Demon cast-out from servant who “fortune-tells” to amass wealth for her masters

Acts 16:16-18

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click here for a description of the image of the beast.

“Now it happened, as we went to prayer…” Acts 16:16a

This verse is picking up from Acts 16:11-15, where Paul, his companions, and Lydia have gone to prayer after Lydia’s whole household came to say “Yes” to Jesus Christ.

While they were in prayer, it is written, “…that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.” Acts 16:16b.

“Slaves” do the work of those who employ them, if they don’t, they are fired, terminated, and in other ways reprimanded. The slave girl was possessed with a spirit of divination, which is a fortune-telling, and in her case she was speaking about future fortunes in a way that brought much profit to her masters/employers. “Masters” is plural, so the slave girl was being exploited to benefit several wealthy people.

In today’s culture, local community leaders, state government leaders, national politicians, and global leaders are using “fortune-tellers” in ways designed to make the global government and its global culture wealthy. They work for their governing masters by emphasizing economic prosperity, which is the message put forth by the global goals of the United Nations through the “Sustainable Development Goals”. 

Nowadays, fortune-telling is done as leaders constantly promise economic prosperity and affordability for everyone. I can quote their predictions by heart, “lower inflation,” “higher wages,” “global prosperity,” “economic equality,” “lower unemployment,” “attracting more business,” “economic development” etc. The governing authorities are becoming wealthy in the process of establishing a “supply side” economy while shutting out the “demand side” of the economy. That means the government stores up the wealth of the economy to supply the needs of the general population. What people want, or wish they had, relates to the demand of consumers. The cashless society, based on the digital currency, functions by the wealth of the government while keeping people cashless and dependent on government supply. Click here for a post on the digital currency.

The master that the local, state, national, and global leaders work for is the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel. They thirst for economic dominance of wealth worldwide, and plan to be the one world government with a global economy. The formation of the global government is described in Revelation 17, and Daniel 8:1-14. The destruction of the global economy that they build is described in Revelations 18.

“This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” Acts 16:17

The slave girl with false prophecies was not a believer in God, did not have any interest in Jesus Christ, and was not living in the presence of the Holy Spirit. She was working for her masters who lived their life to amass wealth and materialism. This is like those of today’s culture, which is global, who turn away from faith in Jesus Christ to focus on physical needs instead of spiritual needs. They realize that their financial success in this life depends on pleasing their master who has power over their physiology to give them what to speak and do. These are those who are like Judas who sold out Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver, Matthew 26:14-16 and also read Matthew 27:3-5.

Jesus says to us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

The slave girl was following Paul and his companions saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” She was not praising them for being messengers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but was more like a warning to everyone in Philippi that Paul and his companions were not serving according to the will of her masters to focus on the accumulation of wealth. In fact, Paul and his companions converted Lydia to the way of Jesus Christ, and she was a very wealthy and influential woman in Philippi [Acts 16:11-15]. Lydia would have begun using her wealth and influence to establish the Philippian Church [where she was living] and the Church in Thyatira [her hometown].

In today’s atheistic culture, the word has been put forth that the followers of Jesus Christ serve God through the Holy Spirit. We do not serve wealth and materialism by making the master of our life the beast that is given breath/ life to speak and live through us. We want our resources to be used in the presence of the Holy Spirit in our service to Jesus Christ. We want people to know the way of Salvation by the forgiveness of sin and unbelief through Jesus Christ. Materialism is not the way to Salvation and is a sin to be repented from.

“And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.” Acts 16:18

When a person gives prophecy through the Holy Spirit, He does not come to agitate, annoy, and provoke someone to more ungodliness. For many days, the servant girl was annoying, agitating, and rubbing the nerves raw of Paul by constantly yelling out “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” It was obvious she was possessed by a demonic spirit and not the Holy Spirit at all. In today’s culture, as we live and speak for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, those of today’s atheistic culture will constantly harass and cause agitation towards us. Their assault on Christianity is brought on by their worldly values as they allow their words and behaviors to be guided by the beast that is given life to speak and live through them.

Paul spoke to the demon in the woman, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.” Today’s culture live by the “666”, which is denial of God [6], scoffing at the need for the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ [6], and oppressing the presence of the Holy Spirit [6]. In the name of Jesus Christ, the demonic activity of “6-6-6” can be cast out. The bond of people to the “6-6-6” is broken when there is belief in the Living God, acknowledgement is present for the need of the forgiveness of unbelief through Jesus Christ, and embracing the presence of the Holy Spirit.

At this point in Philippi, Paul and his companions converted a very wealthy and influential woman named Lydia to Jesus Christ [[Acts 16:11-15]] and cast out a demon from a woman who was giving predictions [fortune-telling] to increase the wealth of her masters. The economic masters in Philippi became very angry as described in the verses of the next post.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11