death

The Race to Contact the Dead, Part III

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The fascination with death, and the realization of the impossibility of escape from death, has led many into a race to contact the dead. The phenomenon of claiming to contact the dead is becoming almost common place. With the increased interest in afterlife, it becomes necessary for every Christian to thoroughly investigate the Scriptures to see what God’s Word teaches about what happens at death. In both the Old and New Testaments, death is referred to as a sleep. In the King James Version of the Bible, similar words such as “sleep, sleepeth, asleep” are used to describe death in no less than 60 verses. The testimony of the Bible is unmistakable. “For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them 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. . . . Whatever your hand finds to do, do [it] with your might; for [there is] no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10.

What happens at death? The spirit, that spark of life, returns to God, and the body decays back into dust. Man is sleeping in the grave, peacefully awaiting the resurrection.

By saying that the soul does not die, that it simply floats to eternal bliss or eternal misery, we are in reality saying that the soul is immortal. The soul is not immortal; God alone is immortal. “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17.

Reward Received at the Resurrection

We see all through the New Testament that the great hope of the apostles was the resurrection, and it is the resurrection that is to be our great hope as well. It is the resurrection that is to be our comfort in the time of loss.

It is the resurrection, not death, which we are repeatedly taught to look forward to—when we will receive our reward. Jesus said, “And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” Luke 14:14. Paul hoped, “if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:11. He was looking forward, as Jesus said, to the resurrection of the dead. Paul also said, “I have hope in God, which they themselves [the Jews, his accusers] also accept, that there will be a resurrection of [the] dead, both of [the] just and [the] unjust.” Acts 24:15.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul combats the belief that there is no resurrection (similar to today’s belittling of the importance of the resurrection) and makes some very revealing statements. “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.” “Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” Verses 13, 18, 19. If there is no resurrection, then the dead have perished. He did not say that they are in heaven without bodies, he said they are perished, and the only thing that we would have to look forward to is this life, which would be most miserable.

Paul clearly did not teach that immediately when a person dies he ascends to heaven. He taught that at the resurrection all ascend to heaven together. The babies who have died do not go to a strange place without their mother or their father; they are in an unconscious sleep until the resurrection when all can go to heaven together. God’s way truly is best.

When we rationally think about the resurrection, it is the only thing that would make sense anyway, for the Bible constantly talks about a judgment. God has an appointed time for the judgment (see Acts 17:31), and throughout the Bible it is repeatedly talked about as a future event. (See Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; 3:15, 17; 11:9.) We are also told, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ . . . .” 2 Corinthians 5:10. If a person went directly to heaven or to hell before the judgment day, that would be incredibly unfair. Who has ever heard of a judge condemning a person to prison before he was found guilty? Yet this is what people think God is doing. What a misrepresentation of our loving God! God would never sentence a person to death, or life, before a fair trial had been given. Revelation pictures the judgment taking place (see Revelation 20:11–13) and then, after the judgment occurs, is the “lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14, 15. God is just, and the punishment will not be executed until the judgment, or trial, takes place. Thus all the dead righteous and wicked are asleep in their graves, awaiting their respective resurrections. (See John 5:28, 29.)

The Thief on the Cross

As in any subject that we study from the Bible, there are a few texts that can confuse us and make things hard to understand. We must always remember the Biblical principle of getting the weight of the evidence. “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those [just] weaned from milk? Those [just] drawn from the breasts? For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.” Isaiah 28:9, 10. “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 2:13. If we are going to understand what God is telling us in His Word about a subject, we must compare scripture with scripture. We must put precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little. We must get the entire picture to see what God is trying to tell us. We must not isolate one verse from the rest of the Bible and build a doctrine upon it. We must get the weight of evidence and allow the weight of evidence to determine our thinking upon a subject. There are always going to be a few verses that make it difficult for us to understand, but if we look upon the subject as a whole, comparing all the verses, the Holy Spirit will teach us the truth.

One such verse, that can be used to stand in contradiction to the weight of evidence of what the Bible says about death, is what Jesus said to the thief on the cross. “Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’ ” Luke 23:42, 43. At first glance it does appear that Jesus is promising the thief that he will be in Paradise that very day. There are a few problems with that interpretation, though. The first is that it contradicts the vast majority of other references on the subject. The second is that Jesus did not even go to Paradise that day!

On resurrection morning, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that Jesus was not there. She immediately ran to get the other disciples and they came and verified that what she said was correct; then they returned to their own homes. Mary, on the other hand, stayed at the garden weeping, where she mistakes Jesus for the gardener, until He calls her by name. Immediately she throws herself at His feet, but “Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and [to] My God and your God.” ’ ” John 20:17. Jesus plainly told Mary that He had not yet ascended to the Father. On Sunday morning, shortly after the resurrection, Jesus had not yet ascended to the throne of God, where Paradise and the Tree of Life are. (Compare Revelation 2:7; 22:1, 2.) How could Jesus have been with the thief in Paradise on Friday, if He had not even gone to Paradise before Sunday morning? Clearly it must not be teaching that Jesus promised that the thief would be in Paradise that very day, for that would make a liar out of Him.

What was Jesus saying? When we look back to the Greek, we find that there was no punctuation. Not only was there no punctuation, there were not even spaces or lowercase letters. The translators did a marvelous job in translating and putting in the punctuation, but they did not always put the punctuation in the right places. An example of this can be found in Acts 19:12. In the King James Version it reads that the handkerchiefs were sick and so Paul healed them, and the diseases and unclean spirits went out from them. Clearly the comma was misplaced in this instance. If it is placed after the word “sick,” it makes perfect sense. By putting the comma after “today” instead of before “today,” Luke 23:43 agrees with all the rest of scripture. It would then read, “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise.” Jesus is simply making the declaration today; even though the thief had waited until the last hours of his life, today he was guaranteed that he would be in Paradise. Jesus was saying to the thief, as he said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house.” Luke 19:9. The thief is now unconsciously sleeping in the grave until the resurrection, just like all the other righteous dead.

Saul and the Witch

Since we are talking about contacting the dead, we should look at another instance that is sometimes used to justify this activity and the erroneous idea that we can communicate with the dead. This instance is found in 1 Samuel 28:3–19. We find here that even though Saul had previously “put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land” (verse 3), in his apostasy he consulted a medium, an act which the Lord calls an abomination. Notice verse 6: “And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.” The Lord had left Saul. Now when Saul longed for communication with the Lord, the Lord refused to answer him. So Saul turned to the agent of Satan, one who claimed to be able to call up the dead.

Saul asks for Samuel to be brought up. Samuel was a true prophet, and verse 6 already made it clear that the Lord did not answer by prophets. When Saul asks what the woman sees, she replies, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.” Verse 13. Saul did not see anything; it was only the medium who saw this spirit. It also does not say that she saw Samuel, but simply a spirit. Saul then “perceived that it [was] Samuel.” Verse 14. Saul bows down to the spirit. This is conclusive evidence that it was not Samuel, for not even good angels allow people to bow down to them. (See Revelation 19:10.) If it was truly Samuel, there is no way that Samuel would have tolerated obeisance to him. It is true that the spirit claimed to be Samuel, but would not an evil spirit follow through with its deception and claim to be the one it is impersonating? It is also true that “the spirit” told the truth about what was going to happen, but the devil tells the truth at times when it makes his deceptions more plausible. The devils repeatedly told the truth that Jesus was the Son of God. (See Matthew 8:29; Mark 1:23–25; 3:11.) Does that mean that they are good spirits? Absolutely not! The evil spirit in this instance was just telling the truth to be more deceptive.

It would have been unnecessary to try to deceive Saul anyway, for he was already a lost man. The Lord had become his enemy, and he was to die the next day. Notice one of the reasons that Saul was killed: “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.” 1 Chronicles 10:13.

Saul, in total apostasy, consulted a medium, which is an abomination, and he died because of it. The medium was the only one who saw anything—a “spirit ascending out of the earth,” not Samuel, although it resembled Samuel. Saul worshipped this spirit, which Samuel would never have allowed. The Lord would not answer Saul by prophets, and Samuel was a prophet. Surely it was not Samuel who was consulted, but an evil spirit impersonating Samuel.

Spirits in the Last Days

In the days in which we live, it is so important that we understand the truth about contacting the dead. Revelation tells us that it will be the spirits of devils that are going to gather the world together for the Battle of Armageddon. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [coming] out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, [which] go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Revelation 16:13, 14. John sees the spirit of demons doing signs and deceiving the world into uniting on the wrong side of the Battle of Armageddon. “And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!’ ” Revelation 18:2. The last day power of Babylon is mentioned as being a habitation of demons and a prison for every foul spirit.

In the last days, these foul spirits and demons are going to play a large part in deceiving the world into worshipping the beast power. They will appear, impersonating our dead loved ones, to teach us that we need to worship the beast. Beware! Do not listen to them, for they are the spirits of demons. They may even appear as the apostles or other early Christian figures, teaching things contrary to the writings of Scripture, but beware! The apostles and early Christians are sleeping in the grave awaiting the resurrection. They will not rise “till the heavens [are] no more, They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep.” Job 14:12.

The race to contact the dead is well under progress today, but it will grow and increase. Do not be surprised to see miraculous appearances and signs from those who claim to be deceased—they are none other than the agents of Satan to deceive the world into accepting the mark of the beast. Everything must be tested by the great test given in God’s Word: “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20. It does not matter how good and wonderful a spirit may appear; if it claims to have returned from the dead, it is false, because it is contradicting the testimony of the Word of God. There is no light in it. We must know for a certainty and remember what the Word of God teaches on this crucial topic, or we will be deceived by the wiles of the devil in the last days.

We do not need to fear, though, for God is stronger than all the might of the adversary. God has promised that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38, 39. If we keep our life hid in Christ, we will be safe from the powerful delusions that will take the world captive. The ones who are deceived are those who do “not receive the love of the truth.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10. All who are carefully and prayerfully studying the Word of God, for His “word is truth” (John 17:17), and who are purifying their “souls in obeying the truth” (1 Peter 1:22), will be shielded from the deceptions of the devil. Those who are willing to follow and believe God’s Word, whatever it says, will be “kept by the power of God through faith” and will receive the end of their faith—the salvation of their souls. (1 Peter 1:5, 9.) Praise God for teaching us the truth from His Word that we need not be deceived. May each one of us be among that group who are protected from the last powerful delusions.

Bible Study Guides – Man’s Condition in Death

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October 4, 2003 – October 10, 2003

Memory Verse

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

Suggested Reading: Christ’s Object Lessons, 260–267.

Introduction

“Nowhere in the Sacred Scriptures is found the statement that the righteous go to their reward or the wicked to their punishment at death. The patriarchs and prophets have left no such assurance. Christ and His apostles have given no hint of it.” The Faith I Live By, 181.

1 What passed upon all men as a result of sin? Romans 5:12.

note: “Sorrow filled heaven, as it was realized that man was lost, and that world which God had created was to be filled with mortals doomed to misery, sickness, and death, and there was no way of escape for the offender. The whole family of Adam must die.” Early Writings, 149.

2 What is death called? John 11:11–13; Matthew 9:24.

note: “Christ represents death as a sleep to His believing children. Their life is hid with Christ in God, and until the last trump shall sound those who die will sleep in Him.” The Faith I Live By, 175.

“To the believer, death is but a small matter. Christ speaks of it as if it were of little moment. . . . To the Christian, death is but a sleep, a moment of silence and darkness.” The Desire of Ages, 787.

3 During the time of sleep, where does man wait? Job 17:13.

note: “The Bible clearly teaches that the dead do not go immediately to heaven. They are represented as sleeping until the resurrection. . . . They that go down to the grave are in silence. They know no more of anything that is done under the sun. Blessed rest for the weary righteous! . . . As they are called forth from their deep slumber, they begin to think just where they ceased. The last sensation was the pang of death, the last thought that they were falling beneath the power of the grave.” The Faith I Live By, 181.

“The Life-giver will call the dead from their prison-house, and as they come up from the grave, they will receive the finishing touch of immortality. They will rise from their dusty beds and exclaim, ‘O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory!’ [1 Corinthians 15:55.] And they will be caught up with those who are translated to heaven without seeing death, to meet their Lord in the air. Then the crown of immortal glory will be placed upon each brow.” Review and Herald, July 29, 1890.

4 How long must the dead wait in the grave? Job 14:12. Compare John 5:28, 29; 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

note: “The Life-giver will call up His purchased possession in the first resurrection, and until that triumphant hour, when the last trump shall sound and the vast army shall come forth to eternal victory, every sleeping saint will be kept in safety and will be guarded as a precious jewel, who is known to God by name. By the power of the Saviour that dwelt in them while living and because they were partakers of the divine nature, they are brought forth from the dead.” Sons and Daughters of God, 359.

5 During this time, what is said of the dead’s knowledge concerning the affairs of earth? Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6; Job 14:20, 21.

note: “The Bible declares that the dead know not anything, that their thoughts have perished; they have no part in anything that is done under the sun; they know nothing of the joys or sorrows of those who were dearest to them on earth.” The Great Controversy, 556.

“The saints must get a thorough understanding of present truth, which they will be obliged to maintain from the Scriptures. They must understand the state of the dead; for the spirits of devils will yet appear to them, professing to be beloved friends and relatives, who will declare to them that the Sabbath has been changed, also other unscriptural doctrines. They will do all in their power to excite sympathy and will work miracles before them to confirm what they declare. The people of God must be prepared to withstand these spirits with the Bible truth that the dead know not anything, and that they who appear to them are the spirits of devils. Our minds must not be taken up with things around us, but must be occupied with the present truth and a preparation to give a reason of our hope with meekness and fear. We must seek wisdom from on high that we may stand in this day of error and delusion.” Early Writings, 87, 88.

6 What testimony is borne concerning the death of Christ? 1 Corinthians 15:3; Isaiah 53:5, 8; John 19:28–30.

note: “And what is it to believe? It is to fully accept that Jesus Christ died as our sacrifice; that He became the curse for us, took our sins upon Himself, and imputed unto us His own righteousness. Therefore we claim this righteousness of Christ, we believe it, and it is our righteousness. He is our Saviour. He saves us because He said He would.” Faith and Works, 70.

7 What significance is attached to the death of Christ? Isaiah 53:12. Compare Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25.

note: “By His spotless life, His obedience, His death on the cross of Calvary, Christ interceded for the lost race. And now, not as a mere petitioner does the Captain of our salvation intercede for us, but as a Conqueror claiming His victory. His offering is complete, and as our Intercessor He executes His self-appointed work, holding before God the censer containing His own spotless merits and the prayers, confessions, and thanksgiving of His people. Perfumed with the fragrance of His righteousness, these ascend to God as a sweet savor. The offering is wholly acceptable, and pardon covers all transgression.

“Christ has pledged Himself to be our substitute and surety, and He neglects no one. He who could not see human beings exposed to eternal ruin without pouring out His soul unto death in their behalf, will look with pity and compassion upon every soul who realizes that he cannot save himself.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 156, 157.

8 What blessed hope for us was involved in Jesus’ coming forth from the tomb? 1 Corinthians 15:20–23.

note: “Death entered the world because of transgression. But Christ gave His life that man should have another trial. He did not die on the cross to abolish the law of God, but to secure for man a second probation. He did not die to make sin an immortal attribute; He died to secure the right to destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. He suffered the full penalty of a broken law for the whole world. This He did, not that men might continue in transgression, but that they might return to their loyalty and keep God’s commandments and His law as the apple of their eye.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 134.

9 What hope lightens the darkness of the grave? 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14.

note: “To the believer, Christ is the resurrection and the life. In our Saviour the life that was lost through sin is restored; for He has life in Himself to quicken whom He will. He is invested with the right to give immortality. The life that He laid down in humanity, He takes up again, and gives to humanity.” The Faith I Live By, 183.

10 To what time do followers of the Lord look forward to meet their loved ones who have fallen in death? John 11:23, 24.

note: “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. ‘He that hath the Son hath life.’ 1 John 5:12. The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life. ‘He that believeth in me,’ said Jesus, ‘though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ [John 11:25, 26.] Christ here looks forward to the time of His second coming. Then the righteous dead shall be raised incorruptible, and the living righteous shall be translated to heaven without seeing death.” The Desire of Ages, 530.

11 How did Isaiah speak of this time? Isaiah 26:19.

note: “The Life-giver will call up His purchased possession in the first resurrection, and until that triumphant hour, when the last trump shall sound and the vast army shall come forth to eternal victory, every sleeping saint will be kept in safety and will be guarded as a precious jewel, who is known to God by name. By the power of the Saviour that dwelt in them while living and because they were partakers of the divine nature, they are brought forth from the dead.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1143.

12 Whose voice alone can awaken the dead? John 5:26–29; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18.

note: “It was not long after the passing of the time in 1844, that my first vision was given me. . . .

“Jesus’ silver trumpet sounded, as He descended on the cloud, wrapped in flames of fire. He gazed on the graves of the sleeping saints, then raised His eyes and hands to heaven, and cried, ‘Awake! awake! awake! ye that sleep in the dust, and arise.’ Then there was a mighty earthquake. The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed with immortality. The 144,000 shouted ‘Alleluia!’ as they recognized their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.” Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 64, 66.

“Satan cannot hold the dead in his grasp when the Son of God bids them live. He cannot hold in spiritual death one soul who in faith receives Christ’s word of power. God is saying to all who are dead in sin, ‘Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead.’ Ephesians 5:14. That word is eternal life. As the word of God which bade the first man live, still gives us life; as Christ’s word, ‘Young man, I say unto thee, Arise,’ gave life to the youth of Nain, so that word, ‘Arise from the dead,’ is life to the soul that receives it. [Luke 7:14.] God ‘hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.’ Colossians 1:13. It is all offered us in His word. If we receive the word, we have the deliverance.” The Desire of Ages, 320.

These lessons are adapted from the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, April 1912.

Spiritualism, Part I

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One thing I have found, as I travel, is that God’s people are the same the world over. They all have a great desire to hasten the day of Jesus’ return. I think this has always been the desire of Seventh-day Adventists. As Adventists came out of the period of the Great Disappointment in 1844, it was a time of struggle for them. With the Millerite movement, there had been a great number of believers looking for the near return of Jesus that was to culminate October 22, 1844. When that day came and Jesus did not return, disappointment took place and thousands fell away. It got to where there were only about 300 believers out of tens of thousands across the land and many more thousands around the world.

James and Ellen White felt the burden to try to gather these believers into some form of unity, because it was not that they were wrong that Jesus was coming; it was the fact that they did not understand the circumstances and the time frame. So the movement began to build, until today there are many Adventists all around the world that are looking forward to Jesus’ Second Coming. We never want to lose sight of that; we want to always have the focus of Jesus ever in our hearts and in our minds, because that is what is going to see us through the times that are yet ahead of us.

The name Seventh-day Adventist declares two facts about our beliefs. First, we observe the seventh day as the day of rest that God outlined in the fourth commandment of Scripture. Second, the other part of the name, Adventist, means that we believe in the Second Coming of Jesus. The interesting part about this is that we have concentrated in these areas almost to the neglect of what has been revealed to us concerning the great controversy between Christ and Satan. We believe in preaching about the Second Coming of Jesus; we believe in preaching about the Sabbath-Sunday issue and how it focuses on the papacy. But, somehow, we do not really understand, as we should, about the great controversy. Indeed, we have a message that is to unfold the work of Satan in this world as well as proclaim the Sabbath and the truth about the Second Coming of Jesus.

Ellen White has written a book entitled The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan. We have a tendency to read certain portions of the last chapters of this book that deal with what is going to transpire relative to the Sunday law and those kinds of things. We neglect to see the connecting theme that goes all through the book that is centering upon the struggles between Christ and Satan for the souls of men and women in this world.

If we are going to make it through these last days, we must have a better understanding of the great controversy—not just an understanding of the Second Coming, as wonderful and as beautiful as that is; not only an understanding of the Sabbath-Sunday issue, as important as that is; but an understanding of how the devil is attempting to make shipwreck of the Seventh-day Adventist faith. If you do not think that the devil is trying to make shipwreck of the Seventh-day Adventist faith, then you are not fully aware of what is going on in the world today. He is doing everything he can to make shipwreck of our faith.

An Express Warning

The last letters we can chronologically put in the perspective of the writings of the apostle Paul are 1 and 11 Timothy. Timothy was a young preacher who was to carry on when the apostle Paul was no longer able to minister because of the sacrifice of his life in Rome, so Paul wrote some very specific counsel to Timothy.

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 1 Timothy 4:1. As we study this text, we want to see if we can identify what it is that Paul is really saying. Often we have a tendency to read a text and, because we have a certain bias of the word or the words that are found there, we do not really dig much deeper, thinking that the meaning is self-evident. Look at this text a little more deeply.

Paul says, “the Spirit.” Who is the Spirit referred to here? It is the Holy Spirit. For what time frame is the Holy Spirit giving this information? It says, “the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times . . . .” When are those times? They are now. If Jesus would have come in the year a.d. 700, this text would have applied then. “Latter times” always applies to just before Jesus’ return. So if we really believe the prophecies, if we really believe the times in which we are living, Jesus is coming very, very soon.

Some Shall Depart

This text, I believe, applies specifically to the time in which we are living. The Spirit said that in the latter times a warning needs to go out. “Some shall depart from the faith.”

In the last ten years, we have seen a lot of things taking place in historic Adventism. We have seen a lot of things taking place in the mainstream denomination of Seventh-day Adventists. We have seen some, much to my disappointment, who have left the faith. Now let me tell you that anytime you see a person leave the faith, it is not just happenstance. It is through the direct working of seducing spirits. This is what causes those kinds of things to take place.

The devil is not just seated in an office somewhere in a large building, answering the phone once in awhile. He is out, the Bible says, “as a roaring lion.” (1 Peter 5:8.) He is on the track of every person who is trying to be faithful to the precepts of Scripture and inspiration.

Paul says that there are going to be some who are going to depart from the faith. They “depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” I want to emphasize that something like that happens through the process of seducing spirits. This is why we need to constantly be on guard. The only way that we are going to be able to know is through Inspiration. That is the knowledge that we must have to make it through to the time when Jesus comes.

Persuade to Disobedience

Look at the word seduce. Many times, when we hear this word, we have a tendency to use the application of the second definition in Webster’s dictionary—“to entice to unchastity.” That is usually what comes to our minds, but that is not the first meaning of the word, according to Webster. The first meaning is “to persuade to disobedience or to disloyalty.” That is how it is used in this text. That is how the devil works. The whole purpose of seducing spirits is to get people off the track into disobedience and into disloyalty. This is what they are determined to do.

The Bible says that the Spirit of God—that Person of the Godhead that was given after Jesus returned to heaven—is to guide us into all truth. He is to be our Comforter; He is to be our Helper in all things.

The first verse of 1 Timothy 4 says that, in the last days, the devil is going to work in such a way as to do his utmost to persuade to disobedience and to disloyalty. I have been in ministry for over 30 years, and I have to confess that I have not always preached the great controversy as it centers in this text—the devil doing everything he can to persuade to disloyalty and to disobedience. I have come to understand more fully in these last few years that this, indeed, is a reality and that we need to forewarn God’s people, because I believe to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Speaketh Expressly

Look even deeper into this text, because we have to receive the impact of what is being said here before it really registers with us as to what is taking place. Paul could have written, “Well, you know, just kind of be aware, people, that in the last days the devil is really going to work.” But he chose some very specific words. He says that “the Spirit speaks expressly.” That needs to grab our attention. He is not just talking in small talk. He is trying to get a point across. “The Spirit speaketh expressly.”

According to Webster, expressly means “to set forth, to make clear the meaning of; directly and distinctly stated, explicit, exact, precise.” The second definition says that “it is the dispatch conveyed by a special messenger.”

Do you ever receive an express package? The delivery person usually comes to the door and knocks on the door to deliver an express package. In reality, this is what the Holy Spirit is doing. He is knocking on the door, and He says, “I have an express message for you. I am speaking expressly.”

If you think that I am repeating myself, I am, because I need to get the message across. Seducing spirits are going to do their utmost to persuade us to disobedience. They will try to draw us away from the doctrines of God to the doctrines of devils. The Spirit gives some very explicit warning to this end.

Every Wind

It may be that you, who are not sitting behind a desk at Steps to Life, find this strange. But many of the phone calls I receive day after day consist of people wanting Steps to Life to endorse some strange doctrine. A large amount of my time is spent responding to people who send in manuscripts, full-published books, cassette tapes, and videos. They say, “Please review these things, and then let us know if you can give some endorsement to them.”

I can tell you that every wind of doctrine is blowing. They are blowing, because the devil has his helpers out across the land in every way causing those winds to blow. But those winds are not yet blowing fully. They are giving little gusts here and there, but they are not blowing in full.

I count it a very serious responsibility on my part to review the things sent to Steps to Life. I read everything, and I try to match it with Inspiration. Sometimes that can be very, very difficult. The reason that it is difficult is because the track of truth lies very close to the track of error. The most successful deception is when there is a great amount of truth coupled with a little bit of error. The Spirit gives some very explicit instruction.

We know that God’s true church and Satan’s counterfeit church have been growing side by side for some 6,000 years. The angels are holding the winds so that they do not blow. Once the angels release those winds, the doctrines of devils are going to go out, and the people from all corners of the earth will be gathered into one of two camps—either in the camp of God or in the camp of the devil.

Two Camps

That is why we urgently work to convey God’s truths to the people, so they will be so grounded that they will not be taken in by the devil’s deceptions. There are two camps—one with truth and love as the impelling force and the other built upon lies and deceit, one upholding God’s government and His Law and the other rebelling against it with a malignant hatred.

Good angels have been sent to Adam and all of his descendents to enlighten, to counsel, and to plead with them to look by faith to their Creator and their Redeemer. Satan’s angels have been sent to ensnare these offspring of Adam with innumerable schemes, so they will despise or neglect or ignore the salvation that is made possible by Jesus Christ. In all of this, God spreads out the issues of the great controversy between Christ and Satan in such a way that every individual is to be enlightened so he can choose whom he is going to serve.

If we read this text carefully, we can see that it is a challenge for us to know what is going on and what is going to take place. If we are going to make it through to the end, we are going to have to know what the issues are. Ellen White makes it very plain that this deals with spiritualism. (See Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 951, 952.)

More than Masquerades

I would like to suggest to you that spiritualism is more involved than evil angels masquerading as dead people. It is much more profound than that. It has to do with everything that is devil-inspired. If, indeed, this is the case, then we need to have a firm basis for every decision we make. We need to know with exactness what is going to take place in this area of deception, because this is how God’s Holy Spirit has spoken to us. He has spoken to us expressly to get the point across.

What this text is saying to us is that this is very serious business. It is not something with which to toy. It is not something that we can ignore. The devil has been playing and practicing this game of deception for thousands of years in an effort to try to persuade to disloyalty and to disobedience. That is his whole plan and purpose. We need to have some inside information so we do not get caught up in what the devil is trying to promote. If any-one does get caught up in it, it is because they have not paid clear attention to the counsel God has given.

It is a disappointment to me to hear that the Adventist Book Centers are not carrying Ellen White’s books as they should, because there is no longer a call for them. Supply and demand is what is important. That is the business world. But we are not in a setting where business is to go on as usual. We are here to spread a message.

A Little Con Game

It is easy to be deceived, if we do not have the right information at our fingertips or if we are innocent to circumstances or if we are naive about various issues. A number of years ago, a carnival came to town and set up shop right across the street from where my wife and I lived. We, at that time, were not Christians. Neither of us had been brought up in a Christian home. We were not wicked people, but we did not have a Christian background. So, when the carnival came to town, I went over to it.

I wanted to see all the lights and all the things that were going on. There were many people there. My attention, as I walked through the various booths that were set up, was drawn to one booth that was a con-type gambling game. I will not go into all the details of it, but I got drawn into gambling. The interesting part was that it started out with a dime. Ten cents. Before I knew what was happening, I had $300 sunk into that game.

Forty years ago, $300 was like $1,500 today. Minimum wage back then was $1 per hour. Can you imagine being drawn into some-thing like that? I had taken that money out of our monthly budget, and I lost it. I lost every dime of it. The whole month was yet ahead of me. Do you know what I had to do? I had to go down to the bank and borrow $300, because we did not have any reserve. We were just newly wed. It took me a year to pay back that $300 loan.

Heed the Warning

The interesting thing was that, having lost my money in such a quick, slick con game, I was determined that I was not going to let someone else lose their money in the same way. It was a deception. I knew it was a deception. So I decided that I was going to stand right by that booth and, as people came along, I would tell them what kind of a game it was. I will never forget one lady who came by. She was a waitress, working for $1 an hour, and older than I. She had her whole paycheck with her, which, for a 40-hour week, was a grand total of $32 after taxes. She stood and watched this con artist pour the balls into the little pans that had numbers on the bottoms of them, and as she watched, she was getting into her purse to fish out a dime. I told her, “This is a con game. I just lost $300 here. Do not let him take your money.” I warned her, “Listen to me.” I warned her expressly, “Do not get involved in this kind of con game.” Do you know what? She listened to me and walked on down the fairway. The fellow running the booth called me every conceivable name, but I was determined that I was going to stand there and not let other people get drawn into that con game.

Little did I know that down the fairway and around the corner was another booth exactly like the one where I had taken my stand. It was not too long before I heard a woman’s voice cry, “Oooooooooh! You have taken all of my money.” I could hear it clear across the fairway. So I walked down there, and who do you suppose was there? The very woman whom I had expressly warned. She was crying and weeping that they had taken her whole paycheck. Her whole paycheck for that week was gone. She was raising such a ruckus that a short, fat man came out of a nearby trailer. He tried to talk to this lady, but she would not listen. She was out of control. Finally he reached into his wallet and pulled out a wad of bills. He handed her $32, and told her that it was time for her to leave the grounds. It was really quite pathetic.

I am convinced that there will be many people in the last days who will be just like this woman. They have been given a clear warning, but they have decided, for whatever reason, that they do not want to give heed to the warning. Their hearts have never truly been converted. They may listen to the warning and pass by one of the devil’s traps, only to later disregard the warning. That seems, to a great extent, to be the lot of humanity, but it does not have to be that way—not when the Spirit has given express warning. We need to pay attention. We need to heed the warning.

Two Great Errors

“Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome.” The Great Controversy, 588. I do not know which one is worse. They are both bad news—two great errors that will bring people under deception.

The driving force of Seventh-day Adventists is to get the messages of warning to the world. Not everyone is going to listen, but Jesus says, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness.” Matthew 24:14. He does not say the whole world is going to respond, but the message has to be given for a witness.

This is one of the reasons Steps to Life is on Internet radio, because it has the potential of reaching the entire world. This is why we have a television program. This is why we send out containers of literature. It is in an effort to try to get this witness, this warning, out to the world.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mikebaugher@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Spiritualism, Part II

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In The Great Controversy, 588, we are told, “Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions.”

The immortality of the soul concept lays the foundation for spiritualism. “The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 1 Timothy 4:1. We need to have our eyes open. We need to see what is taking place. If we do not learn what we are told by the Spirit, we are destined to be deceived. If we are deceived, we are lost, and that is pretty serious business, in my book.

Bond of Sympathy

“While the former [immortality of the soul] lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter [Sunday sacredness] creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” Ibid. Do you know why that is? It is because the devils are at work. The devils are determined to get as many as they possibly can to depart from the faith. They are determined to get as many as possible to become disloyal to God. They are determined to get as many as possible to be disobedient. They are at work everywhere we turn.

We, as Seventh-day Adventists, have studied the papacy and all that is involved with the papacy to the nth degree. We have studied it so much that many of us could probably, with accuracy, outline the pope’s daily routine. I believe such study and understanding is profitable, because of the ramifications of which we need to be aware.

Fear of the Devil

We have not, however, kept up the same pace of knowledge on the other side of the coin that is labeled spiritualism. I am not really sure in my own mind why that is, but I have an idea. I think that most people are terrified to have anything to do with the devil. They think that if they stay as far away as possible from the devil and any kind of reading material about the devil, they will be safe. But let me tell you something. That is not true. That is exactly what the devil wants you to believe.

If you allow the devil to terrify you to the point that you do not understand what he is all about and what his tactics are for taking you down the road of disloyalty and disobedience, then he has you right where he wants you! We must get beyond this fear of saying, “It is better to talk about Jesus than it is about the devil.” We need to talk about Jesus, but we also need to talk about the tactics that the devil is using to destroy God’s people. We need to understand the way he works. We need to know about the deceptions of Sunday, for example, and that those deceptions are going to find hate and hands and voice through spiritualism.

Force of Spiritualism

Ellen White wrote, in Evangelism, 602: “Spiritualism is about to take the world captive.” Who is behind spiritualism? Satan and all of his hosts are behind spiritualism.

“Spiritualism is about to take the world captive.” How will the devil be able to take the world captive? He will be able to do it because we, as Seventh-day Adventists, have not done our homework. For this reason, we could very easily be found in the ranks of the world through deception.

“There are many who 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.” Ibid., 602, 603. Do you know what superhuman power is? Superhuman power is demonic power, and Mrs. White could very well have substituted those words.

Master of Deception

In what ways will spiritualism manifest itself? It would be impossible to cover everything, but I will try to set a direction. We are going to be surprised at what is going to take place in the future regarding spiritualism. Some things you are already aware of, but I will endeavor to amplify them so that they may have more meaning.

Spiritualism has put on one face in the past, but it will take on other features in the future, and it will be working in a variety of ways. The statement Mrs. White makes that “few have any idea as to what will be the manifestations of Spiritualism in the future,” applies to those who do not know what the Bible teaches on the topic. They will be caught unawares. It also has some very deep implications as far as Seventh-day Adventists are concerned. We need to know what is happening. God does not tell us to be warned and beware, and then not tell us any more. We must be aware of the manifestations of spiritualism.

“Modern spiritualism, resting upon the same foundation, is but a revival in a new form of the witchcraft and demon worship that God condemned and prohibited of old. It is foretold in the Scriptures, which declare that ‘in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.’ 1 Timothy 4:1. Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, points to the special working of Satan in spiritualism as an event to take place immediately before the second advent of Christ. Speaking of Christ’s second coming, he declares that it is ‘after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.’ 11 Thess-alonians 2:9. And Peter, describing the dangers to which the church was to be exposed in the last days, says that as there were false prophets who led Israel into sin, so there will be false teachers, ‘who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them. . . . And many shall follow their pernicious ways.’ 11 Peter 2:1, 2.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 686.

Heresy

The devil is going to use heresy to get us off track. Heresy can be especially deceptive for Seventh-day Adventists. We have to watch so carefully. God has delivered us the truth, and we should be studying the truth. When these heresies come along, they should command only a millisecond of our attention. But there are many Adventists who believe and follow these heresies.

I weep when I hear about these people who are giving up the faith and departing from it. Some of them are even going out and starting Sunday-keeping churches! A number of years ago, David Neff, one of my colleagues in ministry, departed from the faith because of heresy and became an Episcopalian priest. He and his wife both wrote a number of articles for The Signs of the Times, in years past. Today, he is the editor of the magazine Christianity Today, which is a Sunday-keeping journal. It is a tragedy that things such as this have happened.

False Teachers

False teachers, Mrs. White said, will come in with power and signs and lying wonders—false teachers and false prophets bringing in damnable heresies. Modern spiritualism is going to come with power and signs and lying wonders. It will also involve false prophets who are false teachers and preachers, speaking as with the authority of God, who will bring in these heresies and false teachings, and numerous Seventh-day Adventists and other Christians will be gathered into this great net of the devil.

“Errors will come in, and strange doctrines will be advocated.” Evangelism, 595. We have seen this prophecy fulfilled in many, many ways. “Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.” Ibid. This has happened. The devil has been working in this way for thousands of years.

Refining His Product

When Henry Ford built his first automobile, it was not a Crown Victoria. It was a little horseless carriage with a stick in the front that turned the wheels. When spiritualism first took off in Old Testament times, it was about as crude as Henry Ford’s first automobile. But over the years, just as the Ford automobile has been repeatedly refined, so the devil has been refining his product. He has been fine-tuning it. His engineers are working around the clock to design false doctrines. He is tuning it all up in an effort to bring a final assault against God’s people.

False Christs

What was it that Jesus warned, as He gave His final message to His followers in Matthew 24? Matthew 24:24 says, “There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets.” There are not too many people who are taken in by false christs, but there are some. Many burned in Waco, Texas, as a result of following a false christ. There were others, a group called Heaven’s Gate, who took poison and died. They were determined that the comet Hale-Bopp would take them up to the skies to be with the Lord, but in order to do that, they had to release their souls from their bodies, and this they did by poisoning themselves to death. Jim Jones was another false christ. Do not think for a minute that all the false christs are dead; they are not dead. There are still false christs operating, and they are still seeking your attention.

False Prophets

There are also false prophets. The classification of a prophet does not necessarily only include someone with a mantle, such as Elijah, or someone like Ellen White. A prophet is a spokesman for God. Please do not misunderstand me, but I could be classified as a prophet. Why? Because as I stand at the desk and read God’s Word, I become a mouthpiece for the words of God to you. Now, I do not claim inspiration at all, but the word prophet can rightly and very truthfully apply to a preacher of God’s Word.

Knowing that there is a secondary application, we not only need to beware of those people who claim to be Christ and beware of those who come with the office and the mantle of a prophet, but we also need to beware of preachers who are saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” We have to be very, very careful.

These individuals, we are told, will display great signs and wonders. What does that involve? You may be aware of some of the things that have crept into Adventism. We, as Seventh-day Adventists, are tempted to try to imitate those who are involved in these great signs and wonders and the things that are being preached. We are tempted because they are bringing numbers of people into Adventism. But, friend, it is not numbers for which Jesus is waiting. Jesus is waiting for the heart to be given completely over to Him. Jesus is waiting for character development to take place.

Character of Christ

Do you remember what it says in Christ’s Object Lessons, 69? “When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” The devil continually works in an effort to divert us from developing the character of Christ. He is going to do everything he can to keep that from occurring.

Seventh-day Adventists are his prime targets. He is trying to zero in on them, because if he can silence the Sabbath-keepers and get them to throw away the Spirit of Prophecy and to give up on the Lord, he has them right where he wants them. We are going to have to make sure that our stakes are driven very deep. If they are not driven down, when the winds begin to blow, we are not going to have anything to hold us in place.

Spiritualism is going to take on forms that will surprise some and deceive others. We do not want to be in either camp. We do not want to be surprised, because those who are surprised are lost. Those who are deceived are lost.

We have to make sure that we understand what the issues are, and if we study and understand Inspiration, we will understand those issues.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mikebaugher@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Bible Study Guides – Warning Against Disobedience

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September 14, 2008 – September 20, 2008

Key Text

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Romans 5:19.

Study Help: The Acts of the Apostles, 309-322.

Introduction

“The basis of a right character in the future man is made firm by habits of strict temperance in the mother prior to the birth of her child.” The Health Reformer, February 1, 1880.

1 By disobeying God’s instruction, what sin, among others, did Adam and Eve commit? Genesis 3:6.

Note: “Adam and Eve lost Eden through the indulgence of appetite, and we only regain it by the denial of the same.” The Review and Herald, October 21, 1884.

2 After transgressing, whom did they blame for their fall? Genesis 3:11–13.

Note: “He [Adam] who, from love to Eve, had deliberately chosen to forfeit the approval of God, his home in Paradise, and an eternal life of joy, could now, after his fall, endeavor to make his companion, and even the Creator Himself, responsible for the transgression. So terrible is the power of sin. …

“Thus like Adam, she [Eve] charged God with the responsibility of their fall. The spirit of self-justification originated in the father of lies; it was indulged by our first parents as soon as they yielded to the influence of Satan, and has been exhibited by all the sons and daughters of Adam. Instead of humbly confessing their sins, they try to shield themselves by casting the blame upon others, upon circumstances, or upon God—making even His blessings an occasion of murmuring against Him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 57, 58.

3 What specific instructions did God give Manoah and his wife? Judges 13:3, 4, 13, 14.

Note: “God had an important work for the promised child of Manoah to do, and it was to secure for him the qualifications necessary for this work that the habits of both the mother and the child were to be carefully regulated. ‘Neither let her drink wine or strong drink,’ was the Angel’s instruction for the wife of Manoah, ‘nor eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.’ [Judges 13:14.] The child will be affected for good or for evil by the habits of the mother. She must herself be controlled by principle and must practice temperance and self-denial, if she would seek the welfare of her child. Unwise advisers will urge upon the mother the necessity of gratifying every wish and impulse, but such teaching is false and mischievous. The mother is by the command of God Himself placed under the most solemn obligation to exercise self-control.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 561.

4 What will be the consequences of disobeying the divine instructions on temperance? Galatians 6:7.

Note: “Fathers as well as mothers are involved in this responsibility [to exercise self-control]. Both parents transmit their own characteristics, mental and physical, their dispositions and appetites, to their children. As the result of parental intemperance children often lack physical strength and mental and moral power. Liquor drinkers and tobacco users may, and do, transmit their insatiable craving, their inflamed blood and irritable nerves, to their children. The licentious often bequeath their unholy desires, and even loathsome diseases, as a legacy to their offspring. And as the children have less power to resist temptation than had the parents, the tendency is for each generation to fall lower and lower. To a great degree parents are responsible not only for the violent passions and perverted appetites of their children but for the infirmities of the thousands born deaf, blind, diseased, or idiotic.

“The inquiry of every father and mother should be, ‘What shall we do unto the child that shall be born unto us?’ The effect of prenatal influences has been by many lightly regarded; but the instruction sent from heaven to those Hebrew parents, and twice repeated in the most explicit and solemn manner, shows how this matter is looked upon by our Creator.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 561.

5 What was the first big mistake of Samson? How did he ignore God’s commands? Judges 14:1–3; II Corinthians 6:15, 16.

Note: “Association with idolaters corrupted him [Samson]. The town of Zorah being near the country of the Philistines, Samson came to mingle with them on friendly terms. Thus in his youth intimacies sprang up, the influence of which darkened his whole life. A young woman dwelling in the Philistine town of Timnath engaged Samson’s affections, and he determined to make her his wife. To his God-fearing parents, who endeavored to dissuade him from his purpose, his only answer was, ‘She pleaseth me well.’ [Judges 14:3.] The parents at last yielded to his wishes, and the marriage took place.

“Just as he was entering upon manhood, the time when he must execute his divine mission—the time above all others when he should have been true to God—Samson connected himself with the enemies of Israel. He did not ask whether he could better glorify God when united with the object of his choice, or whether he was placing himself in a position where he could not fulfill the purpose to be accomplished by his life. To all who seek first to honor Him, God has promised wisdom; but there is no promise to those who are bent upon self-pleasing.

“How many are pursuing the same course as did Samson! How often marriages are formed between the godly and the ungodly, because inclination governs in the selection of husband or wife! The parties do not ask counsel of God, nor have His glory in view. Christianity ought to have a controlling influence upon the marriage relation, but it is too often the case that the motives which lead to this union are not in keeping with Christian principles.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 562, 563.

6 What was the end of Samson’s wrong step? Judges 14:20.

Note: “The wife, to obtain whom Samson had transgressed the command of God, proved treacherous to her husband before the close of the marriage feast. Incensed at her perfidy, Samson forsook her for the time, and went alone to his home at Zorah. When, afterward relenting, he returned for his bride, he found her the wife of another.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 563.

7 What other commandment did Samson break? Judges 16:1.

Note: “The Philistines were well acquainted with the divine law, and its condemnation of sensual indulgence. They kept a vigilant watch over all the movements of their enemy, and when he degraded himself by this new attachment, and they saw the bewitching power of the enchantress, they determined, through her, to accomplish his ruin.” The Signs of the Times, October 13, 1881.

“Samson, that mighty man of valor, was under a solemn vow to be a Nazarite during the period of his life; but becoming infatuated by the charms of a lewd woman, he rashly broke that sacred pledge. Satan worked through his agents to destroy this ruler of Israel, that the mysterious power which he possessed might no longer intimidate the enemies of God’s people. It was the influence of this bold woman that separated him from God, her artifices that proved his ruin. The love and service which God claims, Samson gave to this woman. This was idolatry. He lost all sense of the sacred character and work of God, and sacrificed honor, conscience, and every valuable interest, to base passion.” The Signs of the Times, July 1, 1903.

8 What was the final result of his temerarious actions? Judges 16:20, 21.

Note: “When he had been shaven, Delilah began to annoy him and cause him pain, thus making a trial of his strength; for the Philistines dared not approach him till fully convinced that his power was gone. Then they seized him and, having put out both his eyes, they took him to Gaza. Here he was bound with fetters in their prison house and confined to hard labor.

“What a change to him who had been the judge and champion of Israel!—now weak, blind, imprisoned, degraded to the most menial service! Little by little he had violated the conditions of his sacred calling. God had borne long with him; but when he had so yielded himself to the power of sin as to betray his secret, the Lord departed from him. There was no virtue in his long hair merely, but it was a token of his loyalty to God; and when the symbol was sacrificed in the indulgence of passion, the blessings of which it was a token were also forfeited.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 566.

9 What is the evidence that, by God’s mercy, Samson found repentance, and how is his final exercise of faith enshrined in Scripture? Judges 16:28–30; Hebrews 11:32.

Note: “In suffering and humiliation, a sport for the Philistines, Samson learned more of his own weakness than he had ever known before; and his afflictions led him to repentance. As his hair grew, his power gradually returned; but his enemies, regarding him as a fettered and helpless prisoner, felt no apprehensions.

“The Philistines ascribed their victory to their gods; and, exulting, they defied the God of Israel. A feast was appointed in honor of Dagon, the fish god, ‘the protector of the sea.’ From town and country throughout the Philistine plain the people and their lords assembled. Throngs of worshipers filled the vast temple and crowded the galleries about the roof. It was a scene of festivity and rejoicing. There was the pomp of the sacrificial service, followed by music and feasting. Then, as the crowning trophy of Dagon’s power, Samson was brought in. Shouts of exultation greeted his appearance. People and rulers mocked his misery and adored the god who had overthrown ‘the destroyer of their country.’ [Judges 16:24.] After a time, as if weary, Samson asked permission to rest against the two central pillars which supported the temple roof. Then he silently uttered the prayer, ‘O Lord God, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines.’ With these words he encircled the pillars with his mighty arms; and crying, ‘Let me die with the Philistines!’ he bowed himself, and the roof fell, destroying at one crash all that vast multitude. ‘So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.’ [Judges 16: 28, 30.]

“The idol and its worshipers, priest and peasant, warrior and noble, were buried together beneath the ruins of Dagon’s temple. And among them was the giant form of him whom God had chosen to be the deliverer of His people.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 566, 567.

Additional Reading

“The principles of justice required a faithful narration of facts for the benefit of all who should ever read the Sacred Record. Here we discern the evidences of divine wisdom. We are required to obey the law of God, and are not only instructed as to the penalty of disobedience, but we have narrated for our benefit and warning the history of Adam and Eve in Paradise, and the sad results of their disobedience of God’s commands. The account is full and explicit. The law given to man in Eden is recorded, together with the penalty accruing in case of its disobedience. Then follows the story of the temptation and fall, and the punishment inflicted upon our erring parents. Their example is given us as a warning against disobedience, that we may be sure that the wages of sin is death, that God’s retributive justice never fails, and that He exacts from His creatures a strict regard for His commandments. When the law was proclaimed at Sinai, how definite was the penalty annexed, how sure was punishment to follow the transgression of that law, and how plain are the cases recorded in evidence of that fact!

“The pen of inspiration, true to its task, tells us of the sins that overcame Noah, Lot, Moses, Abraham, David, and Solomon, and that even Elijah’s strong spirit sank under temptation during his fearful trial. Jonah’s disobedience and Israel’s idolatry are faithfully recorded. Peter’s denial of Christ, the sharp contention of Paul and Barnabas, the failings and infirmities of the prophets and apostles, are all laid bare by the Holy Ghost, who lifts the veil from the human heart. There before us lie the lives of the believers, with all their faults and follies, which are intended as a lesson to all the generations following them. If they had been without foible they would have been more than human, and our sinful natures would despair of ever reaching such a point of excellence. But seeing where they struggled and fell, where they took heart again and conquered through the grace of God, we are encouraged, and led to press over the obstacles that degenerate nature places in our way.

“God has ever been faithful to punish crime. He sent His prophets to warn the guilty, denounce their sins, and pronounce judgment upon them. Those who question why the word of God brings out the sins of His people in so plain a manner for scoffers to deride and saints to deplore, should consider that it was all written for their instruction, that they may avoid the evils recorded and imitate only the righteousness of those who served the Lord.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 11, 12.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Prophets of Doom

by

Samuel had died and had been buried, and now the Philistines had come up to attack Israel. In I Samuel 28:5, it says that Saul was terrified. Fear is part of the devil’s program. The devil has three objectives, three ways to try to destroy. First, he wants to seduce you through sensual temptations. If that doesn’t work, then he reverts to deception to involve you in his counterfeit for faith—presumption. If these two attempts don’t succeed, his third method is to endeavor to terrify you.

Interestingly, when you study the three temptations of Jesus on the mount of temptations, this is the exact order that the devil followed with Christ. First he tried to seduce Him with a sensual temptation. Then he tried to get Him to practice presumption, and finally he tried to terrify Him by implying that He need not go through the suffering of the cross. The whole world was offered to Jesus if he would just worship him. Suffering, of course, is something that terrifies people. The devil tried this on Jesus to no avail; however, he is more successful when he comes to us.

In I Samuel 28, it says that Saul was terrified. Verse 6 says that “Saul asked from Jehovah, and Jehovah did not give him an answer, either by dreams, by Urim, or by prophets.” God would not answer him, so Saul became desperate. Unfortunately, there are Adventists today who are desperate and want to know the answers to certain questions, and God hasn’t answered them.

In the book, The Great Controversy, in the chapter, “The Snares of Satan,” Ellen White said that it was one of the devil’s masterful temptations to get men to ask questions that God would not answer, even through eternal ages. People get so desperate to know the answer to a certain question that God hasn’t revealed that they try to find out the answer from somewhere else. That is precisely what Saul decided to do, so he told his servants to “find me a woman that has a familiar spirit so I can go and have a séance and find this out, find out what I need to know. I need to know what to do about this battle that’s coming up.” I Samuel 28:7.

So he disguised himself and went to this witch at Endor and persuaded her to bring up for him the person that he should name. He asked to bring up Samuel, and so it says that she had a séance for him and brought up Samuel. And Samuel said, “Well, why did you bring me up?” Saul said, “Jehovah doesn’t answer me by any way I ask, and I just have to have this information.” In verses 17 and 18 and 19, it says that Samuel, in effect, told him off. He told him you haven’t listened to Jehovah. You didn’t do what He told you to do, and that’s the reason He doesn’t answer you. And not only that, the Lord has taken away the kingdom from you and he’s going to give it to your neighbor, David. Tomorrow the Lord is going to give you, and all of the armies of Israel, into the hands of the Philistines. And you are going to die tomorrow. You and your sons are going to be with me.

That sounds like a prophet of doom, and not a prophet of the Lord. It was the devil speaking; the devil and his agents are the prophets of doom. It was not God’s message. God’s message is a message of the everlasting gospel and the judgment, and you can read it in Revelation 14:6–12. God does say that if you will not listen to the warnings there are going to be some terrible consequences; however, the Three Angels’ Messages open up by saying that the angel that flies in the midst of heaven has the Everlasting Gospel. The word gospel means “Good News!”

God’s message is a message of good news. When a Seventh-day Adventist studies with somebody, they ought to find out some good news. The world has enough messages about hell and damnation and awful things, and desperately needs good news. The good news, friend, is that Jesus is coming, and He is going to get you out of this place and take you to a place where there is no more sickness. There is not going to be any war there, and there will not be any cemeteries either. There’ll be no death, and no more pain. It will be a wonderful place, and that is good news!

Friends, the Christian is duty-bound before God to give the people of this world the good news of the coming of Jesus and how to get ready for it. That is the reason we are here, and that is good news. Publicizing every awful thing that may happen will never win anybody; it will only cause panic and terror. The devil is already doing that, and he needs no help. He is flooding the world with messages of doom, and wants you to be terrified so that you will make irrational decisions and do things that are rash and reckless.

In I Samuel 28, every specification the devil made came true. The devil can often very accurately predict events that are going to happen in the near future because he has access to all kinds of information that you and I don’t have. However, just because it turns out to be true, it does not mean that the message was from the Lord. It could be the devil trying to get you terrified, so you go into a panic.

The devil’s purpose in this was to discourage Saul and bring everlasting ruin, which he succeeded in doing. Saul will not be in the kingdom of heaven. In fact, it says in 1 Chronicles, the 10th chapter, that God killed Saul because he went and sought counsel from a woman who had a familiar spirit. God’s message is good news. Our message is the gospel, which is good news, and the good news is that Jesus is coming. If people could just get a little idea of who Jesus is and what He is like, and the fact that He is coming soon, it would be the most exciting thing in the world. When Jesus came, He always brought peace and hope and joy.

We often concentrate on how awful it will be for the wicked when Jesus comes and that they are going to be destroyed with everlasting flames of fire when He comes. But look at what happens to the righteous: “When He comes to be glorified in His Holy people, or in His saints, and to be astonished at, or to be marveled at, by all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” 11 Thessalonians 1:10. Oh friend, when Jesus comes He’s going to be glorified, and we are going to be astonished at how wonderful it is. In the Bible, that is called “the blessed hope.” Titus 2:13.

If you are one of the saved, the coming of Jesus will be more exciting than any experience that you have ever had. If you accept Him as your Savior, He has the power to take away all the guilt of your sins, and to deliver you from the power of sin in your life and to restore you, to sanctify you, and make you ready for His coming. Is that good news?

“Every man is free to choose what power he will have to rule over him. None have fallen so low, none are so vile, but they can find deliverance in Christ.” The Desire of Ages, 258. Our message is a message of good news. We are not predictors of doom. There will not be any doomsday for the righteous; that is only for the wicked, those who have rejected the message of salvation that has been offered.

The devil’s message is: first, he wants to seduce you; if that doesn’t succeed, then he wants to deceive you, and if that doesn’t work, then he wants to terrify you. Now think about this for just a moment from the devil’s perspective. If you wanted to get somebody terrified, how would you do it? You would bombard them with messages predicting doom, and that is precisely what is happening today. God’s people are more bombarded with messages talking about doomsday now than ever, and these messages have even hit the public press.

Evangelical preachers predicting Armageddon, political collapse, economic collapse, and the end of the world gain strength in their predictions through publications and the media. Many are alarmed by the status of the stock market, yet there have been over twenty stock market crashes since 1800. The stock market has crashed over ten times since the year 1900. The stock market crashed in 1973 and 1974, and it lasted over a year. Stocks decreased 45%.

People at present are scared to death that we are in a financial crisis, but the big question is, how should you react to the crisis we are in?

The first time I can remember that the public press was predicting a major stock market crash was in 1953. All the time I was growing up we’ve had all kinds of predictions of doom. When I was in high school in the United States, a Roman Catholic president was elected, which was the first time a Roman Catholic president had been elected in this country. When my mother was young, it was believed that a Roman Catholic would never be elected as president of the United States, with over 60% of the United States of America being Protestant. But we did, and that very next year, in 1961, the Supreme Court made a ruling that Sunday laws would become constitutional.

The prediction of something awful is not really the point, but how you react to it is what matters. I was just a young man at that time at the Seventh-day Adventist high school. I told my father that the people at the high school had told me that I would never get through college, that there would be Sunday laws and everything would close up. I reasoned that if I would not be able to finish college, what would be the point in even starting, and that I may as well just forget it. My father advised that if I intended to be a minister, I would need to be trained, and if Jesus came before I was trained, it would not be held against me, so I pursued my education.

While I was going to school, there was the Cuban Missile crisis, and for about 48 hours we were afraid that we were going to be in a nuclear war. Then we had the escalation of Vietnam. After that was the break-down of law and order in 1967 and 1968, and the reaction to the Vietnam War. Then in 1970 and 1971, President Nixon took us off the gold standard, and that began an interesting series of events which caused a double digit inflation. We had high unemployment. We were trying to conserve oil. People were afraid. The talk all over the Adventist community of Loma Linda at that time in 1973 and 1974 was that the Sunday laws would be passed to try to conserve oil by people not driving their cars on Sunday.

Between 1980 and 1982, we had a chairman of the Federal Reserve who decided that we had had enough of this high double-digit inflation. and decided that the problem could be cured by increasing the interest rate way up to around 14%. In the early ’80s you could get 14 to 16% interest on bonds, and that was an interesting time to go through. Right at that time, my wife and I received an invitation to go teach at Southwestern Adventist College in Keene, Texas. At the time, we were living in Washington State, so we needed to sell our house. With interest rates up at 10 to 12% not many people would qualify for a loan, and we were advised by a realtor that we would have to sell on contract because of the high interest. Some people started getting adjustable rate mortgages at that time.

We were able to sell our house on contract, but during that time, 1979, I had a friend who was a Seventh-day Adventist who came and told me that he was not going to plant his garden that year. This man owned a rototiller and for extra money used to till gardens for other people. He decided not to grow his own garden because he believed the Lord was going to come that October, which was only three months away. His belief stemmed from a new interpretation of Daniel 11, and those who could not see it were considered in a Laodicean condition. This belief just about split the church. That October in 1979 came and the world did not come to an end. Awful things were supposed to happen in 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2007, and April 2008. Many Adventists believed that the world was supposed to come to an end before the end of 2007.

What effect do all these prophets of doom have on God’s people? Many of God’s people become disheartened and discouraged. Friends, we should not be dwelling on all the awful things that are going to happen at the end of the world. We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and what He’s going to do for His people at the end of the world. It is the devil’s business to get God’s people discouraged, and the way he does it is by sending you a constant barrage of predictions of doom. The doom either doesn’t happen at all, or it doesn’t happen the way it was predicted, so another twist and a new date is put on it.

“Look to the earth and behold distress, and trouble, gloom, and darkness. And they will be driven to darkness.” Isaiah 8:22. Is that the kind of experience you want as we approach the end of the world; distress, trouble, and gloom? Isaiah prophesied 2700 years ago, that is what they are going to do. To be driven to darkness is the devil’s program and, unfortunately, it is being very successful with God’s people.

This is what the Lord wants you to do. Isaiah 45:22 says, “Look to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, because I am God and there is not any other.” You can’t save yourself, but if you look to God, you will be saved. The devil says look to the earth. Look at the distress. Look at the trouble. Look at all the awful things going on.

If more time is spent by God’s people reading about all the trouble that is predicted to come in the world than on reading their Bibles, is it any wonder that they are discouraged and depressed? It is exactly what Isaiah said would happen, in Isaiah 8:22. They look to the earth. There is distress. There is trouble. There is darkness, and what happens? They are driven to darkness.

Many young people have left the Seventh-day Adventist Church because they have heard so many failed predictions that they have no confidence in Adventism. This is a stated fact. Some have heard it predicted that Christ would come before 1997 or before 1996, or before 1994, or for sure before 2000. They have heard the prediction that the whole world has to come to an end before the end of 2007, and numerous other things predicted, of which 50 to 75% of them have not come true. Some of them, of course, do come true because if you make enough predictions of doom you will hit it once in a while because this world is a bad place. However, the young people in the Adventist church have heard so much of this and seen so many failed predictions that they have lost confidence.

Some young people become passive and careless. They have heard so many predictions of doom that they say, “Who cares? I can’t do anything about it anyway. So I’m just going to live my life.” They become passive, careless, and indifferent.

For an example regarding this current stock market crash, some young people have said to me that they cannot do anything about it. What am I supposed to do? There’s nothing I can do about it.

If somebody is continually given a barrage of bad news of all the terrible things that are happening, but they can’t do anything about it, the effect is that they become passive, and they say, “So what!” This has become a problem in larger society.

In 1964 a lady was stabbed to death in New York, she screamed for help, but nobody came to help her, even though, when it was investigated, the neighbors had heard the screams. This situation is shocking, that no one would go to her aid, but people have been desensitized to others’ needs.

Here is how it happens. Television and radio are constantly bombarding the people with sensational news, most of it bad. The more sensational the programs, the more audience they get; the more audience they have, the more advertisers they get and the more profits they make, and so the cycle continues. The result is that people are bombarded with sensationalism so that reality loses its significance, and the end result is that you have a population who consider that there is nothing they can do about it and are so passive that they can even hear someone being murdered and not be stirred to help. We are living in the most passive generation that has ever been, and it has negatively affected our young people.

Many are so scared with the situation in the world economically and politically that they have decided to find security and safety in the caves or in the mountains. This is happening all over the world, not just in the United States. Some people who are already living in country areas are getting out into the mountains in places so deserted that a four-wheel drive vehicle is required to get there. These places are usually quite affordable because they are so isolated, but if everyone did buy a place in an isolated place that it took hours to get to, who would be left to take the messages of the three angels to the world?

If you lived in the mountains in Colorado and most of the people live in the city of Denver, that is where you should be concentrating your effort: Denver. That is where most of the people live in the whole state. If you’re going to get your message to California, where do you need to concentrate your efforts? You need to concentrate your efforts in the Los Angeles area and in the San Francisco Bay area because that is where most of the population is.

Now I’m not saying that everybody needs to live in the middle of Los Angeles, but we do need to be somewhere that we can be of use and work. We have a message to get to the world, and we have such a barrage of prophecies of doom hitting God’s people from every direction day and night, almost seven days a week. People are so scared, they are so terrified, that instead of getting the message to the world, they don’t even want the book, The Great Controversy being distributed because they’re scared it will stir up trouble. People are scared and want to protect themselves, instead of getting the message to the world.

This reminds me of the story of Elijah in I Kings 19:9, 10. God gave him a message too, and where did God find him? He was in a cave, just where a lot of Adventists are—in a cave. So the Lord comes to him and He says, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” You know, the Lord needs to ask that question to some Adventists: What are you doing here? “Oh, Lord, I’ve been very zealous for your name and the children of Israel, they’ve broken down your altars, they’ve killed your prophets until I’m the only one who is left, and they are seeking my soul to take it away.” The Lord said to him again, “What are you doing here? What are you doing here?” Verse 13.

Don’t misunderstand; there will be a time to flee to the caves, but not until we have the Three Angels’ Messages to all the world. Our job right now is to ask the Lord, “Lord, how do you want me to relate to getting your message to the entire world? What do you want me to do? What is my part?” There is work for the retired to do also. Now some people think that when you retire you quit working, but let me tell you something. God doesn’t ever retire His people. God never retires His servants. God uses His servants as long as they live. He used the apostle Paul, and some of the most powerful books in the New Testament were written when the apostle Paul was in prison, such as Ephesians. And the book of Revelation was written when John the revelator was exiled on Patmos, and he was very, very old at that time. The Lord did not say, Well, you poor fellow, you’ve reached over sixty-five, so you can’t work for Me anymore. The Lord does not work that way. That is the way man works, but the Lord uses His people even after they get old. If your brain works and if you’re alive, God can use you if you surrender yourself to Him and say, Lord, what do You want me to do? The Lord will give you something to do. There are some who win more people to the Lord after they are retired than they won their whole life, so don’t be discouraged if you’re retired and you think you would just like to encourage one soul to Jesus. You can; the Lord might use you to raise up a whole church. Ask Him to teach you what you should do. Don’t just go off and run into a cave where you can’t work; you won’t raise up a church in a cave. No matter how bad it gets in this world, you and I are going to be here until we take the Three Angels’ Messages to all the world. Many of God’s people are trying to seek security and safety instead of taking the Three Angels’ Messages to the world.

Since a number of young people are passive and don’t even have confidence in Adventism anymore, and a lot of the older people are seeking safety and security in the mountains or the caves or somewhere, what is the net result? The net result is that the cities are neglected by the very people whom God has appointed to take to them the Three Angels’ Messages.

Hundreds of thousands of people die every day in our world who have never heard the Three Angels’ Messages. Some of them don’t even know anything about Christianity. The cities are neglected by the very people whom God has appointed to take them the message of hope. We are not going to get out of this world until we take the Three Angels’ Messages to all the world.

The sad part of it is that if you and I don’t do it, God is going to have somebody else do it. Ellen White says in the book Notebook Leaflets that God can finish His work with heathen princes if He needs to. God does not need the General Conference or the historic Adventists to finish His work. He does not need any of us. We need Him. We need to be involved in finishing His work because that is a part of the way He works out the plan of salvation in our own lives, but He does not need us. If we don’t do God’s work, the Lord can do it with somebody else.

When asked by the priests why He did not tell the children to quit crying out, Jesus said that if these children are silent, the stones will cry out, the rocks will cry out. Well, if the rocks cry out, God’s work will get finished all right, but then you and I will lose the blessing we should have had. Friend, you don’t want that to happen.

Let me just ask you this question in closing for you to think about. Where is the safest place on earth that you can be? A few years ago there was a couple who were retired, and they looked the whole world over to try to find the best, safest, most secure, nicest place they could go to retire, and they found it. The place they chose where they thought it would be the best place to go was the Falkland Islands. They moved there in 1980, and in 1981 war broke out in the very place where they thought it would be the safest, most secure place in the world.

You and I don’t know what is safe. The safest place for you in the world is the place where God wants you to be.

“He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:4.

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

In Defense of the Faith

by

“But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” Job 14:10. This is a question people have been asking for centuries. It is the mystery of death, the realm of the unknown, as many call it. To those of us who are Christians, the mystery of death is not a mystery. Jesus said, “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell [the grave] and of death.” Revelation 1:18.

Jesus has the keys to unlock the door to help us understand what lies beyond the grave. Although many people today are confused over the mystery of death, there is no need to be confused, because the Bible gives us the answer.

But, you might ask, What about 2 Corinthians 5:8 where Paul said, “We are . . . willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord”? Is that confusing? I know that sometimes when studying the Bible, we may come across a passage that is not quite clear to us. On the surface, it appears that it could be taken this way or maybe another way.

We need to remember when we study the Bible, that there are two kinds of Bible verses. There are what we call “black and white” verses. In other words, when you read that text it is very clear what it is saying. Then there are texts that we call “gray.” On the surface they appear to mean this or that. What we have to do in order to understand the “gray” passages is allow the “black and white” texts to help interpret or unravel the mystery of the “gray” ones. It is not that you cannot understand these texts or that they are vague, you just need the other passages, that are clear,to help unravel the mystery.

First we will study some “black and white” texts on the state of man in death. “These things” said He [Jesus]: and after that He saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may wake him out of sleep. Then said His disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.” John 11:11, 12. At this point, Lazarus is dead, but the disciples do not know it. They still think he is sick. Think for a moment: If you are sick, what is one of the best things you can do in order to recover quickly? Get plenty of rest. So here Jesus tells His disciples that He is going to wake Lazarus up out of his sleep. But the disciples said, “Lord, if he sleep, he will do well.” This is a sad story in relation to the disciples, because they should have been well familiar with the doctrine of the state of the dead. Throughout the Old Testament, there are scores and scores of passages dealing with that particular truth. Yet, somehow, this truth escaped the disciples.

One of the reasons why the disciples failed to recognize the language of Jesus was because, too often, tradition supercedes the Word of the Lord. How many of those who claim to be Christians are taking tradition above a “Thus saith the Lord”? The church is not above the Bible. The word of the Lord is the highest authority. A “Thus saith the Lord” is not to be set aside for a “Thus saith the church” or “Thus saith the state.” The Word of God must be obeyed. By taking the name Christian we claim to be followers of Jesus. But how do we follow Jesus? We follow Him, by obedience to His words.

“Howbeit, Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that He had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” John 11:13, 14. These texts are a simple commentary on the doctrine of the state of the dead. Jesus compared death to sleep.

We can see the same thing in Acts 7:57–60: “Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him [Stephen] with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this he fell asleep.” There are two ways to interpret this passage. Either at the time that Stephen was being stoned, he laid down and took a nap, or he died. The sleep made reference to in this Scripture has to do with his death, as can be shown in Acts 8:1 “And Saul consenting unto his death . . . ”

Death is compared to sleep. And what do we mean by that? “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything.” Ecclesiastes 9:5. The living know, are consciously aware, but the dead do not know anything! “Neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.” Verse 5, 6. The dead are not aware of what is going on in the earth. They have no knowledge of anything that takes place underneath the sun. This particular passage very clearly indicates that it is impossible for anyone to communicate with the dead. For the Bible says they have no memory. They have no love, nor hatred. How can you communicate with people that cannot communicate with you? They cannot even communicate with each other. They are dead. They are unconscious of anything that is going on.

The Scripture also clearly teaches that they will not always remain in that condition. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:28, 29.

The Bible discusses two resurrections: the resurrection of life and the resurrection of damnation. There will come a point in time when all that are in the grave will hear His voice and they will come forth; some to the resurrection of life and some to the resurrection of damnation. By the grace of God, we need to be in that first resurrection. What a sad day it will be for so many who think that they are in the first group, when they rise up in the second? I wish that for no one!

 

The Thief on the Cross beside Jesus

 

Now let us study some of those “gray” texts on this subject. The thief who was crucified beside Jesus said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:42, 43.

There seems to be a difference of opinion regarding the passage, “Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” Does it mean that when he died, he would be on that day with Jesus in Paradise? Let us assume just for the sake of illustration, that it was on that day when Jesus was crucified that the thief was to be taken to heaven.

“And he said unto Jesus, Lord remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” Verse 42. So in order for the thief to go to Paradise on that day, Jesus would have had to have gone that day also.

But did Jesus go to heaven on that day (Friday)? Notice John 21:1: “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” This is Sunday, two days after Friday, and Mary comes to the sepulchre. When she gets there the stone is rolled away and a man stands nearby. Thinking he was the gardener, Mary asked him where the Lord had been taken. The man was Jesus, and when He says her name, she immediately recognizes Him. In great excitement Mary rushes up to Jesus and says, “Rabboni [Master]. Jesus saith unto her, touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father.” Verse 17. This is two days after Friday! How could the thief go to Paradise with Jesus on Friday when Jesus said two days later that He had not yet gone to heaven?

The confusion here lies with the comma. I know there are those who take the position that the commas, the chapters, the paragraphs, and the periods are all inspired. That is an extreme position to hold. Chapters, commas and verses were put in by man to make it easier to locate texts. When you read the original Greek and Hebrew, there are no chapters or commas, it is just one flowing, continuation.

In this particular case we need to look at the comma. In verse 43, this is how the passage should be read, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.” In other words, Jesus was saying, I promise you today, that you will be with Me in Paradise.

Let us take the premise that the comma was inspired. If that is the case, I would like someone to explain to me Acts 19:11. (KJV) If that comma is inspired, then this comma in Acts 19:11, 12 must be inspired also. Speaking about the apostle Paul and the things that he was doing, it says this: “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.” According to the way the comma is placed, diseases and evil spirits were departing from the aprons and the handkerchiefs!

How can the comma in Luke 23:43 be inspired when we see the inconsistency according to Acts 19:11, 12? The comma should not be placed after the words “handkerchiefs and aprons.” It should be placed after the word “sick,” so it should read: “So that from his body were brought unto the sick, handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases departed from them [meaning the sick] and the evil spirits went out of them [the sick].”

 

The Rich Man and Lazarus

 

There is another interesting story given in Luke 16:19–31 about a rich man and Lazarus. Some say this story proves that when you die you go straight to heaven or to hell. The position that is taken is that this is not a parable, but a true story illustrating what Jesus teaches about the subject of death. “And there was a certain rich man,” Underscore that, because it is very, very important. If this is a literal story, then you must take everything in the story literally. If it is a symbolic story to illustrate a literal truth, one must decipher the symbolism in order to understand the literal meaning. Let us look carefully and see if we can discover if this is a real story or a parable?

How did Jesus usually begin His parables? “And He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree . . .” Luke 13:6. “And he said, A certain man had two sons . . .” Luke 15:11. “And He said also unto His disciples, There was a certain rich man . . .” Luke 16:1. This is the language Jesus used over and over again.

The evidence clearly reveals that the story in Luke 16:19, beginning with “A certain rich man,” is a parable consistent with all the ones that Jesus told previously. However, even though the evidence proves that it is a parable, let us assume that this is a literal story. The story goes like this: The rich man goes to hell, and Lazarus, who is sitting next to the dogs, goes to rest in the bosom of Abraham. The rich man cries out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.

Remember, we are supposed to take everything in this story literally. Here is a man burning in hell and he requests that the tip of Larazus’ finger be dipped in water, and somehow this will cool him.We have all worked on a hot day outside, maybe in the garden or washing our cars. When I am doing us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given us the earnest of the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 5:3–5. By giving us the Spirit, God has given us a down payment on heaven.

We do not have the fullness yet. That will come when this mortal shall put on immortality. God says, I will give you a sample of what it is like to have life and to have a little bit of heaven. “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.” Verse 6. As long as I am in this tabernacle I am physically absent from Jesus, but we have the hope of glory.

“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Verses 7, 8. Paul would rather be absent from this physical, earthly house in order to be with Jesus. But that can only take place when this earthly house is exchanged for that heavenly one at the last trump. Then all those who are faithful, will be present with Jesus.

That is why Paul said: “For. . . the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

” . . . Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20.

 

Our Eternal Hope

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Death is something that many people do not like to think about and often a subject of discomfort. However, as Christians, God gives us the hope of another life much better than what we can ever have in this world, and He wants us to recognize the misconceptions about death that are so prominently believed in the world. The Bible says that at the end of time almost the entire world will be deceived and will be led captive by the devil and end up worshipping evil spirits because of their lack of understanding about death. A true understanding of the issue will help us to reinforce our hope of eternal life and be ready when Jesus returns.

Working in a medical institution, one cannot help but be around death. One day a lady was brought into the emergency room shaking with fever and in terrible pain. They tried to monitor what was going on but she got worse. One of the things we were afraid of was what was happening with her heart and blood pressure. Her blood pressure was dropping and she began feeling very light-headed, and began wondering what was happening. She felt like she was slipping out of her body and in a few moments it seemed as if she was floating around near the ceiling looking down at her body. She later reported that while she was in this condition she saw a light, and it felt like she was in the presence of somebody. She said, “I began to feel the most incredibly warm and loving feeling. There was a light and I felt a presence in the light.”

There are many similar reports of near death experiences. Books sold about this subject reach best seller status. People are fascinated by the mystery and by personal accounts of the sensation of leaving one’s body.

But the reality is that people who have had these experiences never actually died. It is very important to remember that they were very near death, but they did not die. Many near death experiences resemble hallucinations. This type of sensation can be brought on, not only as a result of a person being near death and perhaps losing a realistic perspective, but also as an effect of certain drugs, chemicals, or substances.

In an article in the Saturday Evening Post, November 2, 1963, about drugs and out of the body experiences, Timothy Leary stated, “After eating certain Mexican mushrooms I realized that I had died, that I could look back and see my body in bed.” He had not really died, but when he came out of that experience, he reported that the out of body sensation had been very real and he had felt like he had died.

In his book, The Doors of Perception, Aldus Huxley states: “After taking Mescaline my body seemed to have disassociated itself almost completely from my mind. It was odd, of course, to feel that I was not the same as these arms and legs out there.” He felt disassociated from his body with his mind in a different place. Some people who have lived through similar experiences have suffered permanent brain damage or severe memory loss.

In an experiment conducted to investigate the hallucinative effects of external substances, Dr. Lodiscus Maduna gave his subject a dosage of 30% carbon dioxide and 70% oxygen. 100% carbon dioxide would be fatal, but after receiving the 30% dosage, the subject stated: “I felt as though I was looking down at myself, as though I was way out in space. I felt sort of separated.” As in the previously mentioned case, her blood pressure had dropped drastically and her brain was suffering from oxygen deprivation. She lived through a near death experience, but she did not die.

One can find many similar accounts which occurred as a result of eating a toxic substance or taking drugs, either for personal use or as part of a scientific experiment. This type of experiment is very dangerous, and may result in permanent damage to the person.

The most important aspect of these out of body or near death experiences is that they contradict what Scripture says about death. There are no scriptural accounts of people experiencing the presence of light in or close to death. The Bible says that when a man goes down to the grave, he does not return. (Job 7:9.) That does not mean he will never return to life again. Job 14:12 says, “They lay down and they will sleep and they will not stop their sleep, their sleeping will not stop until the heavens [be] no more.” Here Job refers to Jesus’ Second Coming at the end of the world. Job believed that he would be raised again at the Second Coming, but until that time should happen, he would not return, neither would he go back to his house. He also says, “When a few years are come, then I shall go the way [whence] I shall not return.” Job 16:22.

When a person enters the coffin, they will not come out unless they are resurrected. One of the most wonderful things about the gospel is that the God of heaven loves you and me. He “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him would not perish.” John 3:16.

Those who do not believe in Jesus will perish. This world does not guarantee everlasting life or immortality. Our worldly destiny is death, but we have a Friend who loved us so much that He paid the price for our sins and offered the free gift of eternal life to all who accept it.

Many accounts of near death experiences are frightfully similar to what Spiritualism teaches. Spiritualism claims that the dead are not really dead. In his book, Spiritualism, History, Phenomenon and Doctrine, J. Arthur Hill discusses the fundamental principle of Spiritualism and the idea that human beings survive bodily death and that sometimes the living are able to communicate with those who have gone before. According to Hill, Spiritualism claims that the dead communicate with the living.

This is a frightful teaching, because when the living think they are communicating with the dead, they are, as the Bible teaches, not really communicating with those who have passed away, but with evil spirits. A Spiritualist once said that there is no death in the grave yard and that he had frequent talks with the dead and could not doubt that people live after death because he had frequently talked with them.

Adam and Eve were created to have eternal life and if they had not eaten the forbidden fruit, they would never have died. The devil’s first lie was, “You will not surely die.” Genesis 3:4. God said, “If you eat of the forbidden fruit you will die.” (Genesis 2:15–17.) The devil contradicted God when he told Eve she would not die.

Spiritualists today believe the devil’s lie. They say that the dead know more than the living. They believe that the devil told the truth and that the Lord was in error. Referring to the devil, Jesus says, “There is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44.

The Bible predicts in Revelation, that evil spirits are going to deceive the whole world in the last days of earth’s history. How will this happen? The devil is now in the process of deceiving the entire world through the miracles of his evil spirits and people believe all kinds of reports. There are accounts of apparitions of the virgin Mary. Others claim to have spoken to famous men who are dead from past ages, and multitudes flock to the places where these signs or wonders have happened.

The Bible says that, “In the beginning the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7. It was not until God breathed the breath of life into his nostrils that man became a living soul. Only this combination of dust plus spirit makes man a living soul. When a person dies, the exact opposite occurs. Death is a reversal of creation. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was: and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” The Bible says, “All the while my breath [is] in me and the spirit of God [is] in my nostrils.” Job 27:3.

When a person dies, he/she stops breathing and goes into an unconscious state. The Bible says that when a person dies, his thoughts perish. “Put not your trust in princes, [nor] in the son of man, in whom [there is] no help. His breath goeth forth, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Psalm 146:3, 4. If somebody’s thoughts have perished and he/she is in an unconscious state, it is impossible to learn something from that person. You may think you are talking to that person, but you are actually communicating with an evil spirit capable of impersonating the dead perfectly in body form and tone of voice. In that way, people may be deceived into thinking that they are talking to the spirit of a dead person.

The element of earth minus breath equals a dead body. If you disconnect the electricity from a light bulb, the light will go off. The light bulb is still there but there is no spirit in it; there is no electricity in it. The breath of God also involves electricity. The electrical currents in the brain can be measured by taking an EEG. When somebody dies his/her brain wave registers flat because there is no current, and he/she is brain dead. Life support machines might be used to keep him/her breathing and maintain heartbeat, but if the EEG is flat, he/she is brain dead. The spirit is gone, so how much does he/she know? Nothing, for the Bible says, “The living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything.” Ecclesiastes 9:5. Neither do they praise the Lord. The Bible says, “The dead praise not the Lord.” Psalm 115:17. “For in death [there is] no remembrance of you: In the grave who will give you thanks?” Psalm 6:5.

I remember when I was a small child that I did not like going to bed and always wanted to stay up all the time. Once asleep, eight or ten hours can pass very quickly during which time it seems to the sleeper that only moments have passed. Time passes in the same way for a person who is sleeping in death and it will seem to them as if only moments had passed when they awake at the Second Coming. Even for someone like Abel, who has been dead for over 5,000 years, the resurrection will feel like waking from sleep.

This shows us how merciful God is. When a person dies, they no longer feel pain or experience disappointment. They do not look down from some other planet of heaven to watch their loved ones struggling and suffering. They do not have to go through any of those things again. They sleep peacefully, and in what seems like an instant, Jesus will come again and give them life.

The Bible teaches that human beings are mortal and the devil is mortal. The Bible says that “the soul that sins, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20. The devil said, “You won’t die.” The Bible teaches that human beings are mortal. The word mortal means that you are “subject to death.” (See Job 4:17; Romans 6:12; Romans 8:11; II Corinthians 4:11.) Neither does the devil have eternal life. The Lord says He is going to destroy him and bring him to ashes. God is the only One who has immortality. The word immortality means “not subject to death.” If you follow Jesus and give your life to Him you will receive the gift of immortality when Jesus comes and you will still be alive a million years from now. You will never die and you will have a life that goes on equal with the life of God.

This is the most stupendous, marvellous gift that the Lord can give to us—the gift of eternal life when Jesus comes. Romans 2:7, and I Corinthians 15:51–55 describe how it will be when we will receive immortality.

Many churches believe that man has an immortal soul. The 19th Century English parliamentary reformer and former Prime Minister of Great Britain, William Gladstone says, “The pagan doctrine of the immortality of the soul crept in through the back door of the church.” Ancestor worship is based on the false doctrine of the immortality of the soul.

In the Garden of Eden the devil told Eve that if she ate the forbidden fruit, she would not die. She ate the forbidden fruit and died, and both Adam and Eve have been dead for about 5,000 years. The devil tried to win the argument by telling another lie and invented the pagan doctrine of immortality of the soul. The ancient Egyptian religion subscribed to the idea of immortality of the soul and the Cairo museum contains many interesting artifacts which testify to this belief. They worshiped the serpent which according to the Bible represents Satan. The symbol of the serpent was used extensively in religious ceremonies. The snake’s head decorated the front of the crowns of the pharaohs. Ancient Egyptians believed in the pagan doctrine of immortality of the soul. When their rulers died they were buried with food, boats, clothes and jewels and everything thought necessary for the afterlife.

The Babylonians continued with the belief of immortality of the soul. This pagan idea of the ancient civilizations is the same doctrine that has been carried through the ages and is still taught today by Spiritualists and Satanists who believe in immortality of the soul. This was never a belief of the Hebrew people, and a thorough search of the Scriptures shows overwhelming evidence against the idea of immortality of the soul. Old Testament Bible writers used the phrase slept, or rested with their fathers, as an expression for death. Jesus, the One who created the world and everything in it (John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2) said when Lazarus died, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.” The disciples said, “Lord, if he is asleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death, but they thought he had spoken of taking a rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” Jesus went to Bethany to raise Lazarus and He was met by Martha who said, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” Jesus answered her, “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:11–14, 21, 23.) Neither Martha nor Jesus had the idea that Lazarus was in heaven, or hell, or anywhere else. They just knew that he was asleep—he was dead. Martha said, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Verse 24. Martha understood the state of the dead. But Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” “Take me to where he is buried. Take me to Lazarus’ tomb.” Verses 25, 34. So they went out to a cave which had a stone covering the entrance, and Jesus said to them, “Roll away the stone.” Martha said, “But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Verse 39.

When Jesus returns, it will not matter whether a person has been dead four minutes, four days, four years, or four thousand years, because when He speaks, they will be given life. “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” I Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

One may ask about the thief on the cross. “He said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, today you shall be with me in paradise.” Luke 23: 42, 43. The problem in this verse is the punctuation, which was added hundreds of years after the Bible was written. It should read: “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you today, you shall be with me in paradise.” Jesus was saying, “I am telling you today—today as we hang on these crosses—that you will be with Me in paradise.”

Even Jesus Himself did not enter paradise the Friday of his crucifixion. Jesus was resurrected three days later on Sunday morning, the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene, so distraught from grief that she did not recognize with whom she was talking, met Him the morning of His resurrection and He said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?” The Bible says she thought He was the gardener, and she said to Him, “If you have taken Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary,” and she recognized His voice and wished to embrace Him, but Jesus said to her, “Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father.” John 20:15–17.

Jesus did not go to paradise on the day of the crucifixion. Three days later when he saw Mary, He still had not ascended to His Father. He told her, “Go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.” Verse 17.

The resurrection of Jesus guarantees that everyone who believes in Christ will also be resurrected and taken to heaven at His coming. Jesus said, “I [am] he that lives and was dead: and, behold, I am alive forever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelation 1:18.

For a non-believer, pagan, an atheist or an infidel, death is goodbye for all eternity, goodbye forever. If you are a Christian, then death is simply goodbye until we meet again. Goodbye until the resurrection morning. Paul tells us that when Jesus comes, all the dead in Christ will rise first. It is one of the most exciting things to think about.

Some years ago when my brother was alive, he was preaching about the resurrection. In the congregation was a woman who was suffering from the recent death of her baby. Even with the help of psychiatrists and counselors she had not been able to escape depression and come to terms with her loss. Life for her was unbearable, but that day she learned of the hope of being reunited with her baby, and God’s love inspired her to keep going. Jesus is coming, and for Christians, His return will be the most exciting event we have ever seen. Those who have died in Christ, will be reunited with their loved ones for all eternity.

The Bible says, “The person who has the Son has life, and the person that does not have the Son of God will not see life.” (1 John5:12.) It is that simple. There is nobody else in the whole universe who can give eternal life—only Jesus Christ. He desires to give the gift of eternal life to all those who choose to follow Him and not rebel against His government. The exciting part of this news is that we are now living in the last days and this event will soon come to pass. It is now that you and I need to be ready to meet Him.

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316–788–5559.

Satan’s First Lie

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Even before Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Satan put forth his first lie. Moses recorded the event in Genesis 3.

“The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

“ ‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ ” Genesis 3:2–5.

From that time on Satan has been promoting this lie, his favorite false doctrine. In the final struggle of the great controversy between Christ and Satan, this lie will be one of his most prominent deceptions. He will develop it in the form of spiritualism.

What is spiritualism? Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary says that spiritualism is “a belief that spirits of the dead communicate with the living, usually through a medium.”

Let us take notice how this error that “you will not surely die”—the immortality of the soul—plays out in last day events.

“Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.

“As spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted, after the modern order of things. He will appear in the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.” The Great Controversy, 588.

“Through spiritualism, Satan appears as a benefactor of the race, healing the diseases of the people, and professing to present a new and more exalted system of religious faith; but at the same time he works as a destroyer.” Ibid., 589.

“The miracle-working power manifested through spiritualism will exert its influence against those who choose to obey God rather than men. Communications from the spirits will declare that God has sent them to convince the rejecters of Sunday of their error, affirming that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God. They will lament the great wickedness in the world and second the testimony of religious teachers that the degraded state of morals is caused by the desecration of Sunday.” Ibid., 590, 591.

It is through spiritualism that the crowning act of deception will come upon the people of the earth.

“Fearful sights of a supernatural character will soon be revealed in the heavens, in token of the power of miracle-working demons. The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception, and urge them on to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of heaven. By these agencies, rulers and subjects will be alike deceived. Persons will arise pretending to be Christ Himself, and claiming the title and worship which belong to the world’s Redeemer. They will perform wonderful miracles of healing and will profess to have revelations from heaven contradicting the testimony of the Scriptures.

“As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Saviour’s advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. Revelation 1:13–15. The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: ‘Christ has come! Christ has come!’ The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Saviour uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He declares that those who persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth. This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion. Like the Samaritans who were deceived by Simon Magus, the multitudes, from the least to the greatest, give heed to these sorceries, saying: This is ‘the great power of God.’ Acts 8:10.” Ibid., 624, 625.

A clear understanding of the state of the dead—the non-immortality of the soul—will be one of the individual’s major defenses against these powerful delusions of spiritualism.

The non-immortality of the soul is one of the great pillars or landmarks of the church. Let us consider the importance placed upon this doctrine in the following statement from the Spirit of Prophecy:

“The passing of the time in 1844 was a period of great events, opening to our astonished eyes the cleansing of the sanctuary transpiring in heaven, and having decided relation to God’s people upon the earth, [also] the first and second angels’ messages and the third, unfurling the banner on which was inscribed, ‘The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus’ [Revelation 14:12]. One of the landmarks under this message was the temple of God, seen by His truth-loving people in heaven, and the ark containing the law of God. The light of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment flashed its strong rays in the pathway of the transgressors of God’s law. The non-immortality of the wicked is an old landmark. I can call to mind nothing more that can come under the head of the old landmarks.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 30, 31.

This statement places “the non-immortality of the wicked” along with “the cleansing of the sanctuary transpiring in heaven,” the Three Angels’ Messages, “the law of God,” and the Sabbath as one of “the old landmarks” of the advent faith.

In light of the importance of having a clear understanding of “the non-immortality of the wicked” let us turn to the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy for true instruction on this subject.

Let us first look at the origin of man. The word of God states that “the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7. Here we see that man became a living being when God gave him the breath of life. It was the combination of both the dust of the ground and the breath of God that made the man a living being or living soul.

Now let us see what happens to man when he dies. God said, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:19. Solomon says that “the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit [the breath that God breathed into the body] returns to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7. James says that “the body without the spirit is dead.” James 2:26. The body, without the breath that God breathed into it, is lifeless. From another point of view Moses, speaking of the experience of Job, wrote that “as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit.” Job 27:3, 4.

God says that when a man dies, he simply returns back to the ground—to the elements—from which he was created in the beginning and that the breath that God breathed into the body to make it a living soul simply returns back to God. The only evidence that remains that this person has ever lived is found in the books of record which are in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary of the New Covenant in heaven. Of this record we read, “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” Revelation 20:12.

Solomon makes a very interesting observation concerning the dead. He says, “The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.

Job made the following observation concerning the state of the dead: “So man lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, men will not awake or be roused from their sleep.” Death is represented here as a sleep. “If his sons are honored, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he does not see it.” Job 14:12, 21.

Solomon says that we who are living know that we will die, but the dead are not aware of anything. They do not even know that they will be raised in the first or second resurrection. See Revelation 20:4–6. This may be an appropriate time to raise, or consider the question, How can there be resurrections if man does not die? If they are already living, how can they be raised from the dead? The Scripture is very clear that there are two major resurrections, one before the 1,000 years and one following.

In the book of Revelation we have this record of the two resurrections: “I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. … This is the first resurrection.” Revelation 20:4, 5.

These verses bring to light a group of people who were killed because of their faith in Jesus and the Bible. Then it clearly states that they came to life to reign with Christ. If they had not surely died, as Satan had said, how is it that they were called to life at the beginning of the 1,000 years? In that they were raised to life is evidence that they did not live on after they were martyred. In verse 6 this event is referred to as the first resurrection.

It is interesting to note that there is another resurrection at the end of the 1,000 years in which all who have ever lived, including those who killed the faithful people, are raised to life. This is evidence that this group of people also did not live on after they died. The Scripture simply states that “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.” Revelation 20:5. (This is referring to the second resurrection.)

Paul wrote the following account of the first resurrection: “According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [Notice that death is represented as a sleep.] For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” I Thessalonians 4:15, 16.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church concerning this resurrection he said, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised.” I Corinthians 15:51, 52.

Jesus confirms the resurrection in His own words. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out.” John 5:28, 29.

Solomon goes on to say that they have no more rewards in life and furthermore, after a time the “memory of them is forgotten” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) by those who are still living. Then he says that their love, their hate and jealousy—their character—vanishes and will never again have any part in life on this earth.

The Bible plainly states that, “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” Ezekiel 18:20. And further it says, “No one remembers you [the Lord] when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?” Psalm 6:5.

More evidence concerning the state of the dead is found in Luke’s account of the body of David. “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.” “For David did not ascend to heaven.” Acts 2:29, 34.

Let us refer to one more event that sheds light on the state of the individual who has died. We find the account in the Gospel of John.

“After he [Jesus] had said this, he went on to tell them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’ His disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’ ” John 11:11–14.

In His statement Jesus uses sleep as a symbol of death. Now it is easy for us to understand the condition of the person who is dead. Just ask yourself the question, “What is the condition of my body when I am sound asleep?” The state of consciousness in sleep is the same for one who is dead.

The conclusion of this event is a wonderful encouragement to the faithful believer today. Here is the rest of the story. “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ‘Take away the stone,’ he said. ‘But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’ ” John 11:38–43.

This is a wonderful truth for the righteous dead. In the near future Jesus is going to call them from their condition in death to give them immortality and eternal life in the kingdom of glory.

And in the closing scenes of the great controversy the true knowledge of the state of the dead will be as a bulwark protecting the faithful believers from the deceptions and miracle-working power of apparitions and spirits appearing to represent the dead.

“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?” Isaiah 8:19.

Maurice Hoppe is retired and volunteers at Steps to Life. His primary responsibility is working with the Training Program for Ministers and Church Leaders and the Training Program for Lay Workers. He also conducts a Bible Correspondence School from his home with emphasis on Bible prophecy. He can be contacted at: mauricehoppe@stepstolife.org.

Bible Study Guides – Life and Death

by

June 12, 2011 – June 18, 2011

Key Text

“As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.” Proverbs 11:19.

Study Helps: The Great Controversy, 544–562; Counsels on Health, 627–630.

Introduction

“It is a solemn thing to die, but a far more solemn thing to live.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 466.

1 LIFE TO ITS FULLEST

  • What does God identify as the key to abundant life? Proverbs 4:10–13, 20–22. How do faith and obedience promote our physical well-being? Proverbs 14:30; 19:23.

Note: “Godliness does not conflict with the laws of health, but is in harmony with them. Had men ever been obedient to the law of Ten Commandments, had they carried out in their lives the principles of these ten precepts, the curse of disease that now floods the world would not be.” Counsels on Health, 627.

  • Why does serving God actually make our life easier? Proverbs 13:14, 15; 14:27. What condition results from rebellion against His wisdom? Proverbs 8:32–36; 11:19.

Note: “God is the fountain of life; and when one chooses the service of sin, he separates from God, and thus cuts himself off from life. He is ‘alienated from the life of God.’ Christ says, ‘All they that hate Me love death.’ Ephesians 4:18; Proverbs 8:36. God gives them existence for a time that they may develop their character and reveal their principles. This accomplished, they receive the results of their own choice. By a life of rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them.” The Desire of Ages, 764.

2 AVOIDING SELF-DECEPTION

  • How does Solomon summarize the major issues of life and death? Ecclesiastes 8:5–13.
  • Even if we do not actively commit sin, how may we still be guilty before God?

Note: “In the great Judgment day, those who have not worked for Christ, who have drifted along thinking of themselves, caring for themselves, will be placed by the Judge of the whole earth with those who did evil. They receive the same condemnation.” The Desire of Ages, 641.

  • What basic sign of humility before God and man can help to protect us from being deceived? Proverbs 28:13.

Note: “It is a close test upon the courage of men and women to be brought to face their own sins and to frankly acknowledge them. To say, ‘That mistake must be charged to my account,’ requires a strength of inward principle that the world possesses in but a limited degree. But he who has the courage to say this in sincerity gains a decided victory over self and effectually closes the door against the enemy.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 336, 337.

“[Proverbs 28:13 quoted.] If those who hide and excuse their faults could see how Satan exults over them, how he taunts Christ and holy angels with their course, they would make haste to confess their sins and to put them away. Through defects in the character, Satan works to gain control of the whole mind, and he knows that if these defects are cherished, he will succeed. Therefore he is constantly seeking to deceive the followers of Christ with his fatal sophistry that it is impossible for them to overcome. But Jesus pleads in their behalf His wounded hands, His bruised body; and He declares to all who would follow Him: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’ 11 Corinthians 12:9. ‘Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.’ Matthew 11:29, 30. Let none, then, regard their defects as incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome them.” The Great Controversy, 489.

3 UNDERSTANDING DEATH

  • What must we know about the solemnity of death—both of ourselves and others? Hebrews 9:27; Proverbs 24:11, 12.

Note: “Among the manifold lessons that we may learn from Solomon’s life, none are more plainly taught than the power of influence for good or for ill. However contracted may be one’s sphere, he exerts an influence. That our influence should be a savor of death unto death, is a fearful thought, yet this is possible. One soul misled—forfeiting eternal bliss—who can estimate the loss! And yet one rash act, one thoughtless word, on our part, may exert so deep an influence on the life of another that it will prove the ruin of his soul! One blemish on the character may turn many away from Christ.” The Review and Herald, February 15, 1906.

  • How are we warned against a major form of deception, especially in the last days? Colossians 2:8, 18, 19.

Note: “I was directed to this scripture as especially applying to modern spiritualism. [Colossians 2:8 quoted.] Thousands … have been spoiled through the philosophy of phrenology and animal magnetism, and have been driven into infidelity. If the mind commences to run in this channel, it is almost sure to lose its balance and be controlled by a demon. ‘Vain deceit’ fills the minds of poor mortals. They think there is such power in themselves to accomplish great works that they realize no necessity of a higher power. Their principles and faith are ‘after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.’ Jesus has not taught them this philosophy. Nothing of the kind can be found in His teachings. He did not direct the minds of poor mortals to themselves, to a power which they possessed. He was ever directing their minds to God, the Creator of the universe, as the source of their strength and wisdom. Special warning is given in verse 18. [Colossians 2:18 quoted.]” Testimonies, vol. 1, 297.

4 A PERIL IN THE LAST DAYS

  • What has God declared through Solomon regarding the state of the dead? Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.

Note: “The teachers of spiritualism come in a pleasing, bewitching manner to deceive you, and if you listen to their fables you are beguiled by the enemy of righteousness and will surely lose your reward. When once the fascinating influence of the archdeceiver overcomes you, you are poisoned, and its deadly influence adulterates and destroys your faith in Christ’s being the Son of God, and you cease to rely on the merits of His blood. Those deceived by this philosophy are beguiled of their reward through the deceptions of Satan. They rely upon their own merits, exercise voluntary humility, are even willing to make sacrifices, and debase themselves, and yield their minds to the belief of supreme nonsense, receiving the most absurd ideas through those whom they believe to be their dead friends. Satan has so blinded their eyes and perverted their judgment that they perceive not the evil; and they follow out the instructions purporting to be from their dead friends now angels in a higher sphere.

“Satan has chosen a most certain, fascinating delusion, one that is calculated to take hold of the sympathies of those who have laid their loved ones in the grave. Evil angels assume the form of these loved ones and relate incidents connected with their lives and perform acts which their friends performed while living. In this way they deceive and lead the relatives of the dead to believe that their deceased friends are angels hovering about them and communing with them. These they regard with a certain idolatry, and what they may say has greater influence over them than the word of God. These evil angels, who assume to be dead friends, will either utterly reject God’s word as idle tales, or, if it suit their purpose best, will select the vital portions which testify of Christ and point out the way to heaven, and change the plain statements of the word of God to suit their own corrupt nature and ruin souls. With due attention to the word of God, all may be convinced if they will of this soul-destroying delusion … [Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6 quoted].” Testimonies, vol. 1, 297, 298.

5 SOLEMN BUT NOT DREADFUL

  • How can we avoid destruction? Proverbs 21:15, 16.

Note: “We cannot wait until the judgment before we consent to deny self and to lift the cross. We cannot then form characters for heaven. It is here in this life that we must take sides with the humble, self-denying Redeemer. It is here that we must overcome envy, strife, selfishness, love of money, and love of the world. It is here that we must enter the school of Christ, and learn of the Master the precious lessons of meekness and lowliness of mind. And here it must be our aim and earnest effort to be loyal and true to the God of heaven by obeying all of His commandments and thus be fitting up for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for all who love God.” The Upward Look, 192.

  • What are some ways to promote true health and happiness in life? Proverbs 3:13–19; I Timothy 4:8.

Note: “There are many amusements that excite the mind, but depression is sure to follow. Other modes of recreation are innocent and healthful; but useful labor that affords physical exercise will often have a more beneficial influence upon the mind, while at the same time it will strengthen the muscles, improve the circulation, and prove a powerful agent in the recovery of health.” Counsels on Health, 627.

“When the mind is free and happy from a sense of duty well done and the satisfaction of giving happiness to others, the cheering, uplifting influence brings new life to the whole being.” The Ministry of Healing, 257.

Review and Thought Questions

1 Name some temporal benefits gained from serving God.

2 What common form of self-deception may be plaguing us?

3 How do many underestimate the solemnity of death?

4 Why is it important to know the doctrine of the state of the dead?

5 How does abundant life involve bearing the cross?

Copyright © 2002 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.