of the SPIRIT WORLD The Bible on the end times and all that weird stuff
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Written by Leanne Hill
Contents Introduction
2
Chapter 1
The end of the world?
4
Chapter 2
A number, a beast and a battle
8
Chapter 3
Coming … ready or not!
12
Chapter 4
Satan: master of disguise
16
Chapter 5
An angel to watch over me?
20
Chapter 6
Witches, vampires and things that go bump in the night
24
Chapter 7
Heaven and hell
28
Chapter 8
There is nothing weird about being a Christian
32
Acknowledgement of works
Christian Education Publications PO Box A287 Sydney South NSW 1235 Australia Ph: +61 2 8268 3333 Fax: +61 2 8268 3357 Email: sales@youthworks.net Web: www.cepstore.com.au PO Box 7073 Palmerston North 4443 New Zealand Email: sales@cepstore.co.nz Web: www.cepstore.co.nz Published June 2013 Copyright © Leanne Hill 2013 National Library of Australia ISBN: 978-1-922000-61-3
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This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism and review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without the express permission of the publisher. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc. Author: Leanne Hill Managing editor: Natasha Percy Theological editor: Jodie McNeill Cover design: Chrisy Savvides—Neo One Design Images: sourced from Shutterstock.com
Icons This shows you where you will need to look at the Bible, usually to answer questions.
This suggests helpful questions for you to discuss with your classmates.
This provides questions for you to think about on your own, with space to write down your thoughts.
This shows you where you need to refer to War of the Spirit World PowerPoints in class.
This shows you activities you can do in class.
CHAPTER 6
WITCHES, VAMPIRES AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT I’m just wild about Harry!
He’s got the power!
Harry Potter and his friends have taken the world by storm. What do young people find appealing about the supernatural?
Discuss in groups of two or three what this event shows us about Jesus and then list these points.
Full of demons and out of control Read Mark 5:1–15. What were some of the characteristics of this man with the many demons?
What was the man like after Jesus told the demons to come out of him?
We are born, we live, we die among supern atural. NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, FRENCH EMPEROR1
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Shakespeare knew what he was talking about
A man called Jesus has the power Imagine you live in the ‘burbs’ of the Gerasenes and you have heard how ‘the crazy, spooky guy’ who was full of demons is now in his right mind. You’ve heard that a man called Jesus sent the demons into pigs. Choose one of the following three activities: write a short blog about your thoughts, write a tweet of what happened (remember: 140 characters or less) or write a Facebook message below.
In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet speaks to his friend about the supernatural.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. HAMLET, ACT 1, SCENE 52 Hamlet had it worked out: he knew that things existed which he couldn’t understand or explain. In point form, jot down some strange things you’ve heard about in War of the Spirit World so far.
s e m a G ay ces and spirits) l p e l p h séan peo abbling wit
uija d t u and o o b s a d r r e a g c n, t an less fu g, taro m in (the real d r d a a h e of l af r
cia bit tea-le ut spe o be a t o g While m in e k d se t see ure an s may agains he fut s t board n r w a o le w to kn the Bib anting ad. w , e g he de t d g le in w t c kno conta
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A clear and present danger God’s people, the Israelites, were given very clear instructions about getting involved in ‘weird and wonderful’ activities.
When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no-one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. DEUTERONOMY 18:9−12 What were they warned against doing?
God couldn’t be clearer:
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. GALATIANS 5:19−20 God warns of the ultimate punishment. Revelation 21:8 says of ‘ … those who practice magic arts’, among other things that their place will be in ‘the fiery lake of burning sulphur … the second death’. Discuss in twos or threes why you think God is against these practices and list your reasons below.
Those who follow the path of the magic arts are on the wrong path. This road leads away from the only safe and right path—God’s way. In one way or another, the end will be disaster. The evil Queen Jezebel practised witchcraft, bringing catastrophe on herself and all Israel. Over and over, God denounces those who ‘cast spells’ and those who practise witchcraft and sorcery. The Bible says that anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord.
Following omens or signs We are not to look to omens or signs to direct our lives. We are not to consult fortune tellers, mediums or TV entertainers like John Edwards, who is famous for his show Crossing Over. The one we should consult is God, who has given us good instructions for life in the Bible. To do otherwise is to play ‘the fool’s game’. 26
Former psychic becomes follower of Jesus We have seen how Jesus changed lives when he was on the earth. Jesus still changes lives. Read this testimony from a psychic (someone who contacts the dead): As a New Age Spiritualist, I had believed Jesus was just a cosmic force; part of the universal consciousness, or a great psychic healer. Since my conversion I’ve met and read of many psychics, gypsies, mediums, witches and even Satanists who also discovered the entities of their spirit guides or dead relatives were not who they claimed to be. These evil entities are fallen masquerading angels, deceiving people into believing their disguise as their dead relatives or spirit guides, but they flee when challenged with the name of Jesus. Plus, the Bible has many passages showing it’s impossible for dead souls to return to talk with us (2 Corinthians 11–14 and 1 John 4:1–3). LAURA MAXWELL, EX-SPIRITUALIST3 Laura demonstrates that there are people who seem to have amazing powers. Since she has become a follower of Jesus she realises that the powers she had were demonic. The Bible gives us some advice about the strange things we might hear.
Don’t believe everything you hear Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognise the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 1 JOHN 4:1–3
Flow-charting the truth Here are some steps that you could take when something sounds ‘weird and wonderful’.
Agrees with the Bible_accept it Check it with the Bible Doesn’t agree with the Bible_dismiss it
Hear something odd
Believe it anyway
Could be misled by Satan
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