What is Satan's purpose in this deception?
"The ministration of holy angels, as presented in the Scriptures, is a truth most
comforting and precious to every follower of Christ. But the Bible teaching upon this
point has been obscured and perverted by the errors of popular theology. The doctrine
of natural immortality, first borrowed from the pagan philosophy, and in the darkness
of the great apostasy incorporated into the Christian faith, has supplanted the truth, so
plainly taught in Scripture, that “the dead know not anything.” Multitudes have come
to believe that it is the spirits of the dead who are the “ministering spirits sent forth
to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” And this notwithstanding the
testimony of Scripture to the existence of heavenly angels, and their connection with
the history of man, before the death of a human being.
The doctrine of man’s consciousness in death, especially the belief that the spirits of
the dead return to minister to the living, has prepared the way for modern Spiritualism.
If the dead are admitted to the presence of God and holy angels, and privileged with
knowledge far exceeding what they before possessed, why should they not return to
the earth to enlighten and instruct the living? If, as taught by popular theologians, the
spirits of the dead are hovering about their friends on earth, why should they not be
permitted to communicate with them, to warn them against evil, or to comfort them
in sorrow? How can those who believe in man’s consciousness in death reject what
comes to them as divine light communicated by glorified spirits?
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Here is a channel regarded as sacred, through which Satan works for the
accomplishment of his purposes. The fallen angels who do his bidding appear
as messengers from the spirit world. While professing to bring the living into
communication with the dead, the prince of evil exercises his bewitching influence
upon their minds.
He has power to bring before men the appearance of their departed friends. The
counterfeit is perfect; the familiar look, the words, the tone, are reproduced with
marvelous distinctness. Many are comforted with the assurance that their loved ones
are enjoying the bliss of Heaven; and without suspicion of danger, they give ear to
“seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”
When they have been led to believe that the dead actually return to communicate
with them, Satan causes those to appear who went into the grave unprepared. They
claim to be happy in Heaven, and even to occupy exalted positions there; and thus
the error is widely taught, that no difference is made between the righteous and the
wicked. The pretended visitants from the world of spirits sometimes utter cautions
and warnings which prove to be correct. Then, as confidence is gained, they present
doctrines that directly undermine faith in the Scriptures. With an appearance of deep
interest in the well-being of their friends on earth, they insinuate the most dangerous
errors. The fact that they state some truths, and are able at times to foretell future
events, gives to their statements an appearance of reliability; and their false teachings
are accepted by the multitudes as readily, and believed as implicitly, as if they were
the most sacred truths of the Bible. The law of God is set aside, the Spirit of grace
despised, the blood of the covenant counted an unholy thing. The spirits deny the
divinity of Christ, and place even the Creator on a level with themselves. Thus under
a new disguise the great rebel still carries forward his warfare against God, begun in
Heaven, and for nearly six thousand years continued upon the earth.
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Many endeavor to account for spiritual manifestations by attributing them wholly
to fraud and sleight of hand on the part of the medium. But while it is true that the
results of trickery have often been palmed off as genuine manifestations, there have
been, also, marked exhibitions of supernatural power. The mysterious rapping with
which modern Spiritualism began was not the result of human trickery or cunning, but
was the direct work of evil angels, who thus introduced one of the most successful of
soul-destroying delusions. Many will be ensnared through the belief that Spiritualism
is a merely human imposture; when brought face to face with manifestations which
they cannot but regard as supernatural, they will be deceived, and will be led to accept
them as the great power of God.
These persons overlook the testimony of the Scriptures concerning the wonders
wrought by Satan and his agents. It was by Satanic aid that Pharaoh’s magicians were
enabled to counterfeit the work of God. Paul testifies that before the second advent
of Christ there will be similar manifestations of Satanic power. The coming of the
Lord is to be preceded by “the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.” [2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10.]
And the apostle John, describing the miracle-working power that will be manifested
in the last days, declares: “He doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down
from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the
earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do.” [Revelation 13:13,
14.] No mere impostures are here foretold. Men are deceived by the miracles which
Satan’s agents have power to do, not which they pretend to do.
The prince of darkness, who has so long bent the powers of his master-mind to
the work of deception, skillfully adapts his temptations to men of all classes and
conditions. To persons of culture and refinement he presents Spiritualism in
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its more refined and intellectual aspects, and thus succeeds in drawing many into
his snare. The wisdom which Spiritualism imparts is that described by the apostle
James, which “descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.” [James
3:15.] This, however, the great deceiver conceals, when concealment will best suit his
purpose. He who could appear clothed with the brightness of the heavenly seraphs
before Christ in the wilderness of temptation, comes to men in the most attractive
manner, as an angel of light. He appeals to the reason by the presentation of elevating
themes, he delights the fancy with enrapturing scenes, and he enlists the affections
by his eloquent portrayals of love and charity. He excites the imagination to lofty
flights, leading men to take so great pride in their own wisdom that in their hearts they
despise the Eternal One. That mighty being who could take the world’s Redeemer to
an exceedingly high mountain, and bring before him all the kingdoms of the earth and
the glory of them, will present his temptations to men in a manner to pervert the senses
of all who are not shielded by divine power.
Satan beguiles men now as he beguiled Eve in Eden, by flattery, by kindling a
desire to obtain forbidden knowledge, by exciting ambition for self-exaltation. It was
cherishing these evils that caused his fall, and through them he aims to compass the
ruin of men. “Ye shall be as gods,” he declares, “knowing good and evil.” [Genesis
3:5.] Spiritualism teaches “that man is the creature of progression; that it is his destiny
from his birth to progress, even to eternity, toward the Godhead,” And again: “Each
mind will judge itself and not another.” “The judgment will be right, because it is
the judgment of self.... The throne is within you.” Said a Spiritualistic teacher, as
the “spiritual consciousness” awoke within him, “My fellow-men, all were unfallen
demigods.” And another declares, “Any just and perfect being is Christ.
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Thus, in place of the righteousness and perfection of the infinite God, the true
object of adoration; in place of the perfect righteousness of his law, the true standard
of human attainment, Satan has substituted the sinful, erring nature of man himself, as
the only object of adoration, the only rule of judgment, or standard of character. This
is progress, not upward, but downward.
It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature, that by beholding, we
become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is
allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and
reverence. Man will never rise higher than his standard of purity or goodness or truth.
If self is his loftiest ideal, he will never attain to anything more exalted. Rather, he will
constantly sink lower and lower. The grace of God alone has power to exalt man. Left
to himself, his course must inevitably be downward.
To the self-indulgent, the pleasure-loving, the sensual, Spiritualism presents itself
under a less subtle disguise than to the more refined and intellectual; in its grosser
forms they find that which is in harmony with their inclinations. Satan studies every
indication of the frailty of human nature, he marks the sins which each individual is
inclined to commit, and then he takes care that opportunities shall not be wanting to
gratify the tendency to evil. He tempts men to excess in that which is in itself lawful,
causing them, through intemperance, to weaken physical, mental, and moral power. He
has destroyed and is destroying thousands through the indulgence of the passions, thus
brutalizing the entire nature of man. And to complete his work, he declares, through the
spirits, that “true knowledge places man above all law;” that “whatsoever is, is right;”
that “God doth not condemn;” and that “all sins which are committed are innocent.”
When the people are thus led to believe that desire is the highest law, that liberty is
license, and that man is accountable only to himself, who can wonder that corruption
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and depravity teem on every hand? Multitudes eagerly accept teachings that leave
them at liberty to obey the promptings of the carnal heart. The reins of self-control
are laid upon the neck of lust, the powers of mind and soul are made subject to the
animal propensities, and Satan exultingly sweeps into his net thousands who profess to
be followers of Christ.
But none need be deceived by the lying claims of Spiritualism. God has given
the world sufficient light to enable them to discover the snare. As already shown,
the theory which forms the very foundation of Spiritualism is at war with the plainest
statements of Scripture. 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.
Furthermore, God has expressly forbidden all pretended communication with
departed spirits. In the days of the Hebrews there was a class of people who claimed,
as do the Spiritualists of today, to hold communication with the dead. But the
“familiar spirits,” as these visitants from other worlds were called, are declared by
the Bible to be the “spirits of devils.” [Compare Numbers 25:1-3; Psalm 106:28; 1
Corinthians 10:20; Revelation 16:14.] The work of dealing with familiar spirits was
pronounced an abomination to the Lord, and was solemnly forbidden under penalty
of death. [Leviticus 19:31; 20:27.] The very name of witchcraft is now held in
contempt. The claim that men can hold intercourse with evil spirits is regarded as
a fable of the Dark Ages. But Spiritualism, which numbers its converts by hundreds of
thousands, yea, by millions, which has made its way into scientific circles, which has
invaded churches, and has found favor in legislative bodies, and even in the courts of
kings—this mammoth deception is but a revival, in a new disguise, of the witchcraft
condemned and prohibited of old.
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If there were no other evidence of the real character of Spiritualism, it should be
enough for the Christian that the spirits make no difference between righteousness and
sin, between the noblest and purest of the apostles of Christ and the most corrupt of the
servants of Satan. By representing the basest of men as in Heaven, and highly exalted
there, Satan says to the world: “No matter how wicked you are; no matter whether you
believe or disbelieve God and the Bible. Live as you please; Heaven is your home.”
The Spiritualist teachers virtually declare, “Every one that doeth evil is good in the
sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?”
[Malachi 2:17.] Saith the Word of God, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good
evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” [Isaiah 5:20.]
The apostles, as personated by these lying spirits, are made to contradict what they
wrote at the dictation of the Holy Spirit when on earth. They deny the divine origin of
the Bible, and thus tear away the foundation of the Christian’s hope, and put out the
light that reveals the way to Heaven. Satan is making the world believe that the Bible
is a mere fiction, or at least a book suited to the infancy of the race, but now to be
lightly regarded, or cast aside as obsolete. And to take the place of the Word of God he
holds out spiritual manifestations. Here is a channel wholly under his control; by this
means he can make the world believe what he will. The Book that is to judge him and
his followers he puts in the shade, just where he wants it; the Saviour of the world he
makes to be no more than a common man. And as the Roman guard that watched the
tomb of Jesus spread the lying report which the priests and elders put into their mouths
to disprove his resurrection, so do the believers in spiritual manifestations try to make
it appear that there is nothing miraculous in the circumstances of our Saviour’s life.
After thus seeking
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to put Jesus in the background, they call attention to their own miracles, declaring that
these far exceed the works of Christ.
It is true that Spiritualism is now changing its form, and, veiling some of its more
objectionable features, is assuming a Christian guise. But its utterances from the
platform and the press have been before the public for nearly forty years, and in these
its real character stands revealed. These teachings cannot be denied or hidden.
Even in its present form, so far from being more worthy of toleration than formerly,
it is really a more dangerous, because a more subtle deception. While it formerly
denounced Christ and the Bible, it now professes to accept both. But the Bible is
interpreted in a manner that is pleasing to the unrenewed heart, while its solemn and
vital truths are made of no effect. Love is dwelt upon as the chief attribute of God,
but it is degraded to a weak sentimentalism making little distinction between good
and evil. God’s justice, his denunciations of sin, the requirements of his holy law, are
all kept out of sight. The people are taught to regard the decalogue as a dead letter.
Pleasing, bewitching fables captivate the senses, and lead men to reject the Bible as the
foundation of their faith. Christ is as verily denied as before; but Satan has so blinded
the eyes of the people that the deception is not discerned.
There are few who have any just conception of the deceptive power of Spiritualism
and the danger of coming under its influence. Many tamper with it, merely to gratify
their curiosity. They have no real faith in it, and would be filled with horror at the
thought of yielding themselves to the spirits’ control. But they venture upon the
forbidden ground, and the mighty destroyer exercises his power upon them against
their will. Let them once be induced to submit their minds to his direction, and he
holds them captive. It is impossible, in their own strength, to break away from the
bewitching, alluring spell. Nothing but the power of
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God, granted in answer to the earnest prayer of faith, can deliver these ensnared souls.
All who indulge sinful traits of character, or willfully cherish a known sin, are
inviting the temptations of Satan. They separate themselves from God and from the
watchcare of his angels; as the evil one presents his deceptions, they are without
defense, and fall an easy prey. Those who thus place themselves in his power, little
realize where their course will end. Having achieved their overthrow, the tempter will
employ them as his agents to lure others to ruin.
Says the prophet Isaiah: “When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have
familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek
unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony. If they
speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” [Isaiah 8:19,
20.] If men had been willing to receive the truth so plainly stated in the Scriptures,
concerning the nature of man and the state of the dead, they would see in the claims
and manifestations of Spiritualism the working of Satan with power and signs and
lying wonders. But rather than yield the liberty so agreeable to the carnal heart, and
renounce the sins which they love, multitudes close their eyes to the light, and walk
straight on, regardless of warnings, while Satan weaves his snares about them, and they
become his prey. “Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved,” therefore “God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”
[2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11.]
Those who oppose the teachings of Spiritualism are assailing, not men alone, but
Satan and his angels. They have entered upon a contest against principalities and
powers and wicked spirits in high places. Satan will not yield one inch of ground
except as he is driven back by the power of heavenly messengers. The people of God
should be able
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to meet him, as did our Saviour, with the words, “It is written.” Satan can quote
Scripture now as in the days of Christ, and he will pervert its teachings to sustain his
delusions. Those who would stand in this time of peril must understand for themselves
the testimony of the Scriptures.
Many will be confronted by the spirits of devils personating beloved relatives or
friends, and declaring the most dangerous heresies. These visitants will appeal to our
tenderest sympathies, and will work miracles to sustain their pretensions. We must be
prepared to withstand them with the Bible truth that the dead know not anything, and
that they who thus appear are the spirits of devils.
Just before us is the “hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to
try them that dwell upon the earth.” [Revelation 3:10.] All whose faith is not firmly
established upon the Word of God will be deceived and overcome. Satan “works with
all deceivableness of unrighteousness” to gain control of the children of men; and his
deceptions will continually increase. But he can gain his object only as men voluntarily
yield to his temptations. Those who are earnestly seeking a knowledge of the truth, and
are striving to purify their souls through obedience, thus doing what they can to prepare
for the conflict, will find, in the God of truth, a sure defense. “Because thou hast kept
the word of my patience, I also will keep thee,” [Revelation 3:10.] is the Saviour’s
promise. He would sooner send every angel out of Heaven to protect his people, than
leave one soul that trusts in him to be overcome by Satan.
The prophet Isaiah brings to view the fearful deception which will come upon
the wicked, causing them to count themselves secure from the judgments of God:
“We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the
overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made
lies our refuge, and under the falsehood have we hid ourselves.” [Isaiah 28:15.] In the
class
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here described are included those who in their stubborn impenitence comfort
themselves with the assurance that there is to be no punishment for the sinner; that
all mankind, it matters not how corrupt, are to be exalted to Heaven, to become as the
angels of God. But still more emphatically are those making a covenant with death
and an agreement with hell, who renounce the truths which Heaven has provided as a
defense for the righteous in the day of trouble, and accept the refuge of lies offered by
Satan in its stead,—the delusive pretensions of Spiritualism.
Marvelous beyond expression is the blindness of the people of this generation.
Thousands reject the Word of God as unworthy of belief, and with eager confidence
receive the deceptions of Satan. Skeptics and scoffers denounce the bigotry of those
who contend for the faith of prophets and apostles, and they divert themselves by
holding up to ridicule the solemn declarations of the Scriptures concerning Christ and
the plan of salvation, and the retribution to be visited upon the rejecters of the truth.
They affect great pity for minds so narrow, weak, and superstitious as to acknowledge
the claims of God, and obey the requirements of his law. They manifest as much
assurance as if, indeed, they had made a covenant with death and an agreement with
hell,—as if they had erected an impassable, impenetrable barrier between themselves
and the vengeance of God. Nothing can arouse their fears. So fully have they yielded
to the tempter, so closely are they united with him, and so thoroughly imbued with his
spirit, that they have no power and no inclination to break away from his snare.
Satan has long been preparing for his final effort to deceive the world. The
foundation of his work was laid by the assurance given to Eve in Eden, “Ye shall
not surely die.” “In the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall
be as gods, knowing good and evil.” [Genesis 3:4, 5.] Little by little he has prepared
the way for his master-piece
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of deception in the development of Spiritualism. He has not yet reached the full
accomplishment of his designs; but it will be reached in the last remnant of time. Says
the prophet: “I saw three unclean spirits like frogs; ... they are the spirits of devils,
working miracles, which go forth unto 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.]
Except those who are kept by the power of God, through faith in his Word, the whole
world will be swept into the ranks of this delusion. The people are fast being lulled to
a fatal security, to be awakened only by the outpouring of the wrath of God.
Saith the Lord God: “Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to
the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall
overflow the hiding-place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and
your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass
through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.” [Isaiah 28:17, 18.]
