A Dangerous Hero for Our Children!
By Dr. Mike Norris
Pastor, Franklin Road Baptist Church,
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
I do not want to scare your children,
but it is my job to inform you so you’ll not get involved in the occult
without realizing it is the occult. I will show you through Scripture how to
protect yourself and your family.
Tonight’s message is centered on
a character named Harry Potter, although I’ll also talk about other cultic
things. What is happening is tragic, violent. I want to expose the Devil for
who he is.
Harry Potter is a nice-looking little fellow. He’s wearing spectacles and has kind of a scrubby haircut. But he doesn’t look like a wizard. He looks like a normal kid. The Harry Potter series is shaking our nation.
The Devil is real. He has great influence. The prince of the power of the air in these days is doing a lot of flapping. One of the things he uses to influence young people is the area of the occult, especially witchcraft.
I’m not talking especially about demonism, although demonism and witchcraft walk hand in hand. I’m not talking especially about the New Age movement, although this movement and witchcraft walk hand in hand. In fact, anything having to do with the mysterious and unknown, apart from what God tells us, is from the Devil. If God wants you to know something, He is going to tell you; if He doesn’t tell you, don’t go looking for it!
But now the Church of Satan has IRS legal status. Because of that, the churches of Wicca have free reign to do what they choose.
I read an article today about how television puts a G rating on that which has to do with the occult. If it has to do with Christianity, it has a PG rating. A PG rating requires parental guidance so our children will not be indoctrinated.
The Bible says we are not to practice "the abominations of those nations." What are those abominations?
"Or a charmer [one who also casts spells, recites incantations or develops some type of serum which would ward off evil spirits, including necklaces or crystals], or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer [those who call back people from the dead, a medium using crystal balls, the psychic network folks, etc.].
"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 [entirely obedient],
"For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto the observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do."–Vss. 10—14.
In Galatians 5:20 of the New Testament, witchcraft is also included in that which is practiced prior to being saved.
What did they do to witches and wizards in Old Testament times?
"A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them."–Lev. 20:27.
Recently our nation, basically our media, shook us with a new book, the fourth in a series of seven. All across America people stood in line for hours to get this book, which went on sale at midnight. As of now, it has already sold 3.8 million copies.
These books are targeted at the ten- to twelve-year-old age group, but it is adult reading.
I’m warning you: these Potter
books are nothing but witchcraft!
They may call it fiction, but it is real to the children who read it. It is nothing less than satanic indoctrination.
The story of Harry Potter is this: he was basically a baby born to a mother who was a witch; they will not reveal until the sixth or seventh book whether or not his father was a warlock [a male witch]. This couple lived somewhere in England, and they were disowned by their families.
A muggle (the wizard’s terminology for a normal human being) was driving around when he saw these folks in black cloaks. A black cat began to follow him around all day, but he didn’t know what was going on. He was about to receive a little boy into his home who had high powers in the satanic church.
At night the black cat revealed herself as a witch; it was her job to deliver this little boy to this muggle family.
This child could not handle regular school, so he went away to a school of wizardry. But this child has such power that a great high priest of the Church of Wicket could not kill him.
All kinds of spooky things go on. Here are some of the chapter titles: The Keeper of the Keys, Letters From No One, The Vanishing Glass, The Potions Master, Halloween, The Forbidden Force. These titles sound innocent, but the book gets very involved in the evils of witchcraft and magic.
Harry had to study the night sky through telescopes every Wednesday night to learn more about stars and planets.
Three times a week the students went out to the greenhouses to study potions. The history of magic class was taught by a ghost, and it is very evident that he taught about out-of-body experiences. Harry thought transfigurations were difficult to learn: teachers could change children into animals and then back again.
This book uses attractive and exciting images to describe the cauldrons where potions were conjured up. It also contains little recipes!
The author has said that as Harry gets older, the books will get darker and darker.
Folks, these are not simple
little things; this is wicked, heavy-duty stuff–nothing but the work of the
Devil!
The television media showed all the mothers standing in line with their kids at midnight waiting for the bookstores to reopen so they could purchase this book. If this has nothing to do with the occult, why do they put it on sale at midnight? Why not at eight o’clock in the morning?
One mother said, "Oh, we love these books! We’re reading them as bedtime stories to our children."
What ever happened to reading the blessed old Book at bedtime? No wonder some kids wake up screaming with nightmares!
You may be thinking, That couldn’t get a hold on kids. Really? The very next day a story in our local newspaper told about how kids, after reading these books, started dressing up like witches and wizards and began making up their own potions. And you say it is not harmful!
If these "innocent" books can whet their appetites now, they will seek "real" books later on to keep on building on what they’re learning now.
Each book claims that Harry is battling evil. Wait a minute! He is not battling evil; he is evil!
One mother said about her eleven-year-old daughter, "She pretty much likes to read, but this series keeps her interested and her mind going."
A ten-year-old said he was
surprised he liked the series: "I didn’t know it was going to be this good."
You say, "Preacher, that stuff is not real!" Really? Exodus, chapter 7, is the story of Moses when he went up against Pharaoh and Pharaoh brought out some of his magicians:
"When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent [a miracle of God, not witchcraft].
"And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
"Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
"For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
"And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said."–Vss. 8—13.
Read this entire story, and you will see that Pharaoh’s sorcerers merely duplicated many of the first miracles and plagues that God produced through Moses and Aaron.
Don’t tell me that there is not some power in this stuff! But it is not all power because only God is all-powerful, omnipotent and almighty.
In chapter 8, verse 16, the plague of lice came along.
"Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God."–Vss. 18,19.
Moses and Aaron had God’s promise: "If you’ll stand before Pharaoh and do this, I’ll help you."
The magicians, wizards and warlocks did not have that promise, so they had no backing by God. But if they didn’t have God’s backing, who backed them? The Devil.
You say, "But that’s not true today." We’re living in New Testament times right now. The New Testament talks about Simon the sorcerer; Bar-Jesus the sorcerer, a false prophet; the slave girl and all of her witchy powers; Jannes and Jambres, magicians of Egypt who withstood Moses. The Bible has reference after reference regarding enchanters, diviners, sorcerers, witches and all such. Don’t tell me it’s not real! Don’t tell me it’s not around! It is everywhere! Get your head out of the sand!
I don’t tell you all of this to scare you. No child of God should be scared if Jesus is in your heart and you are willing to anchor your life to the Word of God.
I tell you about this so you
won’t nonchalantly bring these things into your house and say, "There’s
nothing wrong with it." Folks, it is real and it is wrong, very wrong!
Let me tell you what really bothers me about all of this. There was a whole lot of buildup by the media over the Pokémon cards, but the media hype over the Harry Potter books is astounding. By the way, don’t let your kids have these Pokémon cards because they too are dangerous; but this Harry Potter business makes those cards look like child’s play.
The main danger of these books is that the media is recruiting children into Satan’s army. At a young age, children cannot understand a lot of things, but they can understand this witchcraft story because it is "fun." It is just like giving a child a cigarette, then getting him hooked on pot, then taking him to crack cocaine, then on to heroine. These books are just the starting place for evil.
When I was a little boy, my parents would not allow me to watch The Wizard of Oz because they said it was full of cultic tendencies. My parents knew that if the Devil could just whet my appetite, I would say, "Hey, man, this is something!"
I want to give you three ways the media recruits for the Devil:
1. The media gives a distorted view of witchcraft. They make it look good. Harry Potter, they say, is a good wizard: "He’s one of the good guys." There is no such thing as a good witch or a good wizard!
People become curious, then they let down their guard. That’s happening with these books. These mothers who are reading these stories to their children are probably good mothers, but they have dropped their guard over their children’s minds. But if you have on "the whole armour of God," like Ephesians 6:11 talks about, you won’t drop your guard because you will understand that you "wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world" (vs. 12).
2. The media introduces good witches to combat bad witches, even though they are both on the Devil’s side. I don’t watch primetime TV, but every now and then I’ll see an advertisement. Right now there are shows on prime time with cats and witches and wizards and spells and all the like.
Folks, you are making a big mistake if you lower your guard and watch that type of thing. Our resistance in this country is getting lower and lower, and we are about to get really sick!
3. The media gives a distorted view of Christianity. Just as the media gives a distorted view of the occult world, it gives a distorted view of Christianity. They tell us in living color that it is okay to have the power to slam someone against the wall.
Of course, the majority of what is shown on television is not real, but the kids don’t know that.
Several years ago we had trouble with the Ninja Turtles and the Power Rangers because they had the power to do a lot of karate. Kids didn’t understand that it was not real, and thinking they had the same kind of power, they be-gan kicking out each other’s brains.
This type of thing is not innocent!
The media makes witchcraft and everything connected with it look so innocent and good because they are fighting evil, but then the presentation of Christianity is distorted: it is portrayed as being wrong. Any preacher who is a bumbling fool or can’t keep his hands off the ladies is front-page copy and the lead-off story on the evening news! They don’t play up those who live clean. The media distorts Christianity. The media distorts things so kids can’t separate real from unreal.
A normal child does not take a weapon to school and dress the way some of these murderers have dressed. That is abnormal behavior, but it is learned behavior.
Folks, all of this has us in a
mess. So what do we do with that which is creeping into our homes? What do
we do with some of these figurines on the toy shelves that look like
something satanic and straight out of Hell? What do we do with the things
that our kids want to hang around their necks? What do we do with the
dream-weavers and the charms and such like?
We need bullets for our guns, for we don’t want to say or do anything that will glamorize Sa-tan. I’m not trying to be forceful, but I pray that no one will leave this building who will even consider playing around with what I am condemning. We need a sense of seriousness as we fight this in Jesus’ name. So let’s get busy and clean up the air through God’s Word.
"And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so."–Acts 19:13,14.
But look at what happened:
"And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
"And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
"And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.
"Many of them also which used curious arts [magical books, witchcraft, etc.] brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
"So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed."–Vss. 15—20.
If you’re not saved, this ought to show you that you have no power against the Devil. Folks, this is real! I am dead serious about it! And it’s time other Christians get serious about it!
Be serious about not only your salvation but your kids’ salvation too. Be sure than when your kids reach the age of accountability–and you will know when that is–they trust Christ as Saviour.
What is this thing that parents have started, letting their children come to church when they choose to come? You can’t make a child get saved; but as a parent, you can lead him to make a decision for Christ, and you can be an example!
One of the reasons I wanted to be saved was that my mom and dad were saved. I watched my brother get saved, and I wanted to go to Heaven!
Parents start with this wild idea, "Well, we don’t want to shove them into our religion." Folks, don’t you start thinking like that! You set an example for your kids, and you lead them! They will follow! Amen!
2. Be sure you realize that there is violence in this type of thing. Look again at verse 16: "And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them."
Some of you are saying, "You don’t know your demonology. We’re talking about witches and wizards, not about someone demon-possessed."
You had better understand this: it is all motivated by Satan. There is no difference!
These seven men were overcome by this spirit, they became possessed by this spirit, and "they fled out of that house naked and wounded."
None of this should be considered a game.
In the ’70s one of the hottest rock bands was a group called the Eagles. In one of their albums was a picture of a goat’s head–a symbol of Satanism–and behind the man was a picture of the bell tower of a church. In the bell tower was a man, hard to detect, but this was Anton La Vey–the high priest of the Satan Church of America.
La Vey was very close to this rock group. He counseled them in the matters of the Church of Satan and the Church of Wicket, etc. For years that was the number one rock group in America. Needless to say, that group had a great influence on our nation.
Folks, this is real and it is violent. Don’t take it lightly.
3. Magnify the Lord, not the Devil, in your home and in your life. "And the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified." You are not magnifying the Lord in your home when you watch this type of thing on television. You are not magnifying the Lord in your home when you have gnomes sitting around on your mantels. Just one gnome in your home basically tells someone who comes into your home who is practicing witchcraft or Satanism that you could be a wizard! Gnomes also have incantations.
If you have in your home trolls or crystals or Ninja Turtles or charms or videos or books dealing with any such, clean house! Learn to magnify God in your home. When something comes on television, make sure it doesn’t show any of this rottenness.
Some of you are sitting there saying, "Well, this little mermaid story had a cute little wizard or witch in it." That is not okay! It magnifies the Devil, not God.
We don’t watch anything in our home that has anything to do with a witch or a wizard. Satan knows your resistance, and he will use cute little witches and wizards to make you curious about those things.
Don’t watch any type of cartoons with a witch in them–even if they are all good. They are all the same, and they come straight from the Devil.
Instead of watching these satanic things, make the Bible special in your life and in the lives of your kids. Be in church Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. Hold God high.
Learn to sing songs. We just started something different in our devotions. We got a Sword of the Lord hymnbook, Soul-Stirring Songs and Hymns, and we are starting to sing every song we know. You ought to hear us! But we’re clearing the air by magnifying the Lord.
4. Confess it if you are guilty of having such things in your home. Follow the example of those in Ephesus: "Many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds." They dug out all their "curious arts"–witch and wizard books from which they were getting their potions and incantations and recipes–and said, "We shouldn’t have these things in our homes."
I’m not telling you to bring your things to the church; but if you have them in your house–books, gnomes, trolls, charms, dream-weavers, crystals, all of it–confess before God that they are wrong and get rid of them! Trash them!
You say, "Preacher, what do we do with it? How do we get rid of it?" Here is my answer!
5. Burn it! Don’t sell it; don’t give it to somebody else; burn it.
As a young man, I got so shaken up about rock music. We were not allowed to have it in our home, but I snuck around and hid some of it in a box. When I found out what this rock ’n’ roll music was all about, I was scared to death!
Some of my friends were also shaken up about it, and they wanted to sell their records to friends, but I took my box of records up to the city dump and threw it out with a bunch of other junk.
I was trying to cover up the fact that I had those records, but you know how people come around sometimes and go through the trash, so I sat there and waited for the bulldozer to come and cover it up because I didn’t want anybody to get it. I’m sure that little spot of earth is wicked right now, but I don’t have it around me!
Ever since that day, I decided I didn’t want anything like that hooked to me or me hooked to it.
Have you ever been to an old-fashioned revival meeting where the preacher, after preaching, would light a bonfire and burn such wicked trash?
Perhaps we should have a book-burning revival. If you don’t want to burn it, then at least destroy it. Don’t sell it or give it away. When God gets hold of your heart, you won’t care how much money you will lose.
Notice the reckless abandonment they had for this cause. They didn’t care how much it cost or how much money went up in flames; they just got rid of it.
When an alcoholic gets deliverance from his addictive habit, he pours the alcohol down the drain. He doesn’t give it to someone else to get drunk on; he destroys it.
6. Let the Bible prevail in your house. "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed."
I want the Bible to prevail in my house, and you should want the same thing for your house. Let the Word of God grow in your home. Put that Bible out where it needs to be, and let your kids see you reading it. But don’t do it just for show; do it because it’s right.
Teach your kids, by example, to
get into the Word of God.
Why is it that a child will get so hooked on having this kind of power by role-playing and acting it out? What would make a person get so hooked on this kind of power that he wants to buy a book and learn how to do the real thing?
The answer is simple: Satan is behind it all.
Why can’t we fundamentalists in the year 2000 have the desire to have God’s power? Why can’t we steer our kids in that direction? Why do they look toward something wicked, false and pagan? Why can’t we whet their appetites to want the power of God?
I remind you that when every boy and girl gets saved, the Holy Spirit comes in and takes up residence in his or her life. The Bible says, "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world"! Satan is not all-powerful!
Let’s do our best to turn our children away from the darkness of this world. Let’s do our best to instill in their bones a fire to see revival again. Let’s instill in them the desire to win souls and turn folks toward righteousness.
It is tough rearing children in this generation because the Devil does not want your kids reared right. Parents, I ask you to beg God for His help and protection for your children.
Let’s channel our kids into some good, wholesome power–God’s power!
