Are generational curses relevant today?

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danschance

Guest
#1
Some time ago, I had an old testament topic about an Old Testament generational curse and it instant triggered a debate on this topic. First look at this scripture which details what a generational curse is in the Old Testament.

"The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth;[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." Exodus 34: 6-7
Does God still do this today? I think he does and here is New Testament proof:

20But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants[SUP]c[/SUP] to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. Revelation 2:20-23
For this "Jezebel, God:
1) Throws her on a bed of affliction.
2) Brings great tribulation on those who sin with her.
3) Will strike her children dead.

The only way out of this God given curse is to "...repent of her works".
 
Oct 12, 2012
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#2
Yes! I have dwelt with them in many people, but they are deep seated and hard to deal with.
Much prayer is needed, waiting on the Holy Spirit to reveal somethings is a must!

This can be a very violent thing to deal with because it is so embedded in ones soul and being.
Yes prayer, repenting, asking forgiveness from the place in which it came from,
and agreement in casting it out.

Many say Christians cannot have such a curse, but this is something in the realm of our fallen soul so they are wrong. In fact it could be one of the greatest ills in the church today!
just some of my thoughts
 
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Spokenpassage

Guest
#3
Ezekiel 18:20 just throwing that out there so some people won't get confused. :)
 
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danschance

Guest
#4
A deliverance minister suggested I study the pagan religions of my ancestors and repent to God for them doing so. I am of German heritage and I studied the pagan religions of Europe. Right after I did this, God gave me a vision of an old man around 60 years old. He took a head of wheat in his hand and rubbed it between his hands. Then blew the chaff away, He started intently at the grains with a very serious look, Then God showed me that he hung a goat in a tree. In my study I learned that they would hang a dead animal in a sacred grove as an offering to a pagan god.

I prayed that his sin would be forgiven and any generational curse from this be lifted off of me and my children. So I know generational curses are real, even if I do not understand why God drops these curses on the children of those who sin. I can only assume that God feels very angry over some sins and wants repentance over those serious sins.
 
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danschance

Guest
#5
Ezekiel 18:20 just throwing that out there so some people won't get confused. :)
So how does that verse fit in with:

"The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth;who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." Exodus 34: 6-7

and...

20But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants[SUP]c[/SUP] to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.21I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.22Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,23and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. Revelation 2:20-23

I think it is obvious that the verse you referenced is saying that men shall not punish the children for their father's sin. However, God may in fact punish the children for the sin's of their parents. Either that or the bible is contradictory, which I do not believe.
 
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Spokenpassage

Guest
#6
So how does that verse fit in with:

"The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth;who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." Exodus 34: 6-7
Don't forget Exodus 20:5

When God told the Israelites that He would punish the children for the sins of their fathers like Exodus 20:5 for example, He is saying that the next generation may tend to repeat the same steps of their fathers, making them guilty of the same sin. God will punish the children for the same sins they commit as their fathers did.

Every person is responsible for their own sins (Ezekiel 18:20). This proverb that 'the fathers eat sour grapes, but the children's teeth are set on edge' can no longer be said as long as He lives (Ezekiel 18:2-3).
 

Grandpa

Senior Member
Jun 24, 2011
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#7
When you call it generational curses it sounds like God is cursing a whole family line. I don't think He does that... But...

If you were to call it behaviour that is learned and passed down from generation to generation, then I think we would be getting somewhere.

To me they equal the same things but the second one is not God caused but God delivers from it just the same.

In other words, there are stumbling blocks that mothers and fathers teach their sons and daughters to stumble upon, unknowingly, according to the ways of the world. These stumbling blocks are removed in Christ.
 
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danschance

Guest
#8
When you call it generational curses it sounds like God is cursing a whole family line. I don't think He does that... But...

If you were to call it behaviour that is learned and passed down from generation to generation, then I think we would be getting somewhere.

To me they equal the same things but the second one is not God caused but God delivers from it just the same.

In other words, there are stumbling blocks that mothers and fathers teach their sons and daughters to stumble upon, unknowingly, according to the ways of the world. These stumbling blocks are removed in Christ.
Grandpa, I understand. Yet the two verses above state explicity that God does in fact curse the children of some people for thier wickedness. In Revelation 2:20-23, God states he will kill the children of that "Jezebel" for her sins.
 
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danschance

Guest
#9
Don't forget Exodus 20:5

He is saying that the next generation may tend to repeat the same steps of their fathers, making them guilty of the same sin. God will punish the children for the same sins they commit as their fathers did.

Unfortunatly, you are reading things into the passage that simply are not there. In the verse I posted it says:

yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.
God is punishing unrepentant sin.

And I will say again that Ex 20:5 is about not placing civil or criminal guilt on Children. That has nothing to do with the topic at hand. You are talking about oranges when this thread is talking about apples. The old switch-a-roo.
 

Agricola

Senior Member
Dec 10, 2012
2,638
88
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#10
The whole line is cursed, that is why it is called a generational curse.

People will make hard work of this concept, post thousands of pages arguing against it and others will post a ton of baggage telling you how to get rid of it.

As always the reality of God is simple and easy, just pray as danschance did.

If you know someone in your family history has been messing with occult or has done horrible things, such as murder, then you just simply pray to God that you forgive them and then renounce thier actions and sins, finally asking to break any curses or ties which still exist.

Further you then pray the same thing, but this time for anyone in your family who has done wrong which you do not know about and again ask for those bonds, ties and curses to be broken.

Soul ties are also real and can be broken in the same way.
 
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Spokenpassage

Guest
#11
Unfortunatly, you are reading things into the passage that simply are not there. In the verse I posted it says:



God is punishing unrepentant sin.

And I will say again that Ex 20:5 is about not placing civil or criminal guilt on Children. That has nothing to do with the topic at hand. You are talking about oranges when this thread is talking about apples. The old switch-a-roo.
No sir, everything I am speaking comes from the Word of God.

God punishes unrepentant sinners for their sins...

From the time I posted my first reply I have been on the topic of this thread....so I do not understand where you are coming from?
 
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danschance

Guest
#12
No sir, everything I am speaking comes from the Word of God.

God punishes unrepentant sinners for their sins...

From the time I posted my first reply I have been on the topic of this thread....so I do not understand where you are coming from?
I am sure you are sincere, yet you are placing scripture against scripture, a very unwise thing to do.
 
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Spokenpassage

Guest
#13
I am sure you are sincere, yet you are placing scripture against scripture, a very unwise thing to do.
It's not placing scripture against scripture, it needs a further study I think...
 
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danschance

Guest
#14
It's not placing scripture against scripture, it needs a further study I think...
You are claiming that:
1) There are no curses on the children of those who commit some unrepentant sins based on Ex. 20:5
2) Rev. 2:20-23 states God is going to kill Jezebels children for her unrepentant sins.

That is literally turning scripture against scripture. Total confusion, right?
So obviously there is something wrong. As I told you twice before, Ex 20:5 is referring to civil or criminal law, not Godly curses.
 
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Spokenpassage

Guest
#15
You are claiming that:
1) There are no curses on the children of those who commit some unrepentant sins based on Ex. 20:5
2) Rev. 2:20-23 states God is going to kill Jezebels children for her unrepentant sins.

That is literally turning scripture against scripture. Total confusion, right?
So obviously there is something wrong. As I told you twice before, Ex 20:5 is referring to civil or criminal law, not Godly curses.
There is a curse of Adam, total depravity, generational sinful nature of man.

Exodus 20:5 is referring to the sin of idolatry. We see this generational sin passed down through the kings of Israel. In idolatry, being raised in an environment like that would influence the next generation. That same sin committed is literally the 'iniquity of the fathers' in the case that it originated from them in their wickedness, then passed down.

I do believe in generational sin, but the one you explaining isn't the one I'm seeing in scripture. Yes repentance frees the one who is cursed in the same sin of their fathers.

I do not need to pray for the forgiveness of my ancestors, you there just added to scripture in saying that did you not?
 
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danschance

Guest
#16
There is a curse of Adam, total depravity, generational sinful nature of man.

Exodus 20:5 is referring to the sin of idolatry. We see this generational sin passed down through the kings of Israel. In idolatry, being raised in an environment like that would influence the next generation. That same sin committed is literally the 'iniquity of the fathers' in the case that it originated from them in their wickedness, then passed down.

I do believe in generational sin, but the one you explaining isn't the one I'm seeing in scripture. Yes repentance frees the one who is cursed in the same sin of their fathers.

I do not need to pray for the forgiveness of my ancestors, you there just added to scripture in saying that did you not?
Oops, sorry. I got Ex 20:5 confused with an earlier passage you posted (Ezekiel 18:20). My bad. Please excuse me for it.
 
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danschance

Guest
#17
I do not need to pray for the forgiveness of my ancestors, you there just added to scripture in saying that did you not?
20But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants[SUP]c[/SUP] to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.21I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.22Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,23and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. Revelation 2:20-23

The phrase in red, "Unless they repent" is very clear. The curse God has placed on them can be removed if they repent. So clearly, repentance is crucial if you are under a Godly curse. Your charge that I am adding to scripture is false as this verse clearly spells out in black and white that if they repent the curse will be lifted.
 
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SabbieWabbie

Guest
#18
Romans 2:6
God "will repay each person according to what they have done."

Deutoronomy 24:16
"Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin."

Jeremiah 31:30
Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes--their own teeth will be set on edge.

Ezekiel 14:16
"as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate"

Revelation 22:12
""Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done."

2 Kings 14:6
Yet he did not put the children of the assassins to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses where the LORD commanded: "Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin."

Have had many debates on this topic with people, In my praying on this topic, my feelings towards this is that I don't believe we are held accountable for the sins of our forefathers, everyone according to their own sins. Yes, everyone should repent, but for their own sins. I feel as if we welcome the wages of sin if we accept the sins of our forefathers, which starts with Adam and in do so welcome a lot of evil.

In my personal experience of this, a family well known to me are believers of generational strongholds and wow, the things that happen in that family would give anyone the creeps. The daughters in the family see demons, so much sickness falls in that family, they are always financially in trouble, certain members are unable to produce offspring and they believe it's the generational strongholds, one of the sons told me how a truck once started itself up and drove into a river on their farm, yet they pray and read the bible and praise and worship, they are good people, strong Christians. If you believe you carry the sins of your forefathers, then you do carry the sins of your forefathers, the bible says that what you bind on earth, you bind in heaven. The way I see it, you allow Satan a right into your family through these generational sins but when you don't he doesn't have a right in.

If all this generational strongholds were valid then the current state of our family would be very different to what it is. We are so blessed it's overwhelming sometimes, but my mum comes from African decent, my father from Irish decent. My mums forefathers were involved in cults, sacrifices and a lot of evil, and those tribes still do those things today, while not in direct correlation with our family any more though. One would think though that we would be suffering those consequences according to generational strongholds yet we don't, and we don't believe in generational strongholds. Every generation as far I can see has been blessed more and more.

That's my 2 cents in the pot and my longest post ever.


 
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danschance

Guest
#19
Romans 2:6
God "will repay each person according to what they have done."

Deutoronomy 24:16
"Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin."

Jeremiah 31:30
Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes--their own teeth will be set on edge.

Ezekiel 14:16
"as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate"

Revelation 22:12
""Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done."

2 Kings 14:6
Yet he did not put the children of the assassins to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses where the LORD commanded: "Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin."

Have had many debates on this topic with people, In my praying on this topic, my feelings towards this is that I don't believe we are held accountable for the sins of our forefathers, everyone according to their own sins. Yes, everyone should repent, but for their own sins. I feel as if we welcome the wages of sin if we accept the sins of our forefathers, which starts with Adam and in do so welcome a lot of evil.

In my personal experience of this, a family well known to me are believers of generational strongholds and wow, the things that happen in that family would give anyone the creeps. The daughters in the family see demons, so much sickness falls in that family, they are always financially in trouble, certain members are unable to produce offspring and they believe it's the generational strongholds, one of the sons told me how a truck once started itself up and drove into a river on their farm, yet they pray and read the bible and praise and worship, they are good people, strong Christians. If you believe you carry the sins of your forefathers, then you do carry the sins of your forefathers, the bible says that what you bind on earth, you bind in heaven. The way I see it, you allow Satan a right into your family through these generational sins but when you don't he doesn't have a right in.

If all this generational strongholds were valid then the current state of our family would be very different to what it is. We are so blessed it's overwhelming sometimes, but my mum comes from African decent, my father from Irish decent. My mums forefathers were involved in cults, sacrifices and a lot of evil, and those tribes still do those things today, while not in direct correlation with our family any more though. One would think though that we would be suffering those consequences according to generational strongholds yet we don't, and we don't believe in generational strongholds. Every generation as far I can see has been blessed more and more.

That's my 2 cents in the pot and my longest post ever.


I agree with you in that the the children are not held accountable for the sins of others. I certainly agree with that. Yet the bible does say:

Exodus 20:5

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
So it is clear from scripture (not my opinion, but God's word) that God does in fact punish the children for some sins the parents commit. Adam's sin has fallen on to all of his children. The guilt of Adam lie's purely on Adam, but the consequences of that sin has fallen to all of his children. Right?

Why does God do this? God tells us why above. He is a jealous God, an emotional God who hates sin with a strong passion. David murdered Uriah the Hitite after getting his wife pregnant via adultery. God thru Nathan pronounced a bitter curse that David's son would die and the sword would never leave David's house and his own son would sleep with David's wives publicly. Why did God slay David's son? Clearly the baby did nothing wrong and had no guilt. Yet David felt the full brunt of his sins, in gory detail.

I believe the reason God would punish the future generations with the sins of their fathers, is because of God's bitter hatred for sin. He would require somebody who practiced witchcraft to be put to death (Exodus 22:18). He knows that one of the most prized possessions you have, is your children, and therefore it makes sin a lot harder to commit when you realize that you are not the only one that is being punished for it, but also your own children are going to pay the price for your foolishness. That's what I believe is the reason behind generational curses. The whole human race fell thanks to Adam's sin for that matter.
 
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#20
This is a great post Dan for people to read if they are just dealing with themselves!
But I guess I was speaking more to those who love God and are yet bound with these curses.
What makes them so hard is many or most cases, are, they don't realize them to be generational curses!

These curses are so embedded into these peoples lives, that to them it's a natural part of who they are.
This makes it exponentially harder, where you must spend some genuine time with people;
to help them feather out what curse or curses they are dealing with, if any?!

Sure, sometimes it's more simple as some in here are suggesting;
but since you are always dealing with demons of some sort some times it's not so easy!
Even when people tell you that they want to be delivered, that is not always the case!

Great thread Dan!
just some of my thoughts







A deliverance minister suggested I study the pagan religions of my ancestors and repent to God for them doing so. I am of German heritage and I studied the pagan religions of Europe. Right after I did this, God gave me a vision of an old man around 60 years old. He took a head of wheat in his hand and rubbed it between his hands. Then blew the chaff away, He started intently at the grains with a very serious look, Then God showed me that he hung a goat in a tree. In my study I learned that they would hang a dead animal in a sacred grove as an offering to a pagan god.

I prayed that his sin would be forgiven and any generational curse from this be lifted off of me and my children. So I know generational curses are real, even if I do not understand why God drops these curses on the children of those who sin. I can only assume that God feels very angry over some sins and wants repentance over those serious sins.