The Curse of Pharmakeia

“Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (2 Corinthians 13:1 ESV)

God establishes His word on the basis of two or three witnesses. This is why there are four accounts of the life of Jesus, so that the events can be established by more than one witness. Recently, God has been moving to reveal the truth of what His word means by bringing us multiple witnesses on one topic at a time. Today, we will address what the Bible says about drug usage. We will start with the end result, mentioned in the last chapter of the Bible.

Drugs in the Bible

The prophecy, which is the Book of Revelation, shows that Jesus will break seven seals, releasing great calamity upon the Earth. These include the four horsemen: the AntiChrist, Famine, War, and Death. Then seven trumpets are sounded, bringing great destruction through small asteroids impacting the land and a huge one striking the ocean, killing one-third to one-half of the population. Two Witnesses are prophesying and giving testimony about these events and are killed, then rise from the dead for all the world to see. What is the response of mankind?

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21 AKJV)

We will not go through the entire list of behaviors that will keep you out of Heaven: that is covered in the free online class about the trumpets. We will focus on the word “sorceries,” which is the Greek word pharmakeia, which means the use of drugs. The Old Testament used a different word for physicians and what they do to heal people, so pharmakeia is the use of mind-altering drugs for non-medical, non-healing purposes. Using drugs will prevent you from going in the rapture and even making it to Heaven! To confirm this, let’s look at another scripture:

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 ESV)

Paul warns us that many sins can keep us from Heaven. Among this list is the same word, translated as sorcery: pharmakeia. Drunkenness is also on the list. Having one drink is not a sin, as Paul urges Timothy to drink a glass of wine for his stomach ailment. However, being drunk is a mind-altering state and also a sin!

We must not confuse pharmakeia with taking medicine. When something is prescribed by a physician for healing, that is usually okay, but even this can be abused when we are using mood-altering drugs. God also warns us about relying on man’s medicine because we don’t want to go to Him because of sin.

Asa was the third king of Judah. He was a physician, a great-great-grandson of Solomon. He was zealous in maintaining the true worship of God, and in rooting out all idolatry, with its accompanying immoralities, out of the land (1 Kings 15, Ezekiel 15:8-14). However, when a prophet brought a correction from God, King Asa threw him in stocks and unleashed his rage upon the people of the land. Then this happened:

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease, he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. (2 Chronicles 16:12-13 ESV)

Because of the treatment of God’s prophet, in his old age, King Asa was afflicted in his feet, but he refused to seek God, relying instead on physicians. He only lived two years with this great affliction, then he died. This was the only criticism of a man who was said to be zealous and wholly committed to God.

Using medicine is not a sin. Seeing a doctor is not a bad thing. However, if we are unwilling to go to God for help because of our bad behavior, that is a sin and may have dire consequences! Doctors use drugs to bring healing, but we should seek God and be willing to turn from sin so that He can heal us as well!

Needless to say, drug abuse has been around for as long as humans have inhabited the Earth. In ancient times, Sorcerers used drugs for sorcery or magical arts, which is why the word is translated as sorceries. Drugs were often found in connection with idolatry or worshiping other gods. These behaviors have a common theme: they were carried out by people who made contact with the spirit realm without God. Anytime we move in the spirit realm without God, it may bring spirits into our lives that will wreak havoc upon us!

And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he worked much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. (2 Chronicles 33:6 AKJV)

There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination to the LORD… (Deuteronomy 18:10-12 ESV)

Enchantments and witchcraft involve not only the use of drugs, but also calling upon unclean spirits as well. The Hebrew words used for divination and observer of times imply secret knowledge gained without God by other spirits. Wizards and Necromancers consult spirits and the dead. As children of God, we are to have nothing to do with seeking information from the spiritual realm without God and nothing to do with mind-altering drugs.

Many types of drugs are mind-altering: cannabis (marijuana, pot, weed, or “smoking”), cocaine, meth, LSD, and ecstasy are some of the most common. The biggest danger is the drug that is being legalized: cannabis. Because it is legal, people think it must not be so bad. That couldn’t be farther from the truth!

These drugs are different than using caffeine and melatonin. Caffeine doesn’t interact with the spiritual realm, and your body naturally produces melatonin. These other drugs cause the veil between our world and the spirit realm to become thin. The more you use them, the thinner the veil becomes. This is why many habitual drug users become schizophrenic; they hear voices from the spirit realm.

In my thirties, I tried marijuana once to see what it was all about. It was like there was a wall between me and God. His Spirit, who was my constant companion, was beyond silent. Not only that, but actions which I knew were wrong now seemed “not so bad.” I didn’t like being without God, so I quickly repented and have never touched anything even remotely related to it again!

In the last few weeks, God has been highlighting what an open door through drug use brings into our lives. A certain person, let’s call him Jim, was the first one to contact me. Opening his eyes after a fitful night’s rest, he saw a bony, knobby spider the size of his hand perched on the pillow next to him. It resembled the face sucking Alien without a tail. He jumped up and threw the blanket on it, but then realized it was a vision, and not literally there. That is when he messaged me.

A week earlier, Jim had helped out his roommate by purchasing “sleep gummies” for her. These THC gummies have mind-altering properties. This opened a door in the spirit realm for the spider-demon to enter his life. Spiders weave a web of lies. They will pose as the Holy Spirit. They will convince you that sin is okay. Most importantly, they can block you from receiving from God!

The type of demon associated with drug use was confirmed when another person came in for help. She woke and thought a spider was dropping on her face, only to realize no spider was there. The Holy Spirit revealed that this, too, was linked to prior drug use. Though she had confessed, repented, and applied the blood of Jesus to it in the past, the door wasn’t fully closed. Let’s look at some common causes for an open door to remain.

Sins Keep the Door Open

When we operate in the spirit realm, a spiritual door may be open. If there is sin associated with an open spiritual door, all the sins must be confessed to close that door. If you committed fornication (sex), lied, rebelled against authority (disobeyed your parents), or any other sin under the influence of a mind-altering drug, you will need to confess those sins and place them under the blood as well. Make sure you are in full repentance by removing anything you used to do drugs, like bongs or pipes.

Past Generations

Attachments through drug use can be passed on to future generations. The mind-altering substances open a door in the spirit that may allow ungodly spirits to enter. They will test future generations, applying much pressure to their lives so that they, too, will use drugs, and the demon will have a place. When you confess, repent, and plead the blood, don’t forget to confess for past generations if it applies to you!

Sorceries

If you have past generations that operated in the spiritual realm with the help of drugs, you will need to renounce covenants, dedications, or agreements they made with the unclean spirits. There are a plethora of names given to those who access the spiritual realm with drugs. A few of the most common are:

1. Witchdoctors

2. Shamans - Native Americans

3. Druids

4. Medicine men and women

These are only a few of the most common names. Any type of profession that uses potions and drugs to “see” or influence others is operating with pharmakeia and should be confessed, renounced, and have the blood applied to it.

If you have ancestors who operated in the spirit realm with drugs, you may be very sensitive to items they used. For example, those who have native American shamans in their ancestry line may not be able to eat sage, or have an allergy to cannabis, cedar, or pine, since these were used in spiritual rituals of their ancestors. Druids used many trees and flowers in spiritual rituals, so sensitivity to this could signify an open door that started with a druid ancestor. These are just two examples of what to look for as a sign from the Holy Spirit that there is an open door.

Spiritual Practices

Recent archaeological findings offer intriguing insights. Residues of cannabis have been found on an altar at a Judahite shrine to another god in Tel Arad, suggesting its potential use in religious rituals, according to a study published in Tel Aviv University's archaeological journal. Similarly, opium residues have been found in Canaanite burial sites, indicating its use in rituals related to the dead, possibly to induce ecstatic states. During prayer, the Holy Spirit may reveal a link to your ancestors who worshiped other gods with drug use, and possibly dedicated your family line to the demons posing as gods.

To remove unclean spirits brought into our lives through drug use, we need to be willing to turn from using them and the sins we committed while using them. We will need to confess for the sins of our ancestors and renounce dedications, agreements, or covenants they created with demons. Praise God for the blood of Jesus that can blot out the sins the enemy uses to have a place in our lives! It is as easy as that!