
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Only knowledge of the truth can keep us from the spirit of error. We must first receive the true Gospel which is found in John 3:16-21:
John 3:16-21:
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
We live in perilous times. As Christians we are promised that we shall not be destroyed but through the power of the Holy Spirit we shall be able to live an overcoming life in Him. However, if we do not seek Him and His truth, desiring His righteousness, we can become deceived and believe a lie as spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-13:
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.
Satan Performs Lying Signs and Wonders
From this scripture we can see that Satan is able to perform “signs and lying wonders.” Among these are the Satanic UFO manifestations. God is also capable of performing supernatural signs and wonders but His works will always bring glory to God and point people to salvation through Jesus Christ. We must have the discernment to know what is of God and what is not of Him. This only comes as we know Him personally and know more of His Word. In 1 John 4:1-6 we are given this advice:
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
Power of God’s Spirit Will Keep Us From Deception
We must have the power of the Holy Spirit to live in victory and overcome the enemy and his deceptions at this hour. We must ask to be filled with the Spirit and seek Him with our whole heart and turn away from all that is not of Him. Pride stands in the way of many. We must not be high minded, but seek God in humility asking Him to keep us from deception and error in this hour of much evil.
2 Timothy 3:1-7:
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
As Christians we are admonished in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to “Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.”
If you are one of those who have been ensnared by Satan’s deceptions, there is a way out. The Bible says in James 4:7-8:
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
If you know people who are in bondage to Satan and his deceptions, remember we are to pray for them to receive the light. We are called to love. We must remember our battle is not with people (flesh and blood) but with the forces of darkness that hold their minds captive to a lie. The Bible should have the last word on this subject. Here is what we are told in Ephesians 6:10-18:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Life In Outer Space?
The only worlds the Bible speaks of as being inhabited are this earth, heaven and hell. This does not rule out the possibility of other galaxies that have planets that contain life but the Bible was given to man so he would know how to live in this life and procure heavenly life in the world to come.
To speculate on things that the Bible is silent about is presumptuous to me. Many people are spending hours seeking to understand the mysteries of the universe but haven’t even taken the time to understand the mysteries of this life that are revealed in the Bible. To me it is more egotistical to theorize and allow my imagination to conjure up things that the Bible is silent about. Many people seeking the mysteries of outer space are prone to receiving suggestions and suppositions that are not Biblically based. When we delve into things that the Bible is not commanding us to seek we open ourselves up to deception. As Christians our goal should be to first be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ and to then get the gospel out.
I do not know everything God has in store for His children in the world to come, perhaps exploring the galaxies is one of them. However, we should leave those things to God and the future we have been promised in Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
NOTE: If you desire more knowledge on the origin of Satan and his demons and how you can be free from his power, we have a book in our Chapel Bookstore entitled EXPOSING SATAN’S DEVICES. It has a list of major cults and occultic practices with a checklist of warning signs to alert you to any false group that could ensnare you or your loved ones in their deceptions.
order EXPOSING SATAN’S DEVICES from the CHAPEL BOOKSTORE
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Return to Table of Contents for this Issue
COVENANT: GOD’S GUARANTEE FOR VICTORIOUS LIVING
R. S. “Bud” Miller
Note: (This teaching is continued from last month’s Overcoming Life Digest. See Menu above for Archives.)
WHAT IS A BLOOD COVENANT?
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats . . . and sprinkled both the book, and all the people. Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission (of sins). Hebrews 9:19-22
Very simply stated, a covenant is a contract. A Biblical blood covenant is a contract ratified (or made legal) by the shedding of blood. This kind of covenant also doubled as a “last will and testament,” which could not be fulfilled until one of the parties to the covenant died (Hebrews 9:16,17).
The shedding of animal blood was a “token” and assurance that the death of the real “testator” and eternal sacrifice, Jesus, would occur in due time.
The blood covenants, old and new, were legally binding agreements between God and Abraham’s descendants, natural and spiritual (Galatians 3:29). The New Covenant, fulfilled and ratified in the blood of Jesus, is the “title deed” to what we inherit as Christians.
Before becoming an evangelist and pastor, I was a businessman for many years. I understood contracts and what the signing of one meant for all parties involved. (A contract is an agreement between two parties and the signing of that agreement made the contract a legal and binding covenant.) When I ran across this in the Word of God, the concept was a reality in my spirit. I saw that as born again believers in Christ, we have a literal contract with God which He will not break because He is not a man that He should lie.
Numbers 23:19 says, God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH GOD
Praise God, what a blessing that fact was to me as a new believer! In all the years since that time, the reality of this truth has never grown old in my understanding. The knowledge that we have a contract with the Creator of the Universe is something you can “hang your hat on”, something that will never pass away. We can always trust God to keep His Word to us. He will never go back on His word. Men in the world many times violate their contracts and go back on their word, but God will not and cannot go back on His Word. As men we may fail to keep our word but God will never fail to keep His. He is always faithful. If we understand this about God from the very beginning we can always trust Him and believe what he says He will do.
As we begin to understand clearly how faithful He is, we can gain a strong confidence in all His promises to us which are recorded in the Bible. When we really understand that the Almighty God — the Alpha and Omega — has entered into an everlasting contract with us, we cannot help but walk in this earth with a victorious attitude! Let us see how this came about.
The Hebrew word for covenant is b’rith (pronounced “bereeth”). It is derived from the word for “cutting” (bara) in the sense of passing between pieces of flesh; to “cut or strike” (we use the term today when making an agreement with someone that we “struck” or “cut” an agreement with them). It also means to compact, to federate, or (to join in a) league.1 The nearest equivalent for this Hebrew term we have today is a “contract.”
The Greek word translated “covenant” in the New Testament is diatheke (pronounced “dee-ath-ay-kay”). It comes from a root word meaning “to put apart, i.e. (fig.) dispose (by assignment, compact, or bequest):– appoint, make, testator.”2
New Testament usage of diatheke includes:
(a) a promise or undertaking, human or divine
(b) a promise or undertaking on the part of God
(c) an agreement, a mutual undertaking between God and Israel
(d) a token of the covenant, or promise, made to Abraham
(e) the record of the covenant
(f) the basis, established by the death of Christ, on which the salvation of men is secured.3
A second Greek word, suntithemi, is literally “to put together,” and means “to determine, agree, assent, and covenant.”4
In other words, the same Hebrew and Greek words can be translated “promise” as well as “covenant.” Therefore, in reading the Bible, we must understand the difference between promises of God to an individual, or to all mankind (as when He promised not to destroy the earth and all flesh again with water as happened in the days of Noah– Genesis 9:9-17), and between definite blood covenants, or contracts ratified in blood.
God’s promises are as unchanging and irrevocable as His contracts. However, some of the promises, such as the one to Noah on behalf of mankind, were not two-party contracts. In other words, man did not have to do anything for God’s promise to come true not to destroy the earth or all flesh again with water.
Some of God’s promises were not “two-party contracts,” but were conditional on the behavior of those to whom the promises were made. (See Deuteronomy 28; Leviticus 26.)
There are two blood covenants in the Bible that were ratified in blood and were to be everlasting:
*The first — the “old” — made the natural descendants of Abraham the “people of God.” They were chosen to take His light to the world and to become a “holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). But this covenant was limited, because the real sacrifice had not yet been made. Those covered by the Old Covenant were as “minor children” to God (Galatians 4:1-3).
*The second and last covenant — the “new” — fulfilled the Old Covenant with better clauses and more rights for those coming to the Lord under it. Born-again believers are sons of God, not minor children (Galatians 4:4,5).
A new covenant was not made because God changed His mind or “missed it” the first time! The “better” covenant, or the total ratifying of the first blood covenant, had been prophesied by inspiration of the Holy Spirit since the days of Abraham.
In other words, the “old” always was intended to be expanded, amplified, and improved in the reality of the new when the Messiah came (Hebrews 8:7-13). Without the Lamb of God (Jesus) being offered once and for all, there could be no eternal blood covenant between God and man.
In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:13)
Endnotes:
1Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), “Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary,” #1254,1285, pp. 23,24.
2Strong’s, “Greek Dictionary of the New Testament,” #1242,1303, pp. 22,23
3Vine, W.E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments (Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1981), Vol. 1, pp. 250,251.
4Ibid.
(To be continued next month)
(Excerpt from the book entitled: COVENANT God’s Guarantee for Victorious Living)
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PURPOSE & VISION
THE OVERCOMING LIFE DIGEST is published for the purpose of strengthening the Body of Christ by furnishing teaching literature and a prophetic voice to the church in these last days. CHRIST UNLIMITED is helping and working with all Bible-believing Christians regardless of their church or denominational affiliations in promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. CHRIST UNLIMITED believes the hour is late and we must fulfill the great commission. We, as Christians, desire to cooperate with the Lord in breaking down denominational walls, for a united front line against the kingdom of darkness and setting up the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
CHRIST UNLIMITED MINISTRIES, INC. and CHRIST UNLIMITED PUBLISHING provide such tools through literature as to enable the saints of God to take the Kingdom and walk in the overcoming life as promised us in John 10:10 & Revelation 21:7.
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President: R.S. “Bud” Miller
Editor: Betty Miller
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Josh M. (GA) writes:
I was just typing some addresses and came upon your site.
This site is good for young children. I’m only 14 and I know how hard it is to live in today’s world and how hard it is to live a Christian life. This and other sites like it help me to encourage others to live for JESUS.
Editor’s Reply:
We are blessed by your encouraging words. We commend you, Josh, for living for the Lord. We know it isn’t easy but the Lord has great rewards for all those who follow Him. We plan to publish articles that will help young people in these trying times. We are praying that the UFO article this edition will help young people avoid some of the deceptions in our day. Bless you and keep witnessing!
Blessings!
Pastors Bud & Betty Miller
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Freeman writes:
Hello. My friend and I were curious of whether or not the symbol people have on their cars with “Jesus” or “Jesus Lives” surrounded by a fish-like symbol is actually a fish. I was under the impression that it was not a fish at all, but some religious symbol. Could you please help me out on this one?
Editor’s Reply:
Dear Freeman:
Actually it is both. The fish sign originated when first century Christians were being persecuted by Rome. The emperor was having many Christians thrown to the lions or crucified so it was very dangerous if someone knew you were a Christian. Christians devised the symbol of the fish to let one another know if they were true Christians before they divulged who they were. One Christian would draw one curving line of the fish and the other Christian would complete the fish outline by drawing the other line. They then knew it was safe to share about the Lord Jesus Christ. Modern day Christians now have added the name of Jesus in Greek in the center of the symbol to identify that they are Christians.
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SPIRITUAL WARFARE
Betty Miller
Note: (This teaching is continued from last month’s Overcoming Life Digest. See Table of Contents for Archives.)
STEADFASTNESS NEEDED FOR VICTORY
Spiritual victories can take time. Let’s not be discouraged when answers are not immediate. Sometimes we do gain instant victory, but other times it can be days, months, or even years. I prayed 20 years before I saw my father saved. So don’t give up in what you’re believing God for.
For years in praying for my father, I was unaware of how to war in the spirit. Basically I just cried out, “O God, save him. O God, save him.” When I came into a Spirit-filled walk, I realized evil spirits were blinding my father from the truth. One day as five of us were in prayer, the Lord spoke to fast and pray for my father. We spent the day doing that. Three months later, God sent me to visit my father who was then ill. It was time to witness to him.
When it comes to witnessing to relatives, most persons experience some difficulties. But as we have faith in God, in His timing He will fill our mouths. Don’t hesitate; it’s no different from witnessing under God’s unction to a stranger.
God had prepared my father; the powers of darkness over him had been broken. I sensed holy boldness as I spoke to him about the condition of his soul. I said, “Daddy, you’re very ill right now with gout. If the doctor gave you a pill, saying it would remove all sickness and pain, you’d take it, wouldn’t you?” He said, “Well, of course.” I said, “There is a pill you need to take: it’s the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’ll receive Jesus in your heart and ask Him to forgive you of your sins, He’ll wash away all this burden of sin you’ve carried for years.” Daddy started crying; I started crying, and he accepted the Lord. We both sensed the Spirit of God. My 20 years of praying had mounted up, but the most effective prayer had been when the five of us had used these spiritual tools: 1) fasting 2) agreement (five of us) 3) travail (our day of prayer included this) 4) God’s Word (that day we confessed appropriate Scriptures over my father) 5) resistance to the devil (we spoke God’s Word against the enemy). As we applied these tools, the barriers were broken down. Our spiritual warfare opened my father’s heart and mind to the truth.
We need to wage war in the spirit to free our loved ones. Good soldiers will enter into spiritual warfare to tear down the powers of darkness that blind the unsaved. The Bible says Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers preventing them from receiving the gospel. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (1 Corinthians 4:4). We can witness to a loved one all day long, but until the spirits blinding him are defeated, he won’t truly hear. It took spiritual warfare before my father could finally hear and receive.
The morning after my father’s salvation, the enemy attacked me with the thought, “Your father didn’t really get saved. He was just humoring you, saying that prayer so you would leave him alone.” I prayed, “Lord, confirm his salvation experience.” I got a Bible for him and took it to his home. I said, “Daddy, you need to read this daily, pray daily, and attend a good church.” He responded, “Betty, I already prayed this morning.” Since he had received Jesus, the Lord had already prompted him to pray. I didn’t have to tell him that, the Holy Spirit did. Thus God confirmed for me his salvation experience. Other changes also came, such as he no longer cursed.
Good soldiers don’t give up. Let’s not give up on our relatives, no matter how much spiritual warfare it takes. My father could have seemed like a hopeless case as he had a major drinking problem, but through God’s love he was saved.
I pointed out earlier that God is no respecter of persons; neither is Satan. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” The devil doesn’t care whom he devours, just as long as he can get somebody. He’s seeking whom he may devour, which means there are those he cannot. If we’re good soldiers wearing our spiritual armor, sober and vigilant, then we cannot be devoured. Unprepared Christians, though, can be devoured by the devil. He’s ruined the lives of many believers.
SOLDIERS RESIST THE DEVIL
The devil goes about as a roaring lion. We need to know his roar is empty noise. He has no power or authority against us. Too many Christians don’t realize this, so they cringe at his roar. Not resisting his attack, these fearful Christians are devoured. But Christians who know the Word and their position in Christ will roar back at the devil. They’ll resist the enemy and declare, “Satan, in Jesus’ name I resist you. I raise the Word of God against you. By God’s power I declare you’re not going to destroy my marriage or my loved ones. You’ll not rob me of my spiritual inheritance. In Jesus’ name, you’ll not take away my love, my joy, my peace.”
Notice the devil is “as” a roaring lion. The real lion is on our side, the Lion of Judah. Greater is the lion in us than the imitation lion. The devil constantly imitates. He has no original ideas, but counterfeits what God has done, even counterfeiting the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
For example, he tries to give a counterfeit peace. He calls his demons off a person, and that person feels peace in the sense that he’s no longer under demonic assault. Satan uses that tactic to keep people in a compromising position, to keep them from battling through to victory. Satan stops bothering them, so they stop crying out to God.
Cessation of assault brings temporary relief, but only the Holy Spirit can bring true peace to our hearts. With His peace inside of us, we can remain calm no matter how hard the storms rage around us. Not so with the world — their peace is dependent upon agreeable circumstances.
Good soldiers need to know the truth. 1 Peter 5:9-10 says, “Whom (the devil) resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” We know several things from this Scripture. First, that suffering and affliction come from Satan, not God. Satan is the one who brings suffering; he’s the one who assaults us. Second, we can be encouraged knowing our brethren have experienced the same trials we suffer. No one has been spared the enemy’s afflictions. Third, we can be assured that if we endure the suffering and remain steadfast in the Word, then after a season we will be made perfect, strengthened and settled. God will bring us to that place of steadfastness where we’ll no longer be overcome by the enemy.
What is our goal? Certainly it’s not to remain in a place of suffering or sickness. Some Christians mistakenly think, “This suffering is my cross to bear.” God doesn’t want us resigning ourselves to suffering with some sort of grin-and-bear-it attitude. He wants us to overcome it. Our goal is to overcome as we resist the enemy and are made perfect in God, steadfast, strengthened, and settled. Stand fast against sickness. Stand fast against demonic assault. Resist the enemy with the Word of God. Yes, we’ll have affliction: “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33), but that same verse carries these words of comfort: “but be of good cheer; I (Jesus) have overcome the world.”
We must keep our eyes on the promise of overcoming by looking to Jesus. We cannot let the problem loom so large that it overwhelms us. That’s Satan’s plan: to hit us with a problem that seems impossible to solve. Then we feel helpless and that all is hopeless. In this defeated condition, people can even be susceptible to suicide spirits.
But if we know who Christ is in us, the moment we encounter a problem, we’ll view it as an opportunity for God’s glory to be manifested as He provides the victory. By resisting the enemy and submitting to the Lord, we can turn every Satanic assault into glory for God. We’ll come into this place of strength and victory after we’ve suffered a little while. We’ll suffer some going through a battle. The purpose is not in the suffering itself, but suffering is the route that perfects, establishes, strengthens, and settles us. Then we can walk in strength and not be shaken by the enemy’s attacks. When he roars, we roar back, unshaken.
Having passed through the suffering unto victory, we know the same God that delivered us the last time will deliver us this time as well. His Word is still true. 1 Peter 5:9 says we “resist steadfast in the faith.” By faith we resist and overcome. James 4:7 also mentions resisting: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” That “will flee” is a guarantee; it doesn’t say he might flee — he will flee!
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EXPOSING SATAN’S DEVICES
Betty Miller
Note: (This teaching is continued from last month’s Overcoming Life Digest. See Menu above for Archives.)
TWO POWERS IN THE EARTH
We need to see the true nature of God. By knowing God’s attributes we can see the extreme contrast of Satan’s nature vs. God’s nature. Satan is diametrically opposed to all for which God stands. We need to understand that there are only two supernatural powers in the earth today, and that we are going to be influenced by either one or the other. We cannot remain neutral. The two powers are actually two opposite laws that are working in the world: “the law of life in Christ” and “the law of sin and death” ruled by Satan. (Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”)
SATAN’S SERVANTS
Many people are serving Satan out of ignorance, not realizing that they are his victims and pawns. (Ephesians 4:18, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.”) Others have deliberately chosen to follow the devil.
Romans 1:29-32, “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
Some have chosen to follow their own ways and are thus following the devil because selfishness is part of his nature.
2 Timothy 3:2, “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.”
And, still others have utterly rejected Christ and therefore are also followers of Satan. (Mark 16:16, “…He that believeth not shall be damned.”)
Let us look at the nature of Satan so that we will be able to recognize his devices. His lies can be exposed by examining their source, thus perceiving that his work is behind them. Once they are exposed, we can resist the devil and overcome him. It is very important to know the nature and the tactics of our enemy if we are to defeat him.
EXPOSING SATAN’S LIES
We read in Revelation 12:9 the following description of the devil: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” From this, we see that one of Satan’s major roles is that of deceiver. He has deceived the whole world. When we are “born again” into the Lord’s kingdom, we are no longer a part of this world. If we seek only the Lord for truth, we will no longer remain under bondage to the devil’s lies and deception. (Colossians 1:13, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”) The only power Satan has over any child of God is the power of deception, and that can be overcome by seeking the Lord and the truth of His Word. Actually, Satan has no power over Christians except what they allow him to have. On the other hand, people in the world who are unbelievers have no protection against the devil and his evils. The only thing that keeps them from immediate death is God’s mercy and grace. God is not willing that any should perish. (2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”)
In Genesis, we find the first account of Satan’s deception as he, in the form of a serpent, beguiles the first man and woman that the Lord created. Genesis 1 and 2 record the creation of the earth and God’s special creation, man. Genesis 1:26-28a reads, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them…”.
As we look at this tragic story, we will discover that the same lies Satan told Adam and Eve are the same ones he is still using today to get man to sin and break fellowship with God. He has not changed his method of attack. By studying Genesis 1, we can understand and
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