Broomstick-flying witches to be brought down in Swaziland
"Witches flying broomsticks in Swaziland above 150 metres will be subject to arrest and a hefty fine of R500 000, civil aviation authorities said, according to a report. Witches’ broomsticks are considered similar to any heavier-than-air transportation device that is airborne, reports The Star. “A witch on a broomstick should not fly above the [150-metre] limit,” Civil Aviation Authority marketing and corporate affairs director Sabelo Dlamini told the newspaper. No penalties exist for witches flying below 150 metres. The report said it was hard to say how serious he was, but witchcraft isn’t a joking matter in Swaziland, where the people believe in it. The statute also forbids toy helicopters and children’s kites from ascending too high into the country’s airspace." More at link.
We read that article and we think, 'oh my, how could they believe in such things?!' Here is how...and it is a lesson for all of us to take to heart.
Witches, demons, evil spirits etc. have been with us since almost the beginning. After the fall, the earth became satan's domain. (2 Corinthians 4:4, Matthew 4:1, 1 John 5:19). It is his spiritual influence that we fight against. Though Jesus is sovereign, He has allowed satan to dominate as prince of this world for the present time. (John 12:31).
Satan is a supernatural being, and his demons are supernatural beings. God is a supernatural being. We Christians engage in supernatural activity every day. We live by the Spirit, who is a supernatural Being and has supernatural powers. We pray- which is a supernatural activity. We read the living word, which was delivered supernaturally. Miracles occur (not performed by people in these days, but by God) and those are supernatural. The bible informs us of the existence of the supernatural. To pretend the supernatural does not exist is silly. Here are a few verses that tell us about the darkness of satan's supernatural activity (as opposed to God's GOOD supernatural activity)
"You shall not permit a sorceress to live". (Exodus 22:18.)
Barnes notes explains why the severity: "This is the earliest denunciation of witchcraft in the law. In every form of witchcraft there is an appeal to a power not acting in subordination to the divine law. From all such notions and tendencies true worship is designed to deliver us. The practice of witchcraft was therefore an act of rebellion against Yahweh, and, as such, was a capital crime."
In that verse, we are told of several things. Witches were a problem since the writing of Exodus, sometime around the 15th century BC. Witches routinely pretended to have information about persons, dead or alive, cast spells, and did amazing feats. The fact that they were fake and knew they were fakers is evidenced by the Witch of Endor's surprise at actually conversing with someone who was dead- Samuel. (1 Samuel 28). Samuel's appearance scared her and shocked her. If she had been routinely able to perform the things witches said they could perform, it would not have been such a shock when Samuel appeared, eh?
Deuteronomy 18:10 is another verse addressing the dark arts. It expands the definition of prohibited activity related to the dark arts. It is not only witchcraft that the LORD is against. There is other activity satan will try to use to get over on you, "here shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer."
The New Testament also references sorcerers and diviners, indicating that such activity was still a problem 1500 years after God's Moses's first denunciation of it through Moses. In New Testament times it was still against God's law to engage in it or commune with people who do it. (Acts 16:16, Galatians 5:19, Revelation 21:8).
It should not surprise us that the first mention of witchcraft 3500 years ago, and reiterating its evilness 2000 years ago, that its practice is still ongoing today. Witches still abound. It is an old problem that is still with us in these "modern times." People who perform the dark arts still exist. People who believe others can accomplish the dark arts still exist- as testified to the official Swazi ban on witches flying at high altitudes!
Satan will corrupt anything he can. He is the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10). That he corrupts the name and work of Jesus is not surprising. That he corrupts the supernatural, turning it away from Jesus and toward witchcraft, divination, omens, and sorcery (like Tarot) is also not surprising. If you are of Jesus you will not (or should not engage in these dark arts. I mean even reading horoscopes! Here is a short article about horoscopes. It is not the harmless activity some think it is.
GotQuestions says of horoscopes, "The purpose of a horoscope is to gain insight into a person’s character and foretell the future. The basic belief of astrology is that planets and stars exert an influence upon our lives. Those with special knowledge—astrologers—can predict events in a person’s life. It is distressing that most major newspapers have a horoscope column, and even more distressing that many Christians read their horoscopes."
"The Bible expressly forbids divination, sorcery, and hidden arts (Deuteronomy 18:10-14). God’s people
Astrology, then, opposes biblical teaching in at least two ways: it advocates faith in something other than God, and it is a form of divination. We cannot determine God's will for our lives through horoscopes. As Christians, we are to read the Bible and pray to God in order to gain wisdom and guidance. Consulting a horoscope is a violation of God's means of communicating with His children. We strongly believe that horoscopes should be rejected by Christians."
We read even today that Pope Francis was elected after the conclave considering his nomination to the Papacy were witness to several supernatural signs! "He [A Cardinal] added: “I received at least two strong signs: one I can tell, the other was in the Conclave I can’t speak about – but real signs of the Lord giving me indication ‘he is the one’.”
Catholics are not saved by grace of Jesus. They are pagans. Therefore He is not managing the papal election in any way, shape, or form. One of the signs the cardinal spoke of was a ridiculously interpreted thing, mis-attributed to the Holy Spirit. The cardinal said that after he had asked advice on the papal election, his friend whom he had run into whispered into his ear "Bergoglio". Since when is a friend whispering a name a supernatural sign and not simply influence peddling? Oh well, the other sign was just as 'astounding and miraculous', but he refused to disclose it due to its occurrence in the conclave, which is a secret proceeding. If it was as ridiculous as the first sign, I can pass. However, that's the problem with the dark arts, satan will attribute to the Spirit the things of satan, and to the things of satan he will say it is the spirit. (Matthew 9:34; Matthew 12:24).
"How do they do it? By attributing to the Holy Spirit words that He didn’t say, deeds that He didn’t do, and experiences that He didn’t produce, attributing to the Holy Spirit that which is not the work of the Holy Spirit. Endless human experiences, emotional experiences, bizarre experiences and demonic experiences are said to come from the Holy Spirit…visions, revelations, voices from heaven, messages from the Spirit through transcendental means, dreams, speaking in tongues, prophecies, out of body experiences, trips to heaven, anointings, miracles. All false, all lies, all deceptions attributed falsely to the Holy Spirit."
If you are not of Jesus, you are already under satan's sway and while you are blinded to the supernatural goodness of Jesus, satan will turn you toward the supernatural evilness of the dark arts, including witchcraft. Count on it.
