Q. I have heard talk about spiritual warfare and that we should anoint our door posts and windows with oil and pray a prayer to keep the enemy out.

Q. I have heard talk about spiritual warfare and that we should anoint our door posts and windows with oil and pray a prayer to keep the enemy out. What are your thoughts on this?

A There is no Scripture that tells us to do this, but there is no Scripture prohibiting it either. The practice of using anointing oil is ancient and God commanded the Israelites to make a special kind of oil and to us it for various reasons.. The Tabernacle, the furniture, the priests, and kings were anointed with oil, but those were one -time events. The anointing was done to set something apart for a holy purpose, not to keep evil away from or out of something. The New Testament doesn’t say much about using anointing oil. In Mark 6.13 and James 5.14 the Greek word “aleipho” is used and it means “to rub, smear and to cover.” In James 5.14 it means that the rubbing oil was the medicinal means applied prior to prayer. Aleipho is the common word used for the first century practice of rubbing oil on the body or hair for any reason, including medicinal. The word “chrio” is used when it is for a “sacred” reason (Luke 4.18, Acts 4.27, Acts 10>38, 2 Cor 1.21, Hebrews 1.9). But, the word “chrio” is never used in connection with healing and anointing oil, or anointing an object like a door or a window to keep evil away from or out of something. So, anointing a house is one of those areas that a person must be led of God about. There is no special oil to use or words to say, no particular way to do it, but this question brings up the subject of what spiritual warfare really is. Warfare is when one entity tries to impose their will on another, and warfare is made up of three elements. They are firepower, security and mobility. In spiritual warfare it is the same. Our firepower is our weapons with a purpose, to hit the enemy at various ranges through prayer, the Scriptures, books media and speech. In the area of security, any offensive action must include the ability to maintain a viable defensive position . A warrior in the physical must believe in the training they have received, their leadership and support. They know they can use and trust in their weapons, they know the terrain and have knowledge of the enemy. All these can be applied spiritually also. It is knowing that we are safe and secure in His promises, that we are truly saved and sons/daughters of God and we are doing what the Lord has commanded us to do through His Word. Mobility involves speed, quickness and the ability to move from one battle to another, to be a mobile firing platform . Spiritually, it involves our walk with the Lord and being able to move from one subject to another with speed, quickness, truth and accuracy. In spiritual warfare, you must be able to move from prophecy, in-depth knowledge of the Temple (Ezek 43.10-11), history, geography, having a working knowledge of the biblical languages, spiritual warfare, the festivals, Hebrew idioms and phrases and many, many other biblical subjects with a seconds notice, and oftentimes within the same conversation. We must be a mobile “firing” platform, able to hit the desired target with pinpoint accuracy and because a moving target is hard to hit as well. And we must be obedient to our Commander in the field, as He is called “Adonai Za’va’ot” in the Scriptures which means “Lord of the Armies”. We have confidence (faith) in Him, His abilities and command of the battlefield. We know He has the ability and “expertise” to wage war, and win. When we obey Him, then He will be our shield and protector (Psalm 91). In addition, to be an effective warrior you have to be trained. When I was in the Marines, we became familiar with live rounds, weapons, close combat, cannons and bombs going off, jet planes overhead and battlefield situations. This was done to familiarize you with what battle is like and to get you to the point where you no longer pay any attention to all that “noise.” Spiritually, you have to develop your skills and know your weapons to be appropriately prepared for battle in these current times. What won a battle yesterday may not win the next one. And remember, the enemy’s attacks and weapons against you will become more sophisticated as well. The Lord will do the same thing. He will teach you spiritual warfare and use “live rounds” to do it. In Judges 3.1-3 it says ; “Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; so that generation of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, those who did not know war before.”” You see, God will teach you about spiritual warfare by putting you into spiritual warfare. All the oil in the world is not going to keep the enemy from attacking you if the Lord’s wants to train/condition you. In a battle, communication is one of the most important elements. So, find out why something is happening and what to do about it. You must be able to communicate with the Commander and that is called prayer. The Lord doesn’t fight battles the same way every time. Strategy is how to win a war, tactics is how to win battles and situations change so you must be able to use your firepower correctly, maintain a defensive position and be mobile in case of counterattack. But, even with all this, attitude also plays an important role in warfare. We must build our walls, fortify our gates and use our weapons according to the pattern the Lord has shown us in the Scriptures. Then, when an enemy is outside our walls he must stop and count the cost it will take to defeat you. He doesn’t want to start something he can’t finish. Battles can be won or lost before any fighting has even been done. In the Israeli tank corps, they have a motto that says “the real steel is in the tank” so attitude is very important. The Lord’s warrior must be trained, prepared and have put in the work necessary to become ready, but the battle belongs to the Lord and He will ultimately do what is right in His own eyes. If the Lord tells us to put oil on the door, then do it. But, we must make sure that this, or anything He may tell us to do, is expedient and doesn’t turn into a ritual because that (the ritual) may develop into something greater than obedience and the power of prayer and faith in the name of the Lord. The subject of spiritual warfare is a very important, but neglected, subject so over the next few weeks we will look into this in more detail. We will look into definitions, how to make wise preparations, psychological warfare, who the Commander is, what to do when attacking, what to do when under attack, what to do after a victory and overall warfare truths. It would take nearly a year to go over this subject in detail in person, so what will be written over the next few months will be the “nuts and bolts” of spiritual warfare but very important and necessary to help clarify what biblical, spiritual warfare really is. Remember, you are either going into a battle, in a battle or coming out of a battle and this will be the case for the rest of your life so hopefully these truths will be of great benefit to you. 

Mystery Babylon cont..Part 2

This week I want to conclude on the theme of idolatry, pagan practices and just how does that apply to a believer today. Much has been said about practices that are seemingly “pagan” but in reality do not hold up to a closer look. We cannot make conclusions based on similarity alone. If we did, then the Lord Himself would be pagan. For instance, the woman in Rev 17 has a cup in her hand, so does the Lord in Psalm 75. Pagan gods were pictured with wings, so does the Lord in Psalm 91. Pagans built high towers, the Lord is described as a high tower. Pagan gods were described as stars, so is the Lord in Rev 22. Pagans worshipped the sun and yet the Lord is called the “Sun of righteousness in Mal 4. Pagan deities sat on thrones and had crowns, so does the Lord and the list goes on and on. Being able to quote a pagan similarity does not necessarily give evidence that something is a forbidden practice. Some practices are so general that no conclusion can be drawn at all, like the use of bricks, plaster and water. Pagan deities ride chariots, but that doesn’t make chariots pagan. If general practices are pagan, then eating Italian food would be forbidden because the Romans were pagan. Some practices today are so limited in scope that they could hardly be considered a common custom. For instance, if someone came to America and said there are people there who don’t wear make-up, it would be wrong to go back to their respective country and say “all Christians don’t wear make-up.” Most arguments about pagan practices are centered around similarities but without no real connection to paganism. This is called “superstition” and that is, in many cases, all there is to many objections to some practices of believers. Pagans lit candles, does that mean if we light a candle in a religious ceremony it is pagan? I don’t think so. The number 13 is considered an unlucky number, but where did that come from? Many times we mix fact and fable and come out with superstition. I’ll give another example that may seem silly, but it shows the absurdity of some the comparisons. Babylon had gates and Nebuchadnezzar’s image was made of gold, and many people worshipped the image and many went through the gates to worship in pagan temples. So, based on similarity alone, the Golden Gate Bridge would be pagan and should be avoided. Sweeping statements about denominations is wrong and to throw out all they teach is also wrong just because one thinks they have “pagan” practices. Again, is there a real connection to what they do to a pagan deity, or are there just similarities in practice and no connection to a pagan deity. The Lord is always against the worship of pagan deities no matter where or how it’s done. The Jewish people went to the Temple itself and worshipped other gods, but that didn’t invalidate the Temple. It would be better to find areas of agreement and to build on common ground rather than isolate and condemn. The Lord is a God of compassion and mercy, of understanding and wisdom, not condemnation over some supposed pagan practice that has no connection to the worship of another god. Paul even quotes pagan philosophers in Acts 17.28 to find common ground with the Athenians. Accusing people of pagan practices is not the best way to counter errors in anyone. The best way is to study the Bible itself and let the Lord teach through His Word, energized by the Holy Spirit. If there is a similarity between a pagan practice and something done by a believer, where does that leave the believer? There are several things to consider. Maybe the believer did the practice first, and the pagan adapted it. Where is the intent of the heart? Does the practice glorify the Lord? Does reciting our prayers just tests of our memories, like the Lord’s Prayer, or are they spontaneous expressions of the heart? Any Biblical practice can be mundane, mechanical and rote and this needs to be guarded against also. The Lord had more to say about a cold, hard heart than He did about supposed pagan practices. It would acceptable to point out error, of course, but if ones logic includes the statement that it came out of paganism, this could invalidate their contention. Discussing pagan origins does keep us in mind about such things, but if this anti-pagan attitude is carried too far, then it will stifle real growth and cause some real hurt feelings unnecessarily, which in turn can lead to fruitlessness and anger. The Lord had to admonish the Apostles once for trying to stop someone who was ministering in His name because they weren’t of their particular group, or “denomination.” The Lord told them not to reject them, because if they were not against them then they were for Him. Our focus should be on the Lord and the Bible, not dogmas. Our boast should be in the Lord, our walk should focus on His word and our hearts to what is pleasing to Him, which includes the love of our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jacob made a sacred pillar at Bethel, and Joshua did at Gilgal, a forbidden practice. Moses made images. I can’t begin to tell you what was or was not allowed by God. But, I can tell you, that which is given over to the worship of another god is forbidden and that was the deciding factor. Similarity of and the usage of objects, signs and symbols does not seem to play an aggressive role, as some may say today. The peddling of forbidden pagan practices sells a lot of books and tapes but is it accurate? The basic things to keep in mind and ask is: “Is it centered on the One, True God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?”; “Does it Glorify Him? “; “Is my heart right before Him?”; “What kind of fruit does it bear?”. If you will remember these things and keep them in mind, I think you will do well… and let the Lord guide you from there.

Q. Mystery Babylon sits on seven mountains, is this talking about Rome?

A. No, Mystery Babylon is a religious system that has been around for a long time. The Catholic Church sits in Vatican Hill and it is not one of the seven hills of Rome. It did not belong to the ancient district of Rome or was it included within the walls of Rome. The seven hills of Rome are Palatine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline and Viminal. Vatican Hill is not one of the seven. Also, these hills would hardly qualify as “mountains” and are not very high, not over as few hundred feet. The mountains referred to in the Book of Revelation are referring to kingdoms that held power over Israel. These mountains are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. The final two are in the future and they are revived Rome and the final configuration of seven nations after three leave. This is referred to in the book of Daniel. This brings up another problem going on today. People cite pagan practices they see and automatically think something is evil, but is that really true? Practices are condemned as wrong because “pagans” did it and it’s not spelled out in the Bible. But, one should ask if it is fruitful and does it glorify the Lord? Is it in harmony with the Scriptures? If it isn’t, then it should be discarded. If you just go by pagan similarities, the Bible itself could be considered pagan. Here are some examples to think about: kneeling, upraised hands, barefooted, a holy mountain, a holy place, temples priests, temple pillars, sacred pillars,arks, cities of refuge, thrones, lions, healing, a rod, laws on stone, fire, feast of tabernacles, firstfruits, bread, wine, sacrifices and the list is endless. People tend to see these things in paganism and then speak out if they see this in a church or synagogue. Pagans also held similar beliefs as believers, does that mean that belief is pagan? For instance, some pagans opposed the making of idols? If you use the logic that if it’s done by pagans it’s wrong, then not making idols is pagan! Next week, we will continue with this in some other areas and then try to sort it all out and give ideas on how a believer should handle these things .