Randall Walton
“Cry aloud, spare not, life up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isa. 58:1).
The time has come for God’s ministers to speak out more strongly on issues which affect the church in a disastrous way. There are changes taking place in the religious world which are so complex and confusing that many people are being disillusioned and deceived.
We are nearing the time of the greatest deception in the world’s history. We are about to become involved in the greatest spiritual battle of the ages. Little do most people realize the seriousness of the hour and the devastation which is about to fall upon the religious world.
The worst sin mentioned in the Scriptures is the one Jesus said is unforgivable – blasphemy of the Holy Ghost! All other transgressions can be washed away by the blood of Jesus, but this one, God will not pardon.
Blasphemy is speaking against or having contempt for that which is divine. But this is a very elementary definition as far as “blasphemy of the Holy Ghost” is concerned. This sin involves more than speech or words which are derogatory.
The plainest example in the Bible that describes this condition is found in Matt. 12:43-45 where Jesus speaks of the man out of whom an unclean spirit is cast. He states that this spirit employs seven other devils more wicked than himself and together they storm the man, enter into him, and possess him, and his last state, or condition, is worse than his first.
The unclean spirit found the man (house) swept and garnished, indicating a work of cleansing and the presence of the Holy Spirit within. “Your bodies,” Paul said, “are the temples of the Holy Ghost” (I Cor. 6:19). When we become “converted, saved, or born again,” the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us. We become His temple or house, and He lives within us.
If we should allow our condition to fall to the place where the Holy Spirit is no longer welcome to abide within us, He will depart, and if we should then allow a demon, or demons, to occupy the place that was once held by the Holy Spirit, the last state is worse than the first – the unpardonable sin will have been committed.
Now, this is not the same as backsliding. Many people have allowed themselves to “grow cold” or to “walk afar off;” this, of course, is not good, but this is not blasphemy. Blasphemy is the actual possession by evil spirits of the person who once knew God.
Hebrews 6:4-8 says that it is impossible to renew to repentance those who “fall away” after they “have been enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come.” To fall away is more than backsliding. It is to apostatize, to soundly reject Christ and be filled with demonic spirits. This is the true blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. The house that was once the habitation of God becomes the habitation of devils.
It would be wise for the people of this generation to understand what is going on in the realm of the Spirit. Jesus described quite vividly for us the fact that there is great spirit activity in the unseen realm. The “seven other spirits” of which He spoke are engaged in a warfare for occupancy of any ground they can claim and possess. Too often saints think these spirits are only at work among the drunkards, prostitutes, and drug addicts. But Jesus said they come against the house which was “swept and garnished.”
It is no secret then that wherever there are saints, there are also evil spirits at work! It is also no secret that evil spirits can only enter through an open door. They will ambush, attack, and attempt to overcome an individual, but they cannot open the door! Only the person himself has that option; and the person who is under the blood of Jesus, who is walking in whatever light he has, and who is vested with the whole armour of God, is secure from the devastating attacks of the enemy.
Deliberate, willful sin, however, is the twist that will unlock the door. And we are living in a day when the very word “sin” is becoming more unpopular. It is more pleasing to hear of “grace, love, and mercy” than that the wages of sin is death, and that without holiness no man shall see the Lord! Millions of people are now finding that it is fun to be religious and go to church. It is so exciting to be “turned on” by the Spirit. Freedom to do one’s own thing is because, where the Spirit is, there is liberty!
Little do most Christians know that many of the popular religious rituals have their origins in the occult practices of anti-Christian cults. Little do they realize that in many of the spiritually super-charged services evil spirits manifest themselves as if they are of God. Little do they understand that “false Christs and false prophets” have arisen to deceive the very elect if possible (Matt. 24:24).
Miracles, signs, and wonders may be inspired by God, or they may be counterfeited by other spirits. You cannot judge the source of a miracle by its own merit, or appearance, otherwise the false would not be deceptive! They both look genuine, they both appear to be good, they both have features that are identical, they both use the name of Jesus as the certificate of their power (Matt. 7:21-23). Yet only one is genuine.
We strongly advise you to know who lays hands on you. The “laying on of hands” is a Scriptural ministry, but it is also used by those who are in the occult (and in Jesus’ name). You should make sure there are no known sins in your life and that you are covered with the blood of Jesus before you allow anyone to lay hands on you.
We also advise you to question the veracity of the message of anyone who has a “word of knowledge” or a “word of wisdom,” etc. for you. It is Scriptural to question, to test, to know (I John 4:1-3; I Thess. 5:19-21; I Cor. 14:29). There are many charlatans in the religious world who will certainly take advantage of any who are gullible or unknowledgeable.
We are not promoting fear. We are promoting and encouraging knowledge. Know what is going on; have an understanding of the workings of spirits, both the Spirit of God and the spirit of the wicked one.
Let us not suppose that God placed us in this human condition without guidelines or a way to know. The word of God is still as infallible as ever, and the Spirit and the Word agree. Anything that comes via spirit manifestation which is contrary to the word can be judged as not of God.
There are preachers now who are claiming that they are God. As one of them asserted, “You don’t have a God living in you. You ARE God.”! You don’t need the gift of discernment to know the source of such a message as this. You can measure this by the Word and you are justified to judge this as not of God.
There are many ministers who are turning to metaphysics, mind-control, psychology, mind-over-matter, transcendental meditation, etc. You need no special gift to know that these methods are not of God. Jesus is the DOOR, and anyone who tries to enter in by any other way is a thief and a robber. This is not to say that we can gain no good from certain analyses of the human temperament. Jesus himself diagnosed the heart of man and gave specific remedies for its cure.
What we are referring to is the application of the modern psychoanalysis principle which has its roots in evolution, and is closely allied to the occultic theories of heathen and Eastern religious philosophies such as self-realization, self-exaltation, hypnosis, reincarnation, levitation, astral projection, astrology and suspended animation. While these things have been around for several millenniums, it is most disturbing to witness many people of the Christian faith accepting them. These are sins which lead to the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. Those who know God and have been filled with the Spirit of the Living God are under divine orders to keep themselves unspotted from the world – both the visible and the invisible. We exhort you to weigh carefully every manifestation of the Spirit. Measure it by the word of God. If it cannot be confirmed by the Scriptures, reject it, for the Spirit of God will confirm the Word of God.