The Kingdom of the Occult should hit the bookstores by mid-October. For those of you who would like an exclusive advance peak at the manuscript (available only on my blog), here you go:

Chapter 1

The Kingdom of the Occult

It is a sad and frightening fact that people are fascinated with the secret or “occult” things that God has condemned.[1] One cannot see a movie like Harry Potter or read The Exorcist, which presents Satan unvarnished and portrays the truth about demonic possession in terms everyone can understand, without being plunged into the core of the occult. Today there is a tremendous fascination with the mysterious and the unknown. The great scholar, C. S. Lewis wrote, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”[2]

The modern age is strong proof of this unhealthy fascination. People are attracted to evil and captivated by it. They are vulnerable to temptation because of a growing revolt against science and technology that, for all their efforts, cannot meet man’s spiritual hunger. People are asking, “If science and technology are supposed to produce all the good things, why haven’t they accomplished it?” Instead, there is a continuous degradation of personality. People are not treated as human beings anymore but as computer data, numbers assigned from womb to tomb.

Today, a terrible spiritual vacuum exists in which people are forced to live because they turned from the living God and tried to fill the resulting emptiness with physical pleasure. Man crowds into this vacuum all the moral and ethical values attached to the material world. Again and again people protest, “There’s got to be something more than this, because we’re not satisfied.” Satisfaction has not come through the dollar sign. Satisfaction has not come through the pill. Satisfaction has not come through economic aggrandizement, or political conquests, or military supremacy. Lost in a spiritual void, the human heart searches for some kind of reality apart from God and His Word, and discovers the occult reality from another dimension.

*****

The Dimension of Darkness

The Bible is a dimensional book in the sense that a dimension is a realm of reality, sometimes imperceptible, but nonetheless genuine. Human beings live in a dimension subject to the five senses, and they tend to make the mistake of believing that anything beyond the realm of those senses simply is not there. To accept such reasoning would be a fatal mistake from a biblical perspective.

Even as people live in the dimension of earth, so the Bible says there is another dimension of heaven, where God reigns as Sovereign. This second dimension of heaven or the throne of God Himself, is more real than human senses can perceive; it is a dimension that was bridged when God chose to become man in the Person of Jesus Christ. Because of Him, mankind now has access to a realm of infinite power, indescribable love, and cosmic justice.

The third dimension is one of spiritual darkness, controlled by Satan and his hosts. The Bible describes it as hell, or the alienation of the spiritual nature of man from fellowship with his Creator. It belongs to the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). This dimension is portrayed in Ephesians 6:10‑12, where the warning is given that it is the domain of the forces of incalculable wickedness, presided over by the one whom the Bible designates as “the ruler of this world” and “the god of this age” (John 14:30; 2 Cor. 4:4). This domain is described variously in the Bible as “outer darkness” (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30), “fire” (Matt. 5:22; 13:42; 18:8, 9; 25:41; Mark 9:22-49), “suffering” (Jude 7), consciousness of separation from God and fear of others suffering the same (Luke 16:19–31), “prison” (1 Peter 3:19), and, metaphorically, a vast lake of molten sulfur, from which there is no deliverance (Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8).

Perhaps this dimension is best described in terms of the condition of its occupants, who are portrayed as “wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13). The apostle Peter indicated that some of the fallen angels were already chained in the darkness of hell, awaiting judgment: “God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment” (2 Peter 2:4). It is possible, then, that hell may be one dimension with many levels, some restrictive and some not, since Satan and an unknown number of his demons are still free to roam the earth.

All 752 pages coming soon to a bookstore near you. :)

Let me know what you think!


[1] Deuteronomy 18:9–12

[2] C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, preface. The Exorcist, DVD, directed by William Friedkin (1973; Burbank, CA: Warner Home Video, 2000).

Wow, what a day in the stock market. I hope everyone is hanging in there--these are tough times and I have a feeling they might get worse.

I've been working for the local school district the last few weeks and let me tell you, if these kids from a small town in Minnesota are any indication of where our country is going, we are in big trouble. Parenting skills seem to be at an all time low, and when these kids come to school, they act like they don't have to obey anyone.

This is something I just can't live with so I've been spending "quality time" with some of the more difficult high school kids over the last few days. You wouldn't believe how shocked they are when I confront them--it's like they really don't know what to make of it. (This is a school where the Principal is considered "cool"). It amazes me, though, how quickly they respond to discipline when they think it's fair. They leave angry and come back five minutes later (after they've done what I asked them to do) and high five me. Really surprising, and I guess it gives me a little bit of hope.

When I see all of this, I can't help but think of our relationship to God and I wonder: How does He put up with us? How many times are His children rude to Him? How many times do we ignore Him? How many times do we disobey? And now multiply this over several thousand years; millions and millions of people. It's mind-boggling.

As I thought about it tonight, it all seemed so sad . . . and then I remembered a little five year old boy who came up to me yesterday and said, "You are awesome!" and suddenly, it was easier to see how very precious we are in His eyes. I don't know that I will ever understand it until I finally see Him, but I have to say I am so very grateful that He loves us. His patience and love help me to love those around me when I'm not feeling very patient or kind.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

For those of you who have been praying for my brother, Danny, I just want to say thank you so much, and I hope you will continue to pray. Things are not looking very good at the moment, and we don't know how much longer we will have him with us. It is one of the saddest times I can remember in my life, and your thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated.

Thanks also to everyone who wrote in support of our position on Hank Hanegraaff. So far the opinions are running about 99% positive, and we appreciate every one of your posts. To the person who wrote a lengthy response to my article, "Tim LaHaye and Hank Hanegraaff: The Men Behind the Headlines" http://www.waltermartin.com/2007/12/tim-lahaye-and-hank-hanegraaff-men.html I will tell you what I have told several other HH supporters--I am not obligated to post your defense of him. You are entitled to your opinion of me, and I certainly would not want to waste your time or mine trying to change your mind. (Incidentally, you lost me after your first two paragraphs):

I have just read your diatribes about Hank Hanegraaf, in which I felt compelled to respond to, here is a response from an international (British) listener of the BAM programm and CRI supporter hosted by Hank of over a decade, and not only do I not see the portrayed side of this God-houring [sic] and fearing man but a very disturbed person of Jill Martin-Rische. read on if you care to....

In life there are some people that will stand in the shadow of another person forever grateful to them and live by the glory of that person - this is you Jill! You are truly embittered after many years...about how your daddy was hard-done-by by Hank. And you then rally supporters round to have a religious pity-party and a personal vendetta through this meaningless website that does nothing to the glory of God because it has other matters that malign another true minister of God--Hank.

I guess I will say one thing to you in response: It is an honor to stand in the shadow of my father, Walter Martin, and I am not deserving of it.

On a lighter note . . . .

The last couple of weeks have been some of the most difficult and most wonderful. Difficult in the respect that I am now working part-time outside the home and this has meant a total readjustment for my family, and rewarding in the special things I see God doing in our lives. We are so blessed to be part of a church that actively seeks to serve God, a church led by a pastor who is a teacher in the truest sense of the word. We look forward to going to church every Sunday because it means we have another opportunity to learn from him, and I'm sure you know how rare it is to find an exceptional teacher.

We recently began a new Vespers Service (evening worship) at church, and all I can say is . . . wow. I end up singing these songs all week long and the sense of God's presence stays with me. I can't help but think how wonderful it is to praise Him. . . .

We all go through difficult times, and I know with our economy the way it is, times will probably get even harder. But one truth remains a great comfort in all of this--God is good--and He loves us. My prayers go out to all of you who may be hurting at this time . . . I will pray for God's comfort and leading and blessing in your lives.

We sang a wonderful hymn on Sunday (I love the old hymns of the faith; to me they're like Shakespeare--culture and heritage at its finest). Whenever my heart feels heavy, I find so much comfort in them . . . .

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree;
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

Walter Martin on hearing God's voice:


Nehemiah 2:4‑5, 11-12
The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.” ...I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem.

People often wonder how they will know when God is speaking to them. Nehemiah talked of how God put knowledge in his heart. I believe that God speaks to our spiritual natures. The heart is a synonym for soul or for the spirit. I believe God speaks to our hearts very definitively. He tells us things he wants us to do in such a way that we have no rest until we do that specific thing. I can give you illustration after illustration in my own life and ministry where the Lord has done that to me.

I’ve also had the Lord tell me things through people. Not too long ago I was feeling a little bit stressed. I had to finish a chapter on a book that was coming out, and I had some finishing touches on another paperback book. It was a great burden on me with all the other things I’d been doing, and I was feeling very low in my energy levels. I was praying for the Lord to give me some uplifting and some guidance.

Well, that morning I happened to call Christian Research Institute, and they switched me over to the phone system’s background music. There was a guy on there preaching, and he preached to me for about two minutes. His text came from Colossians 1:11 "...being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience....” I needed to hear that exact answer at that precise moment.

I needed to be reminded that it didn’t depend on my energy; it didn’t depend on whipping up my enthusiasm. The Lord’s energy is there when I need it. And sure enough, it was. I finished half a chapter!

God speaks through other people in just that way. Sometimes he speaks through a prophetic word in Church services. I don’t know how many times people have come up to me and said, “That word was meant for me this morning.” God speaks through circumstances—placing us where we can’t help but get the message. He speaks to our hearts and of course, always through his Word. So, there are numerous ways God speaks to you.

You can be sure that God is speaking to you when what comes through is in accordance with the Word of God, when it is for the continuous witness of the individual, for the salvation of other people’s souls, or for the solution to problems that you’ve been praying about. God speaks in remarkable ways.

Just a few more reasons to consider the words of our candidates very, very carefully. . . from my friend, Frank Pastore:


Obama's Abortion Positon: To the Left of NARAL

Frank Pastore
Friday, September 05, 2008

Frank Pastore from KKLA in Los Angeles interviews Jill Stanek, the former registered nurse who served at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She testified before Congress about the death of infants who survived the abortion procedure only to die without care, giving rise to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.

Frank Pastore: As you know Sarah Palin has five children her youngest is a child that has Down syndrome. She was diagnosed, obviously while she was still pregnant with the child, and she chose to go forward. You have got to remember that 90 percent of Down syndrome children are aborted in this country, and it brings the life question right back regarding Senator Obama and question of what was going on in Illinois, what his record was regarding partial birth abortion—what he claims. You’ll remember that he said pro-lifers were lying about his record in an interview.

We have actually got the nurse who was holding one of those babies that Barack Obama wanted to kill, that had survived an abortion. She is a nurse—a delivery nurse. She has held these children that have survived abortions and rocked them in her arms. She also has been before Barack Obama when he was Chairing the Committee. You may hear all kinds of things in the mainstream media, but this woman was there. She was in front of Barack Obama. She has made the case regarding why these children should live. And Jill Stanek has argued before him and lost because he in fact has refused to support [the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.]
I know there has been a lot of political pressure from the Obama campaign against you, but nonetheless you are standing strong and telling your story. So what happened?

Jill Stanek: I was a registered nurse at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois in 1999 when I discovered that not only was the hospital involved in late-term abortions, but the method of abortion that the hospital used called induced labor abortion—which is not rare, it is committed around this country—sometimes resulted in babies aborted alive and, if they were aborted alive, they were allowed to die in the hospital’s soiled utility room without any medical intervention whatsoever.

This came home to me one night when a nursing coworker was taking a little baby boy (who had been aborted because he had Down syndrome) to our soiled utility room to die because his parents didn’t want to hold him and she didn’t have time to hold him that night. When she told me what she was doing I couldn’t bear the thought of this suffering child dying alone and so I cradled and rocked him for the 45 minutes that he lived. Needless to say, this was a life-changing event, and made me into the pro-life activist that I never was before.

After privately appealing to the hospital to stop, and they said they wouldn’t, we asked the Illinois attorney general to intervene and make them stop by law. He said that there was no law that was stopping them—and this was a pro-life Republican AG. This brought about the reason to introduce the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act. This is in 2001 and this had been introduced on the Federal level in 2000 by the same name. And this was a bill that simply stated any baby born alive, no matter what gestational age, no matter what reason, wanted or not, was constitutionally protected as a legal person. And so I encountered Barack Obama in 2001 in a committee and when I was giving my testimony he decided that this would impose upon Roe v Wade—and so he voted “no” in committee. And then he went on to be the sole Senator to speak against it on the Senate floor, not only in 2001, but again in 2002.

He voted against it, it lost, so it was introduced again in 2002. On his Web site he has a quote from Pam Sutherland, the former CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois, and he brags about the fact that she said that he came to her and wanted to strategize with Planned Parenthood about defeating this bill. So, he took a leadership role in opposing Born Alive. And that brings us to 2003 which pertains to … the interview with David Brody. In 2002 it passed with flying colors on the Federal level. It passed 98-0 in the U.S. Senate. Everyone voted for it, it was unanimous: Hillary, Kerry, Kennedy and Boxer even spoke in favor of it on the Senate floor. It passed overwhelmingly in the House….

Pastore: Everyone agreed, “Look if this child can survive the abortion we ought not let it lie there on the table and die or throw it in the trash can. We ought to help it survive. We ought to help the baby live.”

Stanek: Right, and furthermore, the pro-abortion group NARAL even went neutral on this bill on the Federal level. So Barack Obama, in 2003, voted “no” for the identical wording of the Federal bill which had changed slightly through the years. He voted against it. He voted against the very same identically worded legislation that even NARAL went neutral on. So, he voted to the left of NARAL.

Pastore: Let me get this right. So, the 98 members of the Unites States Senate voted unanimous 98-0 in favor of allowing these babies survive and helping them survive and, in the State Senate in Illinois, Barack Obama voted against that exact same language.

Stanek: Yes.

Pastore: Wow. Because he’s been presenting himself as saying, “Hey, if it had the same language I would have supported it. That’s why I’ve rejected the ban.” But it did have the exact same language.

Stanek: Yes, and I want to clarify: We are not talking about partial birth abortion where babies are half-way delivered. We are talking about an abortion procedure where the babies are fully delivered. Labor is purposefully induced before they think that the baby will be viable, so that the baby—they think—will die during the birth process or soon after. But they don’t do anything to kill the baby before the baby is delivered.

Pastore: … There’s no saline, there’s no salt, there’s no suturing, there’s no cutting, there’s none of that? So they just deliver the baby and because the mom wanted to terminate then you just kill the baby rather then help it survive.

Stanek: Yes, Sarah Palin is a great example of what typically happens. A mom is diagnosed with her baby having some sort of an anomaly, and they push very hard for these moms to abort, but the diagnosis comes during the second trimester, or early third. So, this would be the typical abortion procedure that Downs kids have. You know that 90 percent of Downs kids that are aborted—likely, most of them are aborted by this method…. If she had gone through this procedure in Illinois, and if her little baby boy Trig had survived, Barack Obama is on record as saying he doesn’t think there should be intervention.

Pastore: Wow.

Stanek: He actually said that during Senate testimony in 2002, and there are audio clips out there that were recently discovered that you might want to get a hold of. He said that he didn’t think—he acknowledged that these babies could be aborted alive, but he said that it would be a “burden”—that’s his word—on the “original decision”—that’s his word again—on the mother and the doctor to resuscitate these babies.

Pastore: What’s fascinating to me is you are the nurse, the delivery room nurse, you were there, you’ve been before his committee there’s no way to spin this. It’s not you reciting another news story. You are the news story.

Stanek: I think what happened there was that he got back from Hawaii and his people didn’t tell him that we had the actual vote, the actual archived vote from the Illinois general assembly that had been scanned and all over the Web and so when he went on that interview and called us lying liars, he was really waving a red flag not only before National Right to Life, but kind of laying down the gauntlet which really helped create more of the media furor, so that by Sunday night, his staff had had to tell The New York Sun that it was true—he had voted the way he said he had not voted. And actually factcheck.org—you know a non-partisan group—has confirmed that he has voted that way and that he misrepresented his vote.

Pastore: What does this now mean—in your understanding? I mean for so long, for four years he had misrepresented his record, he knew he was lying about it, now he’s caught. The issue of life has surfaced yet again….

Stanek: … What we are talking about Frank, is a man who is so adamantly pro-abortion that he is pro-infanticide. He is on record as being in favor of allowing these kids to die in order to complete the mom’s request, although her request—she has gotten her pregnancy terminated, you know when the baby’s born—but he thinks she has the right to a dead baby.



The Frank Pastore Show
701 N. Brand Blvd. #550
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 956-5552
www.frankpastore.com

Just a few thoughts . . . .

First, my heart goes out to all the people bracing for the landfall of Hurricane Gustav. I can't imagine what it must be like to evacuate your home not once but twice in three years. I hope and pray this storm hits a sparsely populated (and totally evacuated) area.

Second, I have to comment on John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin for his running mate. This was a brilliant tactical decision and one that will definitely impact the election . . . and from a Christian perspective, it is quite refreshing to see a true conservative on a Republican ticket. When was the last time you heard any politician anywhere say how important it is to have a "servant's heart"? This has been a fascinating election so far and it's only getting more interesting by the minute . . . .

And finally, I love Sundays for so many reasons: the fellowship, the teaching, and most of all, the time spent worshiping God. I especially love it when that worship time brings a sense of awe and reverence--a sense of the presence of God. It puts me in the mood to worship all day. . . .

I was listening to one of Keith Green's albums this afternoon, and one song in particular touched my heart and made me think about how hard the Christian life can be sometimes. Life comes against us with all of its worries and fears, and it's so easy to forget just how much God loves us. So many times people have said to me, "I pray, but God doesn't hear me," or "Where is God? Everything is falling apart." We all suffer through these desert times; times when we feel orphaned or abandoned--and they are some of the most painful days of our lives.

I don't have the answer for why we worry or grieve; I don't know why a good man loses his job or a wonderful mom dies of cancer. I can't offer any profound words of wisdom. I only know that God says He loves us, and I have to cling to that love even in the darkest times. Keith Green wrote:

My eyes are dry,
My faith is old,
My heart is hard,
My prayers are cold.
And I know how I ought to be,
Alive to You and dead to me.

Oh what can be done
for an old heart like mine?
Soften it up with oil and wine.
The oil is You,
Your Spirit of love.
Please wash me anew
In the wine of Your Blood.

I think that in these dark hours, when our faith feels old, we can only step beneath the shadow of His wings and be comforted by His Spirit of love. During the darkest times of my life, I cling to this verse:

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalms 63:7

Life is hard, but something wonderful always seems to happen the moment I step beneath the shadow of His wings . . . .

Have a great week!

In light of the "faith-filled" Democratic Convention now underway in Denver, I thought I would revisit some of my previous thoughts on life in America today . . . .


Fighting for the American Way

A few days ago, I was talking to some friends and we got on the subject of our childhoods. We all agreed that it was a world gone by—so much different than the world our children face today. Our moms would send us outside for hours, and never worry about something bad happening to us. We used to have bells that would ring all over the neighborhood at dinner time, and kids would stop in the middle of whatever they were doing and yell, "That's Martins' bell!" or "That's Savilles'!" and we would all scatter for dinner.

Those were the days . . .

Families ate together at the dinner table.
On Sunday mornings the neighborhood went to church.
People trusted the government.
The media cared about morals.
Most companies valued their employees.
Age and experience counted for something: maturity meant respect and rewards.
People cared about the quality of their work.
Truth, Justice, and the American Way were synonymous.
Homosexuality was illegal.
Sex before marriage was shameful (and so was adultery).
The unborn were called babies.
"Oh my God!" was swearing.
People were more valuable than animals.
Christians were the good guys.
America was one nation under God . . . and proud of it.

I could go on and on, but the fundamental difference is this: when I was a child, the good openly reigned supreme. Oh, I know evil lurked in suburbia; I know the darkness was there, but it hid under rocks and seldom slithered into the light. It didn't dare because people refused to tolerate it.

But today, a new time has come. Evil is not only out in the open, it has become the norm. In the twenty-first century, evil reigns supreme. People not only tolerate it—they worship it. Hundreds of millions embraced the sexual promiscuity of Friends and Seinfeld. It became the social norm. Millions tolerated the homosexual agenda . . . it became the social norm. Millions now accept the prejudice against Christianity . . . it will soon become the social norm.

The old saying, "A man who will not stand for anything, falls for everything," remains depressingly true. If we do not stand up and fight today, there will be nothing left to fight for tomorrow.

The battle is a spiritual one, and the Church has the ultimate weapon. We are well-armed but woefully prepared--consumed by the cares and comforts of life--we sell-out our children's future for the price of popularity, big homes, luxury cars, designer labels and wine clubs.

This is America in the twenty-first century.

But . . . we can still make a difference.

It is never acceptable to tolerate evil.
It is never enough to disagree with evil.

We must fight it.

“All that is required for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.”
–Edmund Burke