Throughout the human experience people and tribes have admired various animal abilities—strength, speed, stealth.

In the Bible God actually gave the tribe of Benjamin (one of the 12 tribes of Israel) the symbol of the wolf. "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil" (Genesis 49:27).

Ancient Egyptian mythology included a god called Anubis who was depicted with the body of a man and the head of a jackal—a type of African coyote. Centuries later, the mythology of the Greeks listed Lycaon as a king who displeased their chief god Zeus and was changed into a wolf.

By the Middle Ages numerous regions of Europe held superstitions that some men or women could, through witchcraft, be changed or change at will into wolves with a perverse hunger for human flesh.

Verifying the vampire

Blood-sucking vampire creatures also appeared in various pagan traditions that considered them to be witches. During the late Middle Ages in Serbia and other southern and eastern European areas, vampire superstitions grew stronger—always connected with the occult. Some thought vampires were ghosts, while others still considered them witches. Whatever.

The growth of the Wiccan or witchcraft movement has gained considerable momentum since the late 20th century. With that comes renewed interest in vampires and werewolves—especially among younger generations.

Where does that leave you? Have you wondered about such superstitions—especially with the popularity of vampire and witchcraft-based story lines in films and the Twilight novel series? Should people—young or old—mentally feed on such entertainments? What's the harm of playacting the role of a vampire in computer games or taking on a werewolf avatar?

Is there really some evil power behind were-wolfism, vampire mania and witchcraft? And what's the problem with mentally absorbing through movies, books or games these or other types of witchcraft? They're just stories, right?

A devilish story

So let me tell you a story—a true story.

In the beginning there was just God. But God is good, the epitome of love—outgoing concern for others. In fact, God desired to share life with others. First God made immortal beings called angels.

We can't see angels unless supernaturally revealed to us because they're spirit and we're physical. But rest assured, they do exist.

God made the angels with intelligence. He wanted them to be good and loving like He is. But good is a choice. So God created them with free will. That means they each had to personally choose good and reject its opposite—evil.

First, the good news: Perhaps two thirds chose goodness. The bad news: Led by the original evil rebel, one third of the angels chose evil (see Revelation 12:4). They refused to follow God and His way of good. This angry, hate-filled third remained immortal angels—fallen angels, better known as demons.

Evil names

We know their leader's name, or names. According to Isaiah 14, God originally dubbed him Helel, a name rendered in Latin as Lucifer—the light bringer, signifying the morning star. His name was one of honor and beauty. But when this great archangel sinned by choosing the way of evil and led the angelic revolt against God, he became known as Satan, meaning adversary. There's no honor in that name.

He has another despicable name too: Devil, which means slanderer, malicious accuser or false witness—someone who spreads lies and rumors about others.

Jesus Christ knows this story and the devil himself all too well: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44).

Mankind deceived

Continuing the story, God eventually made mankind starting with Adam and Eve. The devil in the form of a talking serpent deceived Eve, who then tempted Adam. Satan incited them to reject God's leadership and adopt his own self-absorbed, angry, vicious, evil ways. Their decision set in motion the world as we know it today.

But this truly evil being was not content to simply lead humanity down a general path of misery. He and his wicked cohorts sought to plague weak-minded and spiritually gullible human beings with their terrifying demonic influence and even possession.

When Jesus left His divine position in the third heaven to live a perfect human life to be the sacrifice for human sin, He faced down and vanquished mankind's twisted nemesis. After rejecting the devil's temptations, Christ summarily dismissed him: "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve'" (Matthew 4:10).

Throughout His human ministry, Jesus routinely cast demons out of people whose agonizing mental illnesses were partly or wholly caused by demonic possession. To His apostles through whom He would launch the true Christian Church, Jesus delegated the divine authority and power to also cast out demons. The apostles required that authority because demonic spirits have considerable power. That demonic power is the force behind the occult and all the wicked ways of this world.

Forces of darkness

The forces of spiritual darkness are nothing to trifle with! They do exist—no matter what so-called scientific modern minds say—and they are dangerous.

The Bible describes a spiritual battle of epic proportions: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12, King James Version).

Satan has in many ways masterminded humanity's systems of government, commerce, education and religion—including the bulk of Christianity. They are riddled with false values and ­spiritual lawlessness.

Witchcraft in all its forms is part of the devil's marketing efforts. On his shelves beckon tempting products of all descriptions—from his apparently "innocuous" entertainments to his hard-core line of direct witchcraft and black magic. The wild popularity of enticing vampire, werewolf and wizard shows and books plus the rapid growth of the Wiccan movement demonstrate the devil's dark influence over gullible humanity.

What you can do

Reject involvement in vampire, werewolf and witchcraft fads and instead:

• Read and watch other stuff—where good triumphs over evil.
• Develop a healthy self-respect based on true values.
• Find friends who stand for truth.
• Get to know and love your family more.
• Read about the great fighters against spiritual wickedness in the Bible.
• Get better acquainted with your Creator—think vertically.

Your mind

Our world is speeding toward a devastating crash—soon! There never were any literal werewolves and vampires, but the dark power behind the concepts is growing virulently stronger and angrier.

Satan knows his time is short. The destruction of the devil's demonic domination will happen at the return of Jesus Christ. He will put Satan away then.

The vertical thinker's challenge is now. You have to make your mind up today. Will yours be a playground for enticements of the evil one—or will your mind be where vampires and werewolves don't exist? VT