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The Witch of Endor
King
Saul was at his wit's end and trembling with fear. The entire Philistine
army had gathered to attack Israel's smaller and weaker troops. Saul
moaned, "If only Samuel were here, he would tell me what to do." But the
great prophet of Israel had died a few years earlier.
The aged monarch tried desperately to find some advice or guidance from
other prophets or priests, but the Lord would not speak to him. As a
young man, Saul had been close to God. But after ascending the throne,
he became cruel and rebelled against God's Word. Once he even had a
whole village of priests murdered. King Saul had persistently refused to
listen to the Lord, and now in his distress, God would not answer him.
"Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar
spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her." 1 Samuel 28:7. God
had clearly commanded His people never to consult a witch or medium
(Leviticus 19:31; 20:27), but Saul now had little regard for God's
implicit instruction.
Upon finding a woman in Endor who claimed to consult with the dead, the
king disguised himself and went to see her. He said to the medium,
"Bring me up Samuel." The witch went through her spells and enchantments
until an apparition claiming to be Samuel the prophet appeared and gave
the king an utterly hopeless message. It predicted that Saul and his
three sons would die in battle the next day.
The following day Saul's sons were slain by the Philistines, and
afterward the wounded and discouraged king fell on his sword and took
his own life (1 Samuel 31:2-4). Who spoke to Saul through the witch--a
resurrected prophet of God, or a devil in disguise? |
1. Was
the form that Saul saw actually Samuel the prophet?
1 Kings
22:22 . And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a __________
____________ in the mouth of all his prophets.
Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils,
working miracles.
Answer:
___________________________
2. Do
the dead come back to converse with or to haunt the living?
Job 14:21
. His sons come to honour, and he _________ it not; and they
are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.
Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10 The dead know not any thing,
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 for ever
in any thing that is done under the sun [in this life]. ... For there
is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the
grave.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: No!
The Bible is clear. A dead person does nothing and knows nothing about
what is happening on earth.
Psalms 115:17 The dead praise not the Lord.
Psalms 6:5 In death there is no remembrance of thee.
Job 7:10 He shall return no more to his house.
Isaiah 38:18 Death can not celebrate thee.
Psalms 146:4 His thoughts perish.
3. According
to the book of Revelation, who has the keys of death?
Revelation
1:18 . I am he that ____________, and was dead; and,
behold, I am alive for evermore ...; and have the keys of hell and of
death.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
Bible is clear. Only Jesus has the keys of death. We should go to His
Word for answers to our questions about death.
4. How
did God make man in the beginning?
Genesis 2:7
. And the Lord God formed man of the ________ of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Two
things happened at Creation: (1) God formed man from the dust, or
earth, and (2) He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Thus
man became a living soul.
5. What
happens at death?
Ecclesiastes 12:7 . Then shall the dust return to the earth
as it was: and the ________ shall return unto God who gave it.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: What
takes place at death is the opposite from what happened during
Creation. The body returns to dust and the spirit, or breath, returns
to God who gave it. The Bible clearly teaches that the "spirit" that
returns to God is simply the breath of life, which God breathed into
man in the beginning (James 2:26, margin; Job 27:3, margin; Job 33:4).
Psalms 104:29, 30 states: "Thou takest away their breath, they die,
and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit [breath], they
are created."
6. Where
do the dead go when they die?
Job 21:32
. Yet shall he be brought to the ________, and shall remain in the
tomb.
John 5:28, 29 All that are in the grave shall
hear his voice, And shall come forth.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
dead, both righteous and unrighteous, are in their graves and will
hear Jesus' voice calling them forth from the grave to reward or
punishment.
7. The
Bible makes it plain that King David is saved. Is he in heaven now?
Acts 2:34
. For David is ______ ________________ into the heavens. (two word
answer)
Acts 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the
patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and
his sepulchre [tomb] is with us unto this day.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: No!
The apostle Peter plainly stated that David is dead and buried--not
alive in heaven. Furthermore, Hebrews 11:32-40 makes it clear that all
the faithful of the ages have not yet been rewarded, but rather, will
all be rewarded together (verses 39, 40).
8. But
isn't it true that the soul is immortal and that only the body dies?
Ezekiel
18:4 . The soul that sinneth, it shall ______.
Job 4:17 Shall mortal man be more just than God?
1 Timothy 6:15, 16 The King of kings, and Lord of lords;
Who only hath immortality.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: We
are souls, and souls do die. Man is mortal. Only God is immortal. The
widely believed teaching of the undying, immortal soul is not found in
the Bible. The teaching is man-made.
9. When
will the righteous be given immortality?
1
Corinthians 15:51-53 . We shall all be changed, In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last __________: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, ...
and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 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.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Yes,
the righteous will be given immortality at the resurrection. The
wicked never receive it.
10. How
does the Bible repeatedly refer to death?
John 11:11,
14 . Our friend Lazarus ___________; ... Lazarus is dead.
Matthew 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of
the saints which slept arose.
2 Samuel 7:12 Thou shalt sleep with thy fathers.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 Them also which sleep in Jesus will
God bring with him.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: The
Bible often refers to death as sleep. Death is a state of total
unconsciousness, during which 15 minutes or a thousand years seem the
same. The dead simply "sleep" in their graves until the resurrection,
when all will be raised by Jesus. The teaching that the spirits of the
dead are heavenly angels, or some righteous ghostlike entity that can
be contacted, is without scriptural foundation.
11. Since
wizards, witches, and psychics cannot contact the dead, whom are they
contacting?
Revelation
16:14 . They are the spirits of devils, working ___________.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Heaven's
angels are called "ministering spirits" (Hebrews 1:14) who help people
on earth. The angels who were cast out of heaven with Satan
(Revelation 12:7-9) are also spirits--evil spirits who deceive people
by working miracles (Revelation 16:13, 14). They use "all power and
signs and lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9), and can even make
"fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men"
(Revelation 13:13). When psychics claim to be contacting spirits of
the dead, they are really in touch with Satan's fallen angels (Isaiah
8:19, 20).
12. Why
does Satan want us to believe that the spirits of the dead are really
alive?
Matthew
24:24, 25 . For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it
were possible, they shall __________ the very elect. Behold, I
have told you before.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Satan's
first lie to mankind was "Ye shall not surely die." Genesis 3:4. He
wants people to believe that the spirits of the dead are alive so his
angels can pose as saints, prophets, and righteous leaders who have
died and so that he can pose as an angel of light (2 Corinthians
11:13-15). Thus, he can deceive people by the millions. Utilizing
these evil spirits is called "spiritism." It is based on a two-part
belief: (1) the dead are alive, and (2) they can contact you, or you
can contact them. This is one of Satan's most damaging teachings. Yet
almost the whole world believes it today. The witch of Endor did not
call up Samuel. Rather, she saw an evil angel who posed as Samuel.
13. How
effective will Satan's use of these evil spirits be in the last days?
Revelation
18:23 . By thy sorceries were ______ nations deceived.
Revelation 18:2 Babylon the great is fallen, ... and is become
the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit.
Revelation 12:9 That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: By
Satan's miracles (sorceries) through his evil angels, he will deceive
virtually the entire world.
14. How
does God regard these miracles by evil angels?
Leviticus
20:27 . A man also or woman ... that is a __________, shall surely
be put to death.
1 Timothy 4:1 Some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.
Ephesians 5:11 Have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness.
Galatians 5:19-21 The works of the flesh are manifest, which
are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
strife, seditions, heresies, Envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings,
and such like.
Revelation 21:8 Sorcerers ... shall have their part in the
lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the
second death.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: In
Moses' day, God commanded that all psychics be put to death. Today He
insists that sorcery is a work of the flesh, for which people will be
destroyed. He warns that when you dabble with psychics you leave the
faith, and He tells us that all sorcerers will die the second death in
the lake of fire.
15. What
glorious power does God offer His people?
Philippians
3:10 . That I may know him, and the power of his _____________.
Answer:
___________________________
Note: Jesus
offers us the same power to live right that raised Him from the dead.
Fantastic! How can we fail with such incredible power given us--and
that with no cost to us? Jesus, because He loves us, solemnly warns us
away from the power and miracles of evil angels and offers to work the
divine miracles needed to prepare us for His kingdom (Philippians
1:6).
16. Would
you like to accept Jesus' offer to give you the power of the
resurrection in your life?
.
Answer:
___________________________
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