Amazing Facts with Doug Batchelor

Spiritual Imposters

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: AFNB

Program Code: AFNB002227S


00:02 male announcer: This presentation is
00:03 brought to you by the friends of the Amazing Facts ministry.
00:06 ♪♪♪
00:08 Doug Batchelor: The Christians of the Ancient Mediterranean
00:11 world used catacombs, a network of subterranean chambers
00:14 and galleries for burial, but during times of persecution,
00:17 the catacombs became places of refuge because burial grounds
00:21 were guarded or sacrosanct by Roman law.
00:25 When churches above ground were destroyed by imperial order,
00:28 worshipers met in catacomb chapels.
00:31 By A.D. 200, Christians had carved
00:34 some 600 miles of tombs in the volcanic rock
00:37 in and around Rome.
00:40 Eventually, the catacombs expanded into honeycombs
00:43 of galleries with staircases and multiple levels.
00:47 Romans preferred cremation, but Christians followed
00:49 the practice of interring the dead in catacombs,
00:52 which they called "coemeteria" or "sleeping places,"
00:56 to suggest that, for a Christian,
00:58 death is merely a sleep before the Resurrection.
01:02 Did you know that Jesus plainly taught that death is a sleep?
01:07 In fact, all of Scripture confirms that it is
01:10 an unconscious sleep until the resurrection of Christ's return.
01:14 So why is there so much confusion,
01:16 even among Christians, over what happens when we die?
01:20 And how can you protect yourself against some of the potentially
01:23 dangerous delusions about death in the last days?
01:27 ♪♪♪
01:31 Doug: Tonight's presentation is very important, and it's--
01:34 our story, we always begin with, kind of, a storacle,
01:37 an allegorical, metaphorical Bible story that helps teach
01:40 these theology points.
01:43 It comes to us from 1 Samuel 28,
01:47 and just give you a little background here,
01:49 the first king of Israel was King Saul.
01:53 He was anointed by Samuel the prophet.
01:57 Got two books in the Bible, 1 and 2 Samuel.
02:00 And when Saul was first chosen, he was a good man,
02:03 had a good heart, had a humble attitude,
02:05 but after he was chosen to be king,
02:07 you've heard that expression, "Power corrupts,"
02:10 "Absolute power corrupts"?
02:12 Absolutely.
02:13 And after he met with some success and he gained some
02:16 wealth and reputation, over the years, he became proud,
02:19 and finally he sort of cast off God and began to grieve away
02:24 the Holy Spirit, started brooding.
02:27 Bible says an evil spirit began to torment him,
02:30 and he gets so mad that he'd throw a spear at David,
02:34 who's a musician, or even his own son, Jonathan.
02:37 He killed a number of the priests of God in a fit of
02:41 jealousy and fear, and finally, near the end of his life,
02:47 he was facing a very big battle against the Philistines.
02:50 At this point, Samuel the prophet,
02:53 who had always guided him earlier in his life
02:55 had died off, and so he was looking for some counsel,
03:00 and the Bible said God did not speak to him
03:02 through the priests nor through a prophet, and in desperation,
03:07 looking for some guidance, going against this massive
03:09 Philistine army, he said, "Well, find me a witch."
03:15 He says, "Find me a woman who is a medium,
03:18 that I might go to her and inquire of her."
03:21 Now, that was absolutely forbidden in the Bible.
03:25 Well, his servants happened to know there was still somebody
03:28 in the area of En Dor, not too far away,
03:30 that had the reputation of being a medium
03:33 that can consult and conjure up dead spirits, and so he went.
03:40 He disguised himself because, if she knew he was the king,
03:43 she'd probably be afraid to give him any information,
03:46 and she went through her incantations and whatever
03:49 it was that she did through gunpowder
03:51 and the fire or something.
03:53 It went "poof," and then this apparition appeared that claimed
03:58 to be Samuel the prophet come back from the dead, and he gave
04:02 an absolutely discouraging message to Saul, saying,
04:07 "You're going to die, and you'll be with me tomorrow,
04:09 and Israel's going to die, and they're going to be
04:12 defeated in battle."
04:15 Saul just went to pieces.
04:17 He just lost all his courage, and, you know,
04:19 the Bible tells us that one of the most important things
04:22 in battle is to have courage.
04:23 You can read about that in the book of Joshua.
04:26 And the Bible tells us in Leviticus 19, verse 31,
04:29 and chapter 20, verse 27, they were never
04:33 to consult a witch or a medium.
04:36 In absolute disregard of that, that's what he did.
04:38 The next day in battle, the Philistines did overwhelm
04:41 the discouraged soldiers, and you've heard the expression
04:44 "Fall on your sword"?
04:46 That's what Saul did.
04:48 When he realized he had been wounded by the archers,
04:51 he didn't want to be captured and tortured by the Philistines.
04:54 He literally fell on his sword, and his armor bearer fell
04:57 on his sword, and Saul and his three sons died
05:01 that same day together.
05:04 Soon, David followed as king.
05:07 But the big question people want to know,
05:09 "Was the form that Saul saw actually Samuel the prophet?"
05:14 I'm going to read you a verse that is not in our study guide,
05:19 and this comes to us from 1 Chronicles chapter 10.
05:22 You not only find this story in 1 Samuel.
05:26 You find it in 1 Chronicles chapter 10.
05:28 They often cover some of the same history.
05:31 "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness
05:33 which he committed against the Lord, because he did not
05:36 keep the word of the Lord, and because he consulted
05:39 a medium for guidance.
05:41 But he did not inquire of the Lord, therefore,
05:45 the Lord killed him."
05:47 So when he inquired of Samuel the prophet, the Bible says,
05:49 "He did not inquire of the Lord."
05:51 That was not Samuel the prophet.
05:52 That was not the Lord's counsel or the Lord's message to him.
05:55 It says that this was an apparition,
05:57 a spirit that was conjured up by a witch.
06:01 You read in 1 Kings chapter 22, verse 22, "The Lord said to him,
06:06 'In what way?'
06:08 So he said, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit
06:11 in the mouth of all of his prophets.'"
06:13 This is when Micaiah the prophet was talking to Ahab
06:16 and Jehoshaphat, and he said there are lying spirits.
06:20 Look also again what we just read in Revelation 16, verse 14,
06:24 "For they are the spirits of demons performing signs,"
06:27 and you can read in 2 Corinthians chapter 11,
06:30 "For Satan himself is transformed
06:32 into an angel of light."
06:35 Satan can create illusions, and we need to understand
06:39 what does the Bible say happens when a person dies.
06:43 All right, question number two,
06:46 "Do dead people come back to converse with
06:48 or to haunt the living?"
06:50 Listen to what the Bible says.
06:52 We believe the Bible, amen?
06:53 So let's find out what the Bible says.
06:55 Ecclesiastes 9, verse 5, Solomon wrote,
06:58 "For the living know that they will die, but the dead--"
07:01 what's that say up there?--
07:03 "know nothing, and they have no more reward,"
07:07 meaning of in this life, "for the memory of them is forgotten.
07:10 Also, their love, their hatred--"
07:12 they're not loving or hating anybody.
07:14 You don't have to worry about ghosts haunting you
07:15 because they're mad at you-- "their envy has now perished.
07:19 Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun,
07:23 meaning in this life."
07:25 They don't come back to this life.
07:26 The Bible's clear it's appointed unto man once to die;
07:29 after that the judgment."
07:30 You don't keep coming back and haunting people
07:31 and meddling with what's going on down here.
07:34 You're asleep until the resurrection.
07:36 Psalm 115, verse 17, "The dead do not praise the Lord."
07:40 That's pretty clear.
07:41 First thing I'd do if I died and I went to heaven,
07:43 what would I do?
07:45 I'd say, "Praise the Lord, I'm here," right?
07:48 So the Bible says, "The dead do not praise the Lord."
07:50 Then you can read in Psalm 6, verse 5,
07:52 "In death there is no remembrance of Thee."
07:56 People who die, they're not thinking of the Lord.
07:59 Job 7, verse 10, it says, again, speaking of the dead,
08:02 "He will never return to his house."
08:04 He's not going anywhere to haunt anybody at that time.
08:09 And, again, another verse in Isaiah 38, when Hezekiah was
08:11 told by Isaiah the prophet, he said, "Put your house in order,
08:15 " "You're going to die," Hezekiah began to pray and cry,
08:17 and he said, "Death cannot praise You."
08:22 He says, "I'm going to praise You.
08:23 If I'm dead, I can't do that."
08:25 So the idea that, as soon as you die, you're leaping up
08:28 and down in the presence of the Lord, praising God,
08:30 you don't find that in the Bible.
08:33 Psalm 146, verse 6, "Put not your trust in princes,
08:37 neither in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
08:40 His breath goes forth.
08:42 In that very day, his thoughts perish.
08:44 His plans perish."
08:46 He's not thinking or planning anything--what it says.
08:49 "Where do the dead people go when they die?"
08:53 It says here in Job 21:32, "He is brought to the grave.
08:56 He remains in the tomb.
08:57 All who are in their graves--" when Jesus comes--
09:00 this is John chapter 5, verse 28 and 29.
09:03 "All who are in their graves will hear His voice."
09:06 How can they hear His voice in the graves
09:07 if they're already in heaven?
09:09 Does that make sense?
09:11 These are the words of Jesus.
09:12 It's all through the New Testament.
09:14 "The Bible makes it plain that King David will be saved."
09:17 Everyone knows good King David killed Goliath.
09:20 Man after God's own heart.
09:23 He will be in heaven.
09:24 When he died, the Bible says, "He slept with his fathers."
09:28 "Is he in heaven now?"
09:31 Some people say, "Well, no one really went to heaven
09:32 till Jesus died on the cross, and then they went to heaven
09:34 when Jesus raised."
09:36 Well, you read in the book of Acts,
09:39 40 days after Jesus has gone to heaven,
09:43 you can read, Peter, where he says
09:44 in Acts chapter 2, verse 29, "Men and brethren--"
09:47 this was during his public sermon--
09:49 "let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David,
09:51 that he is dead and buried, and his tomb is with us
09:56 to this day."
09:57 David's tomb is still, to this day, in Jerusalem.
09:59 And then he goes on.
10:01 He says, in verse 34, "For David did not ascend
10:03 into the heavens."
10:04 Now, I don't know how more clear it can be.
10:06 This is not complicated.
10:07 He says, good King David, someone saved, he is dead,
10:10 he is buried, he's not in heaven, and this is a long time
10:13 after the Resurrection.
10:15 And you can read in 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
10:18 verse 22, "For in Adam all die--"
10:21 because of the sin of Adam, we all struggle with death--
10:24 "even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
10:26 But each one in its own order.
10:29 Here's the order: Christ the firstfruits,
10:31 afterward those who are Christ's at His coming."
10:36 When are they raised?
10:38 "At His coming."
10:39 The Lord will descend from heaven with a shout,
10:41 the voice of the archangel, the trump of God.
10:43 The dead in Christ will rise."
10:45 They are resting in peace.
10:47 Even Martin Luther understood that.
10:48 The great reformer, he said, "God, Jesus will come,
10:51 and when He comes, He'll knock on the grave and say,
10:52 'Dr. Martin, wake up,'" because they're sleeping.
10:56 "But isn't it true that the soul is immortal
10:59 and that only the body dies?"
11:02 What's the Bible say?
11:03 "The soul who sins--" Ezekiel 18, verse 4--
11:07 "will die."
11:09 Job 4:17, "Can mortal man be more righteous than God?"
11:14 We don't have immortality yet.
11:17 That's why God chased Adam and Eve out of the garden
11:19 that they might not eat from the tree of life,
11:21 and they were going to die.
11:23 Says, "In the day that you eat thereof, you will surely die."
11:25 Look at 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 15 and 16,
11:28 "The King of kings, the Lord of lords,
11:31 who alone has immortality."
11:35 If that's clear, say, "Amen."
11:37 So, when people say, "You've got an immortal soul"
11:41 and that you're destined to live through eternity, well,
11:45 Jesus said in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world,
11:49 He gave His only begotten
11:50 Son, that whoever believes in Him might not perish,
11:54 but have everlasting life."
11:56 Immortality is conditional unbelief in Christ.
12:00 Isn't this what the Bible is telling us?
12:03 "When will the righteous receive immortality?"
12:07 "We will all be changed in a moment,
12:11 in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet."
12:15 Goes on and says, "For the trumpet will sound,
12:18 and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
12:20 and this mortal must put on immortality.
12:23 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven
12:27 with a shout," and I quoted this to you a moment ago,
12:29 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
12:31 "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
12:34 with the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God.
12:37 And the dead in Christ will rise first."
12:41 So there's resurrection of the dead,
12:43 and this is our first resurrection.
12:45 It happens when the Lord comes back.
12:48 And so, "But Pastor Doug, we've just heard so many people
12:51 say that you die, and you immediately go to the Lord,"
12:54 and they talk about so-and-so: "They're in heaven now."
12:57 And we know they mean well because they're thinking,
12:59 you know, based upon the time they'll experience,
13:01 but it hasn't happened yet, and the reason I keep pressing
13:04 it's important to understand that--
13:06 you remember our opening story?
13:09 King Saul was deceived and discouraged by an evil spirit
13:13 posing as Samuel the prophet.
13:16 And remember what I just read there in Revelation?
13:19 These unclean spirits go out to the leaders of the world to
13:21 gather them together to battle, to deceive them with lying signs
13:26 and lying wonders, and the Bible talks about lying spirits,
13:29 and Satan can create illusions.
13:32 Just up the street here from where we're having this meeting,
13:36 there's a little establishment where you could pay them
13:38 a price, I suppose-- I've not been there--
13:40 and they will give you a reading.
13:43 They'll try and contact your departed loved ones.
13:46 A lot of them are charlatans.
13:47 Some of them may be in cahoots with the enemy.
13:50 I don't know--not going to find out.
13:52 Or they'll read your tarot cards and Ouija boards.
13:56 And, you know, friends, I'm talking about something
13:58 I know a little bit about because I grew up as a pagan.
14:01 My mother used to write horoscopes.
14:04 She actually has an album.
14:06 You can even see it on the internet.
14:07 She wrote horoscope songs.
14:09 She wrote 12 songs, one for each of the horoscopes, and I said,
14:12 "Mom, you believe that stuff?"
14:14 She said, "No," but it pays.
14:18 But we had a lot of friends.
14:19 They were all into seances, and we were part of seances
14:22 and the Ouija boards, and I don't know if anyone's
14:27 old enough to remember.
14:28 They used to have a national television program.
14:30 It was actually a soap opera called "Dark Shadows."
14:34 Some of you guys, you remember that.
14:36 Two of the actors, the principal actors in that were friends
14:39 of ours, and they'd come to our house, and we'd go to theirs,
14:41 and those people were into some really weird, dark stuff.
14:46 It happens more than you think.
14:48 There are some people in high places who think that
14:50 they're consulting with the dead or getting some spiritual advice
14:53 like that, and what if-- if the devil can come down
14:59 and impersonate Christ, can his fallen demons look
15:02 like departed Bible characters?
15:05 ♪♪♪
15:07 Doug: Don't go anywhere, friends.
15:08 We'll be back in just a moment with the rest
15:10 of today's presentation.
15:11 One of the most confusing subjects in our world today is
15:15 the big question "What happens when we die?"
15:19 Seems like everywhere you turn, someone out there has
15:21 a different opinion about the afterlife, whether heaven,
15:24 hell, purgatory, limbo, or eternal nonexistence.
15:28 Well, are you tired of all the contradictory
15:31 and confusing messages?
15:33 Wouldn't you like to know what the Bible really says
15:35 once and for all?
15:37 To help answer all of your questions,
15:39 Amazing Facts would like to send you a very special free gift.
15:43 It's called "The Afterlife Mystery."
15:46 This attractive, full-color magazine provides simple
15:49 but vital biblical facts to help you decode death, hell,
15:53 and eternal life, amid all of the confusing deceptions today.
15:57 In a captivating, contemporary way,
16:00 it presents powerful lessons about what happens
16:02 when we die and, more importantly,
16:05 how you can be ready for eternity.
16:07 To get your free copy, call the phone number on the screen
16:09 and ask for Offer Number 839, or visit the web address,
16:14 and after you read this incredible resource,
16:16 be sure and share it with a friend.
16:19 Let's return now to today's presentation
16:21 and learn some more amazing facts from the Word of God.
16:24 ♪♪♪
16:26 Doug: I remember hearing this story,
16:27 and this an anecdotal story.
16:29 I can't prove it, but someone told me that they knew a lady
16:33 that was in San Francisco--this was during the Vietnam War--
16:36 and that she was a Christian.
16:39 Her belief was always that you die,
16:41 and you sleep until the resurrection,
16:43 and she got one of those terrible notices from the army,
16:47 and it said, "We regret to inform you
16:50 that your son is missing in action and presumed dead."
16:53 And, of course, she was devastated, and she was alone.
16:57 She had no husband, and she was grieving in her apartment
16:59 building there in San Francisco for weeks, and one day,
17:03 she woke up at night, and there was her son standing at the foot
17:09 of her bed, and she was terrified.
17:12 He says, "Mother, don't worry.
17:13 I'm fine."
17:14 And she was wondering because he made no profession
17:16 of being a Christian.
17:17 He was living a pretty wild life the last she heard from him.
17:20 And he said, "Oh, everyone goes to heaven.
17:23 Don't worry.
17:24 God just puts these things about the lake of fire in the Bible
17:26 to scare people into being good," and giving all these
17:30 very strange interpretations, but it made her feel so good
17:33 because it looked just like her son, sounded just like her son,
17:36 knew things only her son would know,
17:38 and this happened several times, and then, one day, there was a--
17:41 door rang, her apartment.
17:44 She opened up the door, and there's her son again
17:47 except now he's in uniform, and his arm is in a sling.
17:50 And she said, "Why are you meeting me out here
17:52 in the hall?"
17:53 He said, "What are you talking about?"
17:54 She reached out. It was really her son.
17:56 She touched him.
17:57 And evidently, he said, "No, I was wounded,
18:00 but I'm not dead.
18:01 They, just, they gave you some bad paperwork.
18:03 I'm so sorry that you thought that I was dead."
18:04 You know, that's happened before.
18:06 Parents get the message that their kids are presumed dead,
18:08 and then they're not.
18:10 Well, what was appearing to that woman, claiming to be her son?
18:13 And you wonder if the demons had a computer breakdown.
18:16 They didn't get their stories straight.
18:18 But you could see how easily people, when they're missing
18:20 a loved one--now, someone else is thinking,
18:22 "Pastor Doug, I'm having problems
18:24 with what you're saying right now because my loved one,
18:27 my spouse," or somebody, "died, and I've sensed them
18:31 with me, I've heard them guide me, and I just know
18:34 they're--I felt their spirit, and, you know,
18:37 I'm not denying that you've had these sensations, friends,
18:40 and it's not always diabolical.
18:42 My brother died of cystic fibrosis when he was 35.
18:46 He's my older brother.
18:48 From the time I was born until he died, he was always there
18:51 my whole life, and even after he died, I'd reach for the phone
18:55 to call him because I used to call him all the time,
18:57 and I remember reaching for the phone to call him.
19:00 I just felt his presence, and then I realized he was dead.
19:03 I'd forgotten.
19:05 I've talked to widows, who, after their spouse dies--
19:07 and they say, you know, "A few weeks later, I get up,
19:11 and I call down the hall and say, "Jack, can you come here?"
19:14 And then they remember that their husband's gone.
19:16 And your mind is filled with the memories of people you love.
19:21 It's very normal to have those sensations and memories,
19:24 and you might even have a dream where God gives you some comfort
19:26 in a dream.
19:28 That's between you and God.
19:29 It doesn't give us our basis for truth.
19:32 You know what I'm saying?
19:33 The Bible truth is very clear: They are sleeping a painless,
19:37 dreamless sleep until the resurrection.
19:41 "How does the Bible repeatedly refer to death?"
19:46 John 11:11 and verse 14, Jesus, speaking of Lazarus, he said,
19:51 "Our friend Lazarus sleeps," and the disciples said,
19:54 "It's good that he's asleep.
19:56 He's sick.
19:57 You know, if he sleeps, maybe the fever will break,
19:58 and he'll be better."
20:00 Jesus said, "No, no, Lazarus is dead."
20:01 Jesus actually used the term "sleep," and He had to say,
20:04 "You don't understand what I mean by 'sleep.'
20:05 I mean, he's dead."
20:08 Then later, He said, "I'm going that I might wake him."
20:10 Jesus goes down to Bethany where Lazarus is buried.
20:13 It takes a few days to get there,
20:15 and when He tells Martha to roll away the stone from the grave,
20:18 she says, "Lord, by this time,
20:20 there's a bad odor because the decomposition has begun.
20:24 He's been dead for several days."
20:26 He said, "'Trust me. Roll away the stone.'
20:28 And when Jesus said these things,
20:30 He cried out with a loud voice," John 11:43,
20:34 "'Lazarus, come forth.'
20:36 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot
20:39 with graveclothes" that had been embalmed
20:41 and soaked in ointments.
20:43 Now, think for a minute: If Lazarus had been dead
20:49 for several days and if you go right to heaven when you die,
20:53 and if he's a good friend of Jesus,
20:54 he probably went to heaven, right?
20:57 If you're Lazarus and you die and you're in heaven,
21:00 and you're up there, and you're hearing angelic music,
21:03 and you're, you know-- got this glorified body,
21:06 and you're in the presence of God, and you see
21:08 there's golden streets and all these wonders of heaven,
21:11 and you're just reaching out for the tree of life,
21:13 and all of a sudden, "poof," you're back on earth,
21:16 and you're wrapped up in graveclothes,
21:18 would you think that was a nice thing that Jesus did for you?
21:22 Oh, that wouldn't be very nice.
21:24 You know, there are about a dozen resurrections
21:28 in the Bible, and the reason I say, "about," is because,
21:31 when Paul was stoned, some believe that Paul actually
21:35 was raised by the Lord.
21:37 He had been stoned to death, but God raised him back up again
21:38 because everyone who walked away thought he was dead,
21:41 and when Eutychus fell out the window, everyone said,
21:45 "He's dead," and the pulse, you know, his life was still in him.
21:48 They wondered, "Was that a resurrection?"
21:49 So it's hard sometimes to count a few of them,
21:51 but there are at least 12 resurrections in the Bible.
21:53 Do you realize that in all of these resurrections,
21:57 not one of the people involved ever comments
22:00 and says anything about what they experienced in death?
22:04 Now, if Lazarus was alive today and he had been dead
22:08 for four days, and somebody came back from the dead,
22:13 every news station in the world would have representatives
22:16 that would be there.
22:18 They would push a microphone up into Lazarus's face,
22:20 and they'd say, "What was it like?
22:22 What did you experience? What happened?"
22:25 But none of the Jews anywhere in the Bible comment
22:27 on any of these resurrections, saying,
22:29 "What did you experience in death?"
22:31 Because they all knew that death was like a--" what?
22:33 "Sleep."
22:35 It is a dreamless sleep.
22:36 They didn't know anything.
22:38 Solomon said, "The dead know--" how much?
22:39 "Nothing."
22:41 That, to me, I think, is pretty strong evidence.
22:44 The Bible tells us that none of the resurrection
22:47 has ever commented on what they experienced.
22:50 "Why does Satan want us to believe that the spirits
22:53 of the dead are actually alive?"
22:57 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show
23:00 great signs and wonders," Bible tells us, if it were possible,
23:04 "to deceive, even if possible, the elect."
23:08 Jesus says, "See, I'm telling you beforehand,
23:11 do not be deceived by these evil spirits."
23:15 Three unclean frogs, and they're going to claim to be
23:19 the spirits of the departed.
23:20 They're going to deceive leaders of the world.
23:22 "How effective will Satan's use of these evil spirits be
23:26 in the last days?"
23:27 Answer?
23:29 "By your sorceries, all the nations were deceived."
23:34 I just told you that, in North America,
23:36 50%, roughly 50%, 45% of the people believe in ghosts,
23:43 and about 20% believe you can communicate with the dead.
23:46 That's frightening when you think about it how easily
23:49 so many people will be deceived by that.
23:52 Some will start believing in it but don't believe in
23:54 it now when the devil begins to perform these signs and wonders.
23:56 Revelation 18, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen,
24:01 has become the dwelling place of demons,
24:03 a prison for every foul--"
24:06 the word "foul" there means "evil spirit."
24:09 Paul says, "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood
24:11 but principalities and powers and rulers of wickedness
24:13 in high places."
24:16 Well, there are evil spirits that are out there that want
24:18 to deceive, and they're going to use the belief that
24:21 the dead aren't really dead to deceive people.
24:24 The Bible says in Revelation 12:9, "That serpent of old,
24:28 called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world."
24:32 What was the first deception that Satan made?
24:39 God said, "You disobey, you will die."
24:41 What did the devil say?
24:43 "You will not really die."
24:45 And what does most of the world believe?
24:48 That you don't really die.
24:50 Even in churches, pastors are saying, "You don't really die.
24:53 You live forever.
24:55 Somewhere, you just can't die.
24:57 You're immortal."
24:58 The Bible says, you're going to sleep until the resurrection.
25:02 "How does God regard these miracles by evil angels?"
25:05 "A man or a woman who is a medium shall surely be put
25:09 to death."
25:10 Now, I'm not expecting you to go on a rampage
25:12 through the community and fulfill that.
25:14 Just telling you that, when they lived under a theocracy,
25:16 it was the most severe penalty for mediums.
25:21 I'm not suggesting we revive the Salem witch trials.
25:23 Everyone clear on that?
25:26 But there was a pretty severe punishment.
25:29 Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits
25:33 and doctrines of devils."
25:35 And, again, "having no fellowship
25:37 with the unfruitful works of darkness."
25:40 Someone asked last night how I felt about Halloween,
25:43 and I said, "I don't want to have any fellowship
25:44 with the unfruitful works of darkness,"
25:47 Ephesians 5, verse 11.
25:49 "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery,
25:52 fornication, uncleanness, lewdness," and notice,
25:55 "not only idolatry, sorcery."
25:59 "By her sorceries, all nations are deceived,"
26:02 it says, regarding Babylon the great,
26:04 and then it fills out that verse in Galatians chapter 5,
26:07 "Sorcerers will have their part in the lake that burns with fire
26:10 and brimstone, which is the second death."
26:13 It's a pretty severe thing, and, yet there are Christians
26:16 that are promoting sorceries, saying that you can talk
26:18 to the dead.
26:20 "What glorious power does God offer to His people
26:23 in the last days?"
26:25 The power that he's offering us as a gift is the power
26:28 of His resurrection, "That I might know Him
26:31 and the power of His Resurrection."
26:33 Friends, I want to get that new glorified body, don't you?
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Revised 2024-03-30