This
blog is a continuation of my previous blogs titled, The Great Controversy (http://peterjnrbebi.blogspot.com/2016/02/title-illuminating-great-controversy.html),
Illuminating Great Controversy 2: Telepathy Evil (link: http://peterjnrbebi.blogspot.com/2016/03/illuminating-great-controversy-2.html),
and Illuminating The Great
Controversy 3: Mind Control Evil (link: http://peterjnrbebi.blogspot.com/2016/04/illuminating-great-controversy-3-mind.html).
Please take note that during this blog, the noun satan will be deliberately
spelt in lowercase alphabetical letters since I choose to do so! This
blog is formatted in a question and answer format-questionnaire format, for the
sake of simplicity for any eight grader to understand. Straight to the point-no
bit around the bush! The intension of the blogger is not for the reader to
enjoy some so called “fancy” complicated words or eye catching pictures, but to
understand what the author is trying communicate to you-general audience.
Please take time to go through the sources of information provided in the
bibliography and reference section of this blog, situated at the end of the
blog. Also, please read the Bible texts stated within this blog with your own
Bible to better understand the blog and for the credibility of the blog. So
without further “delays”, let’s get straight into it…
Let’s
start by defining some psychological
terms in which we’re going to come across in this blog;
- ·
Mindfulness- involves intentionally bringing one’s attention to the
internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment.
- ·
Stimuli or Stimulus- is something that causes a psychological
response. Or in other words simply speaking, stimulus or stimuli are the data
from the external world entering into our brain’s sensory nervous system.
- ·
Hallucination- is a perception in the absence of
external stimulus that has qualities of real perception.
- ·
An Illusion- is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain
normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Though illusion distort
reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may occur with any
of the human senses, but visual illusions (optical illusions), are the most
well-known and understood. The emphasis on visual illusions occur because
vision often dominates the other senses. Some illusions are based on general
assumptions the brain makes during perception.
- ·
Perception- is the organization, identification and interpretation
of sensory information in order to represent and understand the environment.
All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result
from physical or chemical stimulation of sense organs.
- ·
Sensory nervous system- is a part of the nervous system
responsible for processing sensory information. A sensory system consist of
sensory receptors, neural pathways, and parts of the brain involved in sensory
perception. Commonly recognized sensory systems are these for vision, auditory
(hearing), somatic sensation (touch/ feel), gustatory (taste), olfaction
(smell), and vestibular (balance/ movement). In short, senses are converted
from the physical world to the realm of the mind where we interpret the
information, creating our perception of the world around us.
 |
| Hallucination |
Question: Is the term Hallucination found within The Holy
Bible?
Answer: No! The “term”
hallucination is “NOT” found within The Holy Bible from Genesis right up to
Revelation!
Question: So
where did we get the term hallucination?
Answer: The word
“hallucination” itself was introduced into the English language by the
seventeenth century by the physician Sir Thomas Browne in 1646 from the
derivation of the Latin word “alucinari” meaning to wander in the mind. All in
all generally speaking, the term hallucination like all other psychological
terms were derived from the study of Psychology.
Question: So is vision a form of hallucination?
Answer: Yes, according
to the definition of the term itself. The term hallucination is not found
within The Holy Bible but examples of the definition of the term hallucination according
to the definition of the term are found within The Holy Bible. A vision is an example of the definition of the term hallucination since
what the individual is experiencing does not come from external stimulus which
becomes the person’s perception. For instance, In 1 Samuel 3:4 – 8
Samuel thought he heard Eli calling him. Now this is an illusion since Samuel
misinterpreted the internal stimulus which came directly from God. It is an
internal stimulus since only Samuel heard the voice calling him and not anyone
around-including Eli. If both Samuel and Eli heard the voice calling Samuel,
but the voice did not came from the people, objects or things around them, then
it is also an internal stimulus. If Eli had called Samuel then it would be an
external stimulus since the stimulus came from Eli’s mouth.
Question: Give some examples of the definition of the term
hallucination found within The Holy Bible?
Answer: Let’s
take a look at some examples of the definition of the term hallucinations found
within The Holy Bible;
a. The
Book of Revelation within The Holy Bible was the Word of God given to John in a
vision. Or in other words, what was stated in the book of Revelation was given
to the prophet John in a vision. Revelation 1:1-2 reads, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His
servants-things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by
His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the
testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.” To cut the long
story short, our key word here in the above texts, is at the end of verse
two-the word “saw”. Thus proving that Prophet John had or saw a vision
from God. Or in other words within today’s psychological terms, Prophet John
was hallucinating –visual
hallucination (see the definition of hallucination above if you can’t
remember).
b.
Let’s take a sneak preview at our second
example. Jeremiah 1: 4-5 reads, Then the
words of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I
ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Here within this texts, our key
word is in verse four-the word “saying.” Using this Modern Era’s
psychological terms, we would say that prophet Jeremiah was hallucinating-
auditory hallucinations.
c.
Let’s take a look at our third example.
Jeremiah 2:1-2 reads, Moreover the word
of the Lord came to me, saying, “Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem,
saying, ‘Thus says The Lord: I remember you , The kindness of your youth, The
love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not
sown. Israel was holiness to the Lord, the first fruit of His increase. All
that devour him will offend; disasters will come upon them,’ says the Lord.” Here
within this texts, our key word is in verse one-the word “saying.” Using
this Modern Era’s psychological terms, we would say that prophet Jeremiah was
hallucinating- auditory hallucination.
d.
Let’s take a sneak preview at our fourth
example. Isaiah 1:1 reads, ‘The vision of
Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days
of Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.’ I think this verse is very clear. For the key
words we have the word “vision” and “saw”. Thus saying using
today’s psychological terms, prophet Isaiah was hallucinating-visual
hallucination.
e. Let’s
have a look at our fifth example. Our fifth example is based on 1 Samuel 3.
From 1 Samuel 3:4 – 8 describes how Samuel was having auditory illusions (that
Eli was calling him, unfortunately that stimulus came from another entity as an
internal stimulus-from God). From 1 Samuel 3:10-15 according to today’s
psychological terms, we can see that Samuel was hallucinating-having auditory
and visual hallucinations. To make it more clearer, 1 Samuel 3:10 reads, Now the Lord came and stood and called as at
other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant
hears.” Here within this verse, our key words are “came, stood, and call.”
Thus making it both a auditory and visual hallucinations in which Samuel was
experiencing, according to today’s psychological terms.
Question: Since the term hallucination is associated with the
field of psychology, what is psychology and when did psychology evolved?
Answer: Psychology is
the study of behavior and mind, embracing all aspects of conscious and unconscious experience as well as thought. It is an academic discipline and an
applied science which seeks to understand individuals and groups by
establishing general principles and researching specific cases. In this field,
a professional practitioner or researcher is called a psychologist and can be
classified as a social, behavioral, or cognitive scientist. Psychologists
attempt to understand the mental functions in individuals and social behavior,
while also exploring the physiological and biological processes that underlie
cognitive functions and behavior.
History…
The ancient civilization of Egypt, Greece, China, India, and Persia all engaged
in the philosophical study of psychology. Meaning only “IDEAS” of what is now
known as psychology were present back then. Let’s take a brief look at these
“Ideas” which led to the development and establishment of the field of
psychology in our current day and age. Historians noted that;
·
Greek-philosophers, including Plato,
Thales and Aristotle addressed the working of the mind. As early as the 4th
century BC, Greek physician Hippocrates theorized that mental disorders had
physical rather than supernatural causes.
·
China- psychological understanding grew
from the philosophical works of Laozi and Confucius, and later from the
doctrine of Buddhism. Chinese scholars focused on the brain advanced in the
Qing Dynasty with the work of Western educated Fang Yizhi (1611-1671), Liu Zhi
(1660-1730), and Wang Qingren emphasized the importance of the brain as the
center of the nervous system, linked mental disorder with brain diseases,
investigated the causes of dreams and insomnia, and advanced a theory of
hemispheric lateralization in brain function.
·
India-Distinctions in types of awareness
appear in the ancient thought of India, influenced by Hinduism. A central idea
of the Upanishads is the distinction between a person’s transient mundane self
and their unchanging soul. Divergent Hindu doctrines, and Buddhism, have
challenged this hierarchy of selves, but have all emphasized the importance of
reaching higher awareness.
·
Europe- Psychology was a popular topic
in the Enlightenment period in Europe. In Germany, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
(1646-1716) applied his principles of calculus to the mind, arguing that mental
activity took place on an invisible continuum-most notably, that among an
infinity of human perceptions and desires, the difference between conscious and
unconscious awareness is only a matter of degree. Christian Wolff identified
psychology as its own science, writing Psychologia emirica in 1732 and Psychologia
rationalis in 1734. This notion advanced further under Immanuel Kant, who
established the idea of anthropology, with psychology as an important
subdivision. Having consulted philosophers Hegel and Herbart, in 1825 the
Prussian state (a State in Germany) established psychology as a mandatory
discipline in its rapidly expanding and highly influential educational system.
As
we can see from the brief history of psychology above, psychology was
established as a mandatory discipline and into the educational system.
Question: So, is psychology right or The Holy Bible right?
Answer: As believing Christians, people who believe in the existence of our
Trinity God The Creator Whose Character and Principality is Love according to 1 John 4:7-10 and Jesus as The
Christ or God The Son, I would say “The Holy Bible” is always correct and right (against psychology and
everything under psychology-mankind’s views and ideas)! Let’s not
forget the fact that The Holy Bible is God’s
Word to us, mankind: the Word of God intervene and inspired the
servants of God, man of God, or prophets in the past, in which were later
written down as The Holy Scriptures-which later combined into a single book,
“The Holy Bible.” Remember, The
Word was in the beginning according to John 1:1-5 and is our Creator according
to John 1:10 and Genesis 1:1. Let’s not forget that psychology was recently established by “man” or
mankind in the recent years-1825 to be exact, but The Word of God was in the
beginning, present today, and still will be in the future!
Question: So who is The Word of God?
Answer: Jesus Christ… The Word of God is Jesus
Christ! 1 John 5:7 reads, “For there are
three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, Word, and the Holy Spirit; and
these three are one.” Here we see the Word is used to represent God the Son
or Jesus Christ-remember our God is a Trinity God: God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. 1 Peter 3:5
reads, “For this they willfully forget:
that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the
water and in the water,” Here we see Peter emphasized that the Word of God,
God the Son, or Jesus Christ created the heavens, the earth standing above the
water, and in the water. John 1:1-3 reads, “In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without
Him nothing was made that was made.” Here we see that Jesus Christ, God the
Son, or the Word of God existed in the beginning-is eternal. The Word of God
was with God, meaning the Word is a different God head, God the Son within our
Trinity God-which is Jesus Christ or God the Son. The Word was God meaning, our
Trinity God heads (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) are
united as one according to 1 John 5:7, united in their Principality and
Character of Love according to 1 John 4:7-10. Furthermore, the Word, God the
Son, or Jesus Christ created us during creation-created our planet earth according
to Genesis 1:1.
Question: Well avoiding psychology, focusing on The Word of
God through The Holy Bible, why is hallucination present (why do we as human
beings experience hallucinations)?
Answer: Never forget that we are in this Great
War, The Great Controversy according to Revelation
12:7-9. This Great Controversy is not between flesh and blood but
between principalities according to Ephesians
6:12-God’s Principality and Character of Love, according to 1 John 4:7-10, and satan’s principality
and character of selfishness according to Isaiah
14:13, 14. Once again, the term hallucination is not found within The Holy
Bible. Examples of the definition of the
term hallucination, like visons, are found within The Holy Bible. First of all we have to understand that every hallucination that a human
being experiences is either from God or satan since there is no middle ground
within This Great Controversy. Or in other words simply speaking, we can
either be influence by God or satan-whether through visual hallucinations or
auditory hallucinations, etc... Hallucinations from satan and his evil angels
include;
Remember, we are in this Great
Controversy-satan’s principality is selfishness that is why he forces his
principality through his stimulus in the form of hallucinations or others, telepathically
to force or persuade us to choose his principality within this Great
Controversy. However, let us not forget that since The Holy
Bible is God’s Word to us mankind or humanity, so called forms of
hallucinations according to the term’s definition (not the term hallucination itself),
like visions “from God” are found within The Holy Bible. I mean, why would The
Holy Bible state forms of satan’s hallucinations (not the term hallucination itself)
when it’s God’s Word to us mankind or humanity and not satan’s? Right, now you
get it… That is why visions
included in The Holy Bible are mostly from God to His servants or prophets, and
about His Will.
Question: Well, so how do we human beings know that a
particular hallucination is from God or satan?
Answer: Our answer is
found in 1 John 4:1-6. Please take time to read these verses… Let’s look at
verse one. 1 John 4:1 reads, “Beloved, do
not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God:
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” So we are to test every spirit that influences us in order to know
whether they are from God or satan. Meaning, if we as human beings are
experiencing hallucinations, it is wise of us to test the spirits invisibly
behind the scene influencing us in which we create our perception, in order to figure
out whether they are from God or satan.
Question: Then, how do we test every spirit in order to know
whether they are from God or satan (mind you, there’s no middle ground within
this Great Controversy)?
Answer:
Well, our answer is found in 1 John 4:2, and it reads, “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that
Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not
confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is
the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now
already in the world.” One word that stands out from the above passage is
“confess”, define it using your own dictionary! So here we see that “testing”
within this scenario is in fact “observing”, which
leads to our conclusion that the spirit is in fact of God or satan-satan the
original Anti-Christ who first rebelled and fought against Jesus Christ
in heaven-in which he and his one third angels were cast down to earth,
according to Revelation 12:7-12. Or in other words, the passages from 1 John 4
verse 1 to 6 explains that one who has God’s Spirit will speak the truth about
Jesus. Many claim to be guided by The Holy Spirit when in reality the spirit
that guides them is not of God- also
refer to 1 Timothy 4:1.
Question: Well, how is it possible that hallucination is a
result of spirits influencing human beings (has to be from God or satan)?
Answer: Well, we all
are spiritual beings because we were previously created by God who is also a
Spirit. Genesis 1:1, 2 reads, “In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form,
and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the
face of the waters.” Here we see that the Spirit of God was present
before the earth was created. Secondly, a living soul or alive human being
(man: male or female) is made up of dust and God’s breath of Life- simple
formula, “soul = dust + God’s breath of Life. Genesis 2: 7 reads, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust
of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living being.” Remember,
there is no middle ground within this Great Controversy. Revelation 12:7-9
reads, “And war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels
fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any
longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil
and satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his
angels were cast out with him.” This Great Controversy is not between flesh
and blood but between principalities and spiritual hosts according
to Ephesians 6:12-God’s Principality
and Character of Love, according to 1
John 4:7-10, and satan’s principality and character of selfishness
according to Isaiah 14:13, 14. Since
the Great Controversy is still taking place in planet earth today, every
hallucination has to be from God or satan.
Question: As
Christians, give the solution in being protected against satan’s deceptions
through his hallucinations?
Answer: First of all, we must test the spirit
according to 1 John 4: 1-6. If the spirit behind the particular hallucination
is not of God, than we must have or wear the whole armor of God. “It is wise to wear the whole armor of God at all
times, so when such deceptions from satan, like his hallucinations come our
way, we may be protected against his attacks and withstand our ground in Jesus
Christ’s side, within this Great Controversy and will not be deceived by him!” Ephesians 6:11-17 reads, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against Flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up
the whole armor of God, that you may be able to with stand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with
truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your
feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield
of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God;” Let’s briefly simply explain the whole armor
of God according to the above text in Ephesians 6:11-17;
1. Helmet=
Salvation.
2.
Sword of the Spirit= The Word of God-The Holy Bible.
3.
Shield= Faith.
4.
Girded waist/belt= Truth.
5.
Breastplate= Righteousness.
6. Shod
feet, shoe= Peace.
We
can wear the whole armor of God-have Salvation,
The Word of God, Faith, Truth, Righteousness and Peace
in our lives by willingly accepting Jesus Christ into our lives. By opening the
doors of our minds and our hearts to God: God The
Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit. By having being infilled and baptized with The Holy
Spirit. That is how we can wear and have the whole armor of God…
Remember,
the Word according to The Holy Bible is Jesus Christ according to John 1:1-3.
The Word or Jesus Christ was our Creator according to John 1:1-6 and Genesis
1:1-2. God’s Word to us man (both male and female) or humanity is “The Holy
Bible.” Which means The Holy Bible is above any books, text books,
or words by mankind alone! “In our case, The Holy Bible is above
the field of psychology! Do not trust what men say but trust what God say.” Yes, this is “The Great Controversy.” But thankfully Love, God’s
principality is already victorious within this Great Controversy through Jesus
Christ our Lord, according to Mathew 27:24-54. Yes, Jesus Christ was
born into this sinfully earth a mere
human being, but he was found
without sin from the moment he
was born into this earth, reached adulthood, baptized, did His Father’s will,
died on Calvary, resurrected and ascended and went up to heaven. Or in other
words, he overcame sin, selfishness,
and was victorious against
selfishness throughout his life here on planet earth-Love prevailed in Him, that is
why Love
(God is Love according to 1 John 4:7-10) is victorious within this Great
Controversy. That is why we need Him to overcome selfishness since; He is The
Only True Way that leads to Life according to John 14:6, and The True Vine
according to John 15, especially John 15:5. It’s really simple, “WE NEED JESUS CHRIST.”
Without Him, we’re nothing-we cannot
overcome sin and selfishness on our
own, and we cannot have life-that
eternal life that was promised to us by Jesus Christ in John 3:16 without
“Jesus Christ”: accepting Him, following Him, and having Him in our lives today.
We need Christ within us through The Comforter, The Holy Spirit (see my previous blog why we need the Holy Spirit: http://peterjnrbebi.blogspot.com/2015/07/when-we-have-holy-spirit.html) which He had previously promised
us before he ascended up to heaven. Remember, when we have The Holy Spirit
within us, we have Jesus Christ within us-since The Holy Spirit is part of our Trinity God: God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit.
When we are infilled or baptized with The Holy Spirit, we can be able to choose
God’s principality of Love
within
this Great Controversy as our choice. Remember, “JESUS CHRIST IS
COMING SOON, TIME IS SOMETHING WE ALL DON’T HAVE, AND THE POWER OF CHOICE IS
YOURS.”
REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY;
- ·
Philip.
G. Zimbardo, Psychology and Life Tenth
Edition, U.S.A: Standford University
- ·
Rita
L. Atkinson, Introduction to Psychology
Eleventh Edition, U.S.A: University of California, San Deiego
- ·
Spencer
A. Rathus, Psychology Third Edition,
U.S.A: Marist College, Poughkeepsie, New York
- ·
Andrews
University Press, Andrews Study Bible,
U.S.A: Andrews University Press 2010
- ·
Oxford
University Press, Oxford Advanced
Learners Dictionary, UK: Oxford University Press 2010
- ·
Word
Web Dictionary
- ·
Psychology
History< https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology > accessed 15th May,
2016.
- ·
Hallucination
< https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucination > accessed 15th May,
2016.
- ·
Perception and Imagination <http://blog.brainfacts.org/2014/01/perception-and-imagination-a-neuroscientists-perspective/>accessed
26/03/2016
- ·
Mindfulness <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness>accessed
26/03/2016
- ·
The Physiology of Perception <http://sulcus.berkeley.edu/flm/ms/physio.percept.html >accessed
26/03/2016
- ·
Perception and Imagination <http://blog.brainfacts.org/2014/01/perception-and-imagination-a-neuroscientists-perspective/>accessed
26/03/2016
