As Christians, we take communion as a ritual, not really understanding the purpose and significance of the bread and the wine. We understand it represents Jesus’ body and His blood, but do we understand the why? Join us as we discuss the meaning of the eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ Jesus.
Matthew 26:27-28 Leviticus 17:11 Ephesians 2:4-5 Matthew 15:16-17 Matthew 4:4
Communion: Why The Flesh & The Blood?
Communion is the symbolic ritual of eating bread and drinking wine (or grape juice) in remembrance of Christ. Jesus explained the necessity for communion to the Jews before the Last Supper even took place.
“50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”
The Angel of The LORD (AKA The Angel of God) is a mysterious and frightening being in the Old Testament. Is he a regular angel? Is he a special angel? Is he an angel at all? What is he? If he is a special angel, then what are angels? Is he a member of the Trinity? Is he a false god? Join ArieRashelle as she strives to answer these questions in our video The Angel of The LORD.
7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the Lord said to her,
“Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction. 12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”
13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”
Genesis 16:7-13
1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Exodus 3:1-6
The Summary
Just to clarify, we believe that the Angel of The LORD is Jesus because of the way people react to Him, He accepted worship, and both of their names are Wonderful. The reason these things are important is because these are all attributes unique to God. We believe that The Trinity is made up of three separate beings (Yahweh, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit) that make up one being, God. We believe that the Angel of The LORD is another name for Jesus, as is, The Christ, The Son of God, Prince of Peace, The Word of The LORD, and more.
As time goes on, Halloween seems to become a bigger and bigger holiday, and more and more Christians seem to participate. But is that okay? There isn’t anywhere in the Bible that says, “Thou Shall Not Celebrate Halloween.” Yet something about this holiday seems to give some Christians the heebie-jeebies. Is Halloween evil? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he searches scriptures for answers to the big question, Can Christians Celebrate Halloween?
The origins of Halloween are in the occult, specifically the pagan festival of Samhain. Therefore, why are Christians celebrating this pagan festival? Because if it is pagan, then it isn’t of God. If it isn’t of God, then it is evil. Therefore, why are Christians celebrating and participating in Halloween if it’s evil?
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Recap:
John Ramirez’ Five Reasons Christians Shouldn’t Celebrate Halloween:
1. Legal Rights 2. Eternal Mistake 3. Important Satanic Holiday 4. Grieves Holy Spirit 5. Demonic Candy and Costumes
How We Got Rid of Unwanted Spirits
How exactly did we get the demonic spirits out of our home? An entire night of prayer and worship as we walked throughout the home, anointing the different rooms and doorways with anointing oil. We also spoke scriptures of protection and peace over each room as we had our worship, such as Psalms 23, John 14:27, Isaiah 41:10, Philippians 4:7, etc.
As time goes on, we’ve noticed a shift in our culture. Things that were once weird, taboo, odd, creepy, dangerous, scary, evil are now normal, fun, empowering, inspiring, progressive, and positive. Things of the Occult once hid in the shadows, but now they have made their way to the forefront, making their presence known to all. Casting spells on the President is applauded instead of appalled. Marching as the Whore of Babylon is empowering instead of destructive. Playing the Ouija Board is an enlightening game for young children, instead of a dangerous door opener to the demonic. Witchcraft has been brought to the forefront and normalized in our society.
The Occult and all of its practices are becoming accepted more and more throughout our society, but does it matter? Are all practices of The Occult dangerous? Aren’t some White Magic? Isn’t that okay? Can’t Christians partake in some of these practices? Join ArieRashelle as she dives into some of the practices of The Occult, searching for answers.
Revelation 9:21 Matthew 24 Acts 16:16-18 2 Kings 21:6 Matthew 7:13-14
More Information on The Occult in The Bible?
The Occult in The Old Testament
Horoscopes
10 You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me’; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’ 11 But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing. 12 Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror.
13 You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. 14 Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! 15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction; there is no one to save you.
Isaiah 47:10-15
The LORD is speaking to Babylon in this verse, telling them that all the things they thought would protect them, give them power, and take them to the next level, would actually be their downfall. The LORD even taunts them, saying, “Stand Fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries… perhaps you may be able to succeed… let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you…” Babylon’s sin isn’t just doing witchcraft, but also dividing the heavens and gazing up at the stars for things to be revealed to them. Does that sound like anything familiar? Maybe Horoscopes? Horoscopes are read daily by many people, including Christians, yet that would be one of the main things that incur the wrath of God upon Babylon. Are we incurring the wrath of God upon ourselves when we read our horoscopes?
Child Sacrifice
27 Then he [the king of Moab] took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.
2 Kings 3:27
“If I had not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac,” she said. “There’s just no way that I could have had a child then, working as hard as we worked constantly. And there were a lot of drugs, I was doing a lot of drugs … I would have had to walk away.
“And I knew that the music we were going to bring to the world was going to heal so many people’s hearts and make people so happy,” she continued. “And I thought: you know what? That’s really important. There’s not another band in the world that has two lead women singers, two lead women writers. That was my world’s mission.”
Today we don’t sacrifice our children on a direct alter outside. We don’t burn them in a fire. We murder them while they are still in our wombs. During the time of the Old Testament Prophets, they murdered their children to win a battle, gain control of other nations, world dominance, etc. Today, we murder our children for the sake of a band making music. Let me be very clear on this; there is no difference between murdering a baby outside of the womb and murdering a baby inside of the womb. The baby is a baby no matter where it is, no matter how small it is, and no matter how little anyone thinks of it. The baby is a human life, and to end that life is murder. Period.
If those of the Old Testament murdered their children and a spirit responded, when we murder our children wouldn’t those same spirits respond? If so, then wouldn’t abortion then be witchcraft? We sacrifice our children so that we can gain something that WE deem is more important. There is no reason to murder an innocent life. This is indeed witchcraft alive and well in our society. The only difference is we’ve painted it as healthcare and a civil right. Instead of throwing them in a fire, where everyone can hear their screams and their cries, we tear them limb from limb in the mother’s womb so no one can hear them cry and no one can see them try to squirm away. While the ancients were honest in their murder and called it for what it was and still is, child sacrifice, we’ve called it, Abortion.
The Occult in The New Testament
We all know the story of the Seven Sons of Sceva, they were Jewish Exorcists who heard of Paul and the miracles he was doing. So, they began invoking the name of Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” But the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man, whom the evil spirits were in, overcame them all, leaving them to run out of the home naked and wounded. But we often ignore what happened next.
17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
Acts 19:17-20
This story led to those who had recently been practicing witchcraft or magic arts to not only give up that lifestyle but burn their books in the sight of all. Keep in mind those books weren’t cheap either, to give you a little idea of what they were worth, depending on the type of piece of silver, they could be worth anywhere from $5.5 million to $1.5 billion. Either way, those books were worth a lot of money, yet they saw the difference between right and wrong, and they burned their books and repented. If they, 2,000 years ago, saw a problem with magic arts and Christianity, why don’t we in today’s world? Why don’t we see the problem with mixing The Occult and Christianity?
The Occult Conclusion
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Neither can you have The Occult and Christianity, for what does light have in common with darkness? Choose today whom you shall serve, for tomorrow, is promised to no man. Today is the day of Salvation. Those who practiced magic arts, The Occult, saw the Truth could not be paired with a lie and repented. Nothing has changed; the Truth still cannot be paired with a lie. If you would like to accept your free gift of Salvation, all you have to do is repeat this prayer,
“Dear Jesus, please forgive me of my sins and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I accept Your free gift of Salvation and declare You as LORD of my life. Thank You for dying on the cross to save me. Thank You for Your forgiveness. In the Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.”
Are Ghosts Real? What happens if you die and have unfinished business? Is that it? Or does your soul then roam the Earth trying to complete its life? Maybe they had a violent death and can’t go into the light. Do you haunt the place of your death? Do you haunt the people you once knew seeking help or justice? Are ghosts in the Bible? Join ArieRashelle as she strives to answer the long-old question, Are Ghosts Real?
1 Samuel 28:8-14 Isaiah 8:19 Matthew 14:16 Luke 24:37-39 Luke 16:22-23 Deuteronomy 18:10-12 1 Samuel 16:14-16 Revelation 12:7-8 1 Kings 22:19-23 Job 2:7-8
Are Ghosts Real?
Ghosts In The Bible
8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” 9 The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?”
10 But Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” 11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.”
14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. 15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.”
1 Samuel 28:8-15
25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
Matthew 14:25-27
More Info on Hauntings
To clarify, we, the HoldToHope Family, do not believe that hauntings are done by ghosts, but instead by the Demonic/Satanic Realm. That would include Demons, Beasts of The Field, Angels, and other spirits. We do not believe that a soul or spirit roams the Earth due to unfinished business or deals with the Devil. We believe that after a person dies, their soul/spirit goes straight to either Heaven or Sheol (Hades).
During the video we asked the question can God be an accessory to sin? We believe that God cannot and is never an accessory to sin. We do believe, however, that God allows spirits as well as other people to tempt people into committing a sin. Just as it was not God who was tormenting Job, but it was Satan. Even though God allowed it to happen, He did not orchestrate it, nor was He a part of it. Same with the lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets. God allowed the spirit to lie to the prophets, deceiving Ahab, and ultimately bringing His downfall. If this was not enough explanation for this subject, let us know in the comment section below, and we will dedicate an entire video to this question. Until next time, God Bless
We all often wonder what happens when we die. It’s common for people to wonder about the afterlife. Eternity is a difficult concept to grasp. Do we all spend eternity in Heaven with God? Do we spend eternity somewhere else? Do we become ghosts? Do we roam the Earth if we have unfinished business? Does everyone go to a better place? Does the Bible actually give us an explanation? Join ArieRashelle as she searches the Bible for the answers to these questions in her video What Happens When You Die?
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
Luke 16:22-32
What Happens When You Die?: Eternity
Eternity With God
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:1-4
Eternity In Hell
5 And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:5-8
What about the rest for those who won’t die, but are raptured?
Those who go up in the rapture receive their rest during the Millennial Reign of Christ.
4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:4-5
Now how can we be so sure? Keep in mind, the rapture and pre-first resurrection has already happened, this is the first official resurrection referring to the rest given to those who go through Tribulation and do not take the mark nor worship the beast or its image.
As explained in the video above, rest refers to a time of peace without temptation or suffering. This would be that time for those who went through the Great Tribulation because the Devil or Satan is chained up for the full thousand years.
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while.
Revelation 20:1-3
So the Millennial Reign of Christ is the rest for those who went through The Great Tribulation, which would include those who were raptured up. For more on the rapture and when it occurs, check out our Rapture video. Until next time, God Bless.
For more on the Millennial Reign of Christ, click our Creation Story pic below!
It seems like the older we get, the more we believe that the spiritual realm and the supernatural are just fairy tales. We become more and more skeptical of testimonies of the spiritual world, especially in terms of belief in demons, which is even taboo in the church. We’ve become desensitized to everything that we can’t see, hear, or touch. Though many don’t believe in demons, many have no other choice but to, because they actually see them. In today’s world seeing demons is seen as a mental illness, and many are actually hospitalized for being able to. Many even question if demons are even in the Bible. Many believe that demons aren’t real, they’re just misunderstood ghosts. Join ArieRashelle as she strives to answer the question, Are Demons Real?
Deuteronomy 32:17 Psalms 106:37 Matthew 7:22 Revelation 18:2 1 Corinthians 10:20-21 1 Timothy 4:1 Acts 17:8 Matthew 9:32-33 Mark 9:17-18 Mark 1:34 Luke 8:30-33 Mark 16:17 1 Timothy 4:1-3 Revelation 12:9 Genesis 3:1 Mark 5:6-13
More Verses
Demons In The Bible
Demonized/Casting Out Demons in the Bible
Matthew 4:24
Matthew 8:15-17
Matthew 8:28-32
Matthew 9:34
Luke 4:41
Luke 8:2
Luke 9:1
Characteristics of Demons in the Bible
Matthew 12:43-44
Mark 3:11
Luke 8:29
James 2:19
Demons Linked to Unclean Spirits in the Bible
Mark 6:7-9; Luke 9:1-3
Revelation 16:13-14
Fun Facts
Demons are only mentioned in the Old Testament twice. We see entities that are translated as goat demons, but that is actually the Hebrew word se’irim’. Whereas the word demon is the Hebrew word sedim. They are two completely different words, with different meanings.
1/3 of Jesus’ ministry was casting out demons. Everywhere He went He casted out demons, whether it was in the Synagogue or out in the fields.
After casting out a demon in front of the Pharisees, Jesus said, “the Kingdom of God has come.” Before then, Jesus quieted everyone and told them not to tell anyone. In fact even His first miracle, turning water into wine, Jesus said His time hadn’t yet come. Even before that miracle, Jesus (as well as John the Baptist) preached that the Kingdom of God is at hand, but when casting out the demons, Jesus said “the Kingdom of God has come.”
Matthew 3:1-2
Matthew 4:17
Matthew 12:22-32
Luke 11:20
During the End Times after the Sixth Trumpet is blown, many people are killed by plagues, but the interesting thing is what John reveals is their response, “20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” (Revelation 9:20-21) They refused to give up worshiping demons. The worship of demons will be one of the greatest downfalls of humanity in the Last Days.
According to Paul, teachings of demons are 1 Timothy 4:1-5, ” Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. “ The teachings of demons will be forwarded by liars who don’t have a conscience, forbid marriage, and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving. Just think about that…
Testimonials
A Woman with Epilepsy
While working with the homeless, we met a woman who suffered from epilepsy since the age of 16 (she is now in her 40s). It wasn’t even that we just heard that she suffered from epilepsy, but we witnessed it every time we saw her, which was at least once a week. She had prescription medication that she had been on for over 30 years. During one visit she just kept having seizure after seizure after seizure. Celia decided enough was enough and we needed to help her, so Celia laid hands on her and started casting out a demon. As Celia and Kenny were praying and casting out the demon out of the woman, Arie was walking around the perimeter of the camp when she felt something light on the outside of the camp, a good presence trying to get into the camp but couldn’t. As she began to feel that presence get stronger, Celia and Kenny continued to pray and cast out the demon, when they saw the woman’s facial features begin to change. She began growling and becoming more animal-like. After a few more minutes of prayer the demon left the woman, and she stopped seizing and her facial features returned to normal. It’s now been almost two years, and the woman has not had a seizure since.
Arie’s First Encounter with a Demon
Arie was born with the ability to see, hear, and feel what others may not be able to. From a young age, she was able to see the unseen spiritual realm. Once when she 4 or 5, she was lying in bed, and a spirit entered the room. Its height was about the height of an average man, it was slender, had a long round white/grey face, and had a suit on. As it walked towards her side of the bed, as her older sister Britni was asleep on the other side, it began to speak to her. “I’m your dad. It’s okay, I’m your father. I’m your dad.” Once the adrenaline from fear finally kicked in, Arie screamed for her dad, Kenny, which only made the entity try to convince her more. Once Kenny walked into the room, the entity disappeared. Arie has never seen the entity since, but to this day, she still subconsciously sleeps in the center of the bed out of a subconscious fear of it returning.
Every 40 seconds, someone dies from suicide (World Health Organization statistic). Many of these are bible-believing Christians who couldn’t find hope in this world and thought it would be better if they were dead. So many believe that the only way they will ever find peace is if they take their own lives. As a Church, we have failed to address this and find a way to help those who struggle with Anxiety, Depression, and Suicide, which leads us to ask the question: Is suicide a sin? Is there such a thing as a spirit of suicide? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find answers to these questions in our video, Is Suicide a Sin?
We believe that suicide is a spirit, as we believe every sin has a spirit behind it. 1 John 4:1 tells us, “4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” We believe that it is a Spirit of Suicide that plants the seed that someone is worthless, hopeless, doomed, or disgusting, in their head. Therefore, finding relief would begin in the mind. It all starts with changing your thoughts. But how do you do that? You have to make a conscious decision to change your thoughts. Then you fill your mind with scripture to tell you the truth. That you are not worthless. That you are loved. You are beautiful. You are wanted. You are not disgusting. You are a Child of God.
Encouraging Verses
God Knows You and Hears You
17The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
Psalms 34:17-19
22 Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
Psalms 55:22
13 For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.
Psalms 139:13-14
‘11 For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
Jeremiah 29:11
God is With You
20 We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. 21 In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. 22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in You.
Psalms 33:20-22
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4
13 I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.
Are Satan and Lucifer the same? Where did Satan come from? Where did Lucifer come from? Why is this being tied to the adversary of the Church, but never spoken of again by name? There has to be more to his story. He laid the nations low. He tried to make himself like God. So why don’t we know more about him? Join us as we search through scripture to find some answers as we ask the question, Who Is Lucifer?
12 How you are fallen from heaven, [Lucifer], son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.
Isaiah 14:12-15
Satan and Lucifer: Satan
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Revelation 12:7-12
Summing up Satan and Lucifer
To sum things up, we believe that Lucifer is the fallen angel known as Abaddon and Apollyon, as well as the entity referred to as The Destroyer in Exodus 12. He once laid the nations low and was worshiped by many. He said in his heart he would ascend above the stars of God, he would sit in the mount of assembly, he would ascend above the heights of the clouds, and he would become like the Most-High. But now, he is locked away in the bottomless pit until the final days when he is prophesied to be released on Earth once again. We’ll get into his role in the End Times in a video coming soon. This leaves us with the impression that he is a worse enemy to God than Satan because Satan is still on Earth, free to do as he pleases. Lucifer, however, is not. He is locked away until the time comes and the key to his freedom comes down from Heaven.
How can Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father all be God, if there is only one God? So is Jesus really God? Wasn’t Jesus born from a human woman? Didn’t He have an Earthly Father? How can we be sure that there is even a Trinity? Does the Bible ever actually say there is such a thing as the Trinity? Join ArieRashelle as she explains how Jesus fits into the Trinity through Scripture in this second video, The Son, of our three-part series, The Trinity.
John 10:30 John 1:1-5 John 1:14 Matthew 3:16-17 2 Peter 1:17 Isaiah 42:8 Isaiah 48:11 John 8:54 John 17:1 Isaiah 43:11 Hosea 13:4 Titus 3:4-7 Acts 5:30-31 Isaiah 44:6 Isaiah 48:12 Revelation 1:17-18 Revelation 2:8 Revelation 22:12-13 Exodus 7:14 John 8:58 John 1:1-2 1 Timothy 2:5-6 Hebrews 4:14 Hebrews 5:9-10 Hebrews 7:26-27 John 14:6 John 16:23 John 8:34 1 John 2:1 Romans 5:18-19 1 Corinthians 15:21 Hebrews 10:4-11 Galatians 5:1 Romans 6:6-7 1 Corinthians 10:13 James 4:7 John 15:15 Luke 7:34 Philippians 2:5-7 John 14:14 Hebrews 2:11 Matthew 12:49 Proverbs 17:17
The Trinity: The Son
Jesus’ Role in the Trinity as the Son
We truly didn’t get into Jesus’s role in the video, in fear of it being too long. One of Jesus’s primary roles, as being the Word of God, is fulfilling what The Father says. We see this throughout Scripture from Old Testament to New Testament. In our last video we explained that Yahweh, The Father, makes the plans and leads the Head of the Trinity. So then can we say Yahweh is more powerful or important than Jesus? No, it doesn’t. Because they balance each other.
Each member of the Trinity has a specific role to play. The Father plans, directs, and leads the Trinity. The Son fulfills the plans of the Father. Think of The Trinity as a body. The Father is the head, and the Son is the body. The body does as the head commands. The head is not more important than the body, and the body not more important than the head, for neither can be without the other; instead they complement each other.
For example,
19 So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.’
John 5:19
28 So Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.’
John 8:28-29
Jesus follows the lead of The Father not because He is weaker, not because He is less of God, but because He humbles Himself.
Paul explains it like this:
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8
So why would Jesus do this? If we keep reading, Paul tells us.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11
So Jesus did this to glorify His Father. He took the sin, punishment, debt, and death that we could not bear so that we could have life and life more abundantly. And in doing this the Father glorified the Son, bestowing upon Him the name above all names.
Jesus is also the Righteous Judge. As any good society, there are laws. So if there are laws, there would need to be someone who decides whether the laws have been kept. Once the judge has spoken, someone must either reward or punish those whom the judge has judged.
We see this plainly when Jesus said,
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
John 5:21-23
So the Father has given Jesus the task of being a righteous judge, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The Father did this to make sure that all saw that the Son was honored as God, to ensure we saw that they are equal. Jesus explains when and whom He will judge.
31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And He will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
Matthew 25:31-33
So at the final judgment, we will all stand before Jesus as He sits on His throne. He will separate us according to how we lived our lives. Jesus tells us that the Father carries out His righteous judgments.
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:1-2
So Jesus judges and then the Father brings forth the judgment itself, whether it be a reward or a punishment.
