Cary G Dean.
Big Brother research archive
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1. THE CONCERN
"A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head,
soon led me to know I had nothing to dread."
-Twas' the Night Before Christmas, Clement C. Moore
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Dr. Terry Watkins, Th.D. | Dial-the-Truth Ministries |
And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matt: 18:6
Who, REALLY, is this man we affectionately call Santa Claus?
What do we REALLY know about Santa? Is Santa just a jolly, harmless, friendly fellow?
Or is there something or someone else hiding behind jolly ol' St. Nick? Before we look at Santa, let us establish some basic Scripture facts:
The Scripture clearly teaches a powerful, rebellious, subtle, evil being called the Devil, Lucifer or Satan.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:9.
The Scripture teaches Satan rebelled against God. Satan rebelled because he desires to be like God. Satan's mission is to de-throne God and persuade mankind to rebel against God.
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:12-14.
The Scripture teaches Satan's primary attack is the most vulnerable. In Luke 10:18, Christ compares Satan to lightning, "I beheld Satan as a lightning fall from heaven". Lightning, like Satan, always travels the path of least resistance.
The Scripture also likens the devil to a "roaring lion" The lion is a predator of opportunity. The lion looks for the injured, the youngest, the smallest, or the weakest - the one with the least ability to run or fight.
So it is with Satan. He is actively "seeking" those "whom he may devour".
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8.
The great German Reformer, Martin Luther writes in his Table Talks:
"The devil plagues and torments us in the place where we are most tender and weak. In Paradise, he fell not upon Adam, but upon Eve."
(The Table Talk of Martin Luther, #424)
The most vulnerable and least resistance are our children. It is no accident that Christ distinctively warns several times against harming or offending these "little ones".
1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:1-6.
Without question the most fertile time in the average person's life for receiving and trusting and getting their faith is the pre-teen years. Any church bus worker or youth worker knows young children are very receptive.
For children that child-like faith is natural. As we get older; the sensual, youthful lusts and logical, carnal mind begin to dominate our lives. And as that happens, our heart becomes hardened and seared to the spiritual things of God.
Barna Research Group published a survey conducted among teenagers titled Third Millennium Teens. Under the subtitle "Displacing the Myths," the report said:
The Myth:
The teen years are evangelistically productive.
The Reality:
If they're not saved by age 13, they probably never will be. (Barna 65).
The report goes on to say, "The data shows clearly that the prime evangelistic years are those before a person becomes a teenager." (Barna 65)
If the most productive time of salvation are the pre-teen years, and if the pre-teen years are the most vulnerable - does it not stand to reason that Satan would fiercely attack this time? Can we not see the overwhelming evidence of this Satanic attack on our children?
From the sexual, sensual music of Britney Spears, or Nsync, to the occult and witchcraft of Harry Potter - there is an attack aimed directly at our children.
It is assaulting them from the TV, the music, the Internet, the peer pressure, the public schools - Satan literally "seeks" to "devour our children" into every nook and cranny.
Many parents have been "lullabied to sleep" with the deception that our children are innocently immune to the attack of Satan.
There is a false security that believes our children will naturally "grow out of it" or "they're just sowing their wild oats" or maybe "they're just being kids", "Boy's will be Boy's".
In Proverbs 22:6, the Scripture explains the lifelong fruits of training a young child in the way he should go. That early training is so strong and so deep - as that child grows and matures - they will not depart from it.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
But. . The flip side is: if that same child is trained by the ways of Satan and the world, chances are that child will not depart from it.
George Harrison, a devout follower of the Hindu god, Krishna, understood this life-long influence, Harrison told Rolling Stone Magazine:
"The main thing is to get the kids. . . nail you when you're young and brainwash you, then they've got you for the rest of your life."
George Harrison, Beatles, (Loose Talk, Rolling Stone Magazine, p. 70).
It has been stated the foundation of a child is shaped by the time that child is five-years-old, maybe sooner. Without question, the early pre-teen or "Santa Claus years" are some of the most important in a person's life-long development. It has been truthfully said, "The hand that rocks the cradle controls the world."
And believe me. . . Satan knows this!
That brings us to Santa. . .
Where does Santa Claus fit into the life of a young child? What about the teaching of Santa Claus in the psyche of a child? Is there more to jolly old St. Nick than meets the eye? Is Santa a clever, seemingly harmless, subtle (see Genesis 3:1) attempt to question the truthfulness of God? Is Santa the handiwork of Satan?
Remember the harmless question the subtle serpent asks Eve in the garden? "Yea, hath God said,. . .?" So slight. . . So simple. . .
And yet so deadly. . .
Not only that but Satan's attack is not necessarily evil, or bad. In fact, it can be good, or even pleasant. The subtle temptation of Genesis reveals Satan's clever "good and pleasant" message.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:6
As Eve saw the forbidden fruit, it was good and it was pleasant - and yet it was deadly.
The Devil is a master of disguise. He can make it appear good, pleasant, and seemingly so innocent - and yet it is deadly! The Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 11:14, "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light" He does not appear with horns and a pitch fork breathing fire.
He might just appear as a pleasant, friendly, fellow, with "a broad face and a round Fat belly, That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly. . ."
Could Santa Claus be a subtle, clever attack on our children to confuse, doubt and rob their God-ordained "child like" faith? Satan knows, if he can somehow get that child through those fruitful early years without getting faith - his goal of eternal damnation in hell increases substantially.
In Pt 2 we will take a closer look at this "SANTA CLAUS"?.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8.
(This is the Article that woke me up to this concept, which produced my first Blog
XMAS DEVIL).
About the Author:
---------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Terry Watkins, Th.D.
Dial-the-Truth Ministries
---------------------------------------------------------------
Who, REALLY, is this man we affectionately call Santa Claus?
What do we REALLY know about Santa? Is Santa just a jolly, harmless, friendly fellow?
Or is there something or someone else hiding behind jolly ol' St. Nick? Before we look at Santa, let us establish some basic Scripture facts:
The Scripture clearly teaches a powerful, rebellious, subtle, evil being called the Devil, Lucifer or Satan.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:9.
The Scripture teaches Satan rebelled against God. Satan rebelled because he desires to be like God. Satan's mission is to de-throne God and persuade mankind to rebel against God.
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:12-14.
The Scripture teaches Satan's primary attack is the most vulnerable. In Luke 10:18, Christ compares Satan to lightning, "I beheld Satan as a lightning fall from heaven". Lightning, like Satan, always travels the path of least resistance.
The Scripture also likens the devil to a "roaring lion" The lion is a predator of opportunity. The lion looks for the injured, the youngest, the smallest, or the weakest - the one with the least ability to run or fight.
So it is with Satan. He is actively "seeking" those "whom he may devour".
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8.
The great German Reformer, Martin Luther writes in his Table Talks:
"The devil plagues and torments us in the place where we are most tender and weak. In Paradise, he fell not upon Adam, but upon Eve."
(The Table Talk of Martin Luther, #424)
The most vulnerable and least resistance are our children. It is no accident that Christ distinctively warns several times against harming or offending these "little ones".
1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:1-6.
Without question the most fertile time in the average person's life for receiving and trusting and getting their faith is the pre-teen years. Any church bus worker or youth worker knows young children are very receptive.
For children that child-like faith is natural. As we get older; the sensual, youthful lusts and logical, carnal mind begin to dominate our lives. And as that happens, our heart becomes hardened and seared to the spiritual things of God.
Barna Research Group published a survey conducted among teenagers titled Third Millennium Teens. Under the subtitle "Displacing the Myths," the report said:
The Myth:
The teen years are evangelistically productive.
The Reality:
If they're not saved by age 13, they probably never will be. (Barna 65).
The report goes on to say, "The data shows clearly that the prime evangelistic years are those before a person becomes a teenager." (Barna 65)
If the most productive time of salvation are the pre-teen years, and if the pre-teen years are the most vulnerable - does it not stand to reason that Satan would fiercely attack this time? Can we not see the overwhelming evidence of this Satanic attack on our children?
From the sexual, sensual music of Britney Spears, or Nsync, to the occult and witchcraft of Harry Potter - there is an attack aimed directly at our children.
It is assaulting them from the TV, the music, the Internet, the peer pressure, the public schools - Satan literally "seeks" to "devour our children" into every nook and cranny.
Many parents have been "lullabied to sleep" with the deception that our children are innocently immune to the attack of Satan.
There is a false security that believes our children will naturally "grow out of it" or "they're just sowing their wild oats" or maybe "they're just being kids", "Boy's will be Boy's".
In Proverbs 22:6, the Scripture explains the lifelong fruits of training a young child in the way he should go. That early training is so strong and so deep - as that child grows and matures - they will not depart from it.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
But. . The flip side is: if that same child is trained by the ways of Satan and the world, chances are that child will not depart from it.
George Harrison, a devout follower of the Hindu god, Krishna, understood this life-long influence, Harrison told Rolling Stone Magazine:
"The main thing is to get the kids. . . nail you when you're young and brainwash you, then they've got you for the rest of your life."
George Harrison, Beatles, (Loose Talk, Rolling Stone Magazine, p. 70).
It has been stated the foundation of a child is shaped by the time that child is five-years-old, maybe sooner. Without question, the early pre-teen or "Santa Claus years" are some of the most important in a person's life-long development. It has been truthfully said, "The hand that rocks the cradle controls the world."
And believe me. . . Satan knows this!
That brings us to Santa. . .
Where does Santa Claus fit into the life of a young child? What about the teaching of Santa Claus in the psyche of a child? Is there more to jolly old St. Nick than meets the eye? Is Santa a clever, seemingly harmless, subtle (see Genesis 3:1) attempt to question the truthfulness of God? Is Santa the handiwork of Satan?
Remember the harmless question the subtle serpent asks Eve in the garden? "Yea, hath God said,. . .?" So slight. . . So simple. . .
And yet so deadly. . .
Not only that but Satan's attack is not necessarily evil, or bad. In fact, it can be good, or even pleasant. The subtle temptation of Genesis reveals Satan's clever "good and pleasant" message.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:6
As Eve saw the forbidden fruit, it was good and it was pleasant - and yet it was deadly.
The Devil is a master of disguise. He can make it appear good, pleasant, and seemingly so innocent - and yet it is deadly! The Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 11:14, "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light" He does not appear with horns and a pitch fork breathing fire.
He might just appear as a pleasant, friendly, fellow, with "a broad face and a round Fat belly, That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly. . ."
Could Santa Claus be a subtle, clever attack on our children to confuse, doubt and rob their God-ordained "child like" faith? Satan knows, if he can somehow get that child through those fruitful early years without getting faith - his goal of eternal damnation in hell increases substantially.
In Pt 2 we will take a closer look at this "SANTA CLAUS"?.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8.
(This is the Article that woke me up to this concept, which produced my first Blog
XMAS DEVIL).
About the Author:
---------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Terry Watkins, Th.D.
Dial-the-Truth Ministries
---------------------------------------------------------------
