Friday: Further Thought – Spiritualism Exposed
Daily Lesson for Friday 7th of June 2024
A recent book by Lee Strobel, The Case for Heaven, is premised on the idea that, at death, the dead remain alive in some kind of conscious existence, with “near death experiences” (NDEs) being used as part of the “proof.” One example: “Another girl, who had an NDE during heart surgery, said she met her brother in the afterlife—which surprised her because she didn’t have a brother. When she later recovered and told her father, he revealed to her for the first time that she did, indeed, have a brother, but he had died before she was born.”—Lee Strobel, The Case for Heaven (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Books, 2021), p. 69. Strobel struggles, however, to harmonize the idea of an immediate afterlife with the clear biblical teaching that only when Christ returns do Christians receive their final reward.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
We have been warned: “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.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 560.
Discussion Questions
- What subtle spiritualistic influences might Satan be using to influence the mind? What role does mass media play?
- How would you share your faith with a friend who just lost a loved one and believed that this person was in heaven? What is appropriate to say, and what is not appropriate?
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I am not a very good magician. If I do a magic trick someone (typically a kid) will spot my fumbling efforts and blurt out, "I know how you did that!". A good magician directs the audience to something that really grabs their attention while they make their moves unnoticed. Then when the punchline/action is delivered, everyone says, "Wow, how did they do that!"
Battles have been fought using the same principle. Get everyone's attention and then attack where they least expect it. A Chinese General, Sun Tzu, wrote an interesting document, "The Art of War" around 500 BC, outlining the strategies for winning wars. Interestingly, he makes the point that direct confrontation is the least successful approach.
Satan has read the book. He knows all the tricks and he uses them to his fullest advantage. And, he has not given up on any of them. We need to remember that when we think we have a handle on his behaviour, he is probably using a diversionary tactic to take our eyes off what he is really doing.
Make no mistake. Satan's job description is to deceive those who profess to love God!
What subtle spiritualistic influences might Satan be using to influence the mind?
It is human nature to want acceptance, and belong to the in group. Satan knows which cult can be irresistible to us. Maybe a singer, politician, movie star, Facebook group, dynamic preacher, philosopher, wellness coach, medical expert, or myriad others, even some that come from inside the church.
Satan knows if reading Harry Potter is enough, or if we need something "big". He will steer us to anything other than Jesus. When we think we are ok, he will attack, so we must remain vigilant. We may learn from the guru, preacher, and expert, but knowing them will not save us. We must be personally connected to Christ, with no-one in between.
Ellen White admonished Christians who thought they were doing everything right, but were obsessed with proving others wrong. There is a Satanic difference between preaching our need of repentance, and claiming greatness because I am not like "others". Every person Jesus met was a sinner. Sometimes he was critical of the corporate leaders, the Sanhedrin, the priests, but he never turned away any individual, no matter what group they belonged to.
No matter how pious and right our human wisdom may appear, we are not saved by reflecting humans. Christians reflect the compassion of Jesus, then let the Holy Spirit convict.
My question might sound a bit radical on its face, but in light of Rev.6:9-11, I want to still ask: "Why would a benign believe that a loved one is in heaven hurt the person who believes in God’s love for His children and would not want to do anything to change their relationship based on love and faith?"
Yes, the adversary might attempt to use the circumstances of the death of a loved one to question God’s love for those left to grief, but this does not need to automatically mean that the grieving person 'needs to hear the truth of the matter’ at that time.
NDEs are rare and do not necessarily lead to contacting those one met when experiencing this event. Should the grieving lead to attempts of contacting the departed person, this then would open the door to help the person to deal rightly with grieving the absence of the departed loved one.
This lesson addressed the active pursuit of someone wanting to seek to establish contact with the dead; asking questions and seeking counsel from them. It is this activity which needs to be addressed with the warning that the person engages with demons - Isaiah 8:19.
In my opinion, whether the dead sleep in their graves or are already in heaven should not be the issue. The issue needing to be addressed with scriptural accuracy should be: 'Can or should we contact the dead on behalf of the living'! Food for thought - Rev.6:9-11
Brigitte, you asked "Why would a benign believe that a loved one is in heaven hurt the person who believes in God’s love for His children and would not want to do anything to change their relationship based on love and faith?"
Here's my thoughts. When someone believes their loved ones are looking down from heaven watching them, that loved one is seeing not just the good, but the suffering as well. Why would a loving God allow anyone to watch their loved ones suffering, and even seeing them rejecting God? Whether the person who believes the dead go to heaven immediately actively considers that or not, Satan can still ust that to plant doubts in their mind about God's love. Also, those who believe the dead go immediately to heaven typically believe that the wicked dead burn forever in hell, which certainly is not something a loving God would do.
To me, when someone feels a need to communicate with dead loved ones, it shows a lack of trust in God's love. It seems to me that person doesn't feel like their prayers to God are enough, or they feel God isn't hearing them but their dead loved one hears them. This puts an intermediary between them and God. It also shows a weak faith in God.
For these reasons, along with many scriptural references such as those this week's lesson covered, I personally don't see a belief that the dead go immediately to heaven as benign. But I'd also like to know how other people will respond, or if you have any comments for me. I always appreciate your comments on the lesson, Brigitte. Happy Sabbath everyone!
Another thought. If I believe that my loved one lives in the presence of God, then I may be tempted to believe that that loved one can be a means of intercession to God for me. This is another means by which the Adversary takes our eyes away from Jesus, who is the only true way of knowing God and his love for us.
That is why this is not a benign belief.
I agree that the take home this week is, in the arms of Jesus, we are safe from the wiles of the devil. That is to say, a close relationship with Christ is the answer to putting on the armor of God. In prayer,study, and devotion with Christ, He builds our defenses against the trickery of Satan, which no doubt is intensifying in these last days. Yes hold on to Christ.
Isaiah 26:3-4.
Hebrews 10:23-25.
Hebrews 12:1-2.
1 Peter 5:6-11.
Revelation 3:11.
If the dead are in the graves and knowing nothing-you have no desire to communicate with them. But if you believe they are alive in heaven you are open to Satan deceptions. The Bilical story of the witch of Endor is a good example.