 THE
SORCERER'S STONE!
CHAPTER
ELEVEN: WHAT LARRY DISCOVERED
**Special
Information!
“Well,”
Larry announced, “I think I’ve figured this thing out.”
“Good,”
said Skip, “What’s next?”
“It
seems that first I should explain it to you two. Then we’ll go from there.”
“Okay,
we’re ready,” said Peter, anxious to hear what was really behind all this.
All three had the evening free.
Special
note: This chapter contains facts that Larry Grant discovered during his study
of the Bible and research into the origin, history, and effects of various forms
of witchcraft. This is what he explained to his two friends and, later, to
others.
For
the sake of greater clarity, it is presented here in one chapter rather than
being scattered in many conversations throughout several chapters. Although the
facts are simple, they are very important.
The
information here could save your life, if you were eventually confronted by a
witch or tempted to read books written by people who like witches. To be
forewarned is to be forearmed!
“Peter
and Skip, I think I can tell you exactly what we are dealing with. People all
across America are being deluged with books on witchcraft, and now it is being
taught here at this school. The situation is going to get worse, not better.
“We’re
dealing with spiritualism. The Bible is very clear about how dangerous it is.
Spiritualism has existed for thousands of years. It is contact by humans with
demons. That is nothing to play around with!
“Spiritualism
(also called spiritism) has many names: witchcraft, sorcery, shamanism, mediumship,
occultism (‘occult’ means ‘hidden’), and the dark arts. Modern names for
it include channeling and parapsychology. Other, more recent words are New Age
and psychics. It is also called ‘magick’ with a ‘k.’ (Spiritualists say
that ‘magic,’ without the ‘k’, is merely the tricks done by a stage
performer.) But it is all spiritualism, and it is based on demon worship.
“Closely
related are the Eastern religions, such as yoga and Buddhism which are
meditative. Yoga is a branch of the Hindu religion which aims at union with
Brahman, a heathen god. A yogi is one who practices yoga to achieve salvation
through paganism.
“Modern
witches—including those in Salem—use the name, ‘wicca,’ to describe
their witchcraft activities. The word comes from the original Anglo-Saxon
spelling for the modern English word, “witch.”
“Female
mediums are called ‘witches,’ and males are called ‘wizards’ or
‘warlocks.’ They communicate with evil spirits, which are demons. Demons are
evil angels who obey Satan.
“Spiritualism,
commonly called witchcraft, is satanic paganism. Witches and wizards enter into
a covenant with the devil to serve him. They hate God and Christ. They hate
Christianity and the Bible. They hate the ten commandments, the grace of Christ,
and obedience to God.
“They
idolize selfishness, force, cruelty, death, and dead corpses. They love to
inflict pain, suffering, and death on both people and animals. When they can’t
kill people, they kill animals. They love cemeteries and dead bodies.
“Their
animal ‘pets’ are owls, black cats, bats, buzzards, snakes, and spiders.
Anything that could possibly be considered gruesome, they enjoy. Everything
clean and pure and holy they hate. They have a special liking for snakes and
often worship them. Their pictures frequently include snakes and the head of a
goat in the shape of a five-pointed upside-down star. (The horns, chin, and two
side beards are the five “points.”)
They
especially like pictures and statues of snakes and goats because, in the Bible,
both, at times, symbolize Satan [Genesis 3:1-5 and Leviticus 16:21-22]. Of
course, we can understand why spiritualists like symbols of Satan, for he is
their master.
“Their
superstitions include creatures, most of them horrid, that don’t exist—such
as ogres, trolls, elves, goblins, gnomes, fairies, mishapen giants, banshees,
dragons (imaginary giant four-legged snakes), and blood-sucking vampires. Other
non-existent creatures that they talk lovingly about include unicorns, the
phoenix, and a large three-headed black dog.
“They
talk about these imaginary things in order to frighten people. They know that
the minds of people who are afraid are easier to control.
“But
we know that perfect trust in God casts out fear; it rejects superstitions. If
we cling to Jesus, we will be safe.
“Spiritualists
love to figure out devices to either control people’s minds or, hopefully,
curse them with disease or other problems. But they cannot injure anyone who
trusts implicitly in God and stays away from their dark kingdom. They usually
can only hurt people who get too close to them.
“Anton
LaVey [1930-1997], founder of the Church of Satan in San Francisco in the 1950s,
was a leading twentieth-century spiritualist. In his Satanic Bible, he wrote the
rules of demon worshipers. Those rules include selfishness instead of
helpfulness, indulgence instead of self-control, vengeance instead of
forgiveness, and love for sin because it produces immediate gratification. He
said man is just an animal, and should live like one. All morality should be
ignored. Selfishness and brute force are the highest good.
“But
is such miserable living something anyone should want for his life? No, of
course not.
“Even
though all forms of spiritualism and witchcraft are extremely dangerous, people
are intrigued by it because it seems so mysterious. They are curious to know
more. It is their curiosity that catches them.
“But
when they dig more deeply into it, all they find it to be is a bunch of lies and
fakery. It is like cobwebs on the wall. There is really nothing there. But, by
the time they make that discovery, it may be too late for them. They have been
caught.
“You
might ask, ‘Caught by what?’ Caught by the one thing in spiritualism which
is not a fake; it is real! Along with the mystery, it is what keeps people
coming back until they are snared in a net.
“The
curiosity seekers sense that a supernatural power is present in all this, and
they crave to have that power for themselves. They want to be able to either
control or hurt others. But that selfish craving leads them into a pit from
which many never escape. They are the ones who are controlled; they are the ones
who are hurt.
“They
have entered a web of demons. And the power which controls them is the power of
Satan.
“Those
who let these chains be placed on them, have been captured by evil angels.
Unless in the strength of Christ they break loose, they will be lost souls.
“All
forms of spiritualism are extremely dangerous, and none of them should be toyed
with. Even though the whole thing consists of only false claims and mysterious
apparitions,—you and I can still be trapped by it if, through curiosity, we
start liking any of it.
“Actually,
the whole thing is a gigantic fake. Witches say they can fly, but they can’t.
They say they can put curses on people, but they can’t. They say they can
pronounce magic formulas and make magic potents, but it is all worthless.
“Yet
there is power there! It is the power of Satan. Oddly enough, the spiritualists
don’t have this power. Instead, it is a power controlling them which has it!
It is a power, working through them, to catch others who get too close.
“These
evil angels can cause people, who start playing with spiritualism, to see things
that are not really there. It may seem real and exciting, but what those persons
think they see—are only appearances, also called apparitions.
“At
the request of a paid visitor, the medium mutters incantations and something
that seems to be a dead relative may appear. It looks exactly like the person
and talks the way he always talked. But it is not that person who is talking; it
is a demon.
“This
is exactly what happened to King Saul when, in the Bible, he visited the witch
of Endor [1 Samuel 28:7-15]. The witch had entered into a covenant with Satan,
to do his bidding. While the prophet Samuel was living, Saul despised his
counsel. But now, in a time of crisis, he wanted to talk to the prophet—who by
that time had died.
“So
Saul asked the witch to show him Samuel. Then something appeared in the room
which looked like Samuel.
“But
both you and I know that God did not permit a servant of the devil to bring
Samuel up from the grave into that room! And Satan cannot restore life or raise
the dead.
“Nor
would a witch be permitted by God to have any power over Samuel, either when he
was alive or after he died. We know that’s true because God repeatedly said in
the Bible that witches are bad and no one should have anything to do with them.
“Even
though that apparition may have said something true, it was not Samuel but a
demon that spoke to the king. It was one of Satan’s devils in the form of a
man.
“Here
is another reason it could not have been Samuel: The Bible clearly states that
King Saul died because he went to that witch for advice instead of going to God!
We are told that Saul ‘inquired of it’; that is, the evil spirit. He
didn’t talk to Samuel, but to a demon:
“
‘Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even
against the Word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of
one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it; and inquired not of the Lord;
therefore He slew him’ (1 Chronicles 10:13-14).
“God
forbids us to go to witches, wizards, or other spiritualists for guidance, or to
seek counsel through them from the dead. Here is another important Bible verse:
“
‘And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits,
and unto wizards that peep and that mutter, should not a people seek unto their
God? [instead of] for the living to [seek guidance of] the dead? To the law and
to the testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there
is no light in them’ (Isaiah 8:19-20).
“Now,
these appearances—or apparitions—can also take other forms as well. Under a
satanic spell, people can think they see a person rise into the air, a stone
change into a snake, or some other amazing thing.
“In
the Bible, in order to show that he was acting under the guidance of God, Moses
was told to throw his shepherd’s staff down and it would turn into a serpent
(Exodus 7:8-12). He did this in the presence of Pharaoh. That piece of wood had
actually changed into a living snake! Only God can do that; only He can make
life. But then the king’s magicians, who were wizards under the command of
Satan, threw their sticks to the ground,—and they also appeared to change into
living, wiggling snakes! Yet the sticks had not changed into snakes at all.
There were just sticks laying there. Satan could only produce an appearance, an
illusion.
“In
the 1970s, an American tourist in India came upon a fakir, the name for a wizard
in India, who regularly charged visitors money to see an interesting sight.
Immediately, this tourist began filming what took place.
“The
fakir threw down a coiled rope onto the ground and, as he uttered an
incantation, the end of the rope began rising up into the air by itself! As soon
as it stopped (when the top was about ten feet up), a native boy stepped forward
and began climbing the rope. It was as plain as anything. As he reached the top,
the fakir pulled a long knife out of his belt and also began climbing that rope.
By this time, that thin rope was apparently supporting an immense amount of
weight.
“When
he reached the boy, the fakir cut off the boy’s head as the tourists screamed
with terror. Then both the fakir and boy jumped ten feet to the ground, without
being hurt. Immediately, both were standing on the ground and the boy was
unhurt. The tourists went wild with applause.
“The
tourist realized he had something sensational in his camera. As soon as he
returned to America and had it developed, he checked to see what he had. This is
what was recorded on the film:
“The
fakir threw down the coiled rope and stepped back. The tourists stood there
watching him. The boy stood nearby. Then the tourists began looking upward. The
rope still lay coiled on the ground. All at once, they looked toward the boy,
who continued to remain motionless. Then they looked slowly upward again.
Suddenly, they looked at the fakir, as they thought they saw him climbing also.
Soon they screamed in horror. Then everyone began laughing and applauding. Yet
all the while the fakir and the boy had stood there by the coiled rope.
“It
was only an appearance, or apparition. Satan caused them to see something that
was not there. This story helps explain the mystery of the magicians’ snakes
in Exodus 7.
“Those
that dabble with spiritualism do not gain anything worthwhile. They do not
become the great and powerful people they had hoped for. Instead they become
demon-harassed or demon-possessed.
They
have chosen to step onto Satan’s enchanted ground. They don’t feel good,
they experience continued depression. They experience doubts and lose confidence
in themselves. The happiness they used to have is gone. They have anxiety
attacks. They have more fears. Although they may have excitement at times, they
no longer have peace of heart.
“It
is not the witch—but the demons—who are in charge of what happens to those
people. And the demons enjoy giving many of them even worse problems. They may
fall to the floor. They may lay there unable to move. They may go into a coma.
Some crawl around on the floor like animals, sometimes making animal sounds.
Some slither on the floor like a snake. Others develop shakes or have fits of
laughter which they cannot stop. Some become sick, even chronically. Many become
insane and some commit suicide. Some commit murder.
“Since
we are confronted with the beginnings of it here at this school, if I didn’t
tell you in advance what it is all about, you might be intrigued by what you
were told day by day in class. The spiritualists will tell you a little here and
a little there to draw you in. (But seeing it all at once, shows it to be
nothing but empty foolishness.)
“That
is why the children’s witchcraft books, sold in the stores, are so dangerous.
Something exciting seems to be there. People seem able to enter a supernatural
world and obtain great power. On each page is a little more, and gradually the
reader is drawn into it because everything seems so fascinating.
“So,
by way of warning, here is what the spiritualists—the wizards and
witches—work with:
“They
have spell books in which are written incantations, spells, and charms. They
imagine that, by pronouncing them, they accomplish something. But they don’t.
They use these spells to utter curses on people and animals (and countercurses
on other witches).
“What
is a spell? It is a meaningless group of nonsensical words. Nothing more. It has
no power to accomplish anything. If I sat here and babbled such sentences, you
would think I was only six months old. But if a wizard does it, people imagine
it to be something very mysterious.
“Satan
was once a mighty angel in heaven, but he rebelled against God and now he is the
lord of confusion—and of selfishness, suffering, fear, and death. Those are
the gifts he offers you in spiritualism.
“Witches
also love cauldrons. Those are black iron pots in which they boil plants, algae,
and fungi. Mandrake root is a favorite. They think that, by drinking those
miserable mixtures, something great will happen. But it never does.
“An
exception is when they add wormwood to the mixture (which is recommended to the
reader in Book I of the Harry Potter series. Drinking that will cause delirium,
paralysis, convulsions, brain damage, kidney failure and death.
“Spiritualists
wave sticks (which they call “magic wands”) in the air, thinking that also
accomplishes something. But it doesn’t. Isn’t it a little foolish sitting
around, waving a stick in the air? Only little babies do that.
“Since
all forms of spiritualism and witchcraft accomplish absolutely nothing, one
wonders why anyone would be interested in it. But do not forget that a person is
initially attracted by the mystery and false claims. Then, when he pauses to
look at it a little, he senses that a supernatural power is present.
“If
he does not immediately flee, soon he is captured by that power; and it is only
with difficulty that he will escape.
“In
order to attract the curious so they will also be captured, the spiritualists
have to keep everything appearing mysterious. They get a devilish delight in
having others share their desperate, miserable lives.
“To
add to the mystery, they write words in runes, which are either ancient German
characters hard to read, or some other meaningless scribbles. They talk about
magic numbers (numerology) and magic lines (geomancy).
“Anything
random is said to mean something: whether it be tea leaves in the bottom of a
cup (tea reading) or lines on a hand (palmistry). Anything meaningless becomes
important. But things that are very important, like the Bible, the ten
commandments, moral principles, and the saving power of Christ are ignored or
ridiculed.
“Crystal
balls are highly valued because, when anyone looks into them,—he can’t see
anything! What a crazy way to obtain information. But Satan uses sticks,
meaningless sentences, and confusing glass to hide the fact that there is
nothing real in all the messages, predictions, and appearances of witchcraft.
“Ouija
boards and Tarot cards are something else you want to totally stay away from.
They may seem harmless, but demons will enter you if you use them, even for a
short time. Another very real danger is dowsing rods, hanging pendulums (a small
weight on the end of a string), and water witching. They are not harmless, but
stepping stones toward more captivating problems later.
“One
thing that is very real in spiritualism is hypnotism. It is satanic power used
to capture and control a human mind. Beware and have nothing to do with it! A
spiritualist waves his hand meaninglessly or gets you to repeat one or a few
words over and over. He does this to confuse your mind, so it will go into a
dreamy state. But when one mind controls another, Satan controls both. Do not
let someone else control your mind.
“There
is medical hypnosis, research hypnosis, psychiatric (counseling) hypnosis, and
recreational hypnosis. All of them can be dangerous.
“Yet
you cannot be hypnotized if you refuse. Do not relax. Keep your mind clearly
fixed on Jesus, pray, trust in Him,—and get your friends and yourself out of
there. Do not linger.
“Psychics
pretend to be able to predict the future, but it is extremely rare that one of
their predictions comes true. If they had any ability at all, they should be
able to get at least 51 percent right instead of about one-half of one percent.
“Horoscopes
are another fortune-telling device that are as worthless as the rest. Astrology
is based on the idea that everyone born on a certain date will, day after day,
year after year throughout their lives, have the very same experiences. But that
does not happen.
“It
is a good rule to avoid reading stories by people who like witches. Such
children’s stories are not as harmless as they appear. Some who read them are
later led into contact with actual witches. We should avoid whatever might give
Satan closer access to our minds.
“Fairy
tales may seem harmless and apparently produce no harmful effects. Yet they are
unreal and, although obviously about imaginary creatures, prepare the mind to
like reading such things. The person who reads them will later be more favorable
toward the reading and enjoyment of stories more openly about witchcraft. Later
still he will be more susceptible to astrology, hypnotism, and contacts with
spiritist mediums, today called channelers.
“Fairy
tales lead young people away from a love for God’s Word. Later, when the
Gospel is presented to them, they may be harder to reach. They prefer living in
an unreal world.
There
are so many things today which cause young people to continually crave greater
excitement, that it becomes easier for for Satan to lead them into various
addictions. They have become disssatisfied with everyday living.
“The
Bible says that Satan is a liar and the father of it (John 8:44). Spiritualism
is nothing more than a bunch of lies, carefully packaged to bring a lot of
sadness and heartache into your life.
“The
Holy Scriptures are our only safe guide. God has given terrible warnings against
having anything to do with witches, wizards, enchanters, and sorcerers.
“Here
is part of what the Bible says about this. The warnings are very strong, for God
knows that spiritualism is especially used by Satan to take control of people:
“Spiritualists
are an abomination to God— ‘There shall not be found among you any one that
maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth
divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch . . or a
necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and
because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before
thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God’ (Deuteronomy 18:10-13).
“Have
nothing to do with them—‘Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither
seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God’ (Leviticus
19:31).
“Saul
died for asking advice of an evil spirit—‘Saul died for his transgression
which he committed against the Lord, even against the Word of the Lord, which he
kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to
inquire of it; and inquired not of the Lord; therefore He slew him’ (1
Chronicles 10:13-14; see 1 Samuel 28:7-15).
“God
will judge them severely—‘And I will come near to you to judgment; and I
will be a swift witness against the sorcerers’ (Malachi 3:5).
“Do
not listen to their lies—‘Therefore hearken not ye to . . your enchanters,
nor to your sorcerers . . for they prophesy a lie unto you, to
remove you far from your land’ (Jeremiah 27:9-10).
“God
does not want them to continue to live—‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to
live’ (Exodus 22:18). ‘A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit, or
that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death’ (Leviticus 20:27).
“Spiritualists
will not go to heaven—‘Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies . . I have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God’ (Galatians
5:20-21).
“Go
to God and the Bible for counsel, not to spiritualists—‘And when they shall
say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that
peep and that mutter; should not a people seek unto their God? [instead of] for
the living to [seek guidance of] the dead? To the law and to the testimony; if
they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in
them’ (Isaiah 8:19-20).
“In
the last days, many will be deluded into placing confidence in
spiritualists—‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines
of devils’ (1 Timothy 4:1).
“If
you believe the Bible and want to be redeemed by Christ, you cannot have
anything to do with witches, wizards, psychics, and all the rest,” said Larry.
With
that, Larry ended his presentation.
Silence
for a moment, and then Peter spoke, “We’re with you, Larry.”
“Yes,
Larry, we’re with you,” agreed Skip. “Whatever it takes, we’re with you.
What do we do next?”
“Well,
I’ve prayed about this and I’m convicted that we can’t just keep this to
ourselves. We have to take these facts to the student body and win as many as
possible to our side. People could lose out on heaven over this thing.”
“I
agree,” said Peter. “How do we begin?”
“Probably
the best place to start is right here in the boys’ dorm. We’re going to have
to work carefully, but we must move fast.”
“Whatever
you say, Larry,” said Peter.
A
pause, and then, “There’s another thing . . In view of what I’ve just told
you, I’m no longer going to attend that class.”
“You’re
not!” said Skip.
“They’ll
eventually kick you out of the school if you refuse to attend a class required
of every student this year!” exclaimed Peter.
“I
realize that,” said Larry slowly. “Should I be listening to a witch or a
representative of them?”
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