I wrote about The Restrainer back in a May editorial referencing 2 Thessalonians.
“And now you know what is holding him [anti-Christ] back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back [the restrainer] will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendour of His coming.” - 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 (NIV)
Well, this issue of holding back by The Restrainer (one of the ministries of Holy Spirit) has come back onto my spiritual radar lately and it cropped up again at School of the Prophetic this week, as well. Anyone who knows me will know that (for very personal reasons as well as the more important biblical ones) that I believe abortion – except in extreme circumstances – is wrong. Abortion on demand is murder. Pure evil. In our day the so-called “right” to abortion has evolved legally decade by decade. In 1969 Justice Clifford Menhennit in the case R v. Dr Charles Davidson made the first legal ruling on abortion in Victoria since the inception of the 1865 legal code (which specifically criminalised it). Dr. Davidson was indicted on multiple charges of “causing miscarriage”. However, Justice Clifford Menhennit ruled that abortion was lawful under circumstances where the medical practitioner believed that it was a necessity for the patient and (quote) “an adequate response to protect an individual's life, physical or psychological wellbeing.” This was the first legal ruling on abortion in Australia, in fact. That ruling became powerful precedent across the country to (ostensibly) provide safer abortions. Space here doesn’t permit a fuller exploration of the context of that indictment and the ruling in Dr. Davidson’s favour.
We have come a long way from an “adequate response to protect an individual's life, physical or psychological wellbeing” when it comes to abortion which is now on demand regardless of the original intent of the Menhennit ruling. From the Menhennit ruling onwards into the 1970’s abortion stats soared as doctors and clinics began to openly and routinely perform abortions. It became a flood. Many sailed close to the wind, so to speak, or bent “the rules” with some ending up in court, like Dr. Bertram Wainer. Any sense of moral restraint on the abortion on demand attitude was being thrown off, and has continued to be thrown off, as community sentiment and activists want more and more freedom to have the right to abortion without any justification at all.
Finally, in 2008 after decades of pressure, abortion was decriminalised through the Abortion Law Reform Act, 2008 (Victoria). This Act states that “termination of pregnancy by registered medical practitioner at not more than 24 weeks” was now legal and available on demand. Note that: “up to 24 weeks”. But this was still not good enough. In 2018 in Queensland “up to 24 weeks” was obliterated by the Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 (QLD) which legalised partial-birth abortions – banned in every state of the U.S. This is a cruel and evil method where a late-term baby is partially delivered feet first and then the baby’s head is decompressed while still in the birth canal. What evil is this? Even then some babies are born alive in failed abortions and are left to die.
Now activists in the Australian Labor Party along with union support will move a motion at their 49th Annual Conference in Brisbane in 8 days’ time. That motion will demand the ALP add a policy to the party’s platform that will allow free abortion right throughout Australia, “including providing free travel to abortuaries and abortion for women without Medicare.” (Margaret Tighe). But it won’t stop there until the whole country has the same laws as Queensland. Justice Menhennit would surely turn in his grave.
What influences have come to bear on our nation such that we have lost such moral sensitivity and the sense of the sacredness of human life that we once had? How have we allowed ourselves to even think like this, as Australians, let alone do this? What has happened to us in just 50 years? Well, I am of the view that, excepting those extreme circumstances where a woman’s life is in peril, or a rape victim would be irreparably traumatised for example, that abortion as a “right” regardless of reason is a demonically induced way of thinking and acting. It is so completely opposite to God’s view of the sanctity of life.
In the Old Testament several mentions are made of the demon-god Molech – 8 main references in Leviticus, 1& 2 Kings and Jeremiah. Human sacrifices were made to this demon – especially babies and children. King Solomon, in his efforts to please his many foreign wives (and their demon gods) ended up embracing Molech and, under his rule in Israel the cult of Molech took root. There’s too much to explain here. In short, the demon-god Molech exerted such powerful evil influence back in the day that child sacrifice to him became normal for God’s own people! Can you fathom that? The cult of Molech survived until Josiah’s day – nearly 300 years later – when Zephaniah condemned it (Zeph. 1:5). In the reforms of Josiah this evil was stamped out. How many babies were murdered in that 300-year period by God’s own people?
But demons do not die. Yes, their time will come – Jesus, Himself, will deal with them. For now the church must be strong, righteous and courageous in intercession and prophetic declaration against all demonic influences without fear or favour. Through the work of the priests of God – the church – who must stand against demons and evil practices in their day, The Restrainer (Holy Spirit) works to ensure the victory of the saints. He goes to work preventing demons from having full sway. And so, we bind evil spirits, demons and principalities in the spiritual realm through intercession and with the authority of Christ regularly. This is a constant maintenance ministry to keep these evil personalities bound and restrained. I have concluded that Molech has got loose from his bindings and in the last 60 years or so and has exercised brutal demonic influence such that child sacrifice is now normal for our nation. It’s normal! Putting it in those terms will be offensive to some – but that’s exactly what abortion on demand is, a sacrifice of children. We so worship our individual rights these days that we’re prepared to sacrifice children to pursue our selfish agendas. The height of evil hypocrisy is manifest in the extreme feminist agenda that sees killing unborn baby girls is OK. What about the rights of the unborn?
The cult of Molech is back. We let it back. This demon is operating at will in our time; he has not remained restrained, and the priests of God have to bear a lot of the responsibility for that. But like the boy king Josiah – he was just 12 years old - we must take a stand against this demon. And we have even more authority than he ever had by which to do so.
I call upon the people of God to write to their federal member of parliament and prophetically protest any further relaxing of abortion law in the country. Furthermore, I call upon the people of God to intercede and bind Molech every day until his influence dries up. The priests of God can trust The Restrainer to do the rest. Babies need the priests of God.
Pray with me … other demon-gods are back, too, and we need to bind them also.
Think on these things. Pray and keep praying. [Check out The Right to Life website to find out how to write to your parliamentarian in Canberra – the ALP Conference days away]
Ps. Milton
Sources: Wikipedia; Victorian Historical Journal, Volume 88, Number 1, June 2017; Monash University Faculty of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3011276; The Right to Life Australia Inc. supporter letter by Margaret Tighe, 7/8/23; Cherish Life.org.au; The Australian (newspaper article, Feb. 2023).