IrishAngel
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« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2003, 10:12:44 AM » |
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Secrets of the Spirit World cont`d
A Christian writer stated: “Spiritualism is the masterpiece of deception. It is Satan’s most successful and fascinating delusion,— one calculated to take hold of the sympathies of those who have laid their loved ones in the grave. Evil angels come in the form of those loved ones, and relate incidents connected with their lives, and perform acts which they performed while living. In this way they lead persons to believe that their dead friends are angels, hovering over them, and communicating with them. These evil angels, who assume to be the deceased friends, are regarded with a certain idolatry, and with many their word has greater weight than the word of God. Thus men and women are led to reject the truth, and give ‘heed to seducing spirits. ’” The Signs of the Times, August 26, 1889, by Ellen G. White.
More times than you would think, these evil spirits use religion to deceive the masses of the world. They play on the senses and the emotions of the people. They will use “miracles” to awe and fascinate the mind. What people see, they believe. These evil angels, that fell from heaven with Satan, perform wondrous signs that seem to prove they are who and what they say they are. However, the Apostle Paul warns of just such a deception in 2 Thessalonians 2: 8. “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.”
“Spiritualism is about to take the world captive. There are many that think that Spiritualism is upheld through trickery and imposture; but this is far from the truth. Superhuman power is working in a variety of ways, and few have any idea as to what will be the manifestations of Spiritualism in the future. The foundation for the success of Spiritualism has been laid in the assertions that have been made from the pulpits of our land. The ministers have proclaimed, as Bible doctrines, falsehoods that have originated from the arch- deceiver. The doctrine of consciousness after death, of the spirits of the dead being in communion with the living, has no foundation in the Scriptures, and yet this theory is affirmed as truth. Through this false doctrine the way has been opened for the spirits of devils to deceive the people in representing themselves as the dead. Satanic agencies personate the dead, and thus bring souls into captivity. Satan has a religion, he has a synagogue and devout worshipers. To swell the ranks of his devotees he uses all manner of deception. Ibid., May 28, 1894.
Paul was ever warning the people in his day about these great deceptions. He feared they would be caught up in the snare of Satan. He tells the Corinthian church: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it.” 2 Corinthians 11: 3,4. Paul was afraid of the very thing that we see happening today. People are accepting “another Jesus,” one who preaches liberalism instead of obedience. They are accepting a different “spirit” who entices the senses instead of convicting the heart, and today we see people accepting a very different gospel than the one that the Bible portrays as the gospel of Jesus. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14: 15), but the spirits of today’s gospel say, “Just confess that you love me and you will be saved. There is no need to try to follow all that the Bible says.” This is the great deception!
Do the Dead Speak from the Grave? God gave the Apostle Paul insight through revelations and visions. He saw, that in the future, Satan would pervert the true gospel of Jesus. He reproves the Galatians, and us today, in Galatians 1: 6– 9, when he says, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven , preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” Paul emphasizes that even if someone comes saying that they are the apostles brought back to life (or anyone else for that matter), or claim to be an angel from heaven, do not believe them! They are evil spirits impersonating the dead. Believe them not!
How could Paul make such a profound and definite statement about such things? Have not dead loved ones come back to talk to their relatives? I am sure you have heard of many cases where just such a claim is made. Why was Paul so sure that these were not human beings that had died and come back to give information of the future? The Bible is very clear that we should have nothing to do with those who claim to be able to bring back the dead. (In Bible times those who practiced this craft were called mediums.) In Leviticus it says, “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19: 31. “A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.” Here we see how severely people were punished, in Old Testament times, who claimed they could bring back the dead. The question remains, though, are they really bringing back the dead?
The answer, when we look at the Scriptures, is quite simple, really. We find that these apparitions of dead loved ones, or the impersonations of apostles, are not really dead humans, but evil angels impersonating them. We hear so much about the visions of the “Virgin Mary” and the information that “she” seems to be imparting to mankind, yet this could not really be her because of these plain statements from the Bible. “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them (their remembrance of things) is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun .” Ecclesiastics 9: 5,6. Psalms 146: 4 says it even more clearly: “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that day his thoughts perish.” (KJV)
A Dreadful Deception These sightings are not truly our dead loved ones returning to us, but evil angels impersonating them. God has put a vast gulf between the living and the dead. This has been done purposely that mankind would not ever be fooled by evil spirits claiming to be dead loved ones. And yes, the impersonation is very good. These evil beings know all about us. They know our names, our likes and dislikes, they know our mannerisms and our habits, and they can impersonate our looks and voices perfectly. The Bible predicted in I Timothy 4: 1, that in the last days, some would give heed to seducing spirits and the doctrines of demons. We must flee from these counterfeits to God’s truth.
As the world turns more and more to paranormal phenomenon, ESP, magic, hypnotism, and horoscopes, we find that we must guard against these devices of Satan. Flee for your lives, says the Lord of Hosts. Anyone can be deceived by these enticing delusions. When we put ourselves in a position to have contact with Satan, we are putting ourselves on very dangerous ground. If we are to be saved from these devices, we must seek the Lord and be drawn into the safety of His arms. There is no power that can separate us from God, for He is mightier than all the mystics and psychics of the world. He is a God that cannot lie, and His truth stands forever. Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” John 17: 17.
Jesus gave us a warning of the destruction that will befall us if we do not love His truth and abhor the entrapping doctrines of Satan. “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Timothy 2: 11,12. We must take a stand against the devil and flee from his devices. We must avoid his pleasures and lies as if dealing with a plague. If we are to be on God’s side in the great controversy between right and wrong, if we are to be called children of God, if we are to live in heaven with the King of kings and Lord of lords, we must be purified from the heathen practices of the occult. It is not just enough to say you will not deal in mystical arts, we must not watch, listen, or participate in any form of Satan’s delusive game.
Today we must make choices for eternity— decisions that have life and death consequences. We must seek God and His righteousness, and He will be our guiding light. King David writes these words from the Lord for our consideration and admonition: “Come, you children, listen to Me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The Lord redeems the souls of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.” Psalm 34: 11– 14,21,22.
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