Friday: Further Thought ~ End-Time Deceptions
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Dealing With False Science, Cults, Isms, and Secret Societies,” Pages 602-609, in Evangelism; and “Spiritism,” Pages 86-93, in Confrontation.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
There exists a foundation which claims that it is creating technology that will allow us to contact the deceased “via texts, phone calls, and video-conferencing.” Calling the dead PMPsalm (post material persons), its website claims that when humans die they simply pass on “into another phase of forever” but “retain their consciousness, identity, and core aspects of their previous physical form.” But, most importantly, the folks at the foundation claim to be developing, in three phases, technology that will allow communication between material and post material persons.
The first phase will “allow texting and typing with postmaterial family, friends, and experts in every field of expertise.” Phase two is supposed to “enable talking with your dear ones who are living in another part of forever.” And the third phase, it says, will open the way to “hearing and seeing those who are experiencing the field of all possibilities from a different observation point.”
Especially scary is how they test if the communicating dead are really who they claim to be. “For example,” the site says, “a bereaved parent might ask the following question of a son or a daughter who has changed worlds: ‘Did you have a dog named Snoopy when you were a child? Did we give you a pocketknife for your tenth birthday?’” How interesting in light of this warning: “Spiritual beings sometimes appear to persons in the form of their deceased friends, and relate incidents connected with their lives and perform acts which they performed while living.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 684.
Discussion Questions:
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At first, this story may not seem to have anything to do with the lesson but I think it does. It has to do with our credibility.
Some acquaintances of mine were travelling in a couple of vehicles in a remote part of Australia and decided to camp overnight in a layby near the main road. They built a small campfire and were enjoying their evening meal when a group of bikies pulled into the layby and started hassling them. Someone in the group, prayed out loud for their heavenly Father to protect them and suddenly the bikies looked startled, jumped on their bikes and rode off into the night. One of the members of the camping group had taken a couple of photographs of the situation while it was happening.
Several weeks later the group returned home and had the film developed. They were surprised to find that the film showed what appeared to be an angel of light standing next to the campfire. So, they told their story in local churches complete with photographs.
The person who had taken the photographs knew that I was a keen photographer so after one of the meetings where he told the story he brought the original photographs to me to ask what I thought. I examined the photographs and came to the conclusion that the film had been exposed to extraneous light at some stage. It had the classic orange cast of a bit of light getting in at the edge of the roll. (Those of you who are old enough to remember film will know what I am talking about) The result on the film did look a bit like a shape of an angel with wings if you had a good imagination or were predisposed to seeing an angel in the picture in the first place. But, it had all the hallmarks of accidental light fogging.
I suggested to this person that his story was credible enough in its own right without the very dodgy "photographic" image. There was no need to gild the lily.
Much of the so-called physical evidence for supernatural, or paranormal activity, good or evil, strains the limits of credibility. We need to be careful that we do not enter into a "My evidence is better than your evidence" competition.
In a world where few people believe in a supernatural being of any kind, any so-called physical evidence is going to be treated with suspicion. The very best evidence is to see the outworking of God's love in our lives.
Thanks Sir Maurice for always pointing out to us the true essence of each study which is loving Jesus and doing His will.