In examining the next few satanic scriptures, I want us to focus on not only the philosophy they express, but the end results of believing that philosophy. You know life can sometimes be confusing, with all the different opinions and religious views that vie for our attention. It can be hard to know what is good and what is bad. As in the scripture we saw earlier, if Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14), how can we tell whether something is of God or of the Devil.

Well, one way is to do what we have been doing to compare it to the Scriptures, the Word of God. And by this standard of judgment it’s obvious that something has gone very wrong with much of contemporary rock.

Another very effective method, however, is to examine its fruit, the actions and attitudes it ultimately generates. Now Jesus said that we can discern false prophets and teachings from the good by the fruit they produce. (Matthew 7:15-20) By way of an analogy, He spoke of trees sound ones bear good fruit and bad ones produce evil fruit.

Now sometimes when trees or plants are growing it’s difficult to tell them apart. For example, on my right is a blueberry plant and on my left is something called “lantana.” Right now there’s not much to set one apart from the other. But when they mature, the fruit of one will be pleasant tasting and nourishing and the other poisonous. Their fruit will definitely set them apart.

In Christ’s parable He said that the ultimate lot of this plant is to be cut down and burned. In an earlier verse, He mentioned both the source of this plant’s problem as well as where the axe will fall when it is cast into the fire. “Even now the axe is laid to the root. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and burned” (Matthew 3:10)

If you stop and think about it, the root is invisible to us. It exists, in a sense, in another realm from our above-ground world, but it is this invisible root that determines what kind of tree and fruit will be produced.

This parable, of course, points to life and, more importantly, eternity and the judgment awaiting each of us. Scripture tells us that the fruits produced by the invisible root of God’s Spirit are things like love, joy, peace, goodness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22) Against these, the fruit produced by the root of Satan and man’s fallen nature tend to the opposite anger and fear instead of love, anxiety instead of peace, lust instead of self-control. (Galatians 5:19) Let’s begin by examining rock for one of the most basic fruits of satanic religion. In John 10:10, Jesus said that among Satan’s primary goals in the affairs of man is “to steal, kill, and destroy.”

The intrinsic selfishness of man’s heart coupled with the seeds of satanic philosophy will inevitably result in violence and death. “Are we not all predatory animals by instinct? If humans ceased wholly from preying upon each other, could they continue to exist?” (The Book of Satan 3:4).

Preying upon one another is a major theme running through the music album artwork stage shows videos and the lives associated with the rock music industry.

While the intent in most instances is to shock, grab one’s attention, and increase album sales; evidence continues to mount that there are powers beyond the industry’s control for whom this obsession with death is not a joke.

Many rock artists have found this out the hard way. From asphyxiating in their vomit, to dying of heart failure in the bathroom, their premature and often vulgar deaths point not only to the Prince of Death, but to the perverse way he treats his subjects.

And it’s not just the artists who are being affected by this spirit of violence and death. The rock ‘n’ roll era has seen violent crime increase among young people by over 10,000%. Concert violence has become epidemic, culminating in a “Who” concert in Cincinnati where 11 people were trampled to death as crowds rushed the doors. Even the way many listeners relate to the music, shouting with fists punching the air, or crashing into one another in that paroxysm of aggression called “slam dancing”, bear witness to the spirit of this world operating beneath the surface.

However, it is in the incredible arena of bizarre murders, ritualistic violence, and self-mutilation that the reality of satanic influence can be most clearly discerned. The last few decades have seen the appearance of some of the most twisted and violent acts imaginable. The primary things that link these senseless acts together is an obsession with rock music and a similarity to ancient satanic ritual.

Beginning with the most benign, the punk music revolution made self-mutilation a pop phenomenon. It became quite common to see young people stick safety pins through various parts of their body, or carve slogans into themselves with razor blades. Superficial bloodletting at concerts became a badge of the vacuousness, anarchy, and existential madness that was the clarion call of the movement. It was not uncommon to see artists like Sid Vicious or proto-punk Iggy Pop drag broken beer bottles or razor blades across their chests while on stage. Even heavy metal rocker Alice Cooper, in his typical Hollywood fashion, has gotten into the act.

What’s interesting, as well as critically important to note here, is that these mindless acts of violence are not unique to this era. The scriptures recall a time when God’s prophet, Elijah, challenged Satan’s prophets to a contest in the supernatural. I Kings 18 relates what the devil worshipers did in order to get Satan to move on their behalf, “And so they lept about and cried aloud and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood poured out upon them” (1 Kings 18:28).

Now it’s true these warlocks were consciously engaging in a demonic ritual while most, if not all, of modern punkers have no idea their behavior is virtually identical to this ancient form of satanism. But remember what we learned in Part I the spiritual realm is the higher reality. We are all profoundly affected by the Lord of whichever kingdom we are a part of, whether we are aware of it or not.

Moving on to even more serious acts of violence, self-mutilation has graduated in the last decade to murder and human sacrifice. Here are a few examples of a growing phenomenon that many law enforcement officials believe might already be epidemic:

• On April 12, 1985, a 14-year-old metal-head killed three people. An Iron Maiden freak whose involvement with the occult led him to carve 666 into his chest, the boy claimed to have been under the influence of Eddie, Iron Maiden’s mascot, when he committed the murders. (The Toronto Sun, November 1, 1985)

• The now infamous California mass murderer, Richard Ramirez, the “Night Stalker”, was reportedly led into his obsession with the occult and ritual murder through groups like AC/DC. A school mate reported that it was their song “Night Prowler” that particularly seemed to affect Ramirez. On the record cover for Highway to Hell, the album in which “Night Prowler” appears, the singer of the song wears a pentagram around his neck. The most common of satanic symbols, it became Ramirez’ calling card, appearing on the walls of his victim’s homes and sometimes on the victim himself.

• 1987 saw the capture of the serial murderer, occultist, and apparent cannibal Gary Heidnik. Time magazine noted that from his house in Philadelphia where the crimes were committed, heavy metal music blared day and night. (Time, April 6, 1987, p. 34)

Most people familiar with the case agreed no one of Tommy’s age and background could have committed this perverted and violent of a crime without something to help him; yet neither alcohol nor drugs played a part. What then could it have been? The only real clues were found in Tommy’s room and notebook. During the previous year he had become involved in the occult. And the vehicle for his satanic initiation heavy metal rock ‘n’ roll.

Again, this is, in the opinion of respected law enforcement officials, the tip of the iceberg. Satanic crime, both spontaneous and independent acts like Tommy’s and deliberate and cult related violence like Heidnik’s is on the increase. And invariably it marches to the beat of heavy metal rock ‘n’ roll, a genre, by the way, that is presently enjoying its greatest popularity in an almost 20 year history.

Now, I’m not saying that if you listen to heavy metal music the devil will make you kill your mom. These individuals all had other problems besides their addiction to rock ‘n’ roll. Remember though, that as an eternal spirit Satan’s focus is on eternity. His primary goal is to take you to Hell with him. If Satan can get you to kill for him, great that’s icing on the cake. The cake though is to keep you away from the one who can save you from Hell to make you think that following Jesus is stupid, wimpy, or irrelevant that real life is found in fun and doing whatever feels good. And what other art form is preaching this message with greater urgency and power than much of rock ‘n’ roll?

Some would say, “So what, it’s all just in fun, nobody is supposed to take the message seriously.” Well that sentiment completely ignores both the nature of man and the power of music. As Ken Wooden, investigative journalist and reporter with ABC’s 20/20 has said, “Why do we spend billions on advertising? Because people answer the ads. This type of music is a form of advertising. And I’ve seen kids who have responded to the ads. I’ve seen them dead on marble slabs.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, June

Suicide

Another way people are answering the ads in rock music is through suicide. Now the second biggest killer of young people in the west, surveys have found that as many as one in seven teenagers have tried to kill themselves. Again, there are other factors contributing to this tragedy, but clearly rock ‘n’ roll has played a major part. (Music Metallica’s “Fade to Black”)

Suicide is perhaps the ultimate satanic deception because it must effectively short circuit a primary human instinct self-preservation. To accomplish this some basic truths have to be destroyed and replaced with lies.

The most foundational truth is that life has a transcendent purpose to know and experience God. We’ve already seen how rock has either ignored or ridiculed this truth. In place of it, the satanic lie is that life is fundamentally pointless, that at best our existence is given meaning by the pleasures we enjoy. One would be hard-pressed to find a secular rock artist who does not at least tip their hat to this demonic philosophy; most bow their knee and worship. (MTV’s “Hedonism Weekend” with Bon Jovi)

It’s worth noting here how the scriptures characterize the generation caught in the throes of end-time apostasy, “In the last days, men will be lovers of self, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” (1 Tim. 3:2-4)

The next step in getting people to kill themselves is to remove human suffering from the context of transcendent meaning. The truth needing to be destroyed here is that suffering is either symptomatic of spiritual disease, thereby leading one to God, or is a temporary trial permitted by God in order to perfect one’s character. The fact is, life is full of trials for everybody maturity and greatness come from triumphing over them. Against this, Satan’s deception is that if life is found in pleasure then the absence of pleasure is to be avoided at all costs. If the pain becomes too great, killing oneself can be the logical way out.

Significantly, the soul of this present generation has been so bankrupt that the pain triggering much of the current epidemic of suicide is ultimately trivial: poor grades, a broken love affair, a disdain for reality. As Dr. Mark Rosenberg noted in his address to the American Society of Suicidology in 1988, “It was thought that the way to prevent suicide among teens was to treat depression. It’s not the case with these kids. Rather than being clinically depressed, these young suicide victims are impulsive, acting out fantasies.” (Rising to the Challenge, Vision Video, 1988 P.M.R.C.)

And where are the fantasies coming from? Enter again rock ‘n’ roll.”

Is it just a coincidence that in many suicides around the country the victims have been obsessed with rock? And that often these very songs about death and suicide were the last thing they listened to before they took their lives? As the coroner’s report read in the death of one John McCollum, “Decedent committed suicide by shooting self in head with .22-caliber pistol while listening to devil music.” (Reader’s Digest, July, 1988, p. 103)

Drugs

Another self-destructive and occult related activity that has been popularized by rock music is drug abuse. It is stating the obvious to say that drugs are everywhere in rock from the ravaged bodies of the stars to the lyrics of their songs. The Beastie Boys best selling album “Licensed to Ill”, for example, contains over 90 references to drugs and alcohol abuse. (Rising to the Challenge, Vision Video, 1988 P.M.R.C., research by Robert DeMoss, Jr.)

What is not as well known, however, is drugs connection to the spiritual realm. Psychotropic or mind-altering substances are viewed by sorcerers and others involved in he occult as a gateway, or guide, into the spirit world. The Greek word in the scriptures for “sorcery” in fact, is “pharmakia”, from whence we get our words “pharmacy” or “pharmaceuticals” in other words, drugs.

The reason God hates the misuse of drugs and connects it with the judgement of Hell is because their use if a form of sorcery. The high that is drugs primary attraction is unquestionably a spiritual experience, one that opens the user up to the spirit world.

This trend-setting song by the Beatles was originally entitled “The Void.” Its purpose was to proclaim the gospel of enlightenment through drugs while simulating the sensory effects of LSD. The first line of the song was taken directly from the bible of the acid cult, Tim Leary’s “The Psychedelic Experience.”

The problem is the Holy Spirit will not respond on this level. Like the chaste woman of Proverbs who personifies wisdom and the revelation or divine truth, God will only appear to the one who seeks Him in righteousness. It is the harlot Satan who spreads himself before the individual who is high on drugs. And you can be sure that much of the proliferation of occultism within rock ‘n’ roll finds its genesis in precisely this way.

Ex-Beatle George Harrison explains the origins of his Krishna consciousness, “When I was younger, with the after-effects of the LSD that opened something up inside of me in 1966, a flood of other thoughts came into my head which led me to the yogis.” (Rolling Stone, November 5, 1987)

Likewise, a rock magazine described the Cure’s Robert Smith’s creative process as follows: “He often comes up with his most macabre ideas for songs in the nightmares he experiences while sleeping off alcoholic binges. The entire album “The Head on the Door” was written under those conditions.” (Starhits, October, 1988)

Over the years, the Grateful Dead have become almost synonymous with marijuana and LSD use. A national newspaper described the uncanny fascination they inspire in their devoted fans, “For many of the camp followers, the Dead are a religion and their lyrics a Bible. It is generally accepted that the Dead are tapped into some profound LSD inspired truth. Not surprisingly, some hallucinating Deadheads have weaved weird and elaborate theories about God and the Universe from strands of Grateful Dead lyrics.” (The Washington Times, Concert 1986, Souvenir Edition)

It’s not surprising because the Dead themselves have acknowledged this drug-induced transcendence. As Captain Trips, Jerry Garcia, said in their biography Playing in the Band, “I can’t deny that there is a moment when I’m transformed, when all of a sudden God is speaking through my strings.” (Playing in the Band, David Gans and Peter Simon)

As many rock artists like Garcia have entered middle age, they’ve had to break their addictions to drugs in order to survive. A few have recorded testimonials for RAD, Rock Against Drugs. A classic case of too little, too late, for most their warning cries sound hollow.

How can you be against something that your philosophy and lifestyle give rise to. For example, Bon Jovi has done a spot for RAD while maintaining their hedonistic message. And their powerful hit video “Wanted Dead or Alive” contains a not-so-subtle endorsement for the most abused drug of all, alcohol.

Ultimately, comedian and rock devotee Sam Kennison’s criticism of Rock Against Drugs says it all, “It’s like Christians against Christ, rock created drugs.”

Sex

Perhaps the most inevitable and far reaching by-product, or fruit, of satanic philosophy is an obsession with sex. “Is not lust and carnal desire a more truthful term to describe love.” (The Book of Satan, 3:5)

Prince’s philosophy is by no means unique. Sex-related fantasies seems to be all anyone can see when surveying the music, artwork, and lifestyles of the rock music industry.

Popular music video director Marty Callner, whose pornography style landed him in the LA Times’ “Hall of Shame”, defended his use of erotic imagery by noting the nature of his subject matter “Sex is what rock ‘n’ roll is all about.” (L.A. Times, January 24, 1988)

From the hip shaking of Elvis the Pelvis in the 60’s to the perversity of the 80’s, truly sex is what rock ‘n’ roll is about. Even the term rock ‘n’ roll, coined by Cleveland disk jockey Alan Freed, is a euphemism for sex in the back seat of a car. And the sex heralded by the rock industry is not the mature and unselfish kind mandated by God, but the satanic alternative impulsive, carnal, and ultimately destructive. As Dr. Alan Bloom said in The Closing of the American Mind, “Rock music has one appeal, a barbaric appeal, to sexual desire not love, but sexual desire undeveloped and untutored. It acknowledges the first emanations of children’s emerging sensuality and addresses them seriously, eliciting them and legitimizing them,…” (The Closing of the American Mind, p. 73)

Dr. Bloom makes an important point here. Moral sanity is not anti-sex, but anti-exploitation. Contrary to popular opinion, God is not against sex it was His idea in the first place and he designed our bodies with the capacity to enjoy it. Scripture describes the act of making love as being central to the beginning of the marriage relationship. (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5) Husbands and wives are further encouraged in the Bible to view their own bodies as belonging to their marriage partner in order that they might both give and receive comfort and pleasure. (1 Cor. 7:4) Sex is a vehicle for man’s participation in one of life’s greatest miracles, the creation of another human being. (Genesis 1:28) In short, sex is an enormously important, powerful, and beautiful act.

But like all things that contain intrinsic power, it has the potential to be destructive as well. And that’s why God has so rigorously commanded that this very special act be reserved for a very special relationship, a life-long commitment between a man and a woman something we call marriage and family. (1 Cor. 6:13 – 7:9) Old fashioned? Maybe, but the more things change, the more they remain the same. No matter what the crowd says, purity and loyalty are still the bottom line, anything else leads to death.

Michael makes three contentions here about sex: 1. Morality is irrelevant, 2. Physical well-being is the primary consideration and 3. His song and video are not about casual sex.

Only one of the statements is true. With over 20 varieties of venereal disease lurking in the loins of some 30 million Americans, sex has become a hazardous undertaking, one that can be a matter of biological life or death. (Center for Disease Control, Atlanta) But to say it is no longer a matter of morality couldn’t be more wrong. Moral principles are as real and as unchangeable as scientific ones, in fact, even more so. In the same way that gravity works regardless of public opinion, so God’s standards of righteousness remain in place despite man’s declarations to the contrary. No matter how much we hate and try to deny the idea, Jesus stated that there is a choice set before each of us. “He who falls on Me will be broken, but those on whom I fall will be utterly destroyed.” (Luke 20:18) We can choose now to fall on Christ and let Him break our pride and arrogance, to trust Him instead of ourselves or someone else for our direction and purpose or we can continue along our own way and face the inevitable judgment that awaits all who reject the Messiah. And this eternal destruction is infinitely more tragic than the biological destruction that await somebody infected with AIDS, as horrible as that is. As Jesus said, “My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, fear the one who has the authority to cast you into Hell.” (Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:5)

The other lie is that this song is not about casual sex.

There is no love or life-long commitment here, just a “friendship” that is too shallow to extend beyond his own sexual impatience. With songs like this topping the charts, is it any wonder that we have a generation of young people who know little or nothing of true love and the virtues of self-control.

It scarcely needs mentioning that George Michael and songs like “I Want Your Sex” are just the tip of the iceberg. From 19-year-old chart topper Bobby Brown, who was arrested in February, 1989 in Georgia for simulating sex on stage with a member of the audience, to the brazenly pornographic style of mega-star Madonna, the vast majority of rock artists have become the moral equivalent of prostitutes in the temple of rock ‘n’ roll.

Some are subtle, using innuendo and sexual metaphor to appeal to the listener’s carnal nature. Cindy Lauper’s hit “She-Bop”, for example, is nothing but a thinly veiled celebration of masturbation.

More and more, however, veiled illusions have given place to an explicitness that is almost unbelievable. Decency prevents us from playing some of the worst examples. As a sample, however, consider just one of several songs off this best-selling album by Van Halen.

Satanic sex is never content with what we might call “everyday perversions” things like masturbation and sexual activity between two unmarried people with some form of long term relationship. These are excellent first steps, gradually getting the participant used to being degraded and enslaved to lust. Once they are introduced to the fleeting pleasures of sin, an important spiritual law kicks in. “The deceptiveness of sin hardens our hearts.” (Hebrews 3:13 paraphrase)

As our hearts become hard three things begin to happen, both individually and collectively: 1. We begin to justify our sin, 2. We become more blind and resistant to God’s truth and salvation concerning our sin, and 3. We become more susceptible to the next stage of sin. This is perhaps Satan’s most useful ploy, not only for the power it gives him over individual lives and the toll it takes on society, but for the demonic poignancy of it. How satisfying it must be for him to see the pinnacle of creation, people made in the image of God, performing acts not worthy of animals.

“Satanism condones any type of sexual activity. The prevalence of deviant behavior in our society would stagger the imagination of the sexually naive.” (The Satanic Bible, Avon Books, 1969, Anton LaVey, p. 67)

One doesn’t have to be sexually naive to be staggered by the increasingly perverse love affair between rock and sex. Time and taste prevent an exhaustive expose, but briefly consider two primary symptoms of moral insanity sex married to its opposite violence and pain, and sex as religion.

One of the last sign posts on Hell’s downward journey to sexual bondage and depravity is to mix violence with sex. Not only is sex removed from the sacred context of marriage and commitment, but it is further perverted by substituting pain for pleasure and death for life. Incredibly, this satanic theme has become increasingly common and popular in rock music.

In giving this song a positive review, People magazine called Strange Love: “a celebration of masochism…. Listen to this twice and you’ll have a deeper understanding of masochists. Listen to it three times and you’ll be one.” (People, September 28, 1987)

One of the hottest groups of 1988 was Guns ‘n’ Roses. Their best-selling debut album features sexual violence on both the cover and in the music.

The platinum album “Shout at the Devil” by Motley Crue, featured this twisted lyric buried in their song “Too Young to Fall in Love”.

Unfortunately, these are not isolated examples, as dozens of other groups sing about the pleasures of rape, pain and degradation. Is it any wonder that a recent poll found that a majority of 6-9th grade students felt that date rape was justifiable (re. Rhode Island Rape Crisis Center as noted in the“Rising to the Challenge” video), or that sexual crime among the young is on the increase? Even secular journals are beginning to connect these once unheard of events to the influence of rock ‘n’ roll. As scripture warned almost 2000 years ago, “Don’t be deceived; God is not mocked, whatever you sow you will reap. If you sow to your carnal flesh, from that flesh you’ll reap decay and destruction, but if you sow to the spirit, from the spirit you’ll reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8)

Scripture further encourages us to, “Set our thoughts on heaven instead of on the earth, putting to death earthly things like premarital sex, impurity, and lustful desires.” (Col. 3:2,5)

Not content to simply degrade and pervert mankind, Hell seeks to substitute sex and lust for the things of heaven. And rock ‘n’ roll, possibly more than any other contemporary phenomenon, has helped realize the satanic ambition.

Bananarama’s remake of the hit “Venus” and its attendant music video brought out some of the spiritual implications that were probably missed by most listeners when the song was first heard in 1969.

This theme is amplified by The Cramps on this album. Pornographic from beginning to end, the words to “Womaneed” are too obscene to repeat here, but clearly marry biblical imagery concerning salvation to gutter sexuality.

Continuing with a song we looked at earlier …

This theme is further developed in “Father Figure.”

Michael’s world-view gives no place to either scripture or the church. Sex and his worldly brand of relationship are all that is needed to find meaning in life.

Taking this theme even further is the homosexual group, The Frogs. Their album cover features a very young boy wearing a pink triangle, a symbol within the militant homosexual movement, and includes songs like “Gather Around for Saviour #2”. The singer envisions a new world where children leave the church behind to follow a new Messiah him.

This blasphemy finds its axiomatic expression inside this album cover for another openly homosexual group, Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Pleasure is called the “Unique”, the one thing that transcends everything else. Their artwork further develops this concept of sex as religion in this hideously perverted but sadly telling caricature of the biblical story of Noah and the flood. Do you see the animals walking two by two as in the days of Noah? Look at what they are crawling into. The ark, or the means of salvation for mankind, is a male sex organ.

How ironic this is given Jesus’ admonition to the world concerning His coming in judgment on an unbelieving and perverted world. “My coming will be just like the days of Noah, when people were so caught up in physical pleasure that they had become blind to their sin and the destruction that was to be soon visited upon them.” (Matthew 24: 37-39)

Against this, the Bible both warns and encourages us, “Do not be deceived, neither the immoral nor the sexually perverted will inherit the kingdom of God. Flee from sexual sin. Your body was not meant for immorality, but for service to the Lord.” (1 Cor. 6:9,18,13)