The Bible explicitly reveals God’s condemnation of occultists in several continents of the world. A careful consideration of that divine revelation plainly refutes charges of “racism” that are made against Christians who speak against certain occultists and their distinctively occult practices and products, including their distinctively occult kinds of music.
Divine Condemnation of Occultists in Asia
Scripture reveals God’s condemnation of occultists in Asia by speaking of His judgment of certain Babylonian occult practices:
Isaiah 47:9 But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
Scripture also reveals God’s condemnation of occultists in Asia by speaking of His judgment of Assyrian occult practices:
Nahum 3:4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. 5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. 6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. 7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
Through His use of the Apostle Paul, God’s judgment of a sorcerer in Paphos also shows His condemnation of Asian1 occultists:
Acts 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: 7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Moreover, Scripture reveals God’s judgment of the distinctively occult products of certain Asian occultists by recording that newly converted believers in Ephesus who were formerly occultists burned their occult books that they themselves had used in their occult practices:
Acts 19:19 Many of them also which used curious arts 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.
Divine Condemnation of Occultists in Europe
Paul’s dealings in the Greek city of Philippi with a woman who was possessed with a spirit of divination show God’s condemnation of occultists in Europe:
Acts 16:16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
Divine Condemnation of Occultists in Africa
Scripture reveals God’s condemnation of occultists and their distinctively occult practices and products in Africa by recording God’s judgments on Egyptian occultists who fought against God when He directed Moses and Aaron to judge the Egyptians because Pharaoh would not allow God’s people to leave Egypt:
Exodus 7:11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. . . . 22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.
Exodus 8:7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. . . . 18 And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. 19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
Exodus 9:11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
Discussion
Explicit divine revelation teaches us that God has condemned the occult, its practitioners, its practices, and its distinctively occult products in the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Moreover, much other biblical revelation plainly shows that God condemns all occultists and therefore their distinctively occult practices and products.2
God certainly has not been guilty of “racism” when He has done so.
Christians, therefore, who speak against all such people and things—regardless of who the people are who engage in those activities and where they do so—have full biblical justification for doing so (Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:11). They are not “racists” who are guilty of “racism” when they speak against occultists and their distinctively occult practices and products.
Application to Occult Kinds of Music
Christians who speak against Christian use of distinctively occult musical products are not guilty of “racism” when they do so.3 Believers who hold that the distinctively occult kinds of music of occultists all over the world4 are kinds of music that must be rejected by Christians are not “racists” who promote “racism” because they do so.5
Footnotes
- Because of various factors, some regard Paphos as being a part of Europe. If that view is correct, then this passage shows God’s condemnation of European occultists instead of Asian occultists. ↩︎
- See my posts, “Verses about the Occult” and “Toward Interpreting Properly What Revelation 18:22 Reveals about the Music of Babylon” for more information about this point. ↩︎
- See my posts, “’Extrabiblical Arguments,’ ‘Borderline Racist,’ ‘Cannibals,’ and ‘CCM‘” and “On ‘Cultural Racism’ and Christian Opposition to ‘Holy Hip-Hop’” for additional discussion of this key truth. ↩︎
- Concerning the book, “Drumming at the Edge of Magic: A Journey into the Spirit of Percussion,” by world-famous rock drummer Mickey Hart: “This book (as well other sources) provides us with sufficient evidence about occult percussive techniques in 6 of the 7 continents of the world. Such evidence is very important for us to address properly the music issues that we face concerning Christian music.” ↩︎
- See my post Resources That Provide Answers to Key Issues Concerning CCM for more information about what Scripture teaches that pertains to numerous issues concerning acceptable music for corporate worship. ↩︎
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