"Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many"(Matthew 24:11).
In
the last lesson we learned that if man is dead, he has no consciousness
and is separated from the world. The Bible is very clear and plain so
we can't deny the fact with our intelligence. But why do we have
feelings of doubt? This is because of remnants of past traditions,
ideas, and stories about strange phenomenons of the dead to remain and
experiences related to that.
The spiritual world usually
suggests the world of the dead to our minds. However, the communication
of the spirit of the dead was more popular in the uncivilized age. In a
primitive religion, when a witch performs an exorcism and a blind person
chants a sutra it is thought of as a connection with god or the spirit.
Nowadays,
a modern being possessed of a spirit like spiritualism or mediumism is
done extensively. But the method is changed to suit the moderns who set a
high value on science.
In America there was an event like
this. There was a patient with a tumor that was operated on by the
spirit of a dead man. Whenever a spirit connects with a man there is a
spirit medium, like in this case. Although there were no medical
instruments or supplies on the spot, the locus was removed safely and he
recovered. He said that during the operation, it seemed that hands
touched his stomach. The tumor removed was used for a sample after a
pathological experiment in a certain famous hospital.
"The dead know nothing...never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun"(Ecclesiastes 9:5,6).
According
to this phrase, it wouldn't be possible for the spirit of the dead to
appear. So even though it seems that a spirit did a strange thing-that
isn't the spirit of the dead. The Bible says, "he is a liar and the
father of it"(John 8:44), indeed it points to the devil.
In
the beginning of the world God said, "You must not eat from the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely
die"(Genesis 2:17). But the devil deceived Eve by talking against God
like this: "You will not surely die"(Genesis 3:4). Since then the devil
has been trying to implant in minds of men this thought: If man would
die, his spirit will live. Indeed he is not only an advocate of the
immortality of the soul but also spiritualism. He had many followers
when he was banished from Heaven for revolting against God.
"The
great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil, or
Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth,
and his angels with him"(Revelation 11:9).
Jesus said that
there were angels to care for each man, and it is sure that followers of
the devil disturb the salvation of Jesus(Cf. Matthew 18:10). Therefore,
if the dead, through spiritualism or mediumism, are imitating features
and voices, it is nothing but an evil angel interfering. He knows all
sorts of situations well, so he can imitate of the dead by copying them.
It is not the appearances of the spirit of the dead, but actions of the
devil's followers to confuse the truth.
It's
not only to please people and to arouse their curiosity to do strange
things. What the so-called spirit of the dead is talking about, not a
statement being used to uplift of the character of man. Showing voices,
manners, hobbies, habits of the dead that arouse an affection with them
just leads to a thought that man never disappears after death. Then man
is deceived after that they get to believe whatever may happen. The
devil, that knows this fact well, tries to deceive them. Also, he made
out an eternal hell. It is said that if man does die, a good man goes to
Heaven or paradise and a bad man goes to a hell and falls into a pain
forever. This makes people misunderstand God to be a cruel and wicked
king; so many honest men become skeptics and atheists.
Mediumism
was the one of the superstitions of that permeated the world in olden
days. When God inspired Moses to write in what is now the Bible, it was
very popular so God gave serious warnings. Nevertheless, this effect
spread so far through Israel that even the king came to indulge in the
superstition. In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to
fight against Israel. The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp
at Shunem. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid: terror
filled his heart.
So Saul disguised himself, putting on other
clothes, and at night he and two men went to a woman who was a medium.
Then he asked her to bring up Samuel, because he thought that Samuel had
been a very faithful prophet during his life. So he could see God's
plan for Israel through him. When the woman saw Samuel, she said to
Saul, "I see his spirit coming up out of the ground." So, Saul asked,
"What does he look like?" The woman said; "an old man wearing a robe is
coming up." Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and bowed down and
prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
Samuel: "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"
Saul:
"I am in great distress. The Philistines are fighting against me. He
no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called
on you to tell me what to do."
Samuel: "Why do you consult me
now that the Lord has turned away from you and become your enemy? The
Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the
kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors-to David
because you did not obey the Lord. The Lord will hand over both Israel
and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with
me. The Lord will also hand over the army of Israel to the
Philistines"(Cf. 1 Samuel 28:1-19).
At the first glance this
fact seems that he had communication with the spirit of the dead, but if
you take a good look at it, these contradictions are discovered.
1. | If God stopped answering Saul, he never brought out the dead Samuel intentionally and make him answer. |
2. | If it ware the real spirit of Samuel, it wouldn't have accepted worship from Saul that only God deserves. |
3. | What the spirit of the dead person said didn't with the teaching of the Bible. |
4. | Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, that is, a prophecy of death wasn't correct. Actually their deaths happened a few days later, and that was just the death of three sons, the remaining son died on another day. |
"Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritualists, for they will defile you"(Leviticus 19:31).
"A man or woman who is a medium or spiritualist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them"(Leviticus 20:27).
"When
men tell you to consult mediums and spiritualists, who whisper and
mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead
on behalf of the living?"(Isaiah 8:19)
Here spiritualist or
mediums are those who have communication with the dead, that is, they
are those who have communication in different ways. The Bible says of
them: "Don't allow them to live."
March 1848, a modern mediumism was begun at John. D. Fox in New York, America.
Originally
another man lived in the house but he moved to another place because he
was disturbed by the sound of knocking sometimes. After the Fox moved
to this house, they soon heard the strange sounds.
In March
1848, that sound could be heard inside of the two daughters' bedroom,
Margaret(15) and Gate(13). Gate thought it strange so she knocked in the
direction where the sound came from and said, Ghost, do as I do, then
in response there came to a knocking sound.
One day Mrs. Fox
said, if it is a mischief of man, make a sound in return, but there was
no answer. After that, she said: If it is a Ghost, make a knocking sound
twice, then sounds were heard twice. Mrs. Fox was very interested in
this strange communication and continued. One day she took some
information from the spirit of Charles B. Rosma. According to it Rosman
was the man who had been murdered before the Fox family moved in and his
body was under the floor. So they dug there, and they found a skeleton.
After
that those two daughters sometimes had communication with the spirits.
News of it spread widely because people came to ask them for help
finding something that they lost. This is what made Europe and the whole
world know about spiritualism and they founded many organizations.
In
1882, at Cambridge University under the leadership of an ethics
professor, Henry Sidgwick, a physical research society was formed and in
1893 a spiritualism society was organized in America. It was true that
an English physicist Oliver Lodge(1851-1940), a Liverpool University
professor and the president of Birmingham University and who held an
important post in the Royal Institute for Science, held an additional
office as the president of an England Physical Research Society and was
concerned about spiritualism or mediumism. After he talked with the
spirit of his son Raymond who was killed in World War 1, he became
focused on it. This shows us how strongly spiritualism attracts people.
It is not said that these organization are in Korea but it doesn't mean that similar groups don't exist.
The
devil is trying to get a lot of intellectual persons on his side
throughout the world and make his plan a reality. It is the time for
those who seek the truth and try to live in it to be more careful than
ever.
In the beginning, God predicted a big battle between Christ and Satan.
"He
will crush your head, and you will strike his heel"(Genesis 3:15), this
battle has been ongoing. The devil attempts to confront it finally by
using a weapon, spiritualism. He says; though man does anything, his
spirit never dies. But Christ said, "The wages of sin is death"(Romans
6:23). "Sin is lawlessness"(1 John 3:4).
The consequence of
breaking the law, which is that anyone who breaks the law and commits a
crime is dead, counts for nothing to millions Christians who do not
attach great importance to the law.
Christ said this about the
last days, "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and
perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were
possible"(Matthew 24:24), "Satan himself will masquerade as an angel of
light"(2 Corinthians 11:14), "He performed great and miraculous signs,
even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of
man"(Revelation 13:13), "In every sort of evil that deceives those who
are perishing"(2 Thessalonians 2:1).
When we see these things
occurring, we must know that this is the last revilement. There is a
prophecy like this; "The spirit clearly says that in the latter days
some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things
taught by demons"(1Timothy 4:1), it is possible for many Christians to
fall for spiritualism. It is because almost all Christians neglect the
law of God and believe in ascension after death. Then which one shall we
choose on that last day? Shall we follow God's word or follow the
deceptions of the devil?
