Modern Day Satanism

    Would you be able to recognize a Satanist in 2020? What would that even look like? Honestly, I've never seen anyone dancing around a fire in black robes chanting "hail Satan". However, I'm fairly sure that stuff happens in the backwoods of nowhere from time to time. Seriously though, how could we even begin to identify a modern day Satanist? The answers may surprise you. 

    Keep in mind that Satan is the master of deception. He's not walking around looking like the famous cartoon image with horns, a pointed tail and carrying a pitch fork. In Heaven, Lucifer (Satan) was God's most powerful creation. Lucifer is often called a fallen angel, but he was much higher in rank than that. He was the "anointed cherub" (Ezekiel 28:14). There are millions of angels, but there are only five cherubim mentioned in Scripture. Lucifer was the highest ranking Cherub, literally God's choice servant. 

    The name Lucifer means "Light bearer", which speaks of his natural attractiveness. Scripture also tells us that he was "full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty" (Ezekiel 28:12). Needless to say that Satan and his followers aren't going to come across as hideous creatures that are easily recognizable. Satanists and their movement are going to be popular and attractive in most cases. So, the question remains, how can we tell? What tools can we use in order to identify modern day Satanists? 

    First, It's important to remember that everything that Satan does is an attempt to overthrow God. He was thrown out of Heaven for his rebellion. In Isaiah 14:14, Lucifer is quoted as saying, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." So ultimately, Satan wants to be God. This brings up our first point, the most obvious characteristic of a Satanist is a worldview in which they believe that they can live as their own God. In other words, they are their own authority.

    

    Yesterday it was announced that actress, Ellen Page (now Elliot), has come out as transgender. She came out as being a gay woman in 2014, "married" a woman in 2018, and has now claimed that she is in fact a man. Well, actually it's even more complicated than that. Page claims to be a he/him they/them non-binary. Which actually means that she isn't a man or a woman. Confused yet? In order to actually make these things true, however, Ellen would have to possess creative power, which is an attribute that only belongs to God. He very clearly made them "male and female." He also plainly stated that marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman. It was the first human institution enacted by God, with it's purpose being to honor God by procreation and the raising of children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The nuclear family has been the bedrock of civilization since the dawn of time. If the Biblical family goes, society goes with it. Yet, Ellen Page has decreed that it's ok for her to redefine marriage. And now she claims that she is now a he/him. Forget the fact that she has no power to change the XX chromosome in her DNA, or that she doesn't have male genitalia, she hath declared it, therefore it must be true. This is Satanism 101, and can easily be recognized even if you didn't know that she is also a professed atheist and pro-abortion feminist (which are other forms of Satanism). 

    At this point I can hear some of the readers screaming that Ellen isn't a professed Satanist, or that she is a nice person and gives money to charity, or whatever. Here is the second thing that needs to be understood about Satanism, many Satanists may not even realize what they are doing, therefore it's not necessary to profess to be a Satanist in order to actually be one. This truth is almost as old as time itself. When Satan appeared to Eve in the Garden of Eden He lied to her and told her that if she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that she would not die as God had said. He also explained that God knew that if she did eat that she would become a God just like Him, and He wanted to keep her in her place. This was enough to convince her to eat. It wasn't that she was intentionally bowing down to Satan, but she took Satan's word above God's Word, which is a form of worship. Her motive however, was to become her own God. She was not satisfied with the God who had given her everything, she wanted more. This brings us to the third point, self-worship is a form of Satan worship, because it attempts to steal worship that only belongs to the Lord.

    When it comes to Satanism, it's also important to remember that there is nothing new under the Sun. Satan has no new lies, just new people to fool with the old ones. In this story of Eve and Satan, we see the beginning of just about every form of Satanism that we see today. Placing Doubt in God's Word (Yea hath God said?), rebellion (which is a form of witchcraft, I Samuel 15:23), ungratefulness (which is the seed of all rebellion, Romans 1:21), lies (you shall not die), Feminism (God want's to keep you in your place), self-worship (I want to be my own God), Sin (Eve chose death, rather than life), lustful deception (it was pleasant to the eyes), and a sensual wisdom (a tree desired to make one wise).

    Finally, it needs to be understood that, man was created to worship, therefore if he isn't worshipping God then there is only one alternative (you guessed it). This is why people in a third world country who have never seen a church, missionary, or any holy book can carve out their own gods and worship. It's ingrained within us. If someone suppresses the truth of the living God, if they ignore His creation, His Word, and His rules for human sexuality, then they will be given over to a reprobate mind and the darkness of their own heart according to Romans chapter one. We are seeing Romans one on parade in America today, where sin and Satanism are celebrated. Within an hour of Ellen Page claiming her transgender status, every news source and info sight on the internet had changed "her" to "he" in reference to Ellen. It reminds me of Orwell's novel, 1984, where the ministry of truth would change news and history in order to reflect their current "reality". We need to pray for our country. 

    The most liberating truth in all of the universe is to come to the realization that we are all sinners who deserve the wrath of a holy God, a God who must punish sin. But that this Holy God is also so loving that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth through the womb of a virgin. He was truly God and truly man. He lived the sinless life that we could never live, fulfilling the righteous demands of God's holy law. He then died on the cross for our sin, shouldering the wrath of God that we deserve. He then rose from the dead three days later, and He offers complete forgiveness and cleansing to all who will repent and believe in that finished work. Everyone needs to be saved from the bondage and penalty of their sin. For our hearts are "desperately wicked and deceitful." (Jeremiah 17:9)