This commercial shows exactly how antinomian Calvinists think about salvation through “imputation”: no repentance, no lordship, no relationship with God, no fear of Hell, no responsibility, no consequences, God just overlooks our sins! Instead of saying, “Geico can save you tons of money on car insurance,” the antinomian would say, “Well, Jesus died on the cross for my sins…” You’re right Geico. ITS A JOKE!
B(m)
I have traveled many moonless nights
D
Cold and weary with a babe inside
Bm7 Em G
And I wonder what I’ve done
Bm7 Em G
Holy Father, you have come
A(no3) G(no3) A(no3) B(m)
and chosen me now to carry your son
{simile}
I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
A(no3) G(no3) A(no3) D2(no3)
Be with me now, be with me now
{ refrain: }
D G D
Breath of heaven, hold me together
G Bm
be forever near me
D(no3)
Breath of heaven
D G D
Breath of heaven, lighten my darkness
G Bm
pour over me your holiness
Asus/E (A)
for you are holy,
B(m)
Breath of heaven
{simile}
Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan
A(no3) GA(no3) G(no3) A(no3) D2(no3)
Help me be strong, help me be, help me
{refrain}
Christmas: I say, “Keep the good, reject the bad.”
1. The Christmas Tree – Rather than allowing it to be remembered and used as a pagan idol of fertility and nature worship (Jeremiah 10:2-5), simply allow it to be used as a symbol of celebration of winter, of Christmas, of family get togethers (marked by genuine kindness), of generosity with gifts beneath it, of happiness with lights and ornaments upon it, of the star of Bethlehem with a star on top of it (or an angel), and the birth of Christ (with a nativity below it), knowing that God’s gift of salvation through Jesus is the foundation of charity and generosity which we celebrate at Christmas time. A Christmas tree is what you make of it. The pagans used evergreen trees in their homes, but they had faith in them as having magic power. Normal Christians operate under no such premise, so I believe Jeremiah does not speak to them.
2. Christmas Foods – As mentioned in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, your family can pig out (within reason) and celebrate the year’s rest from labors, which is a healthy thing to do, (considering the Sabbath rest we observe every Sunday,) under this Christmas break, we take a more extended sabbatical so to speak, and eat Christmas foods, such as “turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch.”
3. Christmas Carols – I prefer the traditional English carols from Great Britain. These are holy holiday hymns that stir your faith and offer a great point of contact for evangelistic outreach, something no doubt, that the Salvation Army takes advantage of to this day.
With all that being said, I believe anything related to Santa Claus should be removed from Christmas. Santa plays little to no role in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Rather, the holiday is seen as a time to celebrate love, family, and generosity, and with the incorporation of Christmas carols, the birth of Christ and God’s authority over family life. I say, remove all of the Santa Claus (or should I say Satan claws), mistletoe, and all of the useless magical paganism, and you’re still left with a decent holiday for Christians to celebrate. How many atheists and other unbelievers today are walking around with the idea that “God does not exist because Santa does not exist,” all because their parents, whom they trusted, who taught them about an invisible God who judges the world in righteousness, also lied to them about Santa Claus, an invisible supernatural man, who “makes a list, checks it twice, and is gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.” I believe the Santa Claus practice shakes children’s faith in God and in their parents; and is a devilish practice, yet its made out to look so good. Make Jesus Christ the center of your Christmas, not Santa Claus, make it a Jesus CHRISTmas, not a Satan Clawsmas. Let the angels sing of good will to men, not the magical elves from a fictitious North Pole. Remember what Jesus said, “If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in Me–to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6).
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are pretty much the starting point for any developed theology about God and Christianity. Without these patriarchs there would be no Bible, no people of Israel, and no theological basis for Jesus to come into the world and save the Jews and Gentiles. But through these three men, God has reached the whole world with a New Covenant of salvation: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now all who turn from sin, and live by faith in the cross of Christ, are sons and daughters of Abraham by faith. Their heritage is our heritage; their God is our God; their experiences relate to ours; their lives are completely relevant to our own lives as Christians, and how we can expect to relate to God.
1. Abraham’s Background. Abraham was the father of Isaac and grandfather of Jacob. He was a Semite, which means he descended from Shem, the son of Noah; and was born 292 years after the flood (Gen. 11:10-26). By then the world had embraced paganism and polytheism, and had turned away from God (probably culminating in the Tower of Babel in Babylon). Abraham’s father Terah was a worshiper of false gods (Josh. 24:2). Jewish tradition even says that Terah was a wicked (Numbers Rabbah 19:1; 19:33), idolatrous priest (Midrash HaGadol on Genesis 11:28) who manufactured idols (Eliyahu Rabbah 6, and Eliyahu Zuta 25). If the rabbis are to be trusted, then it means Abraham was the son of a mean-spirited pagan priest who made idols for a living. Abraham questioned the authenticity of his father’s religion and was perhaps still aware of the faith that Noah held to centuries before. Coming from a priestly family, he was probably literate, and was aware of the history and mythology of his people. He was from a city called Ur of the Chaldees, which scholars believe is located in the southern part of Iraq. The culture was Sumerian. Coincidentally, creationist scholars believe this same area might be the original location of the Garden of Eden, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet (Gen. 2:10-14), right above the Persian Gulf. Seeing that a ziggurat has been recovered in Ur, it is likely that Abraham’s father was there worshiping the moon god Nanna, who was later named Sin, by the Semites. Terah moved his family to Haran, which was another center for the worship of this moon god, but quite a bit north of Ur, near the border of modern Turkey and Syria.
2. Charismatic Experiences. Abraham is the third prophet in the book of Genesis, with Enoch and Noah apparently being the first and the second. This is not to say that many other men and women were without direct revelations in these times, but it seems these were the main representatives of the faith in the early history of the world, much like Moses, Elijah, Jesus, and the apostle Paul later came to be. All we know about Enoch is that he “walked with God” and was apparently raptured (Gen. 5:21-24); Noah heard God’s voice about the flood and the need for an ark, because of the violent and wicked nature of mankind–we see that Noah knew the difference between “clean” and “unclean” animals and performed an animal sacrifice for atonement (Gen. 8:20); Noah was also aware of signs from God, such as the rainbow, being a sign and a symbol that God would not flood the earth again in wrath, but would preserve it by His grace.
Charismatic experiences come much more into the picture when we look at the lives of Abraham and Jacob (but not so much Isaac). In this ancient theology of the patriarchs, we can clearly see God communicating with them directly through voices, open visions, dreams, meaningful coincidences (signs), and supernatural provisions (providences). Prayers for healing could be based on God speaking through a dream (Gen. 20:6-7, 17). What are not mentioned as means of revelation are things like impressions, closed visions, numerology, and pagan divinations. While it is possible the Holy Spirit spoke to the patriarchs through impressions, intuitions, and closed visions–these experiences were apparently not spectacular or noteworthy enough to merit being recorded in the book of Genesis as miraculous gifts.
3. The Life Contexts of Abraham and Jacob When They Received Revelations. I think this is the most interesting part of the lives of Abraham and Jacob. This is where things get really relevant to the lives of Christians today.
When we look at Abraham’s life, we see he heard God’s voice tell him to leave his pagan family in Haran and go to Canaan (Gen. 12:1); God promised him that his name would be great (vv. 2-3). Once he reached Canaan, he had an open vision of God (v. 7); and he built an altar to God at that location as a memorial to honor God for the experience. Shortly after this, a famine swept over the land (v. 10); and he took his family down to Egypt where they could survive better. Pharaoh took Sarai, Abraham’s wife, away from him, but God intervened with a dream and made Pharaoh sick, and sent them out of Egypt with riches (v. 17). Lot, Abraham’s nephew, eventually began to quarrel with him about property lines, but Abraham wanted to live in peace, and proposed that they live in different areas (Gen. 13:8-9). Lot chose to live nearby Sodom and Gomorrah, which eventually corrupted him. Immediately after Lot left, Abraham heard God’s voice promise the whole land of Canaan to him and his descendants (vv. 14-17); he then had another open vision of God (15:1) and again he was promised the land of Canaan and a son. In this vision, God commanded him to do animal sacrifices (vv. 4, 9); after he was done, he was “slain in the Spirit,” fell asleep, and had a dream where God told him that his descendants would be slaves in Egypt for 400 years; then he woke up and saw an open vision of a fire pot floating between the separated animal parts that he cut apart for the sacrifice, and God promised him again (vv. 12-18). Abraham had an open vision of God where he was told to establish the covenant of circumcision (17:1); and after this experience God flew up from him (or ascended into Heaven) (v. 22). God saw Lot in the midst of Sodom and Gomorrah, with their mean-spirited homosexuals, and decided to destroy these cities with fire and brimstone from heaven. Abraham was told about this beforehand by an open vision of God and two angels (18:1)–God was determined to preserve a righteous line of descendants through Abraham (18:19). Again, there was another occasion where a pagan king named Abimelech took Sarah from Abraham, but God intervened with a dream and sickness and healing prayer from Abraham, and Sarah was delivered (20:3, 6-7, 17). Although God had previously promised that the righteous lineage would continue through Isaac, Abraham’s obedience to God was tested one day when he heard God’s voice command him to sacrifice Isaac on an altar (22:2), but when he was about to kill him, he saw an open vision of God (the angel of the Lord) tell him to stop, and that he had passed the test of obedience (v. 11, 15). Abraham walked in the fear of God (v. 12) and God took care of him through providence, or supernatural coincidences resulting in provisions for needs (v. 13).
When we look at Isaac’s life, there is very little of the prophetic that is mentioned in Genesis, but it is likely he had miraculous gifts like words of knowledge and the gift of prophecy from time to time, because his father and his son certainly did.
When we look at Jacob’s life, we see that God and angels appeared to him in a dream and promised him the land of Canaan (Gen. 28:10-15). Jacob, still unsure of his faith in his younger years, vowed an oath of lifelong commitment to the Lord provided that God would take care of all of his material needs (providence) (vv. 20-22). Jacob had an unbelieving and hostile brother named Esau, from which he escaped to live in Haran with his uncle Laban, and soon to be father-in-law. Just like Abraham, Jacob lived in pagan Haran with pagan relatives and questioned their practices in his heart. But he worked for Laban, a rude and deceptive farm manager, for a total of 20 years. Still unclear about what did and did not please God, Jacob accepted the pagan custom of polygamy (as did Abraham with Hagar), and was given a total of four wives from Laban: Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah (these last two being servants of the first two) (Gen. 29-30; 30:14; 31:19, 27). But Rachel was the only wife that Jacob had a genuine romantic relationship with. (God later clarified through revelation to Moses that polygamy is against His will, see Lev. 18:18 regarding sisters not sharing the same husband and Deut. 17:17 regarding the kings of Israel not multiplying wives. This goes to show the tremendous grace of God toward Jacob’s ignorance of God’s ways! But all his great-grandkids ended up as slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Paul later clarified: the pastor is to be “the husband of one wife,” 1 Tim. 3:2.) But through these four wives, Jacob begat the twelve sons from which we get the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph turned out to be the only son that was prophetic (and incidentally enough,) the only son that a tribe was not named after. Jacob had love at first sight when he saw Rachel and a coincidental sign of providence when she said she was Laban’s daughter, the very man he was searching for (Gen. 29:6, 11). The time came when Laban became more hostile towards Jacob and God’s voice told Jacob to leave Haran and go back to Canaan (31:3). Before this, Jacob miraculously out bred Laban’s share of livestock by faith in a dream he received from God (31:10-12)–when Laban found out, he was very angry and began to pursue Jacob after he left in secret. God spoke to Laban in a dream, telling him to leave Jacob alone (31:24); upon arriving in Canaan, Jacob saw an open vision of angels (32:1-2); in between Laban and Esau, and coming up to see Esau after 20 years, Jacob saw a physical open vision of God, known as a theophany, where he wrestled with Him and saw God’s face up close and personal all night long, ending in God twisting the socket of his thigh, and giving him a limp for the rest of his life (32:22-32)–this experience was to show Jacob that God was with him and that his fight with Laban and Esau would soon be over with and he would survive. Both Jacob and Rachel came from dysfunctional families. Jacob had a brief, but terrifying, diplomatic “tea party” encounter with Esau (Gen. 33), and then never saw him again until their father’s funeral. There is another occasion when Jacob heard God’s voice (35:1) and saw an open vision of God (vv. 9-13).
4. What Can We Learn From the Patriarchs?
(1.) Abraham had a mean-spirited father who was a pagan priest. He obviously did not get along with his dad, let alone his other family members, especially once he started questioning his family’s religion. God not only allowed, but directly commanded Abraham to leave his family permanently (Gen. 12:1). One Jewish tradition even says that Abraham’s father took him to Nimrod to have him thrown into a fiery furnace, but just like in the book of Daniel, he escaped the flames. Lesson learned? Abraham came from a pagan and dysfunctional family, but his heart wanted to know the true God in the midst of this. This often happens to rejected family members who don’t feel loved: they reach out to know the true God, the one source of love from whom they can find true acceptance and support.
(2.) We see that God has wrath for the wicked (namely, the violent, the unkind, the homosexual): that God’s wrath has a tipping point, which turns into physical punishments and even death. Animal sacrifices were revealed by God through dreams and visions as a way of expressing a desire to have sins atoned for, repented of, and forgiven by God. The wrath of God, a repentant heart, and the need for atonement–all Gospel themes–have existed since the earliest days of earth’s history.
(3.) God communicated with men directly through voices, open visions, dreams, meaningful coincidences (signs), and supernatural provisions (providences). He still does this today (Acts 2:17). Other than the Bible, I’d say the best book on this subject would be Jack Deere’s Surprised by the Voice of God.
(4.) Those who follow God will have enemies inspired by Satan, who will try to attack you, wear you down, and steal from you. Whether it’s someone like Pharaoh, Abimelech, Lot, Esau, or Laban, you can be sure that the devil will put enemies in your path (whether family members, in-laws, co-workers, or government leaders). But if you are faithful to God in your heart, then He will deliver you from them all eventually. How? Righteous lying, dreams from God, separation, and cutting off communication. Those who follow God don’t have time to let themselves live their whole lives abused, mistreated, and living without peace. Its too distracting. You can’t focus on God if you’re around such people.
(5.) God wants our children to be nurtured and trained to be a righteous lineage of descendants. One thing though: avoid adultery, sexual immorality, polygamy, and pornography. Look what happened with Ishmael and the sons of Jacob: look what happened to the sons of David and Solomon–total division and hostility in the family relations. We need to keep the family line as sexually pure as possible, and monogamous. Nurturing the children, teaching them about the law of God, and the Gospel of Christ.
Further Material.
The Bible: In the Beginning (1966) – This is the best movie about Noah, the Tower of Babel, and Abraham. There are, however, quasi-pornographic scenes (Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden) and a scene with Sarah in the bedroom.
Jacob (1994) – Partial nudity in bedroom between Jacob and Leah; several d-words used. Other than this, its a pretty good rendition of Jacob’s life (charismatic experiences too).
The Bible: The Epic Miniseries: Episode 1: In the Beginning (2013) – This is a pretty good rendition about Abraham, but the angels in Sodom use swords to kill people (artistic license).
F. B. Meyer’s Abraham: The Obedience of Faith.
C. F. Pfeiffer’s The Patriarchal Age.
Originally from here.
Edit: Pseudo-Dionysius‘ (I reject the claim he was a Neoplatonist) writing style is very hard to follow. Its a stream-of-consciousness, flow of thought, that uses weird words. But its clear that he interpreted James 1:17 as implying that not only do Jesus and God the Father appear in visions of light (through the Holy Spirit)–for example, on the Mount of Transfiguration, or what the hesychasts call the Tabor Light…but also the “heavenly hierarchies” and “heavenly beings” (angels) appear in visions of light to men, which light symbolizes enlightenment of the mind, or revelation.
To my Fellow Presbyter Timothy.1 Dionysius the Presbyter.
That every divine illumination, whilst going forth lovingly to the objects of its forethought under various forms, remains simplex. Nor is this all. It also unifies the things illuminated.
Section I.
“Every good gift2 and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights” (James 1:17).
Further also, every procession of illuminating light, proceeding from the Father, whilst visiting us as a gift of goodness, restores us again gradually as an unifying power, and turns us to the oneness of our conducting Father, and to a deifying simplicity. For 3 all things are from Him, and to Him, as said the Sacred Word.
Section II.
Invoking then Jesus, the Paternal Light, the Real, the True, “which lighteth4 every man coming into |2 the world,” “through 5 Whom we have access to the Father,” Source of Light, let us aspire, as far as is attainable, to the illuminations handed down by our fathers in the most sacred Oracles, and let us gaze, as we may, upon the Hierarchies of the Heavenly Minds manifested by them symbolically for our instruction. And when we have received, with immaterial and unflinching mental 6 eyes, the gift of Light, primal and super-primal, of the supremely Divine Father, which manifests to us the most blessed Hierarchies of the Angels in types and symbols, let us then, from it, be elevated to its simple splendour 7. For it never loses its own unique inwardness, but multiplied and going forth, as becomes its goodness, for an elevating and unifying blending of the objects of its care, remains firmly and solitarily centred within itself in its unmoved sameness; and raises, according to their capacity, those who lawfully aspire to it, and makes them one, after the example of its own unifying oneness. For it is not possible that the supremely Divine Ray should otherwise illuminate us, except so far as it is enveloped, for the purpose of instruction, in variegated sacred veils, and arranged naturally and appropriately, for such as we are, by paternal forethought.
Section III.
Wherefore, the Divine Institution of sacred Rites, having deemed it worthy of the supermundane |3 imitation of the Heavenly Hierarchies, and having depicted the aforesaid immaterial Hierarchies in material figures and bodily compositions, in order that we might be borne, as far as our capacity permits, from the most sacred pictures to the instructions and similitudes without symbol and without type, transmitted to us our most Holy Hierarchy. For it is not possible for our mind to be raised to that immaterial representation and contemplation of the Heavenly Hierarchies (angels), without using the material guidance suitable to itself, accounting the visible 8 beauties as reflections of the invisible comeliness; and the sweet 9 odours of the senses as emblems of the spiritual distribution; and the material 10 lights as a likeness of the gift of the immaterial enlightenment; and the detailed sacred instructions 11, of the feast of contemplation within the mind; and the ranks 12 of the orders here, of the harmonious and regulated habit, with regard to Divine things; and the reception of the most Divine Eucharist, of the partaking 13 of Jesus, and whatever other things were transmitted to Heavenly Beings supermundanely, but to us symbolically.
For the sake, then, of this our proportioned deification (growth in godliness), the philanthropic Source of sacred mysteries, by manifesting the Heavenly Hierarchies to us, and constituting our Hierarchy as fellow-ministers with them, through our imitation of their Godlike |4 priestliness 14, so far as in us lies, described under sensible likeness the supercelestial Minds, in the inspired compositions of the Oracles, in order that It might lead us through the sensible to the intelligible 15, and from inspired symbols to the simple sublimities of the Heavenly Hierarchies.
—
1. a I Pet. v. 1.
Originally from here.
The original author of the Roman Ritual and this Rite of Exorcism was Giulio Antonio Santorio, who had completed his work in 1586. The English translation that this version is based on was made by Philip Weller in 1964.
1. The pastor delegated by the council to perform this office should first go to confession or at least elicit an act of contrition, and, if convenient, take the Lord’s Supper, and implore God’s help in other fervent prayers. He dresses just as he would on Sunday morning. Having before him the person possessed (who should be bound if there is any danger), he traces the sign of the cross over him, over himself, and the bystanders, and then sprinkles all of them with holy water. After this he kneels and says the Lord’s Prayer, exclusive of the prayers which follow it. All present are to make the responses. At the end of the prayer he adds the following:
Antiphon: Do not keep in mind, O Lord, our offenses or those of our parents, nor take vengeance on our sins.
The Lord’s Prayer a second time (the rest inaudibly until:)
P: And lead us not into temptation.
All: But deliver us from evil.
Psalm 53
After the psalm the pastor continues:
P: Save your servant.
All: Who trusts in you, my God.
P: Let him (her) find in you, Lord, a fortified tower.
All: In the face of the enemy.
P: Let the enemy have no power over him (her).
All: And the son of iniquity be powerless to harm him (her). Lord, send him (her) aid from your holy place.
All: And watch over him (her) from Heaven.
P: Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry be heard by you.
P: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you. Let us pray. God, whose nature is ever merciful and forgiving, accept our prayer that this servant of yours, bound by the fetters of sin, may be pardoned by your loving kindness. Holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who once and for all consigned that fallen and apostate tyrant to the flames of Hell, who sent your only-begotten Son into the world to crush that roaring lion; hasten to our call for help, and snatch from ruination, and from the clutches of the noonday devil, this human being made in your image and likeness. Strike terror, Lord, into the beast now laying waste your vineyard. Fill your servants with courage to fight manfully against that reprobate dragon, lest he despise those who put their trust in you, and say with Pharaoh of old: “I know not God, nor will I set Israel free.” Let your mighty hand cast him out of your servant, Name, + so he may no longer hold captive this person whom it pleased you to make in your image, and to redeem through your Son; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
All: Amen.
2. Then he commands the demon as follows: I command you, unclean spirit, whoever you are, along with all your minions now attacking this servant of God, by the mysteries of the incarnation, passion, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the descent of the Holy Spirit, by the coming of our Lord for judgment, that you tell me by some sign your name, and the day and hour of your departure. I command you, moreover, to obey me to the letter, I who am a minister of God despite my unworthiness; nor shall you be emboldened to harm in any way this creature of God, or the bystanders, or any of their possessions.
3. Next he reads over the possessed person these selections from the Gospel, or at least one of them. A reading from the Gospel of John (1:1-14). As he says these opening words he signs himself and the possessed on the brow, lips, and breast. A reading from the Gospel of Mark (16:15-18): At that time Jesus said to His disciples: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” A reading from the Gospel of Luke (10:17-20): “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven.” A reading from the Gospel of Luke (11:14-22): “And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.”
P: Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry be heard by you.
P: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you.
P: Let us pray. Almighty Lord, Word of God the Father, Jesus Christ, God and Lord of all creation; who gave to your holy apostles the power to trample underfoot serpents and scorpions; who along with the other mandates to work miracles was pleased to grant them the authority to say: “Depart, you devils!” and by whose might Satan was made to fall from heaven like lightning; I humbly call on your holy name in fear and trembling, asking that you grant me, your unworthy servant, pardon for all my sins, steadfast faith, and the power–supported by your mighty arm–to confront with confidence and resolution this cruel demon. I ask this through you, Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, who are coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire.
All: Amen.
4. Next he makes the sign of the cross over himself and the one possessed, holds a crucifix in front of the latter’s eyes, and, putting his right hand on the latter’s head, he says the following in tones filled with confidence and faith:
P: See the cross of the Lord; begone, you hostile powers!
All: The stem of David, the lion of Judah’s tribe has conquered.
P: Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry be heard by you.
P: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you. Let us pray. God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I appeal to your holy name, humbly begging your kindness, that you graciously grant me help against this and every unclean spirit now tormenting this creature of yours; through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Exorcism
I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every satanic power of the enemy, every specter from Hell, and all your fallen companions; in the name of our Lord Jesus + Christ… Begone and stay far from this creature of God! + For it is He who commands you, He who flung you headlong from the heights of Heaven into the depths of Hell. It is He who commands you, He who once stilled the sea and the wind and the storm. Hearken, therefore, and tremble in fear, you demon, you enemy of the faith, you foe of the human race, you begetter of death, you robber of life, you corrupter of justice, you root of all evil and vice, seducer of men, betrayer of the nations, instigator of jealousy, fountain of greed, inciter of discord, author of pain and sorrow. Why, then, do you stand and resist, knowing as you must that Christ the Lord brings your plans to nothing? Fear Him, who in Isaac was offered in sacrifice, in Joseph sold into bondage, slain as the paschal lamb, crucified as man, yet triumphed over the powers of Hell. (The three signs of the cross which follow are traced on the brow of the possessed person)…Begone, then, in the name of the Father, + and of the Son, + and of the Holy + Spirit. Give place to the Holy Spirit by this sign of the holy + cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
All: Amen.
P: Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry be heard by you.
P: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you.
P: Let us pray. God, creator and defender of the human race, who made man in your own image, look down in pity on this your servant, Name, now in the toils of the unclean spirit, now caught up in the fearsome threats of man’s ancient enemy, sworn foe of our race, who befuddles and stupefies the human mind, throws it into terror, overwhelms it with fear and panic. Repel, O Lord, the devil’s power, break asunder his snares and traps, put the unholy tempter to flight. By the sign + (on the brow) of your name, let your servant be protected in mind and body. (The three crosses which follow are traced on the breast of the possessed person). Keep watch over the inmost recesses of his (her) + heart; rule over his (her) + emotions; strengthen his (her) + will. Let the temptations of this mighty enemy vanish from his (her) soul. Graciously grant, O Lord, as we call on your holy name, that the evil spirit, who hitherto terrorized over us, may himself retreat in terror and defeat, so that this servant of yours may sincerely and steadfastly render you the service which is your due; through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Exorcism
I command you, ancient serpent, by the judge of the living and the dead, by your Creator, by the Creator of the whole universe, by Him who has the power to consign you to Hell, to leave immediately in fear, along with your savage subordinate demons, from this servant of God, Name, who seeks refuge in Jesus and the true church. I command you again, + (on the brow) not by my weakness but by the might of the Holy Spirit, to depart from this servant of God, Name, whom almighty God has made in His image. Yield, therefore, yield not to my own person but to the minister of Christ. For it is the power of Christ that forces you, who brought you low by His cross. Tremble before that mighty arm that broke asunder the dark prison walls and led forth souls to light. May the trembling that afflicts this human frame, + (on the breast) the fear that afflicts this image (on the brow) of God, descend on you. Make no resistance nor delay in leaving this man (woman), for it has pleased Christ to dwell in man. Do not think of despising my command because you know me to be a great sinner. It is God + Himself who commands you; the majestic Christ + who commands you. God the Father + commands you; God the Son + commands you; God the Holy + Spirit commands you. The mystery of the cross commands + you. The faith of the holy apostles Peter and Paul and of all the saints commands + you. The blood of the martyrs commands + you. The devout prayers of all holy men and women command + you. The saving mysteries of our Christian faith command + you. DEPART, then, transgressor! COME OUT, you seducer, full of lies and cunning, foe of virtue, persecutor of the innocent! Give place, abominable creature, give way, you monster, give way to Christ! For He has already stripped you of your powers and laid waste your kingdom, bound you prisoner and plundered your weapons. He has cast you forth into the outer darkness, where everlasting ruin awaits you and your allies. To what purpose do you insolently resist? To what purpose do you brazenly refuse? We are submitting to God, and resisting you, so that you will flee from this man (woman). You are guilty before almighty God, whose laws you have transgressed. You are guilty before His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom you presumed to tempt, whom you dared to nail to the cross. You are guilty before the whole human race, whom you enticed to drink from the poisoned cup of death. Therefore, I command you, wasteful dragon, in the name of the spotless + Lamb, who has trodden down the viper and the basilisk, and overcome the lion and the dragon, to depart from this man (woman) + (on the brow), to depart from the Church of God + (signing the bystanders). Tremble and flee, as we call on the name of the Lord, before whom the inhabitants of Hell cower, to whom the heavenly Virtues and Powers and Dominions are subject, whom the Cherubim and Seraphim praise with unending cries as they sing: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts. The Word made flesh + commands you; the Son of God + commands you; Jesus + of Nazareth commands you, who once, when you despised His disciples, forced you to flee in shameful defeat from a man; and when He had cast you out you did not even dare, except by His leave, to enter into a herd of swine. And now as I adjure you in His + name, GET OUT of this man (woman) who is His creature. It is useless to resist His + will. It is hard for you to kick against the + pricks. The longer you delay, the heavier your punishment will be; for it is not men you are despising, but rather Him who rules the living and the dead, who is coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire.
All: Amen.
P: Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry be heard by you.
P: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you. Let us pray. God of Heaven and earth, God of the angels and archangels, God of the prophets and apostles, God of the martyrs and virgins, God who has power to bestow life after death and rest after toil; for there is no other God than you, nor can there be another true God beside you, the Creator of Heaven and earth, who are truly a King, whose kingdom is without end; we humbly entreat your glorious majesty to deliver this servant of yours from the unclean spirits; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Exorcism
Therefore, I command you and every unclean spirit, every spirit from Hell, every satanic power, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was led into the desert after His baptism by John to vanquish you in your fortress, to cease your assaults against the creature whom He has formed from the dust of the earth for His own honor and glory; to shrink with fear at the sight of this man (woman), seeing in him (her) the image of almighty God, rather than his (her) state of human frailty. Yield then to God, + who by His servant, Moses, cast you and your malice, in the person of Pharaoh and his army, into the depths of the sea. Yield to God, + who, by the singing of psalms on the part of David, His faithful servant, banished you from the heart of King Saul. Yield to God, + who condemned you in the person of Judas Iscariot, the traitor. For He now flails you with His divine scourges, + He in whose sight you and your legions once cried out: “What have we to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Have you come to torture us before the time?” Now He is driving you back into the everlasting fire, He who at the end of time will say to the wicked: “Depart from me, you accursed, into the everlasting fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” For you, O evil one, and for your followers there will be worms that never die. An unquenchable fire stands ready for you and for your minions, you prince of accursed murderers, father of lust, instigator of blasphemies, model of obscenity, promoter of heresies, inventor of every profanity. DEPART, then, + impious one, DEPART, + accursed one, DEPART with all your deceits, for God has willed that man should be His temple. Why do you still linger here? Give honor to God the Father + almighty, before whom every knee must bow. Give place to the Lord Jesus + Christ, who shed His most precious blood for man. Give place to the Holy + Spirit, who by His blessed apostle Peter openly struck you down in the person of Simon Magus; who cursed your lies in Annas and Saphira; who smote you in King Herod because he had not given honor to God; who by His apostle Paul afflicted you with the night of blindness in the magician Elymas, and by the mouth of the same apostle bade you to go out of Pythonissa, the soothsayer. BEGONE, + now! BEGONE, + seducer! Your place is in solitude; your abode is in the nest of serpents; get down and crawl with them. This matter takes no delay; for see, the Lord, the ruler comes quickly, kindling fire before Him, and it will run on ahead of Him and encompass His enemies in flames. You might delude man, but God you cannot mock. It is He who CASTS YOU OUT, from whose sight nothing is hidden. It is He who repels you, to whose might all things are subject. It is He who EXPELS YOU, He who has prepared everlasting Hell-fire for you and your demons, from whose mouth shall come a sharp sword, who is coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire.
All: Amen.
5. All the above may be repeated as long as necessary, until the one possessed has been fully freed.
6. It will also help to say devoutly and often over the afflicted person the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostle’s Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.
P: Whoever wills to be saved
* must before all else hold fast to repentance and faith in the cross.
All: Unless one keeps this faith whole and untarnished,
* without doubt he will perish forever.
P: Now this is the summary of our faith:
* that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity;
All: Neither confusing the Persons one with the other,
* nor making a distinction in their nature.
P: For the Father is a distinct Person; and so is the Son,
* and so is the Holy Spirit.
All: Yet the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit possess one Godhead,
* co-equal glory, co-eternal majesty.
P: As the Father is, so is the Son,
* so also is the Holy Spirit.
All: The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated,
* the Holy Spirit is uncreated.
P: The Father is infinite, the Son is infinite,
* the Holy Spirit is infinite.
All: The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal,
* the Holy Spirit is eternal.
P: Yet they are not three eternals,
* but one eternal God.
All: Even as they are not three uncreated, or three infinites,
* but one uncreated and one infinite God.
P: So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty,
* the Holy Spirit is almighty.
All: Yet they are not three almighties,
* but they are the one Almighty.
P: Thus the Father is God, the Son is God,
* the Holy Spirit is God.
All: Yet they are not three gods,
* but one God.
P: Thus the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord,
* the Holy Spirit is Lord.
All: Yet there are not three lords,
* but one Lord.
P: For just as Christian truth compels us to profess that each Person is individually God and Lord,
* so does the Christian faith forbid us to hold that there are three gods or lords.
All: The Father was not made by any power;
* He was neither created nor begotten.
P: The Son is from the Father alone,
* neither created nor made, but begotten.
All: The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son,
* neither made nor created nor begotten, but He proceeds.
P: So there is one Father, not three; one Son, not three;
* one Holy Spirit, not three.
All: And in this Trinity one Person is not earlier or later, nor is one greater or less;
* but all three Persons are co-eternal and co-equal.
P: In every way, then, as already affirmed,
* unity in Trinity and Trinity in unity is to be worshiped.
All: Whoever, then, wills to be saved
* must agree with this doctrine of the Blessed Trinity.
P: But it is necessary for everlasting salvation
* that one also firmly believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
All: True faith, then, requires us to believe and profess
* that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and man.
P: He is God, begotten of the substance of the Father from eternity;
* He is man, born in time of the substance of His mother.
All: He is perfect God, and perfect man
* subsisting in a rational soul and a human body.
P: He is equal to the Father in His divine nature,
* but less than the Father in His human nature.
All: And though He is God and man,
* yet He is the one Christ, not two.
P: One, however, not by any change of divinity into flesh,
* but by the act of God assuming a human nature.
All: He is one only, not by a mixture of substance,
* but by the oneness of His Person.
P: For, somewhat as the rational soul and the body compose one man,
* so Christ is one Person who is both God and man;
All: Who suffered for our salvation, who descended into Hell,
* who rose again the third day from the dead;
P: Who ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty,
* from there He shall come to judge both the living and the dead.
All: At His coming all men shall rise again in their bodies,
* and shall give an account of their works.
P: And those who have done good shall enter into everlasting life,
* but those who have done evil into everlasting fire.
All: All this is Christian faith,
* and unless one believes it truly and firmly one cannot be saved.
P: Glory be to the Father.
All: As it was in the beginning.
[Here follow a large number of psalms which may be used at the exorcist’s discretion but are not a necessary part of the rite. Some of them occur in other parts of the Rite and are so indicated; the others may be taken from the Psalter. Psalm 90; psalm 67; psalm 69; psalm 53; psalm 117; psalm 34; psalm 30; psalm 21, psalm 3; psalm 10; psalm 12.]
Prayer Following Deliverance
P: Almighty God, we beg you to keep the evil spirit from further bothering this servant of yours, and to keep him far away, never to return. At your command, O Lord, may the goodness and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, take possession of this man (woman). May we no longer fear any evil since the Lord is with us; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
All: Amen.
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