| Home |
What We Believe |
Our Purpose |
Contact Us |
Pages By Topic |
Pages By Title |
EARNESTLY CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH:
CLARENCE LARKIN:
THE SPIRIT WORLD:
PART 1: CHAPTERS 1-5
(A PDF Copy Of The Complete Book Is Available Here)
(A WordPerfect Copy Of The Complete Book Is Available Here)
CAUTION: The PDF Of This File Is Huge (189 MB); The WordPerfect File is Huge (130 MB)
|
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. THAT IS WHY HE IS GOD. |
|
Do you know for a fact that if you were
to die today that you would not go to hell? If you do not know, click here. |
|
Chapter
1: THE SPIRIT WORLD Chapter 2: THE TRI-UNITY OF GOD Chapter 3: SATAN Chapter 4: THE FALLEN ANGELS Chapter 5: DEMONISM
The Scriptures are full of the "Supernatural." The only cure for the "Materialism" of the present day is to discover what the Scriptures reveal as to the "Spirit World." There is but a step from the "Natural" World to the "Spirit" World. The dividing veil is our "fleshy" bodies. The "Heavenlies" are peopled with Spirit Beings. They are of two classes, good and evil. They are classified as "Seraphim," "Cherubim," "Angels" (Good and Bad), "Principalities," "Powers," "Age Rulers of Darkness," "Wicked Spirits," (Eph 6:12), "Thrones," "Dominions," (Col 1:16), "Fallen Angels," (2Pe 2:4), "Spirits in Prison," (1Pe 3:18-20), "Demons," "Seducing Spirits." 1Ti 4:1. The Angels are "innumerable in number." Heb 12:22. They are "mighty in power" but not almighty. 2Th 1:7. They excel in strength. One angel destroyed 185,000 of the Assyrian army in a night. An angel rolled away the stone from the Tomb of Christ, and one angel shall bind Satan and cast him into the "Bottomless Pit." They are "Glorious" beings (Luk 9:26), and have "great knowledge," but are not Omniscient. The Angels are "Ministering Spirits" to them who are "heirs of salvation," (Heb 1:13, Heb 1:14), and "Executioners of God's Wrath" on the "wicked." 2 Th 1:7-8. They will gather the "elect of Israel" from the four corners of the earth, (Mat 24:31), and are commissioned to supply the physical needs of God's people. Mat 4:11; 1Ki 19:4-8. Among the "Principalities and Powers" of the Spirit World there are three great leaders: 1. Michael. He is mentioned three times in Daniel (Dan 10:13, Dan 10:21; Dan 12:1), where he is called a "Prince" who stands Daniel's People the Jews. He is called in Jude 9 the Archangel. In Rev 12:7 he is seen in command of the Angelic "Army of Heaven." His work seems to be to deliver God's people, particularly the Jews, from the power of Satan, and finally to oust him and his angels from the Heavenlies, and cast them down on to the earth. Rev 12:7-9. He also has something to do with the resurrection of the dead, for he is associated with the "Resurrection" mentioned in Dan 12:1, Dan 12:2, and he contested with the Devil the resurrection of Moses (Jude 9), and the "voice" of the Archangel that will be heard when the "Dead in Christ" shall rise (1Th 4:16), will be the "voice" of Michael, for he is the only Archangel mentioned in the Scriptures. 2. Gabriel. He is mentioned by name four times. In Daniel twice, and in Luke twice. He seems to be associated with the redemptive work of God. He appeared to Daniel (Dan 8:16; Dan 9:21-27), to inform him as to the "time" of Christ's "First Coming," and when the "time had come" he announced to Zacharias the birth of Christ's "Forerunner"?John the Baptist, and later to Mary the birth of Jesus. Luk 1:19, Luk 1:26, Luk 1:27. His position in heaven is lofty, for he said of himself to Zacharias?"I am Gabriel that Stand in the Presence of God." 3. Satan. We speak of Satan last not because he is the least of the three, for in many ways he is the greatest, but because of his evil character. He is the source of all the anarchy and rebellion in the Universe. See the Chapter on Satan.
From what has been said we see that the heavens above us are peopled with "Principalities and Powers of Evil," against which we are warned in Eph 6:12. Job declared that the heavens are not clean in God's sight. Job 15:15. But God will cleanse them, as we shall see, so that Christ and His Bride, the Church, may dwell there safely during the Millennial Reign of Christ. the heavens are not clean in God's sight. Job 15: 15. But God will cleanse them, as we shall see, so that Christ and His Bride, t he Church, may dwell there safely during the Millennial Reign of Christ.
One of the great "Mysteries" of the "Spirit World" is the "TRI-UNITY" of God. The Scriptures clearly teach the distinct personality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. At the Baptism of Jesus there was present the "DIVINE THREE." The "FATHER" was present and spoke, saying, "This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." The "SON" was present in Jesus. And the "HOLY SPIRIT" was present in the form of a "Dove." Mat 3:16-17. The "Tri-Unity" of God is also taught in the Old Testament. In Gen 1:26, we read, "And God said, Let US make man in OUR Image." And when the "Babel Builders" were constructing their "Tower," the Lord said?"Go to, let US go down, and confound their language." Gen 11:7. How to reconcile this "Tri-Unity" with the "Unity" of God is the difficulty. Are there three "Gods," or are there three "Persons" in one "God-Head?" A simple illustration may help us. The "Sun" of our Solar System is a "Trinity." It manifests itself in a "Threefold" manner, "Heat," "Light," and "Chemical Action." These three properties of the Sun make up the Sun itself. Neither one of them by itself is the Sun. The "Heat" of the Sun is not seen, but is felt. The "Light" of the Sun can be seen, and it is the "Light" of the Sun that makes the Sun VISIBLE. The "Chemical Action" of the Sun can neither be seen nor felt, but its power is revealed in the growing plant, and on the photographic plate. To apply our illustration let the "Heat" rays of the Sun correspond to "God the FATHER." He cannot be seen, but He can be felt, for God is LOVE (1Jo 4:7- 1Jo 4:16. Joh 3:16), and love can be felt but not seen. The "Light" rays pf the Sun. correspond to "God the SON." It is the "Son of God" that makes God VISIBLE. The Son (Jesus) came to manifest God. 1Ti 3:16. Jesus said of Himself?"I am the LIGHT OF THE WORLD." Joh 8:12. Joh 1:1-14. Without the Son we would not know what God is like for He came to reveal God, so that He could say?"He that hath seen Me hath seen the FATHER." Joh 14:9. The "Chemical Action" of the Sun corresponds to "God the HOLY SPIRIT." It is the Holy Spirit that gives life and power, and forms the "Image of God" on the sensitive plate of the "Human Heart." As neither the "Heat" or the "Light" or the "Chemical Action" of the Sun is in itself the Sun, but it takes all three to make the Sun, though each has its separate work to perform, so the "Father," "Son" and "Holy Spirit," are not each in Himself God, but they in their united capacity are GOD, each performing His Official function in the creation and preservation of the Universe. As the "Heat," "Light" and "Chemical Action" of the Sun varies according to the seasons, the "Heat" being more intense in summer than in winter, so each Person in the "God-Head" is more manifest in one Age or Dispensation than in another. The Father was manifest in Old Testament times. The Son was manifest during His earthly ministry, and the Holy Spirit is active in this Dispensation. This will explain the words of Jesus in the "Great Commission" (Mat 28:20)?"Lo, I am with you always, even unto- the end of the World (Age)." As we have the SUN with us whenever it manifests itself in either "heat," "light," or "chemical action," so we have GOD with us whenever we have Him in any of his manifestations. So when Jesus said?"Lo, I am with you," He> meant not that He would be personally with them, for His work now is that of a "High Priest" in Heaven, but that "God" would be with them in the person of the HOLY SPIRIT. Jesus went away that the Holy Spirit might come. Joh 16:7-14. Therefore Jesus is not personally present with His people, but God is, for the "God-Head" is now represented on the earth by the Holy Spirit. So while there are three "Personalities" in the "God-Head," there is but ONE GOD. Man is a "Trinity." He is composed of "Spirit," "Soul," and "Body." 1Th 5:23. He is a Trinity because he was made in the "Image of God." Gen 1:26. Therefore like God he is a "Threefold" being. His "Spirit" corresponds with "God the Father," it can be felt but not seen. His "Soul" corresponds with "God the Holy Spirit," it can be neither seen nor felt. His body corresponds with "God the Son," it can be both seen and felt, and makes the man visible.
There are many who deny the existence of Satan. They claim that what we call Satan is only a "principle of evil." That this "evil" is a sort of "malaria," an intangible thing like disease germs that floats about in the atmosphere and attacks people's hearts under certain conditions. The existence of Satan cannot be determined by the opinions of men. The only source of information is the Bible. That is the reason why Satan tries to discredit the Word of God. He is not a "principle of evil" he is a – Person.
He "walketh," he "roareth," he is to be "chained." Rev 20:1-3. These could not be said of a "principle of evil." He has many names or aliases?"Satan," "Devil," "Beelzebub," "Belial," "Adversary," "Dragon," "Serpent." He is mentioned by one or the other of these names 174 times in the Bible.
He is a great "Celestial Potentate." He is
This is more or less shrouded in mystery. One thing is certain, he is a "created being," and that of the most exalted type. He was before his fall
That is, he was the guardian or protector of the "Throne of God." He was perfect in all his ways from the day that he was created, until iniquity was found in him. In him was the "fulness of wisdom," and the "perfection of beauty," but it was his "beauty" that caused the pride that was his downfall. He was clothed in a garment that was covered with the most rare and precious gems, the sardius, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, emerald, carbuncle, all woven in with gold. He dwelt in Eden, the "Garden of God." This probably refers not to the earthly Eden, but to the "Paradise of God" on high, for Satan dwelt on the "Holy Mount of God." All this we learn from Eze 28:11-19, where the Prophet has a "foreview" of the Antichrist under the title of the "King of Tyrus," and as Antichrist is to be an incarnation of Satan, the Prophet here describes Satan's original glory from which he fell. There never has been as yet such a King of Tyrus as is here described.
The cause of Satan's fall is given in Isa 14:12-20. He is there called –
This was his glorious title when he was created, and this world of ours was made, at which time –
It is well to note that the one here called "Lucifer, Son of the Morning," is in verse four (Isa 14:4) also called the "King of Babylon." As there never has been a King of Babylon like the one here described, the description must be that of a "future" King of Babylon. And as "Antichrist is to have for his Capital City Babylon rebuilt," this is probably a "foreview" by the Prophet of Antichrist, as indwelt by "Lucifer," or "Satan," in that day when he shall be "King of Babylon." Some think that when this world was created and fit for habitation Satan was placed in charge of it, and it was then, as Isaiah declares, that Satan said in his heart? "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the 'Stars of God' (other ruling powers) ; I will sit also upon the Mount of the Congregation, in the sides of the North. I will ascend above the clouds; I will be like The MOST HIGH:" and that it was for this presumptuous act that the "Pre-Adamite World" became a chaos, and "without form and void," as described in Gen 1:2. This would justify the claim of Satan that this world belongs to him, and that he had the right and power to transfer the "kingdoms of the world" to Christ, if He would only acknowledge Satan's supremacy. Mat 4:8, Mat 4:9. And it accounts for the persistent war Satan is waging against the Almighty to retain his possession of the earth. When Satan became unwilling to rule the Original earth as a subordinate, and determined to rule it independent of God, he put his own will in opposition to the Will of God. That was "Treason." That was SIN. There was the origin of sin. In thus exalting himself against God "Lucifer" became "SATAN," for "Satan" means "Adversary." To justify himself he accused God. In accusing God he became the "DEVIL," for "Devil" signifies "Accuser." Thus "Lucifer" became both "Satan" and "Devil." This answers the question?"Why did God make the Devil?" He did not make him, he made himself.
God did not create "Evil." "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." Mat 7:15-18. If God did not create "Evil," then how did it originate? It will not do to say?"An enemy hath done this," for then the question will arise, "Who made the enemy"? If Satan did not originate evil in his own heart, then it must have been implanted in his heart from some outside source. This would require the co-existence of "Good" and "Evil" in the Universe, and rob God of His Sovereignty. Some hold that "Evil" is necessary to properly develop and perfect free moral agents. If this be true, then "Evil" must have had an eternal beginning and been in the purpose of God, for all of God's creatures were created "free moral agents." If God had made them otherwise they would have been mere machines with no will of their own. While it is true that overcoming evil perfects character, it is not true that evil is necessary for such perfection. To be a "free moral agent" implies that one has the power of "choice." When God created the angels, and all the glorious beings that He originally created, there was no sin or "Evil" in the Universe. But as free moral agents they had the power of choice, not between "Good" and "Evil," but between following the "Will of God," or their "Own Will." As long as Satan chose the "Will of God" there was no "Evil" in the Universe, but the moment he chose to follow his own Will, then he fell, and by persuading others to follow him he introduced "Evil" into the Universe. The root of sin is SELFISHNESS, and when Satan said?"I will ascend into Heaven (from the original earth over which he was ruling), I will exalt MY THRONE above the 'Stars of God' (other ruling powers) ... I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I WILL BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH" (Isa 14:12-14), then Satan was guilty of TREASON, and started a REBELLION AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD that will never cease until he and all his followers are cast into the "Lake of Fire" to spend Eternity.
The common notion is that Satan and his angels are imprisoned in Hell. This is not true. The angels described in 2Pe 2:4, and Jude 6, as having left their "first estate," and being "reserved in everlasting chains under darkness," are not Satan's angels. They are a special class of angels whose sin caused the Flood. They are the "Spirits in Prison" of whom Peter speaks in 1Pe 3:18-20. Satan and his angels are at liberty. We read in the first and second chapters of Job that it was the custom in Job's day for the "Sons of God" (angels), to appear at stated times in the presence of God to give an account of their stewardship, and that Satan always appeared with them. When the Lord said to Satan? "Whence comest thou?" he replied, "From going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it." Job 1:7; Job 2:2. Satan then was at liberty "on the earth," and had "access to God," and was "not cast out of Heaven" in Job's day, B. C. 2000, and as he has not been cast out since, he must still be at liberty in the heavenlies and on the earth. See Chart of "Satan."
Satan is a King, and has a Kingdom.
From this we see that his Kingdom consists of "Principalities," "Powers," "Age Rulers of Darkness," and "Wicked Spirits in the Heavenlies." These "Principalities" are ruled by "Princes," who control certain nations of our earth, as in the days of Daniel the Prophet, when a heavenly messenger was sent to Daniel, but was hindered "three weeks" from reaching him by the "Prince of the Kingdom of Persia," Satan's ruling "Prince of Persia," until Michael the Archangel came to his rescue. Dan 10:10-14.
1. He Is the Deceiver of the World. By the "World" is meant all those who belong to the "Satanic System," all those who are entangled in Satan's mesh.
Satan deceives by "blinding" the eyes of the world.
To this end Satan has his preachers who preach "another gospel." Gal 1:6-9. That gospel is the "doctrine of devils." 1Ti 4:1. He is the instigator of "The Great Apostasy." Peter, speaking of the "latter times" says –
These "false teachers" are to be seen on every hand. They are those who deny the "Virgin Birth," "Deity," "Bodily Resurrection" and "Personal Premillennial Return" of the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan is very subtle in his methods, and if it were possible he would deceive the very elect. He knows all the great Scripture subjects that are of universal interest to humanity, and he is too wise to attack them openly, so he adulterates them with false doctrine. He has tried to rob the Church of her "Blessed Hope" of the Lord's return by mixing with it a lot of false teaching and "time setting" as seen in "Millerism," "Seventh Day Advent- ism" and "Millennial Dawnism." To prevent mankind from turning to the Lord for healing, he has invented the systems of "Christian Science" and "New Thought." To satisfy the craving of the human mind to know what is going on in the Spirit World, Satan invented "Spiritism." Satan seeing that he could not stamp out the Church by violence and persecution has changed his tactics and is now trying to seduce her into conformity to the world, and to try to better an "Age" that God has doomed to destruction. His present purpose is to build up a "magnificent civilization," and he has deceived the Church into believing that it can bring in the "Millennium," without Christ, by the Betterment of Society. His hope is that the "Gospel of Social Service" will take the place of the "Gospel of Grace," and by diverting the attention of Christian people to "secondary" things, they will neglect the primary work of soul saving, and thus delay the evangelization of the world, and postpone the Return of the Lord, and his own confinement in the Bottomless Pit.
2. He is the Adversary of God's People. The warfare between "Good" and "Evil," as recorded in the Bible from Gen 3:15 to Rev 20:10,- is most intensely interesting reading. Satan tempts Eve. She eats and Adam with her. Result the Fall. Satan to prevent the birth of the "Promised Seed" causes Cain to kill Abel. To bring about the destruction of the human race Satan gets the "Sons of God" to marry the "Daughters of Men." Result the Flood. To destroy the unity of the race Satan suggests the building of the "Tower of Babel." Result the "Confusion of Tongues." But the story is too long. All down through the Old Testament we see Satan at work trying to frustrate the plan of God for the "Redemption of the Race." When the time came that Christ was born it was Satan who prompted Herod to destroy all the male children at Bethlehem under two years of age. It was Satan who tried to overcome Christ when weakened by fasting in the wilderness, and who suggested that He throw Himself down from the Pinnacle of the Temple. The attempt of the people to throw Christ from the hilltop at Nazareth, and the two storms on the sea of Galilee were plans of Satan to destroy Christ; and when foiled in these Satan renewed the fight through Priests and Pharisees, and succeeded at last in getting Judas to sell his Master. Then, amid the shades of Gethsemane, he sought to kill Christ by physical weakness before He could reach the Cross and make atonement for sin, When Christ was crucified Satan thought he had at last conquered, but when Christ rose from the dead Satan's rage knew no bounds. In all probability Satan and his angels contested the Ascension of Christ, and the history of the Christian Church is but one long story of the "Irrepressible Conflict" between Satan and God's people.
As we have seen Satan still has his abode in the "Heavenlies" and has access to God. But the time is coming when he shall be cast out of the "Heavenlies" on to the earth (Rev 12:9-12), and there shall be great "WOE" on the earth because of Satan's wrath, that he shall exercise through the "Beast," the "ANTICHRIST" (Rev 13:2-8), for he will then know that his time "IS SHORT," only 3 ½ years. At the close of the "Tribulation Period," the "Beast" and the "False Prophet" will be cast "alive" into the "Lake of Fire," and an angel from Heaven will seize Satan and bind him with a great chain, already forged, and cast him into the "Bottomless Pit," where he shall remain for 1000 years. Rev 20:1-3. At the end of which time he shall be loosed for a season, and then with his angels he shall be cast into the "Lake of Fire" prepared for him in the long ago to spend the Ages of the Ages. Rev 20:7-10. Mat 25:41.
In 2 Pe 2:4-5, we read –
Who are these angels? They are not Satan's angels, for his angels are free, and like him roam about, but these angels are in "prison," "in darkness," and "reserved in chains" for judgment. The place of their confinement is not Hell, but Tartarus. See the Chart and Chapter on "The Underworld." What was their sin? It was "fornication," and fornication of an abnormal character, the unlawful sexual intercourse of angelic beings with "STRANGE FLESH," that is with beings of a different nature. When was this sin committed? The text says in the "Days of Noah," and that it was the cause of the Flood. For the details we must go back to the time before the Flood. In Gen 6:1-4 we read –
Who were these "SONS OF GOD"? Some claim that they were the Sons of "SETH," and that the "Daughters of MEN" were the daughters of "CAIN," and that what is meant is that the Sons of the supposedly godly line of Seth, intermarried with the godless daughters of Cain, the result being a godless race. That the "Sons of God" were the descendants of Seth is based on the assumption that the descendants of Seth lived apart from the descendants of Cain up to a time shortly before the Flood, and that they were a pure and holy race, while the descendants of Cain were ungodly, and their women irreligious and carnal minded, and possessed of physical attractions that were foreign to the women of the tribe of Seth. Such an assumption has no foundation in Scripture. Be sure it says in Gen 4:26, that after the birth of Enos, a son of Seth, that men began to call upon the Lord, but it does not follow that those men were limited to the descendants of Seth, nor that all the descendants of Seth from that time were righteous. As in the early days of the race it was necessary that brothers and sisters and near relatives should marry, it was very unlikely that the descendants of Seth and Cain did not intermarry until some time before the Flood, and stranger still that when they did marry their offspring would be a race of "giants" or "Mighty Men." It is worthy of note that nothing is said of giantesses, or "Mighty Women," which would have been the case if it were simply a union of the sons of Seth, and the daughters of Cain. As both the descendants of Seth (except 8 persons) and of Cain were destroyed in the Flood, it is evident that they were not separate tribes at that time and were equally sinners in the sight of God.
If the sons of Seth and the daughters of Cain were meant why did not Moses, who wrote the Pentateuch, say so? It is not sufficient to say that the men of Moses' time knew what he meant. The Scriptures are supposed to mean what they say. When MEN, we are told, began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the "Sons of God" saw the "daughters of MEN." The use of the word MEN signifies the whole Adamic race, and not simply the descendants of Cain, thus distinguishing the "Sons of God" from the descendants of Adam. There is no suggestion of contrast if the "Sons of God" were also men. Four names are used in Gen 6:1-4. "Bne-Ha-Elohim," rendered "Sons of God"; "Bnoth-Ha-Adam," "daughters of men"; "Hans-Nephilim," "giants"; "Hog-Gibborim, "Mighty Men." The title "Bne-Ha-Elohim," "Sons of God," has not the same meaning in the Old Testament that it has in the New. In the New Testament it applies to those who have become the "Sons of God" by the New Birth. Joh 1:12; Rom 8:14-16; Gal 4:6; 1Jo 3:1-2. In the Old Testament it applies exclusively to the angels, and is so used five times. Twice in Genesis (Gen 6:2-4) and three times in Job, where Satan, an angelic being, is classed with the "Sons of God." Job 1:6, Job 2:1, Job 38:7. A "Son of God" denotes a being brought into existence by a creative act of God. Such were the angels, and such was Adam, and he is so called in Luk 3:38. Adam's natural descendants are not the special creation of God. Adam was created in the "likeness of God" (Gen 5:1), but his descendants were born in his likeness, for we read in Gen 5:3, that Adam "begat a son in. HIS OWN LIKENESS, AFTER HIS IMAGE." Therefore all men born of Adam and his descendants by natural generation are the "SONS OF MEN," and it is only by being "BORN AGAIN" (Joh 3:3-7), which is a "NEW CREATION," that they can become the "SONS OF GOD" in the New Testament sense. That the "Sons of God" of Gen 6:1-4 were ANGELS was maintained by the ancient Jewish Synagogue, by Hellenistic Jews at, and before, the time of Christ, and by the Christian Church up until the Fourth Century, when the interpretation was changed to "sons of Seth" for two reasons. First, because the worship of angels had been set up, and if the "Sons of God" of Gen 6:1-4 were angels and fell, then angels might fall again, and that possibility would affect the worship of angels. The second reason was, that Celibacy had become an institution of the Church, and if it was taught that the angels in heaven did not marry, and yet that some of them seduced by the beauty of womanhood came down from heaven to gratify their amorous propensities, a weakness of a similar kind in one of the "earthly angels" (Celibates) might be the more readily excused. In the Eighteenth Century the "Angelic Interpretation" was revived, and is now largely held by Biblical scholars. The objection to the "Angelic Interpretation" is based on the words of Jesus as to the marriage relation of the redeemed in Heaven, when He said –
The legitimate conclusion from this statement is, that the Angels do not marry, but it does not therefore follow that they are "sexless." It says they do not marry in Heaven, not that they do not have the power of procreation, but that it is not the nature of "Holy Angels" to seek such a relationship. But it does not follow that if they have the power they will not exercise it in a fallen state. What these passages teach is that angels do not multiply by procreation. Angels as far as we know were created "en masse," and as they are immortal, and never die, there is no necessity for marriage among them. Marriage is a human institution to prevent the extinction of the race by death. If the bodies of the dead are to be resurrected, as the Scriptures clearly teach, the inference is that those bodies will be male and female. To teach otherwise is to declare that such a relationship as husband and wife and sister and brother will be unknown in Heaven. As the bodies of the Righteous dead after they have been resurrected and glorified are immortal, and shall never die again, there will be no necessity for the Righteous in Heaven to marry, and therefore the marriage relation will be discontinued, but it does not follow husbands and wives will not know each other "as such" in the other world. See the Chapter on "Recognition and Relationship in the Spirit World."
Another fact worthy of note is, that the angels are always spoken of as of the masculine gender. We meet with "Bne-Ha-Elohim," "sons of Elohim" (God), but never with "Bnoth-Ha-Elohim," "daughters of Elohim" (God). The inference is that all the angels are of the masculine gender, that is are males. If this be true, the reason why they do not marry in Heaven is because there are no female angels to marry. But it does not follow that they do not have male generative organs and cannot cohabit with females of the human race. It is highly improbable that angels by sinking lower in the scale of being could acquire sexual power of which they had previously been destitute, and yet they have such power if we are to believe the statement of Gen 6:1-4. The whole thing hinges on the correspondence between the bodies of angels and the bodies of human beings. Angels and human beings are members of the great family of God, and this "kinship" between them implies a relationship that under certain conditions might result in a fruitful marriage union. Angels are "Spirit Beings" clothed in celestial bodies. These bodies are not ethereal in the sense that they are mere "ether," for they have a materialistic form and can fly (Dan 9:21, Rev 14:6-7) and assume the form of a man, and could eat of Abraham's calf (Gen 18:1-8), and of Lot's unleavened bread (Gen 19:1-3). Man is also a "Spirit Being" clothed in a material body of flesh, and hereafter, as a redeemed man, is to have a "Spirit body" like unto the angels. As someone has said man is now "half-beast" and "half- angel," but some day will be all angel. "As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the Heavenly." 1Co 15:49. Are men and angels then so dissimilar that under certain conditions there could not be a union between them? Man was made in the "Image of God," not only spiritually, but in a sense physically. While God is a "Spirit," because a "Spiritual Being," it is not to be supposed that He has no form. We cannot conceive of a being that has eyes, and ears, and can speak, but what has a form. And the inference from the Scriptures is that all the "Higher Intelligences" of the Heavenly World, as the Seraphim, Cherubim, Angels, Archangels, Satan, etc., are patterned after the "Image" of God, and that that pattern is that of the human body, for man structurally is the "Masterpiece" of the Almighty. Psa 8:3-9. The fact that when angels appeared to men they always appeared in the form of a man, and not in the form of an animal, or bird, is inferential evidence that angels are men. The statement in Gen 3:1, "Now-the 'Serpent' was more subtle than any BEAST of the field," and the title of "DRAGON" given to Satan in Rev 12:7-9, implies that Satan when it suits his purpose takes the form of a beast, but he is generally spoken of as appearing as an "ANGEL OF LIGHT." 2Co 11:14. If man was made in the "IMAGE OF GOD," and after His "LIKENESS" (Gen 1:26-27), it stands to reason that when God would manifest Himself to men, it would be in the form of a man. The assumption then of the human form by Jesus at His Incarnation was the necessary law of His being. He could not have appeared in any other form and been GODLIKE. When the Apostle speaks of Jesus as being in the "form of God," and taking upon Himself the "form of a servant" and being made in the "LIKENESS OF MEN" (Phi 2:5-8), he simply means that Jesus took upon Himself human nature and subjected Himself to its limitations. For the form of a servant is the same as the form of his master, though his knowledge may be less.
When Jesus ascended He ascended as a MAN, and He is now in Heaven the "MAN CHRIST JESUS." 1Ti 2:5. And as a MAN John had a vision of Him in the midst of the "Seven Candlesticks." Rev 1:10-20. If the human body is not made after the pattern of the Heavenly, then Jesus in the form of a MAN in Heaven is out of harmony with His environment, and we have the anomalous condition of the second person in the Trinity now being different in form from the Father and the Holy Spirit. If Jesus came to reveal the Father, then what did He mean when He said?"He that hath seen ME, hath SEEN THE FATHER" (Joh 14:8-11), if He was not a revelation of God in His person as well as in His works ? As no mortal being in the flesh can look on the person of God and live (Exo 33:18-23), it was necessary that Jesus should veil His Deity in human flesh, but the veil of the flesh became transparent on the Mount of Transfiguration, and three of His Disciples beheld His Glorious Heavenly Form, that of a Man. Mat 17:1-2. Joh 1:14. 2Pe 1:16-18. We know from the first three chapters of Genesis that God visited the "Garden of Eden" and talked with Adam. We also know that Satan, a "Fallen Angel," also was a visitor to the Garden, for it was there that he tempted the first pair. May it not have been true that Adam and Eve had other angelic visitors, because of the "kinship" between them? It would be interesting to know what would have been the relation between the Adamic and Angelic races if Adam had not fallen. Is not the difference between them, caused by the Fall, more of a spiritual than a physical one, and, if so, where does the impossibility of physical intercourse come in? What effect the Fall had upon the physical state of Adam and Eve is an interesting question. We are told that as a result of the Fall their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked. Gen 3:7. Why did they not know that before? Is it true, as some have supposed, that before the Fall a sort of "Halo" acted as a veil to hide their nakedness, and by the Fall they lost this? While the first pair were told to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth (Gen 1:28), showing that it had been inhabited before, the inference is that that union would have been of the most pure and chaste character, but the Fall so changed the human heart as to cause man to fall below the brute creation in yielding to lust, and if this be true of fallen man, why not true of "Fallen Angels"? As the Fall of man did not sever completely the communication of angelic beings with the race, we see no reason why fallen angelic beings could not be attracted by the beauty and comeliness of the females of a race, inferior, but not so far removed from them, and desire to have intimate companionship with them.
In Rev 12:7-12, we read that when Satan and his angels are cast out of the Heavenlies onto the earth there will be great "woe." As this will be in the midst of the "Tribulation Period," and as we read?"As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the Days of the Son of Man" (Luk 17:26-27), it may be that this new invasion of the earth by "Fallen Angels" will be attended with like conduct on their part as that of the Fallen Angels of Noah's day. There is a statement in Gen 3:15, that seems to throw considerable light on the subject we are discussing. It reads?"I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman (Eve), and between THY SEED (Anti- Christ) and HER SEED (Christ): IT (Christ) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel." From this it seems clear that Satan has the power of procreation, and that he will beget a son - "THE ANTICHRIST," called in 2Th 2:3, the "SON OF PERDITION." While "Perdition" is a PLACE (Rev 17:8, Rev 17:11), and also a "condition" into which men may fall (1Ti 6:9; Heb 10:39), the author of it is SATAN, and "Antichrist" in the above passage is called the "SON OF PERDITION" because he is the son of the author of "Perdition," or SATAN. As Christ was born of a "virgin" by the Holy Spirit without the instrumentality of a human father, so it would appear that Antichrist, in imitation of the birth of Christ, is to be born of a woman (not necessarily a virgin) with Satan as his father. This is no new view, but has been held by many of God's spiritually minded children since the days of the Apostle John. See my book on Revelation, pages 116-118. If Satan then has the power of procreation, why not his and other Fallen Angels? As further evidence as to the possibility of angelic beings having intercourse with human beings it might be well to cite the treatment of the angels that came to Sodom, by the men of Sodom, which incident is connected with the account of the "Fallen Angels" in 2Pe 2:4-6, and Jude 6-7. From the account in Gen 19:1-11, it is clear that the men of Sodom sought to seize the two angels that came to Lot that they might commit the unnatural vice of Sodomy with them, as described in Rom 1:26-27, thus revealing that the angels had the generative organs of men. When Moses sent the twelve spies into Canaan (Num 13:1-33), they reported on their return?"And there we saw the 'giants' (Nephilim), the sons of Anak, which come of the Giants (Nephilim); and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." Where did these giants, called "Nephilim," the same as the "Giants" of Gen 6:1-4, come from? They did not come from the other side of the Flood, unless there was such blood in Noah and his sons and their wives, which we must believe that God prevented, for the purpose of the Flood was to destroy such contamination of the race. Does it not look as if even after the Flood there were some sporadic cases of angelic intercourse with the daughters of men, and was not this the reason why God called for the extermination of the Canaanites that He might blot out the descendants of the Nephilim? This interpretation is confirmed by the words of Gen 6:4 –
The statement that the sin of the "Fallen Angels" was that they left their "First Estate," the "Kingdom of the Air," to descend to the earth for the purpose of going after "STRANGE FLESH," ought to forever settle the character of that sin to every one who believes the word of God. Lastly, the monstrous character of the "offspring" of the "Sons of God" and the "daughters of men" is proof that the "Sons of God" were not men. Their offspring were "Giants" – "Mighty Men," who were so wicked that it is said of them, that "every imagination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil continually." Gen 6:5. Godly men have married ungodly women, but their offspring have never been such "monstrosities" as the offspring of the "Sons of God" and the "Daughters of Men" of Noah's day. The word translated "giant" means the "FALLEN ONES," which is further proof that the "giants" of those days were sons of "Fallen Angels." The "sons of Seth" and the "daughters of Cain" had doubtless often intermarried before that time,, but no such children were born to them or they would have appeared before. Why do not "Mighty Men" spring from the union of "godly men" and "godless women" today? Is it not a fact that the offspring of such persons are not as a rule above the average size of mankind? But we would expect the offspring of angelic and human beings to be out of the ordinary, and would be surprised if they were not. We would expect them not only to be great in size, but in mentality, whereas in modern times "giants" are not conspicuous for mentality. As the older nations of the earth have traditions, and in some cases records of the Flood, showing that they can trace their origin back to that catastrophe, we have in these traditions the source or origin whence the classic writers of antiquity obtained their conception of the "Gods" and "Demi-Gods" whose loves for members of the human race led to the birth of beings half human and half divine. Thus the writers of antiquity, who must have had some basis for their stories, indirectly confirm our contention that the "Sons of God" of Gen 6:1-4. whose descendants are described as "Mighty Men," were more than human, that they were of heavenly origin.
We are reading a great deal in these days about "Spiritualism," or the communication of the living with the dead. What is called "Spiritism" is DEMONISM, and is forbidden in the Scriptures. Lev 20:6, Lev 20:27. Deu 18:10-11. Isa 8:19. The "Familiar Spirits" of the Old Testament are the same as the "Demons" and "Seducing Spirits" of the New Testament. Of the revival of "Spiritism" in these days we have been fully warned in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, says –
The phrase "forbidding to marry" does not refer to "celibacy," but to the abrogation of the marriage relation, the practice of "FREE LOVE" and the doctrine of "AFFINITIES," which Spiritism leads to. The phrase "Abstain From Meats" is not a reference to fasting, but the requirement of a "vegetable diet." It is a well-known fact that a "vegetable diet" renders the body more susceptible to spiritual forces than a meat diet. The close connection of this warning of the Apostle with the words?"Refuse profane and 'OLD WIVES' FABLES,'" in verse seven, is doubtless a reference to some of the "ISMS" of these last days. For "Christian Science" is but an "OLD WIFE'S" Fable, for Mrs. Eddy was an "Old Wife" in the sense that she had been many times married. It is an indisputable fact that most of the "Witches" and "Mediums" of Scripture, and these “Latter Days," were and are women. It was through Eve and not Adam that Satan sought to destroy the race. The reason may be that the nervous and impressionable character of women is better adapted to demon influence.
The revival of "Spiritism," or "DEMONISM," is one of the "Signs of the Times," and should be a warning to every true child of God of the approaching end of the Age. The "Demons" belong to the "Powers of Dark ness." They are not few in number, but are a great "Martialed Host," veterans in the service of Satan. Their central camp or abode is the "Bottomless Pit" from which they "sally forth" at the command of their leader. Rev 9:1-11. They are not angels. Angels have bodies. But the fact that demons can enter in, and take possession of, and control human beings and animals (swine), is proof that they are "Disembodied Spirits." They are supposed by many to be the "spirits" of the inhabitants of the "Pre- Adamite Earth," whose sin caused its wreck, and whose bodies were destroyed in the catastrophe that overwhelmed it, and their desire and purpose in entering human bodies is to re-embody themselves again on the earth where they once lived. That the "Demons" have a personality is clear from the fact that Jesus conversed with them, asked them questions, and received answers. Luk 8:26-33. They are possessed of more than ordinary intelligence. They know that Jesus is the "Son of God," and that they are finally to be confined in a place of "Torment." Mat 8:29.
They can cause DUMBNESS (Mat 9:32-33), and BLINDNESS (Mat 12:22), and INSANITY (Luk 8:26-35), and the SUICIDAL MANIA (Mar 9:22), and PERSONAL INJURIES (Mar 9:18), and impart SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH (Luk 8:29) and inflict PHYSICAL DEFECTS AND DEFORMITIES. Luk 13:11-17. Once they have got control over a human body they can come and go at will. Luk 11:24-26. The Devilish character of "Demons" is seen in the use they make of their victims. They use them as "instruments of unrighteousness," (Rom 6:13), for the proclamation of the "DOCTRINES OF DEVILS," (1Ti 4:1), and the teaching of "DAMNABLE HERESIES." 2 Pe 2:1. The effect of such use of the victim is not only unmoral, it is IMMORAL. It leads to vicious and inhuman conduct. The conduct of "demonized" men an women seems to indicate that the "Demon" takes posses sion of them for the purpose of physical sensual gratification, thus letting us into the secret of the cause of the wreck of the Pre-Adamite Earth, the SIN OF SENSUALITY. This accounts for the desire of the victim to live in a state of nudity; to have lustful and licentious thoughts. In these days of increasing tendency to yield to "Seducing Spirits" it may account for the immodesty of fashionable attire, and the craze of dancing. The purpose of the "Demon" is often to alienate husband and wife, and break up homes by preaching the doctrine of "FREE LOVE." In short, the "Demon," for personal gratification, has the power, once he is in control of his victim, to derange both mind and body, and wreck the victim's health, and if deliverance is not obtained by turning to Christ, who alone has power to cast out the Demon, the victim will be lost soul and body.
Demon-possession must not be confounded with diseases, such as "Epilepsy," which causes the victim to fall in convulsions, foam at the mouth and gnash the teeth, for the Scriptures make a clear distinction between them. Mat 4:24. In 1 Co 10:20-21 we read –
This passage proves that behind all heathen worship there is the "Spirit of Demonism," or "DEVIL WORSHIP," and accounts for the "wild orgies" and voluptuous and licentious mode of worship of the heathen. Satan's angels are spoken of as "Wandering Spirits," and "Lying," and "Wicked Spirits." They are invisible, and can enter homes and hear the secrets of the family. They can see every act of impurity. Thus through mediums they can give information known only to the individual himself. They can disclose the past, and to a limited extent have prescience enough to foretell the future. The "Demons" are different. They simply incarnate themselves in human beings, take possession of their personality, and use them for their own base and unclean purposes. The "Wandering Spirits" do not enter in and take possession of the person, they simply exercise an outward "control," as in Hypnotism. When the "Medium" has passed into the "hypnotic state" the "Control" (Wandering Spirit) directs her what to say. This is conveyed in the language of the Medium, and the character of the language is dependent on the education or mentality of the Medium, and accounts for messages purporting to come from scholarly persons being so unlike their language when alive.
The story of Saul and the "Witch of Endor" stands by itself. It was put in the Bible to show how God punishes the "Sin of Witchcraft," and to expose the fraudulency of Spiritism. Samuel was dead, and Saul had put away those that had "Familiar Spirits," and the "Wizards," out of the land. 1Sa 28:3-25. But when the Philistines came up as a great host and pitched in Shunem Saul was afraid and greatly troubled, and enquired of the Lord, but the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets, and so Saul decided to consult a "Medium," that is, a woman under the "control" of a "Familiar Spirit." Upon inquiry he discovered that there was such a woman at Endor about seven or eight miles away. Waiting for the shelter of the night he went in disguise, accompanied by two attendants, to the Witch's cave in the recesses of the mountains. Passing into the interior of the cave, dimly lighted, perhaps, by a fire of wood, King Saul accosted the woman in words that reveal the identity of her craft with that of the modern Medium, saying, "I pray thee, divine unto me by the 'Familiar Spirit,' and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee." The woman was at first suspicious, fearing that it was a snare set for her, and replied, that Saul had forbidden the practice of "Witchcraft," but being assured by Saul in a strange oath, in which he swore by the name of the Lord, that no harm should befall her for breaking the law of the Lord, she said?"Whom shall I bring up unto thee?" And he said, "Bring me up Samuel." The woman doubtless began to make her usual preparations, expecting to go into a trance-like condition and be used by her "Control" or "Familiar Spirit," who would impersonate the person called for. But the usual procedure was cut short by a "Spirit" rising, like a "wraith," out of the earth, and visible only to the woman. So unexpected and unusual was the appearance of the "Spirit," thus disclosing the fraudulency of Spiritism, that the woman shrieked in terror and affright and said to Saul, "Why hast thou deceived me? For thou art Saul." This doubtless was made known to her by the "Familiar Spirit," who saw through Saul's disguise. The king said unto her, "Be not afraid: for what sawest thou?" And the woman said, "I saw gods ascending out of the earth." To her terrified vision there were many, but when Saul asked, "What form is he of?" she replied, "An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle." At once Saul perceived it was Samuel, and bowing himself waited for Samuel to speak, which Samuel did, saying in a reproachful way – "Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up"? The woman's "Familiar Spirit" was not a factor in the bringing up of Samuel. God took the matter out of his hands. "Familiar" or "Evil Spirits" may impersonate the dead, but they cannot produce them. Only God can do that.. And Samuel is the only one mentioned in the Scriptures that God so produced. The case of Samuel then is no proof that a "Medium," or her "Control," can produce the "spirit" of the dead. The fact is that as soon as the "Spirit" of Samuel appeared the woman and her "Familiar Spirit" were sidetracked. They had nothing more to do with the proceedings. The conversation that followed was not between Saul and the "Familiar Spirit," but between Saul and Samuel. From Genesis to Revelation this is the only instance in the Scriptures where God permitted the dead to come back and hold communication with the living. While there are other cases where the "spirit" of the dead came back, as in the raising of the daughter of Jairus, the widow of Nain's son, and Lazarus, their mind was blank as to their experience while in the other world, it having faded away as a dream when the body awakes. They came not back as "spirits" but as raised persons. They did not receive their Resurrection bodies. They afterward died again. But Samuel's "spirit" was not re-embodied, and therefore he was not disqualified from telling what he knew of the other world. But you ask how about those of whom it is said in Mat 27:52-53, "That many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His Resurrection, and went into the Holy City, and appeared unto many," was not that Spiritism? No. Those were resurrected persons. They had their Resurrection bodies. With Jesus they made up the "First Fruits" of the "Resurrection Harvest," and ascended with Him to Heaven, and are now there, like Enoch, Moses, and Elijah, in their bodies. Their appearance in Jerusalem to those who were alive in the flesh, reveals not only the possibility, but the manner of communication between the risen saints and the people of the Millennial Earth, during the Millennium. The appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration is no proof of Spiritism. They were present not as "spirits" but in their GLORIFIED BODIES. If it be urged that God broke His own law against "Spiritism" by permitting the "Spirit" of Samuel to come back from the other world, the answer is that Samuel was sent back to rebuke those who resort to "Familiar Spirits," and to pronounce sentence on King- Saul for breaking that law, for we read in 1Ch 10:13, that Saul died for his transgression in asking counsel of one who had a "Familiar Spirit." There are some who stumble at the words of Samuel – "Tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me" (1Sa 28:19), and say, how could that be? If Samuel was in Paradise, Saul and his sons being wicked could not go there. Therefore they reason it could not have been the "Spirit" of Samuel that appeared to Saul, but an "evil spirit" from the "Underworld." But we must not forget that in the time of Samuel Paradise was in the "Underworld," and was separated from the Hell section by an impassable Gulf, so that when Saul and his sons were slain their souls went to the "Hell" section of the "Underworld," and they were with Samuel in the sense that both they and Samuel were in the "Underworld," though one was in the "Paradise" section while the others were in the "Hell" section separated only by a gulf. This accounts for why Samuel's "spirit" came up out of the earth, and not down from Heaven. As further confirmation that it was really Samuel who appeared we have his stinging rebuke to Saul. Most so-called communications from the dead are vague, cryptic, and couched in language intended to leave a favorable impression. But it was not so with Samuel. He spoke in the severest terms to Saul, and told him that the Lord had rent the Kingdom from him and given it to his neighbor, David, and was about to deliver Israel into the hands of the Philistines, and that tomorrow Saul and his sons would die. 1Sa 28:16-19. Samuel disclosed nothing as to the state of those in the "Underworld," except as to the state of the Righteous dead, which he declared to be a state of rest and quietness, and that Saul had disturbed him by calling for him. In this statement we have a revelation of the state of the Righteous dead in Paradise between the death and resurrection of the body. If it is forbidden in the Scriptures for a child of God to have recourse to a "Familiar Spirit," then it follows that it is equally wrong for the "spirits" of the Christian dead to try or consent to communicate with the living. By so doing both break the law of God. And what is true of the Righteous dead is true of the Wicked dead. If the persuasive pleading of the Rich Man in Hell could not secure the sending back of the "spirit" of Lazarus to the earth to warn his brethren, how can a "Medium" with the help of a "Familiar Spirit" prevail on the "spirits" of the dead to return? There is no need for us to resort to "Spiritism" to find out about the state of the dead, for we have a full revelation of the state of both the Christian and Christless dead given us in the Holy Scriptures. "We have Moses and the Prophets, let us hear them. Luk 16:29-31, "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 the 'Word,' it is because there is no light in them." Isa 8:19-20. To tamper with "Spiritism" is to put one's-self on Satan's ground, and to throw one's-self open to invasion by a Demon, or to the "control" of an "Evil Spirit" from the "Dark Zone," whose power it may be impossible to break. |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Back To Previous Topic | Back To Contents Page | Forward To Next Topic |
| Back To Top | Back To Bible Prophecy Main Page | Back To Home Page |
