Lesson 34

When a person practices idolatry and witchcraft, the effects of his sins are passed down to the third and fourth generation after him.
The demons which have entered a man because of his idolatry and witchcraft can enter subsequent generations, until there is true renunciation and the demons are cast out.

 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon children unto the THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION of them that hate me.
(Exodus 20:5)

In Other words, those involved in idolatry and witchcraft will come under a curse, and these curses will be passed down to the subsequent generations.

Cursed in the man who carves an image or casts an idol -- a thing detestable to the LORD, the work of the craftsman's hands -- and sets it up in secret.
(Exodus 27:16)

To set ourselves free from the demons that have come down to us from our ancestors, we need to renounce and reject all the sins they have done and break the curses that have come down to us.

In this way, we set ourselves free from all demons of idolatry, witchcraft, and other demons that have come down the generation line, including rejection, hatred, anger, physical or mental illness, deception, doubt, fears, stubbornness, etc.

When we believe in Jesus, we are born again by the Spirit of God (John 4:5-8).
We are a new creation, with a new inheritance of Jesus Christ.
We are no longer of the inheritance of Adam.
We do not have to accept anything passed down the generation line from our ancestors.
Everything is new in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

A curse is "a judgment of God's word against sin," or "a statement of destruction from an authority figure" that will result in the destruction of land, things and lives.

A curse comes upon the life of anyone who breaks God's laws.
The list of curses that come into God's people when they break His laws includes: poverty, mental and physical sickness, humiliation and oppression, defeat and failure, death and destruction (Deuteronomy 28:15-68)

Whatever we say concerning other people's lives or our own lives is either a curse or a blessing, because of the tremendous power that God has vested in man's spoken word, especially of those with authority over others (Proverbs 18:21; 21:18; James 3:1-10).

However, as believers in Jesus, our ability to bless and to curse is even greater than that of the ordinary non-believer, for we have been given the authority to rule on this earth (Matthew 16:18-19; 18:15-20; Mark 11:12-14, 20-25; 16:17-18; John 14:13-14).
Believers must therefore always keep a watch over their mouths.

Examples of blessing or curses of authority figures are as follows:
** Man, including believers, over the world (Genesis 1:26-27; Mark 11:20-21).
** Ruler over a city or land (Joshua 6:26; 1 Kings 2:23-25).
** Church leaders and Church over members (Matthew 18:17-18; 2 Kings 5:16-27).

** Husbands over wives (Jacob curse Rachel. Genesis 31:32).
** Parents over children (Noah and sons, Genesis 9:24-27; Isaac and sons, Genesis 27:24-27).

** A person cursing himself (Peter cursing himself and then reversing the curses: Mark 14:66-72; John 21:15-17; Rebecca cursed herself: Genesis 27:12-13, 27:46).
** Jews cursing themselves and their children, confirmed by Jesus (Matthew 27:20-26; 23:33-39; 24:1-2).

Satan's servants, including witchdoctors, medium, false prophets, etc, can pronounce curses on others.
But all believers in Jesus have the power to break all such curses through the name of Jesus.

E.g. Balaam the false prophet (Numbers 22:24; Deuteronomy 23:5).

When our foreparents are under a curse, that curse can come down the generation line to succeeding generations until it is broken.

E.g. The curse of idolatry and witchcraft will be passed on to the next three to four generations (Exodus 20:4-6; Deuteronomy 27:15).

E.g. The curse of the man of God on the family line of the priest Eli (1 Samuel 1:30-33).

E.g. The curse God pronounced on David and his house through prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12:7-10).

E.g. The curse the prophet Elisha pronounced on his servant and his descendants (2 Kings 26:27).

Since all curses are ultimately destructive, they can open a door door demons to enter those who are cursed, because it is the character of the devil and demonic powers to kill, steal and destroy.
In this way, the devil fulfills the intention of the curses.

Jesus said: "The thief [the devil] comes only to kill, steal and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
(John 10:10)

Therefore, when those in authority over us with a curse, they are in effect indirectly giving permission to demons to enter our lives to harm us.

On the other hand, when witchdoctors and mediums pronounce their curses and "blessings", they are actually calling on demonic powers to help their curses and "blessings" come to pass.

E.g. When Moses pronounced God's curse concerning the destruction of the first born in every household in Egypt on the night of the Passover, God allowed the Destroyer (a title for a demonic angel, Abaddon or Apollyon, Revelation 9:11) to carry out the destruction (Exodus 11:4-7; 12:12-13, 23).

E.g. When Saul disobeyed God, and was rejected by God, the Spirit of God left him and an evil spirit came and tormented him (1 Samuel 15:22-26; 16:14).

E.g. When Christians do not forgive others, God will allow evil spirits to torment and torture them (Matthew 18:32-35).

E.g.  When a Christians refuses to repent of a sin, the Church is authorized to surrender him into the hands of the devil so that his body may be destroyed and his spirit saved. (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5; 1 Timothy 1:18-20).

This can take place during times of stress and provocation during pregnancy, infancy, childhood or in adulthood.
(Examples of demons that can enter as a result of theses curses are noted in brackets).

"I want to abort this child." (spirits of rejection, etc.)
"I hate this pregnancy." (spirits of rejection, etc.)
"Get it (the new-born baby) out of my sight." (spirits of rejection, abandonment, gender confusion, etc)
"I always wanted a girl, so why were you born?" (spirits of gender confusion, homosexuality, lesbianism, tomboyishness, perfectionism, etc.)

"You are so ugly." (spirit of rejection, self-hate, despair, immorality.)
"You will always be useless with your hands." (spirits of failure, self-condemnation, etc.)
"You will never get married."
"Your marriage will always be unsuccessful."

"If you leave this church, your business will fail, and your prayers will not be answered."
"Everyone in my family dies of heart attack at the age of forty; I guess it will be no different for me."
"You look just like your grandmother; you will be fat just like her, and will have allergies also."

We can be set free from every curse because Christ has taken them all away when he died on the cross for us (Galatians 3:13).

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."  
(Galatians 3:13)

Where we have sinned, we must repent of these sins first.

Jesus said: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whether you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
(Matthew 16:19)

These curses may have been pronounced against you or that may have come down to you from your parents and forefathers.
Break these curses in Jesus' name.
After that, set yourself free from any demonic oppression involved with these curses.

Your thought

1. In your own experience, what are the cases you have seen of demons that have been passed down from parents to an individual?
   How can you help such individuals?
   

2. What must you do when others curse you and your children?
   (Hint: Read Matthew 5:44; Matthew 16:19; 18:18)