First commandment - suggestion of polytheism?

[Czarcasm]

@kanicbird

I never had any doubt that other gods were acknowledged, and I beleive they exist today as living supernatural beings, deceiving people to worship them.

Very interesting. Would you mind telling us which of the deities currently being worshiped are demons in your opinion?

[kanicbird]

@Czarcasm

Very interesting. Would you mind telling us which of the deities currently being worshiped are demons in your opinion?

I would start with this:

@1 John 4:2-3 NIV

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

If the deity being worshiped is a true supernatural being, instead of a man made invention, then is it either God or a demon. The above will test it to determine what it falls under.

From this I would place a lot of new age religions, occult/Satanism, along with any branch of Christianity which does not have a flesh and blood Jesus but substitutes a spiritual Jesus.

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

@kanicbird

I would start with this:

If the deity being worshiped is a true supernatural being, instead of a man made invention, then is it either God or a demon. The above will test it to determine what it falls under.

From this I would place a lot of new age religions, occult/Satanism, along with any branch of Christianity which does not have a flesh and blood Jesus but substitutes a spiritual Jesus.

So Jews worship a demon?

[kanicbird]

@DtC

So Jews worship a demon?

I’m pretty sure a few do, just like I said some Christians do. But the subject of Jewish worship is interesting. The most direct, but inadequate, answer is that they worship the correct God but God will not hear them for they didn’t follow His rules on how to come to Him - so they are doing the same as worshiping a non-living entity (therefore no demon). If the spirit of God does come to them they can chose to accept it (which would mean accepting Christ), or deny it.

I think that during the end times the Jewish people do have some extra benefit however, so it’s not so cut and dry.

[Reepicheep]

@Phase42

Correct - this is spelled out in one of the Old Testament books, though I can’t remember which. There was a series of battles between the Hebrews/Israelites and a neighboring tribe or country. The Hebrews won the first battle, which took place in the mountains (I think). So the other army said, roughly, “We lost because their god is a god of the mountains. Let’s attack them on the plain, where our god has dominion!” So they attacked the Hebrews on the plain, and got whupped again. Actually, I guess that was from the perspective of the other people, not the Hebrews, though it doesn’t surprise me that the Hebrews may have thought the same way.

1 Kings 20:23-28:
23 Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they. 24 Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. 25 You must also raise an army like the one you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they.” He agreed with them and acted accordingly.

26 The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.’ "

[MrDibble]

@kanicbird

MrDibble I don’t know what your background is and how much you have studied scripture, and how much you have studied in the context of spiritual warfare. I am just trying to briefly explain a complicated subject.

It doesn’t seem any more complicated than a Dungeons and Dragons game. With a 12-year old DM and the oooold ultra-rigid alignment rules.

@kanicbird

A good analogy is the Japaneses vs. the US in WW2. If we take the demons of the Satanic kingdom as the Japanese warriors. The demons are committed to help the effort of the king (Satan), just as the Japanese warriors were committed to help the emperor.

This would only be a good analogy if no Japanese soldier surrendered, ever.

he satanic kingdom does suffer from ‘the fog of war’ and as such the demons determine how to accomplish the goals absent of direct instruction from above, and have a good deal of free will in those ends, although the demons are totally committed to their king.

If their choices are as tightly constrained as you suggest, then term “free will” does not fit.
Miller, it’s specifically the free will of Demons, not possessed, I want to address. I’ve opened another thread for it here.

[Mister_Rik]

@Reepicheep

1 Kings 20:23-28:

Thank you! I knew I had read that passage …

[Miller]

@MrDibble

Miller, it’s specifically the free will of Demons, not possessed, I want to address. I’ve opened another thread for it here.

Oops! My mistake!