The First Great Deception
With
the earliest history of man, Satan began his efforts to deceive our race. He
who had incited rebellion in heaven desired to bring the inhabitants of the
earth to unite with him in his warfare against the government of God. Adam and
Eve had been perfectly happy in obedience to the law of God, and this fact was
a constant testimony against the claim which Satan had urged in heaven, that
God’s law was oppressive and opposed to the good of His creatures. And
furthermore, Satan’s envy was excited as he looked upon the beautiful home
prepared for the sinless pair. He determined to cause their fall, that, having
separated them from God and brought them under his own power, he might gain
possession of the earth and here establish his kingdom in opposition to the
Most High.
Had
Satan revealed himself in his real character, he would have been repulsed at
once, for Adam and Eve had been warned against this dangerous foe; but he
worked in the dark, concealing his purpose, that he might more effectually
accomplish his object. Employing as his medium the serpent, then a creature of
fascinating appearance, he addressed himself to Eve: “Hath God said, Ye shall
not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1. Had Eve refrained from
entering into argument with the tempter, she would have been safe; but she
ventured to parley with him and fell a victim to his wiles. It is thus that
many are still overcome. They doubt and argue concerning the requirements of
God; and instead of obeying the divine commands, they accept human theories,
which but disguise the devices of Satan.
“The
woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the
garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God
hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And
the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know
that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil.” Verses 2-5. He declared that they would become
like God, possessing greater wisdom than before and being capable of a higher
state of existence. Eve yielded to temptation; and through her influence, Adam
was led into sin. They accepted the words of the serpent, that God did not mean
what He said; they distrusted their Creator and imagined that He was
restricting their liberty and that they might obtain great wisdom and
exaltation by transgressing His law.
But
what did Adam, after his sin, find to be the meaning of the words, “In the day
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”? Did he find them to mean, as
Satan had led him to believe, that he was to be ushered into a more exalted
state of existence? Then indeed there was great good to be gained by transgression,
and Satan was proved to be a benefactor of the race. But Adam did not find this
to be the meaning of the divine sentence. God declared that as a penalty for
his sin, man should return to the ground whence he was taken: “Dust thou art,
and unto dust shalt thou return.” Verse 19. The words of Satan, “Your eyes
shall be opened,” proved to be true in this sense only: After Adam and Eve had
disobeyed God, their eyes were opened to discern their folly; they did know
evil, and they tasted the bitter fruit of transgression.
In
the midst of Eden grew the tree of life, whose fruit had the power of
perpetuating life. Had Adam remained obedient to God, he would have continued
to enjoy free access to this tree and would have lived forever. But when he
sinned he was cut off from partaking of the tree of life, and he became subject
to death. The divine sentence, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return,” points to the utter extinction of life.
Immortality,
promised to man on condition of obedience, had been forfeited by transgression.
Adam could not transmit to his posterity that which he did not possess; and
there could have been no hope for the fallen race had not God, by the sacrifice
of His Son, brought immortality within their reach. While “death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned,” Christ “hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel.” Romans 5:12; 2 Timothy 1:10. And only through
Christ can immortality be obtained. Said Jesus: “He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life.”
John 3:36. Every man may come into possession of this priceless blessing if he
will comply with the conditions. All “who by patient continuance in well-doing
seek for glory and honor and immortality,” will receive “eternal life.” Romans
2:7.
The
only one who promised Adam life in disobedience was the great deceiver. And the
declaration of the serpent to Eve in Eden—“Ye shall not surely die”—was the
first sermon ever preached upon the immortality of the soul. Yet this
declaration, resting solely upon the authority of Satan, is echoed from the
pulpits of Christendom and is received by the majority of mankind as readily as
it was received by our first parents. The divine sentence, “The soul that sinneth,
it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20), is made to mean: The soul that sinneth, it shall
not die, but live eternally. We cannot but wonder at the strange infatuation
which renders men so credulous concerning the words of Satan and so unbelieving
in regard to the words of God.
Had
man after his fall been allowed free access to the tree of life, he would have
lived forever, and thus sin would have been immortalized. But cherubim and a
flaming sword kept “the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24), and not one of
the family of Adam has been permitted to pass that barrier and partake of the
life-giving fruit. Therefore there is not an immortal sinner.
But
after the Fall, Satan bade his angels make a special effort to inculcate the
belief in man’s natural immortality; and having induced the people to receive
this error, they were to lead them on to conclude that the sinner would live in
eternal misery. Now the prince of darkness, working through his agents,
represents God as a revengeful tyrant, declaring that He plunges into hell all
those who do not please Him, and causes them ever to feel His wrath; and that
while they suffer unutterable anguish and writhe in the eternal flames, their
Creator looks down upon them with satisfaction.
Thus
the archfiend clothes with his own attributes the Creator and Benefactor of
mankind. Cruelty is satanic. God is love; and all that He created was pure,
holy, and lovely, until sin was brought in by the first great rebel. Satan
himself is the enemy who tempts man to sin, and then destroys him if he can;
and when he has made sure of his victim, then he exults in the ruin he has
wrought. If permitted, he would sweep the entire race into his net. Were it not
for the interposition of divine power, not one son or daughter of Adam would
escape.
Satan
is seeking to overcome men today, as he overcame our first parents, by shaking
their confidence in their Creator and leading them to doubt the wisdom of His
government and the justice of His laws. Satan and his emissaries represent God
as even worse than themselves, in order to justify their own malignity and
rebellion. The great deceiver endeavors to shift his own horrible cruelty of
character upon our heavenly Father, that he may cause himself to appear as one
greatly wronged by his expulsion from heaven because he would not submit to so
unjust a governor. He presents before the world the liberty which they may
enjoy under his mild sway, in contrast with the bondage imposed by the stern
decrees of Jehovah. Thus he succeeds in luring souls away from their allegiance
to God.
How
repugnant to every emotion of love and mercy, and even to our sense of justice,
is the doctrine that the wicked dead are tormented with fire and brimstone in
an eternally burning hell; that for the sins of a brief earthly life they are
to suffer torture as long as God shall live. Yet this doctrine has been widely
taught and is still embodied in many of the creeds of Christendom. Said a
learned doctor of divinity: “The sight of hell torments will exalt the happiness
of the saints forever. When they see others who are of the same nature and born
under the same circumstances, plunged in such misery, and they so
distinguished, it will make them sensible of how happy they are.” Another used
these words: “While the decree of reprobation is eternally executing on the
vessels of wrath, the smoke of their torment will be eternally ascending in
view of the vessels of mercy, who, instead of taking the part of these
miserable objects, will say, Amen, Alleluia! praise ye the Lord!”
Where,
in the pages of God’s word, is such teaching to be found? Will the redeemed in
heaven be lost to all emotions of pity and compassion, and even to feelings of
common humanity? Are these to be exchanged for the indifference of the stoic or
the cruelty of the savage? No, no; such is not the teaching of the Book of God.
Those who present the views expressed in the quotations given above may be
learned and even honest men, but they are deluded by the sophistry of Satan. He
leads them to misconstrue strong expressions of Scripture, giving to the
language the coloring of bitterness and malignity which pertains to himself,
but not to our Creator. “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in
the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn
ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” Ezekiel 33:11.
What
would be gained to God should we admit that He delights in witnessing unceasing
tortures; that He is regaled with the groans and shrieks and imprecations of
the suffering creatures whom He holds in the flames of hell? Can these horrid
sounds be music in the ear of Infinite Love? It is urged that the infliction of
endless misery upon the wicked would show God’s hatred of sin as an evil which
is ruinous to the peace and order of the universe. Oh, dreadful blasphemy! As
if God’s hatred of sin is the reason why it is perpetuated. For, according to
the teachings of these theologians, continued torture without hope of mercy
maddens its wretched victims, and as they pour out their rage in curses and
blasphemy, they are forever augmenting their load of guilt. God’s glory is not
enhanced by thus perpetuating continually increasing sin through ceaseless
ages.
It
is beyond the power of the human mind to estimate the evil which has been
wrought by the heresy of eternal torment. The religion of the Bible, full of
love and goodness, and abounding in compassion, is darkened by superstition and
clothed with terror. When we consider in what false colors Satan has painted the
character of God, can we wonder that our merciful Creator is feared, dreaded,
and even hated? The appalling views of God which have spread over the world
from the teachings of the pulpit have made thousands, yes, millions, of
skeptics and infidels.
The
theory of eternal torment is one of the false doctrines that constitute the
wine of the abomination of Babylon, of which she makes all nations drink.
Revelation 14:8; 17:2. That ministers of Christ should have accepted this
heresy and proclaimed it from the sacred desk is indeed a mystery. They
received it from Rome, as they received the false sabbath. True, it has been
taught by great and good men; but the light on this subject had not come to
them as it has come to us. They were responsible only for the light which shone
in their time; we are accountable for that which shines in our day. If we turn
from the testimony of God’s word, and accept false doctrines because our
fathers taught them, we fall under the condemnation pronounced upon Babylon; we
are drinking of the wine of her abomination.
A
large class to whom the doctrine of eternal torment is revolting are driven to
the opposite error. They see that the Scriptures represent God as a being of
love and compassion, and they cannot believe that He will consign His creatures
to the fires of an eternally burning hell. But holding that the soul is
naturally immortal, they see no alternative but to conclude that all mankind
will finally be saved. Many regard the threatenings of the Bible as designed
merely to frighten men into obedience, and not to be literally fulfilled. Thus
the sinner can live in selfish pleasure, disregarding the requirements of God,
and yet expect to be finally received into His favor. Such a doctrine,
presuming upon God’s mercy, but ignoring His justice, pleases the carnal heart
and emboldens the wicked in their iniquity.
To
show how believers in universal salvation wrest the Scriptures to sustain their
soul-destroying dogmas, it is needful only to cite their own utterances {in
the following 3 paragraphs}. At the funeral of an irreligious young man,
who had been killed instantly by an accident, a Universalist minister selected
as his text the Scripture statement concerning David: “He was comforted
concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.” 2 Samuel 13:39.
“I
am frequently asked,” said the speaker, “what will be the fate of those who
leave the world in sin, die, perhaps, in a state of inebriation, die with the
scarlet stains of crime unwashed from their robes, or die as this young man
died, having never made a profession or enjoyed an experience of religion. We
are content with the Scriptures; their answer shall solve the awful problem.
Amnon was exceedingly sinful; he was unrepentant, he was made drunk, and while
drunk was killed. David was a prophet of God; he must have known whether it
would be ill or well for Amnon in the world to come. What were the expressions
of his heart? `The soul of King David longed to go forth unto Absalom: for he
was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.’ Verse 39.
“And
what is the inference to be deduced from this language? Is it not that endless
suffering formed no part of his religious belief? So we conceive; and here we
discover a triumphant argument in support of the more pleasing, more enlightened,
more benevolent hypothesis of ultimate universal purity and peace. He was
comforted, seeing his son was dead. And why so? Because by the eye of prophecy
he could look forward into the glorious future and see that son far removed
from all temptations, released from the bondage and purified from the
corruptions of sin, and after being made sufficiently holy and enlightened,
admitted to the assembly of ascended and rejoicing spirits. His only comfort
was that, in being removed from the present state of sin and suffering, his
beloved son had gone where the loftiest breathings of the Holy Spirit would be
shed upon his darkened soul, where his mind would be unfolded to the wisdom of
heaven and the sweet raptures of immortal love, and thus prepared with a sanctified
nature to enjoy the rest and society of the heavenly inheritance.
“In
these thoughts we would be understood to believe that the salvation of heaven
depends upon nothing which we can do in this life; neither upon a present
change of heart, nor upon present belief, or a present profession of religion.”
Thus
{in the prior 3 paragraphs} does the professed minister of Christ
reiterate the falsehood uttered by the serpent 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.” He declares that the vilest of sinners—the murderer, the thief,
and the adulterer—will after death be prepared to enter into immortal bliss.
And
from what does this perverter of the Scriptures draw his conclusions? From a
single sentence expressing David’s submission to the dispensation of
Providence. His soul “longed to go forth unto Absalom; for he was comforted
concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.” The poignancy of his grief having been
softened by time, his thoughts turned from the dead to the living son,
self-banished through fear of the just punishment of his crime. And this is the
evidence that the incestuous, drunken Amnon was at death immediately
transported to the abodes of bliss, there to be purified and prepared for the
companionship of sinless angels! A pleasing fable indeed, well suited to
gratify the carnal heart! This is Satan’s own doctrine, and it does his work
effectually. Should we be surprised that, with such instruction, wickedness
abounds?
The
course pursued by this one false teacher illustrates that of many others. A few
words of Scripture are separated from the context, which would in many cases
show their meaning to be exactly opposite to the interpretation put upon them;
and such disjointed passages are perverted and used in proof of doctrines that
have no foundation in the word of God. The testimony cited as evidence that the
drunken Amnon is in heaven is a mere inference directly contradicted by the
plain and positive statement of the Scriptures that no drunkard shall inherit
the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:10. It is thus that doubters, unbelievers,
and skeptics turn the truth into a lie. And multitudes have been deceived by
their sophistry and rocked to sleep in the cradle of carnal security.
If
it were true that the souls of all men passed directly to heaven at the hour of
dissolution, then we might well covet death rather than life. Many have been
led by this belief to put an end to their existence. When overwhelmed with
trouble, perplexity, and disappointment, it seems an easy thing to break the
brittle thread of life and soar away into the bliss of the eternal world.
God
has given in His word decisive evidence that He will punish the transgressors
of His law. Those who flatter themselves that He is too merciful to execute
justice upon the sinner, have only to look to the cross of Calvary. The death
of the spotless Son of God testifies that “the wages of sin is death,” that
every violation of God’s law must receive its just retribution. Christ the
sinless became sin for man. He bore the guilt of transgression, and the hiding
of His Father’s face, until His heart was broken and His life crushed out. All
this sacrifice was made that sinners might be redeemed. In no other way could man
be freed from the penalty of sin. And every soul that refuses to become a
partaker of the atonement provided at such a cost must bear in his own person
the guilt and punishment of transgression.
Let
us consider what the Bible teaches further concerning the ungodly and
unrepentant, whom the Universalist places in heaven as holy, happy angels.
“I
will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life
freely.” Revelation 21:6. This promise is only to those that thirst. None but
those who feel their need of the water of life, and seek it at the loss of all
things else, will be supplied. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things;
and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.” Verse 7. Here, also, conditions
are specified. In order to inherit all things, we must resist and overcome sin.
The
Lord declares by the prophet Isaiah: “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be
well with him.” “Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward
of his hands shall be given him.” Isaiah 3:10, 11. “Though a sinner do evil an
hundred times,” says the wise man, “and his days be prolonged, yet surely I
know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him: but
it shall not be well with the wicked.” Ecclesiastes 8:12, 13. And Paul
testifies that the sinner is treasuring up unto himself “wrath against the day
of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to
every man according to his deeds;” “tribulation and anguish upon every soul of
man that doeth evil.” Romans 2:5, 6, 9.
“No
fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” Ephesians 5:5, A.R.V. “Follow
peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”
Hebrews 12:14. “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” Revelation 22:14, 15.
God
has given to men a declaration of His character and of His method of dealing
with sin. “The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in
goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.” Exodus
34:6, 7. “All the wicked will He destroy.” “The transgressors shall be
destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.” Psalm 145:20; 37:38.
The power and authority of the divine government will be employed to put down
rebellion; yet all the manifestations of retributive justice will be perfectly
consistent with the character of God as a merciful, long-suffering, benevolent
being.
God
does not force the will or judgment of any. He takes no pleasure in a slavish
obedience. He desires that the creatures of His hands shall love Him because He
is worthy of love. He would have them obey Him because they have an intelligent
appreciation of His wisdom, justice, and benevolence. And all who have a just
conception of these qualities will love Him because they are drawn toward Him
in admiration of His attributes.
The
principles of kindness, mercy, and love, taught and exemplified by our Saviour,
are a transcript of the will and character of God. Christ declared that He
taught nothing except that which He had received from His Father. The
principles of the divine government are in perfect harmony with the Saviour’s
precept, “Love your enemies.” God executes justice upon the wicked, for the
good of the universe, and even for the good of those upon whom His judgments
are visited. He would make them happy if He could do so in accordance with the
laws of His government and the justice of His character. He surrounds them with
the tokens of His love, He grants them a knowledge of His law, and follows them
with the offers of His mercy; but they despise His love, make void His law, and
reject His mercy. While constantly receiving His gifts, they dishonor the
Giver; they hate God because they know that He abhors their sins. The Lord
bears long with their perversity; but the decisive hour will come at last, when
their destiny is to be decided. Will He then chain these rebels to His side?
Will He force them to do His will?
Those
who have chosen Satan as their leader and have been controlled by his power are
not prepared to enter the presence of God. Pride, deception, licentiousness,
cruelty, have become fixed in their characters. Can they enter heaven to dwell forever
with those whom they despised and hated on earth? Truth will never be agreeable
to a liar; meekness will not satisfy self-esteem and pride; purity is not
acceptable to the corrupt; disinterested love does not appear attractive to the
selfish. What source of enjoyment could heaven offer to those who are wholly
absorbed in earthly and selfish interests?
Could
those whose lives have been spent in rebellion against God be suddenly
transported to heaven and witness the high, the holy state of perfection that
ever exists there,—every soul filled with love, every countenance beaming with
joy, enrapturing music in melodious strains rising in honor of God and the
Lamb, and ceaseless streams of light flowing upon the redeemed from the face of
Him who sitteth upon the throne,—could those whose hearts are filled with
hatred of God, of truth and holiness, mingle with the heavenly throng and join
their songs of praise? Could they endure the glory of God and the Lamb? No, no;
years of probation were granted them, that they might form characters for
heaven; but they have never trained the mind to love purity; they have never
learned the language of heaven, and now it is too late. A life of rebellion
against God has unfitted them for heaven. Its purity, holiness, and peace would
be torture to them; the glory of God would be a consuming fire. They would long
to flee from that holy place. They would welcome destruction, that they might
be hidden from the face of Him who died to redeem them. The destiny of the
wicked is fixed by their own choice. Their exclusion from heaven is voluntary
with themselves, and just and merciful on the part of God.
Like
the waters of the Flood the fires of the great day declare God’s verdict that
the wicked are incurable. They have no disposition to submit to divine
authority. Their will has been exercised in revolt; and when life is ended, it
is too late to turn the current of their thoughts in the opposite direction,
too late to turn from transgression to obedience, from hatred to love.
In
sparing the life of Cain the murderer, God gave the world an example of what
would be the result of permitting the sinner to live to continue a course of
unbridled iniquity. Through the influence of Cain’s teaching and example,
multitudes of his descendants were led into sin, until “the wickedness of man
was great in the earth” and “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually.” “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth
was filled with violence.” Genesis 6:5, 11.
In
mercy to the world, God blotted out its wicked inhabitants in Noah’s time. In
mercy He destroyed the corrupt dwellers in Sodom. Through the deceptive power
of Satan the workers of iniquity obtain sympathy and admiration, and are thus
constantly leading others to rebellion. It was so in Cain’s and in Noah’s day,
and in the time of Abraham and Lot; it is so in our time. It is in mercy to the
universe that God will finally destroy the rejecters of His grace.
“The
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.” Romans 6:23. While life is the inheritance of the righteous, death
is the portion of the wicked. Moses declared to Israel: “I have set before thee
this day life and good, and death and evil.” Deuteronomy 30:15. The death
referred to in these scriptures is not that pronounced upon Adam, for all
mankind suffer the penalty of his transgression. It is “the second death” that
is placed in contrast with everlasting life.
In
consequence of Adam’s sin, death passed upon the whole human race. All alike go
down into the grave. And through the provisions of the plan of salvation, all
are to be brought forth from their graves. “There shall be a resurrection of
the dead, both of the just and unjust;” “for as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive.” Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:22. But a
distinction is made between the two classes that are brought forth. “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. They who have been “accounted
worthy” of the resurrection of life are “blessed and holy.” “On such the second
death hath no power.” Revelation 20:6. But those who have not, through
repentance and faith, secured pardon, must receive the penalty of
transgression—“the wages of sin.” They suffer punishment varying in duration
and intensity, “according to their works,” but finally ending in the second death.
Since it is impossible for God, consistently with His justice and mercy, to
save the sinner in his sins, He deprives him of the existence which his
transgressions have forfeited and of which he has proved himself unworthy. Says
an inspired writer: “Yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou
shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.” And another
declares: “They shall be as though they had not been.” Psalm 37:10; Obadiah 16.
Covered with infamy, they sink into hopeless, eternal oblivion.
Thus
will be made an end of sin, with all the woe and ruin which have resulted from
it. Says the psalmist: “Thou hast destroyed the wicked, Thou hast put out their
name forever and ever. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end.”
Psalm 9:5, 6. John, in the Revelation, looking forward to the eternal state,
hears a universal anthem of praise undisturbed by one note of discord. Every
creature in heaven and earth was heard ascribing glory to God. Revelation 5:13.
There will then be no lost souls to blaspheme God as they writhe in
never-ending torment; no wretched beings in hell will mingle their shrieks with
the songs of the saved.
Upon
the fundamental error of natural immortality rests the doctrine of
consciousness in death—a doctrine, like eternal torment, opposed to the
teachings of the Scriptures, to the dictates of reason, and to our feelings of
humanity. According to the popular belief, the redeemed in heaven are
acquainted with all that takes place on the earth and especially with the lives
of the friends whom they have left behind. But how could it be a source of
happiness to the dead to know the troubles of the living, to witness the sins
committed by their own loved ones, and to see them enduring all the sorrows,
disappointments, and anguish of life? How much of heaven’s bliss would be
enjoyed by those who were hovering over their friends on earth? And how utterly
revolting is the belief that as soon as the breath leaves the body the soul of
the impenitent is consigned to the flames of hell! To what depths of anguish
must those be plunged who see their friends passing to the grave unprepared, to
enter upon an eternity of woe and sin! Many have been driven to insanity by
this harrowing thought.
What
say the Scriptures concerning these things? David declares that man is not
conscious in death. “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that
very day his thoughts perish.” Psalm 146:4. Solomon bears the same testimony:
“The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything.” “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.” “There is no
work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”
Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10.
When,
in answer to his prayer, Hezekiah’s life was prolonged fifteen years, the
grateful king rendered to God a tribute of praise for His great mercy. In this
song he tells the reason why he thus rejoices: “The grave cannot praise Thee,
death cannot celebrate Thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy
truth. The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day.” Isaiah
38:18, 19. Popular theology represents the righteous dead as in heaven, entered
into bliss and praising God with an immortal tongue; but Hezekiah could see no
such glorious prospect in death. With his words agrees the testimony of the
psalmist: “In death there is no remembrance of Thee: in the grave who shall
give Thee thanks?” “The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into
silence.” Psalm 6:5; 115:17.
Peter
on the Day of Pentecost declared that the patriarch David “is both dead and
buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day.” “For David is not ascended
into the heavens.” Acts 2:29, 34. The fact that David remains in the grave
until the resurrection proves that the righteous do not go to heaven at death.
It is only through the resurrection, and by virtue of the fact that Christ has
risen, that David can at last sit at the right hand of God.
And
said Paul: “If the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be
not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which
are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” 1 Corinthians 15:16-18. If for four
thousand years the righteous had gone directly to heaven at death, how could
Paul have said that if there is no resurrection, “they also which are fallen
asleep in Christ are perished”? No resurrection would be necessary.
The
martyr Tyndale, referring to the state of the dead, declared: “I confess
openly, that I am not persuaded that they be already in the full glory that
Christ is in, or the elect angels of God are in. Neither is it any article of
my faith; for if it were so, I see not but then the preaching of the
resurrection of the flesh were a thing in vain.”—William Tyndale, Preface to
New Testament (ed. 1534). Reprinted in British Reformers —Tindal, Frith,
Barnes, page 349.
It
is an undeniable fact that the hope of immortal blessedness at death has led to
a widespread neglect of the Bible doctrine of the resurrection. This tendency
was remarked by Dr. Adam Clarke, who said: “The doctrine of the resurrection
appears to have been thought of much more consequence among the primitive
Christians than it is now! How is this? The apostles were continually insisting
on it, and exciting the followers of God to diligence, obedience, and
cheerfulness through it. And their successors in the present day seldom mention
it! So apostles preached, and so primitive Christians believed; so we preach,
and so our hearers believe. There is not a doctrine in the gospel on which more
stress is laid; and there is not a doctrine in the present system of preaching
which is treated with more neglect!” —Commentary, remarks on 1 Corinthians 15,
paragraph 3.
This
has continued until the glorious truth of the resurrection has been almost
wholly obscured and lost sight of by the Christian world. Thus a leading
religious writer, commenting on the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,
says: “For all practical purposes of comfort the doctrine of the blessed
immortality of the righteous takes the place for us of any doubtful doctrine of
the Lord’s second coming. At our death the Lord comes for us. That is what we
are to wait and watch for. The dead are already passed into glory. They do not
wait for the trump for their judgment and blessedness.”
But
when about to leave His disciples, Jesus did not tell them that they would soon
come to Him. “I go to prepare a place for you,” He said. “And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself.” John
14:2, 3. And Paul tells us, further, that “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: 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.” And he adds: “Comfort one
another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. How wide the contrast
between these words of comfort and those of the Universalist minister
previously quoted! The latter consoled the bereaved friends with the assurance
that, however sinful the dead might have been, when he breathed out his life
here he was to be received among the angels. Paul points his brethren to the
future coming of the Lord, when the fetters of the tomb shall be broken, and
the “dead in Christ” shall be raised to eternal life.
Before
any can enter the mansions of the blessed, their cases must be investigated,
and their characters and their deeds must pass in review before God. All are to
be judged according to the things written in the books and to be rewarded as
their works have been. This judgment does not take place at death. Mark the
words of Paul: “He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world
in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given
assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.” Acts 17:31.
Here the apostle plainly stated that a specified time, then future, had been
fixed upon for the judgment of the world.
Jude
refers to the same period: “The angels which kept not their first estate, but
left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” And, again, he quotes the words
of Enoch: “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute
judgment upon all.” Jude 6, 14, 15. John declares that he “saw the dead, small
and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: ... and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books.” Revelation 20:12.
But
if the dead are already enjoying the bliss of heaven or writhing in the flames
of hell, what need of a future judgment? The teachings of God’s word on these
important points are neither obscure nor contradictory; they may be understood
by common minds. But what candid mind can see either wisdom or justice in the
current theory? Will the righteous, after the investigation of their cases at
the judgment, receive the commendation, “Well done, thou good and faithful
servant: ... enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” when they have been dwelling
in His presence, perhaps for long ages? Are the wicked summoned from the place
of torment to receive sentence from the Judge of all the earth: “Depart from
Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire”? Matthew 25:21, 41. Oh, solemn mockery!
shameful impeachment of the wisdom and justice of God!
The
theory of the immortality of the soul was one of those false doctrines that
Rome, borrowing from paganism, incorporated into the religion of Christendom.
Martin Luther classed it with the “monstrous fables that form part of the Roman
dunghill of decretals.”—E. Petavel, The Problem of Immortality, page 255.
Commenting on the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, that the dead know not
anything, the Reformer says: “Another place proving that the dead have no ...
feeling. There is, saith he, no duty, no science, no knowledge, no wisdom
there. Solomon judgeth that the dead are asleep, and feel nothing at all. For
the dead lie there, accounting neither days nor years, but when they are
awaked, they shall seem to have slept scarce one minute.”—Martin Luther, Exposition
of Solomon’s Booke Called Ecclesiastes, page 152.
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 Bible clearly teaches that the dead do not go immediately to heaven. They
are represented as sleeping until the resurrection. 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Job
14:10-12. In the very day when the silver cord is loosed and the golden bowl
broken (Ecclesiastes 12:6), man’s thoughts perish. They that go down to the
grave are in silence. They know no more of anything that is done under the sun.
Job 14:21. Blessed rest for the weary righteous! Time, be it long or short, is
but a moment to them. They sleep; they are awakened by the trump of God to a
glorious immortality. “For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible.... So when this corruptible shall have put on
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
1 Corinthians 15:52-54. 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.
When they arise from the tomb, their first glad thought will be echoed in the
triumphal shout: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” Verse
55.
Can Our Dead Speak to Us?
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
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 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, 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? 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 deity of Christ and place even the Creator on a level with
themselves. Thus under a new disguise the great rebel still carries on his
warfare against God, begun in heaven and for nearly six thousand years
continued upon the earth.
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 mastermind 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
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.”
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 “whatever 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 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.
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: “Everyone 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 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 many 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 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 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” (verse 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 falsehood have we hid ourselves.” Isaiah 28:15.
In the class 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 masterpiece 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.
