Pharmakeia
God once told me that healing begins within - then the external manifestations follow. Simply put, what He showed me was that 'whatever is going on in our soul directly reflects what we see in our physical body'. Chances are a physical infirmity may get healed when a wound within our soul is delivered, cleansed and healed.
Many people seek doctors for their healing needs, and even believe it is God's will for us to be healed through doctors. I wasn't sure about this so I once asked God if doctors were part of His will for us. This is what He spoke to me: "Doctors are of the world. Doctors fix the physical flesh. The flesh is of the world. I can heal the physical body through the soul. This takes time. All healing can come through me. I can also use my natural creation such as plants to achieve healing. Doctors and surgeons are of the world. It is not my will for doctors to heal you! It is about faith. There may be a time when you are lead to a doctor for a specific purpose, so I can outwork something in you, or even them, but it is not my will for healing to come this way". I then asked Him, "Are you disappointed in us when we choose a doctor"? This is what He spoke: "When you are faithless, I am still faithful, I cannot deny myself (2 Timothy 2:13). You will pick up wordly things when you choose the world, but I will not condemn you. Faith is believing in what you can't see, I am teaching you to live a life of faith. I want to make you whole, and I do not need doctors to do this. Doctors can treat the symptoms, but doctors cannot heal the root cause of disease and sickness. When the root of a disease is not dealt with, it can return. My will is that My children are whole in spirit/soul and body. If your physical body gets healed what about your soul? This remains unchanged!" This was very interesting for me as God had told me a few months earlier that every infirmity I was suffering He would heal. Every time I went to a doctor for these conditions, I never received healing. There were even times when strange things happened such as doctors cancelling, hospitals denying my referrals for procedures etc.......I said to God, "I don't think I have enough faith not to go to a doctor when I am sick". God said to me :"I know, that is why I have been removing doctors from you". He went on to tell me that He was going to use my infirmities to teach that all healing can come through Him, when we submit to Him and allow Him to heal our many wounds. I believe that God wants to heal our souls and physical bodies in unison. Many of our illnesses are rooted in unforgiveness, hurt, rejection, grief and so on.
I then asked God if we need to give up man's medicine (pharmaceuticals). This is what He showed me ~ Revelations 9:21, NKJV And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. The word sorceries when taken back to the original Greek transcripts of the Bible is φαρμακεια and is translated as Pharmakeia and means 1) the use or the administering of drugs 2) poisoning 3) sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it 4) metaph. the deceptions and seductions of idolatry.
Pharmakeia and its related word forms pharmakeus, pharmakon, pharmakos and pharmakoi are the words from which we get the modern English words pharmacy, pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical, pharmacist, pharmacopia, pharmacology, pharmaceuticalist and pharmaceuticalism. So what this tells us is that pharmaceutical medicine is sorcery.
Does that mean then that we cannot use medicine (pharmaceuticals)? What does the Bible say? The Lord led me to Numbers 21: 4-9 where the Israelites were complaining and as punishment God sent fiery serpents to bite them. The people started to die and Moses prayed for them and God had pity on them and instructed Moses to make a bronze snake representing a fiery serpent and put it on a pole so that all who looked upon it would be healed. Interestingly a 'fiery serpent' when taken back to the original Hebrew transcripts is translated as Saraph which means poisonous serpent (fiery from burning effect of poison) 2) seraph, seraphim 2a) majestic beings with 6 wings, human hands or voices in attendance upon God. The same word 'fiery serpent' is referenced in Deuteronomy 8:15; NKJV - Who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock. Clearly this fiery serpent is a demonic being, but the interesting thing is that God used it for His purposes and it has to obey His commands. The snake was eventually put in a temple in Jerusalem and worshipped by Israel by burning incense to it and calling it Nehushtan.
God later asked Hezikiah to destroy it because it became an idol. He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan (2 Kings 18:4, NKJV). This snake Nehushtan is the very same symbol we see on doctors medicines, medic alert bracelets and even the World Health Organisation logo. By this we know that there is a supernatural force (other than Jesus) within Pharmaceuticals which is why it is sorcery.
We then jump to the Gospel of John where we see Jesus showing us that He now comes to replace the snake. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:14, NKJV). The snake healed the physical flesh but Jesus saves the soul. We no longer should look at the snake for our healing, instead we look to Jesus - the great Physician who heals us in our bodies, souls and spirits. Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24, NKJV). God allowed man to use the snake in the wilderness (and also pharmaceuticals today) because he is such a good and faithful God to us ~ He knew man could die because of his ignorance, disobedience and unbelief if there was no other source other than Him to heal the flesh. He really has no other alternative to helping His children who do not have Jesus. He gave man a source to prolong life and fix their physical flesh because He loves us - but it does come at a cost. In other words pharmaceuticals is good and bad. It is good because God allows it for healing, but it is bad because of the fact that it is sorcery and this is why pharmaceutical medicine has so much side effects. This source is for the unsaved and even the saved (where there are blockages that prevent us from receiving Gods supernatural healing) designated for the times when God knows He couldn't or wouldn't heal man because of His own system of justice and righteousness. Although it is sorcery it is allowed by God as a means of healing. His perfect will is to heal us supernaturally through the sanctification process of healing and deliverance but for many of us (even Christians) there can be blockages to receiving His supernatural healing. There are other forms of sourcery (or occult) practices which are clearly forbidden and not okay for us to use. These are things such as witchdoctors, chiropractors, osteopaths, spiritualists, hypnosis, crystal healers etc.... This does not mean that these other occult sources don’t work (because they do) as the devil is only to willing to heal man if it means taking his/her focus away from Jesus. I believe afflictions and infirmity are demonic so it is very easy for the devil to remove the affliction that he put there in the first place. It is not a true healing as Jesus is the only true healer, it is a counterfeit healing. There will always be something negative that comes up later as the price you paid for seeking these alternative occult sources.
It is not a sin to go to a doctor or use pharmaceuticals as God clearly provided medicine for us and backed this up by His word by showing us that He allowed Moses access to the bronze serpent. Jesus also acknowledges the Role of Physicians: In Luke 5:31, Jesus says, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Here, Jesus acknowledges the role of doctors without any condemnation, implying that it's appropriate for sick people to seek medical help. Luke as a Physician: Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke and Acts, is referred to as “the beloved physician” by Paul in Colossians 4:14. Luke’s profession as a doctor is noted positively, which implies that the role of a physician was respected. In regard to God giving man pharmaceuticals the main problem with this act of kindness from God is that man started to look to the source instead of God – even today people are looking to the doctors and pharmaceutical medicine for their healing and not God. Note that the acts of Asa, first and last, are indeed written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign (2 Chronicles 16:12-13, NKJV). When we go to pharmaceuticals and doctors ahead of God it could become an idol in our lives. To me, the conclusion I came to was that there is only a sin when we put medicine ahead of God. The devil wants nothing more than for us to turn our eyes off Jesus and onto other things so we will start to trust and worship them instead. All forms of healing, apart from the Word of God, the name of Jesus and the natural creation of God, even if there is initially a good result, will always come at a cost. So many times pharmaceutical medicine can cause side effects and may also create a whole new problem? Also if we ever need an operation to fix or correct a problem, chances are the same problem may rear it's head somewhere else, or a new problem arises from the result of the first one that has been fixed! This is the price to pay for alternative sources other than Jesus Christ. God wants us 100% yielded to Him but many things can get in the way. God is so good that He doesn't condemn us when we seek the world instead of Jesus and the word of God for our healing - He is still faithful to us, He still loves us and doesn’t turn away from us. The Bible tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. I believe also that God is bringing us to a place where He will remove Pharmaceuticals and all other occult sources of healing from us. He will be very gentle as He knows that we have relied upon it for so long. God told me not to give up everything I was using immediately but instead continue to do what I was doing and He would show me what was okay and what was not okay.
Does this mean that doctors are occult and should be avoided? Some like anyone may be active satanists used by satan for his purposes, whilst the majority are innocent and have a specialised knowledge of how the human body works. God can and does use their expertise to achieve a diagnosis in order to help man. A Christian doctor would however be the best source as I am sure they would pray each day for Jesus to manifest His power through them. Always ask God to guide you to the right doctor if you need one. Our own daughter needed oral surgery to have a tooth removed. We prayed for God to reveal any root causes and asked Him to remove it supernaturally. This did not happen so we sought hospital treatment. We thanked God for the provision of doctors and medicine and prayed that He would manifest His presence through this. We prayed that there would be no side effects from the anesthetic, covered her in the Blood of Christ and bound all demons from entering her from this procedure, and that the operation would be simple which is exactly what happened. She was only under for ten minutes and the tooth which was believed initially to be fused to the jawbone came out with one pull. There were no stitches and fifteen minutes after the operation she was sitting up in bed eating an iceblock. She needed no pain relief for after the extraction the whole entire day either as there was no pain! We had looked to Jesus as the source and had completely trusted God that she was in His hands. Because we had put Jesus first I believe this is why there weren’t any negative consequences from this.
In the New Testament the word Pharmekeia occurs three times (Gal 5:19-21; Rev 9:21; 18:23). Each time, it is used it is in reference to ‘witchcraft’ or ‘magic’ and not pharmaceutical medicine. And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived (Revelation 18:23,KJV). I have seen people quote this Scripture in the false belief that pharmaceutical medicine is the avenue in which the devil uses to deceive the elect into getting the mark of the beast. Many even believe that the covid-19 vaccine is the mark of the beast. In the context of this Scripture it is meaning by magic. The devil deceives the elect by signs and wonders. For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect (Mark 13:22, KJV). I have learned that you cannot take one passage of Scripture and build a doctrine or belief around it - you have to take the entire Bible and all the Scriptures to see the big picture.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20, KJV). I have also seen people misquote this Scripture and believe the beast deceives people into taking the mark of the beast through tricking them into receiving the vaccine believing the vaccine is the mark. This is not what this Scripture says - it says that the false prophet and the beast deceive people with miracles, signs and wonders to accept the mark. The mark is a sign of worship to the beast (antichrist). The antichrist (beast) hasn't even been revealed yet which is why the vaccine is NOT the mark of the beast.
But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: (Acts 8:9, KJV). The word sorcery here in Greek is μαγεύων (mageuōn) Strong's 3096: To practice sorcery or magic. From magos; to practice magic. There is nowhere else in Scripture to suggest Pharmakeia/Pharmaceuticals in regard to medicine is bad as God Himself provided the serpent on the pole in the wilderness which is His way of showing us that medicine (pharmaceuticals with the same logo as the serpent on the pole) is not the sorcery that we are deceived by.
Medicine today still has its roots from pharmakeia (sorcery) but God Himself has differentiated between forbidden sorcery and man's medicine (sorcery) by the analogy of the serpent on the pole. People can argue that God wouldn't allow any form of sorcery but at the end of the day it is in the Bible and the Bible is truth. Medicine although deemed as sorcery was already deemed ‘exempt as a sin’ by God and able to be used by man.
PRAYER: "Dear God I repent for trusting in doctors and other forms of healing more than trusting in You. I repent and renounce all alternate forms of healing, medicine, and coping mechanisms I have used other than Your word, the name of Jesus, Your guidance and commands and Your natural creation. I repent for all the times these things became an idol as I looked to them instead of You. I want to turn away from all these alternative forms of healing and rely totally only on Your Word, the power of Jesus and Your natural creation. I give You permission to remove all forms of healing from me that isn't Your perfect will for me. I lay down all things at the foot of the cross I am using and ask for You to help me give them up. In my own strength I am afraid to do this so I pray that You would gently remove them from my life in Your timing and in Your way. I pray that You would give me eyes to see so I can see all sorcery and occult things that I and my family are currently using so we can refrain from them. I pray that You would show me alternative God-given sources so I can completely turn away from all things that are not of You. I command all demonic spirits associated with sorcery and idolatry to leave immediately in Jesus name".
***Please note - Do not stop immediately using things that may be currently saving your life and keeping you well. God has allowed these things into our lives for a time and a purpose - but He is calling us to eventually lay down these things and trust in Him alone. Many of us are not in a place yet to be able to receive Gods supernatural healing through our soul because of things such as unyielded areas which may be blocking such as false beliefs, mindsets, wrong teachings, unforgiveness, continual sin and woundings within our soul that have not yet been dealt with. Until we are at a place in our walk with God to be able to let Him deal with the roots and issues behind these ailments you may need to keep using them. These things may need to be cleared away and can take time. Rely on the Holy Spirit to show you when and how you can give up these alternative sources. It is very important however if they are still being used to thank God for these alternate resources then pray and ask Him to help you to be in complete submission to Him so healing of the soul and physical body can take place. When using the medicines always ask Jesus to manifest His power through it and to bless the medicine to His use in Jesus name. I see so many people when using man's medicine who have complete faith in Jesus for their healing through the medicine achieving fantastic results. This is because Jesus will allow His glory to come through when man is trusting Jesus for the healing. This is to glorify His name which we are calling upon. Taking communion and declaring Scriptures on Healing everyday whilst waiting for your healing is also a very good thing to do.
See also Occult checklist for other forms of sorcery
By Tania Francis