The Snares
of the Devil
We live in a world that is filled with entertainment, technology, and instant-access information. It is a world where movies can be watched at any time during the day or night and practically anywhere where one has internet access. Time is stolen as people spend time seeking their own interests and hobbies. Time is a precious commodity and we have less of it than we realize.
The enemy of
man is a very cunning and crafty being named Lucifer or Satan. Lucifer, once an
angel of God, had rebelled against God and sought worship for himself. God cast
him out of Heaven along with other fallen angels that had joined Lucifer. God
gave the prophet Isaiah these words:
Isaiah 14:12-15 (bold added)
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Lucifer
became Satan, the deceiver. Satan wanted to be God, but God cast him out for
his pride and rebellion. After being cast out, Satan sought how he could get at
God. He decided he would attack Adam and Eve, the first humans. Genesis 3 gives
the true account.
Genesis 3:1-5
3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Notice how
Satan attacks Eve? He asks her a question: “…Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not
eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). Then, Satan said: “… Ye shall
not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your
eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis
3:4-5). Here, Satan is telling Eve that she should not trust God and that God
is keeping a very important secret from Adam and Eve that they are not meant to
know. To Eve, the idea of being like a god sounds enticing. She will no longer
be ignorant of evil. She will have special knowledge God never intended for her
to have.
That is the
trick of the Devil. Satan wants people to think that God is hiding something
special from them. Satan wants people to think that if people learn this
special knowledge, they can become true gods with their own power.
The Self: Doing Thine Own Will
The New Age movement (including witchcraft) has promoted man as having inherent god-like powers because they believe that God is just a force and that everything is “God”. A woman named Karen left witchcraft to become a follower of Jesus Christ. She wrote that for a witch: “It's all about power and control and the power is INSTANT. Immediate gratification.” (“Testimony of a…”).
So, witchcraft
is all about “power” and “control” and “Immediate gratification.”
Anton LaVey,
the founder of The Church of Satan said: