Introduction

 

The majority of the Dutch population does not believe in the Bible. Comments: the Bible is an outdated fairy tale book. As an example: the rage in the media against people who supported the Nashville document. In this (materialistic) dominant worldview is no room for any spiritual worlds. The secular worldview is closed for a transcendent (outside our senses) world.

Angels, spirits etc. would be refuted by modern science. The theory of evolution and the big bang are the secular explanation of how everything originated.

The question: Is the Western materialistic worldview correct?

What does it say in the Bible

For centuries there is about Satan etc.. It is not only the fight against flesh and blood, but also against the authorities, the powers of this world and the spiritual powers of darkness wickedness in the heavenly places "(Ephesians 6:12). This is intended, among other things, Satan and his angels, demons (The epistle of Jude 6, Revelation 12:12, Matth. 12:43-45).

"The angels are ministering spirits. They are sent for those who will inherit salvation“ (Hebrews 1:14). Believers are fighting against the evil powers by standing firm in the faith (1 Peter 5:9).

The spiritual world

The spiritual world is a collective name for all those areas that are outside the natural, physical world. As with the senses and scientific instruments. The spiritual world is divided into a good part and a bad part. Areas where God has his rule and areas where satan has his rule and his throne. These areas are at war with each other and exercise their influence both on the man. The Bible calls this the fight in the heavenly places. " (...) So there is in the spiritual realm of supernatural realms, sites, areas, districts, regions, rich and dimensions "(the prophetic database, Index A-Z 2019).

Angels over Nations

Deuteronomy 32:8 says: when the most high divided the Nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he determined the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. The Hebrew tradition identifies this ' sons of God ' with the ' heavenly Council "(Psalm 82:1, Psalm 89:5, Job 1:6, 1 Timothy 5:21). The concept that God is surrounded by a Board of divine beings. These angels are the guardian angels that are placed over the Nations (Daniel 10:13-20, Isaiah 24:21). Daniel 10:13-20 shows the Angel of Persia and Greece. In Isaiah 34:1-5, 24:21, shows the connection and the verdict on the angels of the Nations. God raises and humbles world empires with their angels in the course of world history. For example, if the Nations serve God and treat the Jews well, they are blessed. If not, then sooner or later the judgement will come.

Occultism

New Age adherents, neo-Pagans, occultists are also open to the spiritual (E. O, 2015). In the book: Remove the supernatural from Christianity and you have no longer the Christianity. Without the spiritual, there are only a few pages of the Bible. Yet now there are Christians who deny the spiritual world. They are afraid of the supernatural and don't want to face it. However, the world is influenced by the spiritual realm (Harold R Eberle Spiritual realities 1. The supernatural world and how to go there within 2. The breath of God, 2001). That shows from paranormal experiences. Christians should be aware of their existence. This is primarily a task of the Church (Mark 3:11 et seq.).

Difference between the Western world and the non-Western world view

Paul Hiebert, Professor of anthropology at Fuller Theological Seminary, in ‘Missiology' (January, 1982, pp. 35-47), notes that the Western world view on the universe, denies a dimension, that is seen by people of non-Western cultures. The worldview of non-Westerners consists the transcendent world with supernatural powers with influence on the Earth. For example by ghosts. This is a blind spot in the Western worldview. Also Christians with a Western world vision are insensitive to the action of the supernatural. This is partly because of statements by the (socially correct) science. In the secular worldview is assumed that everything exists in the material world. Religious forces (e.g. Magic) are considered  psychological. In the non-Western and ancient worldview people were aware of unseen forces that affect life on Earth.

The Celtic worldview

The Celtic Church, had contact with the invisible realm. The Celtic Christian worldview echoed in the Hebrew traditions in the Bible (Caitlin Matthews, the Celtic tradition, 1993). A difference with the Western materialistic worldview.

Between the earthly reality and the realm of God is the realm of the spirits. This worldview also existed at the Teutons, Greeks etc. A basis for the Celtic and Hebrew worldview, in which experiencing God and his revelation. The invisible dimension had a deep influence on the Celtic Christians.

To sum up, For the Celts Christianity meant more than knowledge of Christian teachings. It was more than understanding books. The reality is permeated by the unseen.

Demons

All Nations and religions are convinced of the existence of demons (Dr. W.C. van Dam, look like in Jesus name, 1995). A demon is a creature that is committed with upper and lower spiritual worlds. The demons In Matthew 8:28 are from a lower area and are condemned (Dr. F. de Graaff, Jesus is the Secret, part I, 1989).

Demons are part of the order of creation. They stay between the angels of the Nations and the earthly reality. Demons act as a link between the spiritual world and the material world. From their world they affect the terrestrial world through dreams, thoughts, use of drugs etc. A dangerous demon is Lilith (Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah, december 2018).

Demons do not deny the existence of an Almighty God, as can be seen in James. 2:19. "Also, the demons believe and tremble". They are aware of their condemnation. In Matthew. 8:29 they say to the Lord Jesus: "did you come here to torment us before the time?”

The foregoing is presented in the diagram.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An example

It is obvious to accept the world as we know it for the real world. But what if you find out that the reality you have always known is only an illusion?

Imagine: you have been chained all your life in a cave, together with a few fellow sufferers. Moving is not possible; you can not even look at each other and you can not see yourself either. You are sitting against a wall. The only light in the cave comes from a fire that burns behind that wall. Apart from your knowledge, on the other side of the wall there are a few people who hold up and move all sorts of things, such as stones and wooden figures of people and animals. You only see the shadow of these things. The voices of the people behind you are reflected by the wall of the cave. So your reality consists only of shadows and echoes. Do you know the real reality?

If you could shed your chains, every move through your lifelong chaining would be painful. If you were to come by the wall, you would be blinded by the fire. Confused and anxious, you would probably want to turn around again and want to go back to your familiar life, to what is reality for you. And if you were to leave the cave and meet the outside world, you would only be able to see and understand something after a while because of the bright sunlight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The current worldview in the West, dr. H. Dubbelman