INVISIBLE BONDAGE

INVISIBLE BONDAGE

By Jeannette Haley

Jesus said He came to preach, among other things, deliverance to the captives. The Greek meaning of the word “captive” is “a prisoner of war.” We know, however, that Jesus didn’t physically rescue prisoners from their Roman captors, nor did He take charge of all the kingdoms of the world (offered to Him by the Tempter) in order to put an end to slavery. The horrors of slavery have plagued the entire world from ancient times, and it remains in full swing on many levels, some physically visible, but most is invisible because it involves spirit and soul. To quote Christopher Muscato, who has a master’s degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado, concerning physical captivity, “Slavery is at least as old as written history, and probably older.” Thus, the early history of slavery in the United States, although morally wrong, was deemed as quite “normal” by cultural and worldly standards of that time. Even native American tribes took captives and practiced slavery among themselves. In other words, it’s nothing new.

That brings us to the question, what did Jesus mean when He said He came to preach deliverance to the captives? (See Luke 4:18, 19.) So what captives, and delivered from what captivity if not from the physical bonds and the cruel oppression of the Romans? All Israel knew that they were set free by God through Moses from the cruel bondage of the Egyptians, only to later suffer for centuries at the hands of their many enemies, and later captivity in Babylon for 70 years because of their idolatry and disobedience to God. The Jewish people were definitely looking for a savior who would physically deliver them from the heavy bondage they lived under at the time of Jesus. Even the Herod’s were non-Jewish oppressors. Don Stewart (Educating Our World), wrote, “There are three members of the family of Herod that figure prominently in the life of Christ – Herod the Great, Herod Archelaus, and Herod Antipas. Herod the Great (73 B.C. to 4 B.C.) was not a Jew- his father an Idumean and his mother Arabian. The Roman senate had made him king of Judea in 40 B.C. Although Herod was a great builder (including the enlargement of the temple) and had been occasionally generous to the Jewish people he eventually lost favor with them. His mixed lineage with his Edomite blood would have made him unacceptable to the people.” The Old Testament says of Edom, Malachi 1:4, “Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.” 

  We know that when Jesus returns in the Second Coming to set up His Kingdom and reign from Jerusalem, He will set the captives free, not only Israel but the entire world—free from the oppression of the antichrist and the beast (Babylonian) systems of the world. But until that time, and regardless of how great the current battle is to destroy the satanic Babylonian system, the entire globe will not be completely out from under this insidious evil until He returns to reign with a “rod of iron.” (Revelation 2:27.) What many people are beginning to understand today, and what many more need to know, is that the “mystery of iniquity” is Babylon, also known as the Cabal, or World Planners, Insiders, The Initiated, Freemasons, Globalists, etc. over which Satan himself is worshipped and rules.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4. When we consider the fact that unbelief opens the door for Satan to blind minds, then we can begin to understand the great, oppressive and hopeless bondage most of the world struggles under. 

Therefore, the question remains. What “captivity” was Jesus referring to? In a nutshell it is both the visible (physical) and the invisible inner bondage that afflicts all mankind. We know that the miracles He performed to physically set people free included raising some who had died as well as healing and feeding multitudes of people. His well-witnessed, great miracles gave proof that He was Who He said he was, the Son of God. Concerning the invisible bondages of the people, He set them free from demons, fear, torment, and hopelessness, as their sins were forgiven, and guilt banished. Jesus came to do the will of His Father and reconcile lost sheep to God. 

When we are born into this world, we start out loving the world and the things of this world, which is natural. We cling to what we are familiar with, and explore and experience what our five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch reveal to us. Our five senses are God-given blessings, of course, but Satan knows just how to use each one of these great and good senses to bring us under bondage and destroy us. Jesus warned, “The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” John 10:10. 

God’s Word often uses our physical senses as examples to teach spiritual truths and principles. But, the adversary, Satan knows exactly how to use them to tempt us into horrible perversion and profane, godless lifestyles. In other words, our senses can be used to bring us into captivity and bondage that lead to suffering and death. In 1 John 2:15-17 we read, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Man’s problems began when the love he was to have for his Creator turned to love for the creation. Love is the first Commandment of God. “The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” 

The bottom line is, if we love the LORD our God more than anything else, including our own lives, then we will be strong through faith and obedience to resist the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil. Consider the biblical instruction for a godly man or woman when it comes to the five senses beginning with sight: Psalm 101:3, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside, it shall not cleave to me.” Job 31:1, “I MADE a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” Concerning hearing: Matthew 11:15, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 11:15, “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” Regarding smell: Ephesians 5:1, 2, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” Philippians 4:18, “But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.” Taste: Psalm 119:103, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Job 6:30, “Is there iniquity in my tongue? Cannot my taste discern perverse things?” Psalm 34:8, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Touch: Luke 6:19, “And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.” 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

However, if the heart begins to grow cold towards the Lord, it will automatically lean towards the world and the things of the world. Since Satan is the “god of this world,” he will take captive the unaware, tantalize man’s eyes with uncertain riches and that which is profane and perverted; his ears with the discordant, demonic lies and sounds of hell to disorient the senses and tickle the ears. He will cause the sweet scent of purity and cleanliness to be repugnant, and replace it with the strong stench of filth and corruption. Instead of tasting the good things God has given, he will instill a desire for deadly, and addictive toxic substances that numb the mind and destroy the soul. Finally, instead of love’s soft touches, healing, acceptance, kindness and comfort, he will cause an evil of brutality, blood and destruction. 

We are so used to the invisible bondages of the world, the flesh and the devil that it’s easy to slip into a “ho hum” attitude of “that’s just life.” When the going gets too rough, people complain that “it’s just not fair” and blame God, but they are forgetting when and where and why this invisible bondage began—they forget that all of the world’s woes are due to man’s rebellious desire for independence from God, pride, lust and self-love. Those who choose to embrace addictions of any kind have chosen bondage. Those who put their trust in man and the systems of this world are not only in bondage to their own decisions, goals and agendas but are miserable servants of Satan. 

Consider the invisible bondages put upon all peoples by ruling monarchs, dictators, religious leaders, central banking systems, the rich and powerful, Big Pharma and other oppressive powers along with the non-elected three-letter agencies such as, to name only a few, the IRS, FBI, CIA, CDC, AMA, FDA, WHO, NEA, TSA, DOJ. Then there are all the Unconstitutional taxes, licenses, permits, and so forth that are too numerous to list that our freedom-loving forefathers did not establish for the people of the Republic. In a nutshell, we are told we have “a free country” but in reality, we do not. We are captives and slaves to an oppressive system. 

Finally, people who steadfastly resist, reject and repudiate God’s truth as revealed in His Word, and Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life, and the liberating life of the Holy Spirit are in bondage to their own hard hearts of unbelief and spiritual darkness.

Even though the god of this world has wrapped the whole world in lies, and covered it with a vail to deceive all nations, and even though he and his wicked worshippers have dominion over the earth, terrorizing the nations with unspeakable horrors, his time is drawing to a close. There is great triumph, glory and victory in this sure promise in Scripture: “For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall….And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” Isaiah 25:4, 7-9.  

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” John 8:36. Are you free?