The Life and Death of Mr. Badman by John Bunyan

May 7th, 2017 - The Life and Death of Mr. Badman

Chapter 15 - Death Leaves Him for a Season, and He Returns to His Sin Like a Washed Sow to  Wallowing in the Mud. (pages 99-100)

The Greek word pharmakeia actually means "witchcraft". Did you know that? It means the use of magical arts, sorcery, drugs, poisoning and is often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it.

We see Mr. Badman's doctor was administering medicine to him and goes on to fill his head with an antidote to calm the conviction that was riveting Badman's heart; explaining away this religious hysteria, frenzy and conviction of sin as just a fever disturbing his brain. He explained it away with some medical terms to help him overcome the conviction of the Holy Spirit that he was experiencing. It doesn't say what kind of medicine was used, but we know that the drugs given then and now, are directly linked to pharmakeia as we read above.

The Greek word pharmakeia literally means drugs, and appears five times in the New Testament. Pharmakeia is translated into our English Bible as either sorceries  or witchcraft. The Greek word pharmakeia is where we get our English word pharmacy from.  Here are these scriptures and where the word sorcery is listed, which means 'pharmakeia'.

Galatians 5:19-20; "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies."

Revelation 22:15; "But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie."

Revelation 9:21; "And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts."

Revelation 18:23; "The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived."

Revelation 21:8;  "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Why is this listed as a sin? Because through the administering of medicines and drugs, the spiritual door is opened to satan to work witchcraft in your mind and soul. In very bold terms, pharmakeia would be the sale of witchcraft or drug dealing or sorcery. After having been given medicine, the doctor convinced him that the Christian repentance he was experiencing was only due to fever and because by now Mr. Badman was on the mend, he bought it hook, line and sinker and goes on to call the doctor his Saviour! How many people would call their doctors their saviours today? Look at the countless millions that are addicted to not just pharmaceutical drugs today but street and illegal drugs? Instead of turning to Jesus first to heal them, Christians too turn to the pill bottle and run to the doctor.

The following is a compilation of the licensed pharmacists, licensed pharmacy technicians and accredited pharmacies in Canada as of January 1, 2017:

Total Licensed Pharmacists

42,584

Total Licensed Pharmacy Technicians

7,339

Pharmacies:

Community Pharmacies

10,094

In-patient hospital pharmacies, if licensed by Regulatory Authority

478

TOTAL LICENSED PHARMACIES

10,572

Canadians Spent $28.8 Billion on Prescription Drugs in 2014. This doesn't include the money spent on illegal drug trade. When doctors or pharmacists see you coming, it's big business for them.  

Wiseman says this about Badman's lack of true repentance; "You’re right; for there was lacking in him, when he was most sensible, a sense of the pollution of his nature. He only felt guilty for his sinful actions like Cain, and Pharaoh, and Saul, and Judas, those reprobates that went before him. (See Gen. 4:13-14; Ex. 9:27; 1 Sam. 15:24; Mt. 27:3-5). Besides, the greatest thing he wanted was to be delivered from going to hell (and who wants to go there willingly?), and that his life might be lengthened in this world. We do not discover by all that he said or did that Jesus Christ the Saviour was desired by him, and that he has a sense of his need of righteousness to clothe him, and of his Spirit to sanctify him."  

Let's look at the life of King Ahab, the most wicked king in the Old Testament. He had just received a prophetic word from Elijah that he was going to die, and like Badman, calls out desperately to God to heal him. Look what happens in 1 Kings 21:26-29; "And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,  “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house.”  

So the consequences of Ahab's sins were going to get passed on to the next generation in his son and even though Ahab is healed, he does not truly repent  or live righteously after that as he still kept his heathen prophets and kept on in idolatry.

Mr. Attentive says the following about such kinds of promises; "Yet one may see in this the desperation of man’s heart; for what is it but desperate wickedness to promise to God some amendment of life if he will only spare them. Yet, also, as soon as they are recovered, or quickly after, they fall into sin as they did before, never again to remember their promises.”  

Let's continue to read what happens in the very unusual story in the Bible regarding Ahab and Jehoshaphat. 1 Kings 22:10-28; "The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.  Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’”  And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.” Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement. And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king!” So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left.  And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.  Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’  The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’  Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.” Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?” And Micaiah said, “Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!” So the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son;  and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.”’” But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”

What an interesting story! You have false prophets, one true prophet, and a lying spirit being sent by God to convince Ahab to go to war. Micaiah, after taunting the kings and false prophets, delivers the true prophetic word and in the end, Ahab is killed at war. Even though Ahabs life had been spared and extended for a time, his sins caught up with him and he died.

Let's read again what Wiseman says about Mr. Badman's lack of true repentance; "It is true that he did beg the prayers of good people, but then so did Pharaoh of Moses and Aaron, and Simon Magus of Simon Peter. (Ex. 9:28; Acts 8:24) His mind seemed to turn to his wife and child; but, alas! It was rather from the conviction that God had given him concerning their happy estate over his, than that he had any true love for the work of God that was in them. WISEMAN He made great promises that he would be a new man, that he would leave his sins and become a convert, that he would love his godly wife, etc. Yes, many fine words had Mr. Badman in his sickness, but no good actions when he was well again."

Ahab and Badman were two of the same. In their affliction they call out to God, but there is no true repentance. Have you been in a similar situation where you've been diagnosed with some deadly disease, or you've had a heart attack or been in an accident and in those moments as your life flashes before your life you start calling on God to save you? In God's mercy, maybe your days have been lengthened also, but have you made good on your promise to God or have you returned to your sin as they two men did? I'm sure it happens all too often that people do not truly repent and change their lives in similar circumstances.

Let's continue to read in 2 Kings 1-17 what happens then to Ahab's son, Ahaziah, on whom the judgment of God would come because of his father's sins. "Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.”  But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’  Now therefore, thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah departed. And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, “Why have you come back?” So they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”’” Then he said to them, “What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?” So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him; and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: “Man of God, the king has said, ‘Come down!’”So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.  Then he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he answered and said to him: “Man of God, thus has the king said, ‘Come down quickly!’” So Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. Again, he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, and said to him: “Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight.  Look, fire has come down from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your sight.”And the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king.  Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”So Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken."

So, who are you calling upon to diagnose your sickness? Is it in the lying spirits operating in the psychics or false Christian prophets or the secular prophets telling you what your itching ears want to hear? Or is it the medical system with all of its roots in pharmakeia (witchcraft) or is it the Holy Spirit? Who are you looking at for your health needs to be met, who are your advisors? Is it false prophets, pharmakeia or to Jesus Christ who took all infirmity in his body on the cross for you and that by his strips you were healed?  

Mark 5:25-29; "Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,  and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction."

How many people are spending ALL their money on the doctors, running here, running there to get diagnosed, in the mean time your filling their physical body with pharmakeia through medications? Jesus came to heal everybody! Let's read of a few of Jesus' power and desire to heal the sick. He never gave direction or orders to go their doctors to get healed. Even Luke the physician operated in the supernatural, probably laying aside his practice because he saw the power of God in operation through Jesus to heal all!

Acts 10:38; "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

Matthew 9:35; "Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people."  

Matthew 15:30-31;Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. 31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel."

Luke 9:1-2; "Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick."

Acts 5:15-16; "so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.  Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed."

Are you really putting the Holy Spirit first in your life trusting in Him in everything? Or is secular advise trumping the Bible? If you'd put a doctor and a preacher side by side, more than likely drawing a comparison, you'd favor the doctors opinion to handle your illness...especially if you are not someone who's in the Word of God regularly. Everything he'd say would seem so logical, natural, obvious for the prescriptions he's wanting to give you. They might even add that he prays for his patients. In essence you'd be choosing pharmakeia - which is associated with witchcraft and sorcery - over the name of Jesus Christ and His word.  

Does God use doctors, nurses and the medical professionals? Of course He has and does and will. But when it comes to you and your death bed, who are you listening to? You need the spiritual advise that comes from God's word. If you have a shot of morphine to ease the pain and some follow up council from the doctor to explain away your religious conviction of sin, as simply religious hysteria from your illness and fever; that will keep you from calling out to God for mercy that brings true repentance. That's exactly what the devil would want, because if you truly repent in your time of great affliction, your life will turn around and the devil would lose someone from his grip. Pharamkeia is the counterfeit to the supernatural power of healing in Jesus Christ! It will stifle you calling out to Jesus to heal you almost every time. We're saying, who is your FIRST councilor in the diagnosis of sickness and disease? Is it the doctor or is it Jesus Christ?

Let's conclude in reading James 5:13-16; "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

Healing and repentance go hand in hand. You cannot reason away the conviction of the Holy Spirit if you're not saved and are on your deathbed crying out, trembling and being fearful of going to hell when you die. Only true repentance, asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins will bring total peace to your soul.

May 21st, 2017 - The Life and Death of Mr. Badman

Chapter 17 - He Is Tricked Into a Second Marriage by a Woman as Bad as Himself  (pages 104-105)

What terrible thinking and hard heart is displayed in Mr. Badman as he reveals the possibility of remarrying. He says this; "Who would keep a cow of their own when he can have a quart of milk for a penny?” Meaning, who would have the responsibility of a wife when could have a prostitute whenever he wished?" The depth of his immorality was truly wicked.

Each of us have the free will today to make choices in our lives as to how we want to live, but the Apostle Paul gives this stern warning in taking your liberties. Galatians 6:7-8 says this; "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."  

Clearly, Badman sowed to his fleshly and lustful appetites. God, however, is not mocked even if you choose to live a life that mocks Him. You will reap at sometime in your life or in the life to come, what you've sowed. And God will not be mocked at your choice.

Mr. Badman had a heavy appetite for prostitutes, even in the midst of his marriage to his Godly wife as we've read. Proverbs 7:6-27 talks about the crafty harlot; "For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, and saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding, passing along the street near her corner; and he took the path to her house in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night. And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. She was loud and rebellious, her feet would not stay at home. At times she was outside, at times in the open square, lurking at every corner. So she caught him and kissed him; with an impudent face she said to him: “I have peace offerings with me; today I have paid my vows. So I came out to meet you, diligently to seek your face, and I have found you. I have spread my bed with tapestry, colored coverings of Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; He has taken a bag of money with him, and will come home on the appointed day.”  With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him. Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, he did not know it would cost his life. Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth: Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths; For she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death."

In this scripture, King Solomon paints a very descriptive picture of the clear intent of women like these. This young man knew where this prostitute lived, he probably went by there regularly. In today's terms he could have walked or driven through the neighborhood regularly. This harlot described here is a craftswoman or a sexsmith - she's skilled at the craft of sex and seduction. How many women are living the lie of a crafty harlot? These here Solomon shows as wealthy women who have the best of designer labels. They might live in big beautiful homes with limousines and drivers, nannies to take care of the children, maids at their disposal for everything...with their husbands gone on a business trip.  Those she has enticed were strong men, not just physically buy morally. Men, don't take pride in all of the moral strength you think you have, as harlots as these are skilled craftswomen at sexual seduction to make you fall. Warning: If you get involved with a seductress, your path will lead you to hell.   

Let's look at an example in the Bible of a man who was raised in Jewish law, under a special Nazirite vow where among other things he couldn't cut his hair. He was set apart for God, he had a call on his life to be a Judge in Israel. Some of you may know who I'm referring to. Yes, it's Samson. To set this story up, and you can read the chapters before this, Samson was compromising his Jewish commandments and customs by sowing to the flesh, falling in love with a Gentile woman and convinced his parents to let him marry her. That marriage ended by her being murdered by her own people; it was destruction. He became an enemy to them and as a result became a wanted man. They didn't want him to be the Judge over Israel. Samson continues in his fleshly and lustful appetites by again falling for a harlot. Remember, he had been religiously set apart ... but was following his fleshly desires. In today's language you could say that the Philistines pimped out Delilah to get to Samson, they were going to pay her off for her to use her sex and seduction to destroy him.

Let's read the story in Judges 16:1-22

"Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.  When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.”  And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.  And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.”And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, and she bound him with them.  Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with.”So he said to her, “If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And men were lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread. Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with.”And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom”—So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom. Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”  And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death,  that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.  Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.  And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.  However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven."

Imagine that, Samson wasn't aware that these men - enemies - were in the same room where all of this sexual activity was taking place, it was like a porn show. He was so blind in the spirit that they were there, he was living lasciviously, continually lying to her, just playing games! Sounds like Mr. Badman. He had the strength of 10 men yet was flaunting his God given gift - abusing it.

Delilah, remember, is crafty at her art of seduction and day and night she's at him until he's vexed by her torment. She's not going to stop until he's at her feet and she's conquered; and she does conquer as his heart is finally surrendered. The devil has used her successfully to accomplish his assignment over Samson's life. Samson was so spiritually blind that he didn't know that the Lord had departed from him! Totally backslidden.  

Let's go back to the script for a minute to see what Attentive and Wiseman are saying about Badman, which parallels with Samson.

"ATTENTIVE. I imagine that Mr. Badman thought, when his first wife was dead, that next time he would get a better match.

WISEMAN. I don’t know what he thought. But he could not hope for it in this match. Now, here he knew himself to be caught, and he knew that he was entangled by this woman, and would make a better choice, but he couldn’t. He knew her, I say, to be a prostitute before, and could not promise himself a happy life with her, for he could not expect her to be faithful to him. But Solomon says, “A whore is a deep ditch” (Prov. 23:27), and Mr. Badman found this to be true. For when she had caught him in her pit, she would never leave him till she had got him to promise her marriage; and when she had taken him so far, she forced him to marry indeed. And after that, they lived a life that I have told you about."

Samson's  life call was cut short and ultimately ended up in prison with his eyes burned out, walking in circles on a treadmill grinding grain. How many Christian men  today have ended up not fulfilling the call on their lives and like Samson, have exchanged it for temporal pleasures of a prostitute or immoral woman, and are now held captive buy the devil. They've become spiritually blind and deaf, they cannot see in the Spirit anymore, the gifts of the Spirit are not operating in their lives and they're on a treadmill, going around and around and around, held captive by the secular society using them  for their entertainment to mock the God of Christianity.   

This is exactly what happened to Samson as the Philistines called him out to entertain them!  They wanted to mock his God. That's exactly what the spirit of the world does, they want to destroy Christians to mock Almighty God. Let's read Romans 8:5-7 where it says; "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be."

It doesn't matter how gifted or set apart you are, or about your Godly heritage or upbringing, or what church you were brought up in, or what family you were born into. It doesn't matter about how much tradition your parents followed to set you apart either. Just like Badman, you have a choice; Samson had a choice, but he blew the call and election to follow his own lusts. We've heard many justify what Samson did because in the end he killed more of his enemies than throughout his life. In that justifying, they almost make it look like he was ordained to rebel against his parents, live with prostitutes, harlots and marry a Gentile, where, in the end, this apparent great victory by killing himself, his enemies, having his eyes gouged out! That doesn't look like God's blessing to me, but sounds like the flesh. There's no way to justify Samson's actions in being God's will. Had he really lived his life set apart for God, who knows the countless victories he would have had! He would have been praised and remembered for the mighty acts of God during his 20 years as Judge in Israel, not for his life being sold out to lustful, selfish living.

The laws that Samson was to follow during his life are clearly shown in the following scriptures. 

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 talks about the choice of life or death; “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.  It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’  Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’  But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,  in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.  But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them,  I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.  I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;  that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Samson had no excuse to fall into the misery that he did. Had he followed God's commandments he would have been blessed! There wouldn't have been the destruction and carnage in his life, nor his wife being burned alive with her father. I believe that this word is still true for us today and just as it says, 'I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you.' That's why God is not mocked. God has spoken, given you a chance to be blessed or cursed, it's your choice. This applied to Samson, to Badman and applies to you today who are reading this.

Wiseman said the following; "He had had an honest woman once, but she could not please him, so God took her away and gave him one as bad as himself. Thus that measure he meted to his first wife, this last meted to him again. And this is a punishment which sometimes God uses to punish wicked men. His first wife was also honest and faithful to him, but this last made a whore of her body. The first woman loved to keep things together, but this second would whirl them about as well as him. The first would be silent when he reproved her, and she would take it patiently when he abused her; but this one would give him word for word, blow for blow, curse for curse; so now Mr. Badman had met his match. God had a mind to make him see the baseness of his own life in the wickedness of his second wife.Yet all was the same with Mr. Badman, for he remained Mr. Badman still. This judgment did not work any reformation in him; no, not by God or man."

God's word shouted to Mr. Badman all his life to get him to repent but he rebelled. Proverbs 18:20-21 says this;  "A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled.  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

It seems like both Samson and Badman were under  the influence of a Jezebel spirit, a seductress to get them to compromise and ruin their lives. I've talked about Jezebel in Chapter 7 - Part 2, if you'd like to read up on her a bit more. She incited her husband, the Israelite King Ahab, to depart from worshiping God and encouraged not only him, but the whole nation to worship Baal and Asherah. She is associated with false prophets and because of the fine clothing and make up that she used, has been associated with the use of cosmetics as 'painted women' or 'prostitutes'. She despised and killed many of the prophets of Almighty God, but ultimately died by being thrown out of her palace tower by her own court attendants and eaten by wild dogs.  

Even though she died, the spirit that possessed her still is active in the earth today, and even the Apostle John talks about her ultimate judgment as the great harlot in the Book of Revelation. This spirit has seduced not only Samson and Badman, but many throughout the Bible and continues to seduce many men in the pulpits today.  

I'd encourage you to watch this video entitled, Discerning The Jezebel Spirit, as it will give you greater understanding of its wicked schemes.