In the New Testament Scriptures, the words “sanctify”, “sanctification” and “holy” are derived from the Koine Greek words “hagiazo”, “hagios” and “hagiasmos”, which mean to dedicate, consecrate and set apart for service to God. This is what Saints are. We are separated from the world, in order to serve the Lord.
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14, KJV
“And the gospel must first be published among all nations.” Mark 13:10, KJV
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15, KJV
“And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Luke 24:46-47, KJV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16-17, KJV
“For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world . . . I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:33, 51, KJV
“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” John 10:16, KJV
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” John 12:32, KJV
“As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.” John 17:18, KJV
“Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.” John 18:20, KJV
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8, KJV
Well thanks for putting into motion,
The very clever but comical notion,
That I’ve got two horns and a tail.
I must say the strategy is great,
Though the red suit is second rate,
But the tactic is kind of swell.
I just love all the free promotion,
And your rather obvious devotion,
It’s worked out oh so really well.
More powerful than a love potion,
It removes all the fearful emotion,
And sends so many straight to hell.
For those of you who don’t quite understand this poem, what it is saying is that because tradition has given Satan such a comical appearance, not only do many people no longer fear him, but they don’t even believe that he exists. He has in fact been relegated to the realm of myths. In short, by assigning the Devil a red suit, two horns, a goatee and a pitch fork, we have in fact done him a favor.
Well, the most dangerous enemy is one who we don’t even know is there, or who we don’t even recognize as being a threat. Because of this silly image of the Devil, many people no longer realize that Satan and his minions are working against them every single day, polluting their minds and hearts with lies and deceptions, tempting them with things, and generally trying to destroy God’s plan for their lives, which of course is Salvation.
That is why in this poem, he expresses gratitude for the fact that through our own tradition, we have removed the fear factor, and made him an invisible enemy to so many people. Their eternal fate is in jeopardy, and they don’t even realize it.
