>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
00:00:19.68\00:00:21.32
I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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You might not have
heard of Snodgrass Hill.
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It's an
unassuming sort of mound.
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Standing at 896 feet,
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there are 885 summits
in the state of Tennessee
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higher than Snodgrass Hill.
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But it's a significant landmark
for a number of reasons.
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It's located in the Chickamauga
National Battlefield,
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nine miles or so
from downtown Chattanooga.
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¤[dramatic music]¤
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The Battle of Gettysburg
saw by far the most casualties
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of any Civil War skirmish,
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but second was the
Battle of Chickamauga,
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which took place
in September of 1863:
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34,500 casualties,
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4,000 dead,
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25,000 injured,
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and more than 6,000
captured or missing.
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There was a lot
of death and hurt.
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And Snodgrass Hill saw
plenty of it in the northwest
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of what is now the Chickamauga
National Military Park.
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One of the most significant
things related to Snodgrass Hill
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is not a "what" but a "who."
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Or a "what," or maybe a "who."
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I guess it
depends on who you ask.
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There's a story told
about a certain soldier.
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No one seems to know his name.
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But in this story, the
soldier who fought in the bloody
00:01:41.43\00:01:45.37
Battle of Chickamauga
lost his head, literally.
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The story goes that a
cannonball took his head off,
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and that ever since, he's been
roaming the battlefield at night
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searching for his body.
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The story began circulating
shortly after the battle
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was over, but what seems to
have given the story credence
00:02:02.45\00:02:06.42
is an account given by a man
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who at one time was the
chief ranger of the battlefield.
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He claimed to have
encountered "Old Green Eyes,"
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as the ghost is known.
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He said he was walking in
the battlefield one morning
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around four o'clock,
walking along a road,
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when "an apparition came at me."
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He said it was wearing something
like a long trench coat,
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and it turned and looked at him.
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He said the hair on
his neck just stood up.
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He told a
Chattanooga news channel,
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"I know people
don't believe in ghosts,
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but I know what I
saw, and it wasn't human."
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¤[eerie music]¤
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So what's up
with Old Green Eyes?
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Does he exist? Is he real?
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And for that matter, are
ghosts real? Do ghosts exist?
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The answers to these
questions are important
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when it comes to
matters of faith.
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The Bible speaks a lot to the
subject in a very specific way,
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and many people aren't aware
of what the Bible plainly says.
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Ghost stories have been
told for...years and years.
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And there are some famous ghosts
and some famous ghost stories.
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The ghost of Anne Boleyn,
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the second wife of
British king Henry VIII,
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is said to haunt
the Tower of London,
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as well as her childhood home,
25 miles southeast of the tower,
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in Kent.
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It's claimed that some have seen
the ghost of Benjamin Franklin,
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one of the founding
fathers of the United States.
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In fact, it's said that
the statue of Franklin in front
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of the American Philosophical
Society building in Philadelphia
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comes to life and has been
seen dancing in the street.
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A young Robert E. Lee
has been seen, apparently,
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at his childhood home
in Alexandria, Virginia,
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and has been known
to ring the doorbell
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and rearrange
objects in the house.
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People say they've
heard the 4-year-old Lee
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giggling in the hallways.
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Aaron Burr, the man who shot
and killed Alexander Hamilton
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in a duel in 1804, is said to
break dishes and move furniture
00:04:09.58\00:04:14.45
at a restaurant
in New York City,
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while the spirit of
Hamilton haunts the area
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near his burial
site in Manhattan.
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Or so they say.
00:04:22.16\00:04:23.69
Similar stories are told about
George Washington, Betsy Ross,
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Abraham Lincoln.
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Mary Todd Lincoln, the
wife of the 16th president
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of the United States,
claimed that she heard
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President Andrew
Jackson stomping and swearing
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in the Rose Room
in the White House--
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of course, long
after he had died.
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Although it's interesting
that it's said Mary Todd Lincoln
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was a spiritualist, who attended
séances even in the White House
00:04:46.65\00:04:51.52
and believed in the occult.
00:04:51.55\00:04:53.42
It's said that she
even believed that Willie,
00:04:53.46\00:04:55.26
the Lincolns' son who
died at the age of 11,
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would visit her at night
and stand at the end of her bed.
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So what do we
make of these stories?
00:05:04.37\00:05:06.90
Does a soldier
decapitated in the Civil War
00:05:06.94\00:05:10.17
roam the
Chickamauga Battlefield?
00:05:10.21\00:05:12.71
Does Anne Boleyn, who
incidentally also lost her head,
00:05:12.74\00:05:15.81
still hang around
the Towel of London
00:05:15.84\00:05:17.68
almost 500 years
after she was executed?
00:05:17.71\00:05:20.88
We're going to
answer some questions:
00:05:20.92\00:05:23.15
Are ghosts real?
00:05:23.18\00:05:25.09
If they are, what are they?
00:05:25.12\00:05:28.19
And what does the
Bible say about ghosts?
00:05:28.22\00:05:31.09
What does God say?
00:05:31.13\00:05:32.79
How do we look at this
from a biblical perspective?
00:05:32.83\00:05:37.40
There are some famous
so-called haunted houses
00:05:37.43\00:05:41.40
all over the world.
00:05:41.44\00:05:42.77
In the United States
there's the house in Fall River,
00:05:42.80\00:05:45.07
Massachusetts, in which
Lizzie Borden, at the age of 32,
00:05:45.11\00:05:49.48
may or may not have
killed her father and stepmother
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with an ax.
00:05:52.95\00:05:54.15
She was
acquitted of the murders.
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The home in which the Bordens
died is said to be haunted.
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Northwest of
Nashville, Tennessee,
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is the Bell Witch Cave.
00:06:02.29\00:06:04.83
While it's not a
home, it's on the property
00:06:04.86\00:06:07.50
where John Bell and his
family lived in the early 1800s.
00:06:07.50\00:06:11.23
They started
seeing strange things
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and hearing strange noises and
even spoke with whatever it was
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roaming around the place, a
deceased neighbor apparently.
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There's the Biltmore Estate
in Asheville, North Carolina,
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the Winchester House
in San Jose, California,
00:06:22.81\00:06:26.25
and a home in Amityville
on Long Island, New York,
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in which several
people were murdered,
00:06:29.75\00:06:32.42
where the haunting got so bad
that the new owners of the home
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moved out only a
month after they moved in.
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But what does the Bible say?
00:06:39.79\00:06:42.43
Should you believe in ghosts?
00:06:42.46\00:06:44.73
Should you be scared by ghosts?
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We're going to find
out in just a moment.
00:06:47.80\00:06:50.37
¤[music swells and ends]¤
00:06:50.41\00:06:57.41
>>John: I want to encourage
you to get today's free offer.
00:06:59.35\00:07:01.92
It is "The Mystery of Death."
00:07:01.95\00:07:04.82
This small book
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00:07:04.85\00:07:06.42
all of the
important questions you have
00:07:06.45\00:07:08.32
about what happens when you die,
00:07:08.36\00:07:10.19
about the existence of ghosts.
00:07:10.23\00:07:12.33
It'll settle it for you from the
Word of God as to whether or not
00:07:12.36\00:07:15.56
spirits come back
from the spirit world
00:07:15.60\00:07:18.13
to visit us where we are.
00:07:18.17\00:07:19.80
"The Mystery of Death."
00:07:19.83\00:07:21.34
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00:07:21.37\00:07:24.24
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:07:24.27\00:07:28.84
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today
00:07:29.98\00:07:31.25
on It Is Written.
00:07:31.28\00:07:32.71
Ghosts, they're
everywhere, apparently.
00:07:32.75\00:07:36.48
There are stories of
apparitions and hauntings
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and haunted houses.
00:07:39.49\00:07:41.66
And then there's Halloween,
which sees people every year
00:07:41.69\00:07:44.83
decorate--if, if
that's the right word--
00:07:44.86\00:07:47.76
decorate their homes
with, with faux cobwebs
00:07:47.76\00:07:50.67
and fake grave markers and
with witches and, and skulls
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and all kinds of
depictions of death and horror.
00:07:55.47\00:07:59.54
Harmless fun, right?
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Ghosts, the spirit
world, even demons and sorcery,
00:08:01.51\00:08:06.38
have become part of
the fabric of society.
00:08:06.41\00:08:08.72
There have been
popular movies about ghosts.
00:08:08.75\00:08:11.32
One of them told the
story, fictional, of course,
00:08:11.35\00:08:14.22
of a young man who was murdered
and then briefly reunited
00:08:14.26\00:08:18.43
with his living girlfriend.
00:08:18.46\00:08:20.23
It was the most popular movie
in North America that year,
00:08:20.26\00:08:23.87
earning half a billion
dollars at the box office
00:08:23.90\00:08:27.50
and winning two Academy Awards.
00:08:27.54\00:08:29.87
Back in the '80s, if anyone
asked you, "Who you gonna call?"
00:08:29.90\00:08:34.14
well, the answer
was, "Ghostbusters."
00:08:34.18\00:08:37.58
Harmless fun, right?
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There have been TV
series about ghosts.
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Now, you might ask if
there was anything harmful about
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"The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," which
aired way back in the '60s.
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Well, stay with
me and you'll see.
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More than 250
episodes of "Bewitched"
00:08:50.93\00:08:54.23
were made in the 1960s.
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The star character
described herself in the show
00:08:56.26\00:08:59.57
as "a real
house-haunting, broom-riding,
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cauldron-stirring witch."
00:09:03.64\00:09:05.84
Now, not a ghost
exactly, but very similar stuff.
00:09:05.87\00:09:09.41
There have been oodles of
TV series about people who had,
00:09:09.44\00:09:12.65
apparently, the ability
to communicate with ghosts.
00:09:12.68\00:09:16.62
A few years ago there
was an absolute infatuation
00:09:16.65\00:09:19.52
with vampires, which run on a
very similar concept to ghosts.
00:09:19.55\00:09:24.29
Harmless fun, right?
00:09:24.33\00:09:26.19
It extends to music.
00:09:26.23\00:09:27.66
Johnny Cash sang about
cattle running across the sky
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being chased by the
spirits of dead cowboys.
00:09:30.93\00:09:34.07
A popular song in the 1970s
00:09:34.10\00:09:35.67
was based on a Native American
legend about a ghost horse.
00:09:35.70\00:09:40.84
So you have people
singing about ghosts
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without even realizing it.
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Harmless fun, right?
00:09:46.31\00:09:48.32
Well, no, not harmless
fun, and you'll see why.
00:09:48.35\00:09:53.82
What all this does is it
normalizes belief in ghosts.
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No, not everyone is going
to become a ghost enthusiast,
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but all this talk,
all this entertainment,
00:10:02.83\00:10:05.43
all the "fun" surrounding
ghosts lowers barriers.
00:10:05.47\00:10:10.01
It suggests
that ghosts are okay;
00:10:10.04\00:10:12.01
therefore, the paranormal
is okay for entertainment
00:10:12.04\00:10:16.51
and fun and is not harmful.
00:10:16.54\00:10:19.68
Which couldn't be
further from the truth.
00:10:19.71\00:10:23.05
Think about cartoons.
00:10:23.08\00:10:24.39
Casper was "the Friendly
Ghost," appealing to children.
00:10:24.42\00:10:28.29
There have been
comic book ghost heroes.
00:10:28.32\00:10:31.53
One of them gave
his soul to the devil,
00:10:31.56\00:10:34.76
and his head would
become a flaming skull.
00:10:34.83\00:10:39.00
We're no longer
talking about harmless fun.
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¤[contemplative
instrumental music]¤
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There's a prominent
ghost story in the Bible.
00:10:45.51\00:10:49.14
In 1 Samuel, we find
King Saul in a very low place.
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The Bible tells us that the
prophet Samuel was dead by now
00:10:53.35\00:10:56.95
and that the Philistines,
the enemy of Israel,
00:10:56.99\00:11:00.29
had massed together
only a few miles away.
00:11:00.32\00:11:03.26
Saul could see
them in the distance.
00:11:03.29\00:11:06.23
First Samuel 28:5 says,
00:11:06.26\00:11:08.50
"When Saul saw the
army of the Philistines,
00:11:08.53\00:11:11.50
he was afraid, and his
heart trembled greatly."
00:11:11.53\00:11:15.97
So what was his response?
00:11:16.00\00:11:17.54
He was Israel's king.
00:11:17.57\00:11:19.71
We know what he
should have done.
00:11:19.74\00:11:21.74
When Jehoshaphat was
confronted by the Moabites
00:11:21.78\00:11:24.31
and the Edomites, he
prayed that stirring prayer,
00:11:24.35\00:11:27.58
calling out to God and saying,
00:11:27.62\00:11:29.52
"O Lord God of our fathers,
are You not God in heaven,
00:11:29.55\00:11:33.89
"and do You not rule over
the kingdoms of the nations,
00:11:33.92\00:11:37.06
"and in Your hand is
there not power and might,
00:11:37.09\00:11:40.20
"so that no one is
able to withstand You?
00:11:40.23\00:11:42.93
"Are You not our God, who drove
out the inhabitants of this land
00:11:42.96\00:11:46.63
"before Your people Israel,
and gave it to the descendants
00:11:46.67\00:11:50.01
"of Abraham Your
friend forever?...
00:11:50.04\00:11:52.47
"We have no power
against this great multitude
00:11:52.51\00:11:55.41
"that is coming against
us; nor do we know what to do,
00:11:55.44\00:11:59.01
but our eyes are upon You."
00:11:59.05\00:12:01.15
You read that in 2
Chronicles chapter 20.
00:12:01.18\00:12:03.69
That was faith.
00:12:03.72\00:12:05.59
"We have no power
against this [enemy]...
00:12:05.62\00:12:07.82
but our eyes are upon You."
00:12:07.86\00:12:10.86
But not Saul.
00:12:10.89\00:12:12.63
It says that "Saul
said to his servants,
00:12:12.66\00:12:15.40
"'Find me a woman who is a
medium, that I may go to her
00:12:15.43\00:12:19.53
"and inquire of her.'
And his servants said to him,
00:12:19.57\00:12:22.74
'In fact, there is a woman
who is a medium at En Dor.'"
00:12:22.77\00:12:26.47
That's 1 Samuel 28, verse 7.
00:12:26.51\00:12:28.71
He wanted to consult a medium,
00:12:28.74\00:12:31.71
one who
communicated with the dead.
00:12:31.75\00:12:34.58
His servants found
her living in a cave,
00:12:34.62\00:12:37.32
hiding out from authorities.
00:12:37.35\00:12:39.35
Just a few verses
earlier, the Bible says that
00:12:39.39\00:12:41.52
"Saul had put the mediums and...
spiritists out of the land."
00:12:41.56\00:12:46.26
God said in
Exodus 22 in verse 18:
00:12:46.29\00:12:49.00
"You shall not
permit a sorceress to live."
00:12:49.03\00:12:53.74
God had expressly forbidden
communicating with the dead,
00:12:53.77\00:12:58.67
and here's why:
00:12:58.71\00:13:00.34
because no one can
communicate with the dead,
00:13:00.38\00:13:03.75
for the simple fact
that the dead are dead.
00:13:03.78\00:13:07.98
These, these necromancers,
00:13:08.02\00:13:09.98
people who claim to be able
to communicate with the dead,
00:13:10.02\00:13:12.72
that's not grandma and grandpa
they're communicating with.
00:13:12.75\00:13:15.42
It's the devil.
00:13:15.46\00:13:16.99
It's evil spirits.
00:13:17.03\00:13:19.06
And God doesn't
want that happening.
00:13:19.09\00:13:22.63
Now, this woman that you read
about in 1 Samuel chapter 28,
00:13:22.66\00:13:25.80
she's commonly referred
to as the "witch of En Dor.
00:13:25.83\00:13:30.41
It says in verse 8
that "Saul disguised himself
00:13:30.44\00:13:34.01
"and put on other clothes, and
he went, and two men with him;
00:13:34.04\00:13:38.45
"and they came to
the woman by night.
00:13:38.48\00:13:40.52
"And he said, 'Please
conduct a séance for me,
00:13:40.55\00:13:45.22
and bring up for me the
one I shall name to you.'"
00:13:45.25\00:13:48.76
You got that
right. This was a séance.
00:13:48.79\00:13:51.99
It was nothing that
God would approve of.
00:13:52.03\00:13:54.60
People get confused by
this and think that Saul
00:13:54.63\00:13:57.30
was communicating with
the actual prophet Samuel.
00:13:57.33\00:14:01.00
Well, he certainly wasn't.
00:14:01.04\00:14:02.97
He said to the
witch, "Bring me up Samuel."
00:14:03.00\00:14:05.91
Verse 12 says, "When
the woman saw Samuel..."
00:14:05.94\00:14:09.48
Okay, but read on.
00:14:09.51\00:14:11.61
In verse 13, she says,
00:14:11.65\00:14:13.21
"I saw gods
ascending out of the earth."
00:14:13.25\00:14:16.02
Or, "I [saw] a god," or,
"a divine being [come] up
00:14:16.05\00:14:20.56
out of the earth."
00:14:20.59\00:14:22.02
She didn't say
that she saw Samuel.
00:14:22.06\00:14:24.43
And Samuel certainly
wasn't a god or a divine being.
00:14:24.46\00:14:27.66
One translation says,
00:14:27.66\00:14:29.10
"I see a ghostly figure
coming up out of the earth."
00:14:29.13\00:14:33.10
Saul asks what it
looks like, and she says,
00:14:33.13\00:14:35.77
"It's an old
man wearing a robe."
00:14:35.80\00:14:37.31
And the Bible says
that Saul perceived,
00:14:37.34\00:14:39.71
or Saul figured,
that it was Samuel.
00:14:39.74\00:14:43.04
Now, the "Samuel" entity asks,
00:14:43.08\00:14:45.88
"Why have you
disturbed me by bringing me up?"
00:14:45.91\00:14:48.65
That is, from the
realm of the dead.
00:14:48.68\00:14:51.35
Now, notice, Saul
didn't see this apparition.
00:14:51.39\00:14:54.26
The woman saw it,
and she was a witch.
00:14:54.29\00:14:59.13
This was not someone who
brought a message from heaven.
00:14:59.16\00:15:02.50
You might think,
"Well, whoever it was,
00:15:02.53\00:15:05.20
"it told Saul that he
was going to be killed.
00:15:05.23\00:15:07.60
Surely that's evidence
that this was from God."
00:15:07.64\00:15:11.61
Quite the opposite.
00:15:11.64\00:15:12.94
This is evidence that
Satan was toying with Saul,
00:15:12.97\00:15:16.54
taunting him, causing
him to suffer even more
00:15:16.58\00:15:19.68
than he was already suffering.
00:15:19.71\00:15:21.95
That's how the devil works.
00:15:21.98\00:15:23.42
In fact, if you read in
1 Chronicles, chapter 10,
00:15:23.45\00:15:25.69
it says that Saul died, in part,
00:15:25.72\00:15:28.56
because he went
to see the witch.
00:15:28.59\00:15:32.73
You believe that this
is the ghost of Samuel
00:15:32.76\00:15:34.83
if you believe in ghosts,
and people believe in ghosts
00:15:34.86\00:15:38.43
because they're conditioned
to by the devil through movies
00:15:38.47\00:15:42.17
and TV and books and music
and cartoons and all of that.
00:15:42.20\00:15:48.24
The devil invents the
idea of people coming back
00:15:48.28\00:15:50.51
from the dead, and then he sells
it to us in an entertaining way
00:15:50.55\00:15:55.18
that looks like fun.
00:15:55.22\00:15:57.82
Fun?
00:15:57.85\00:15:59.49
That's the last thing this is.
00:15:59.52\00:16:02.09
So how do we
explain noises in the attic
00:16:02.12\00:16:04.16
and tapping on the windows
00:16:04.19\00:16:05.49
and, and, and
dancing Ben Franklin statues?
00:16:05.53\00:16:08.86
Well, they're absolutely
not people who have come back
00:16:08.90\00:16:11.77
from the dead.
00:16:11.80\00:16:12.87
I'll show you that from
the Bible in just a moment.
00:16:12.90\00:16:16.14
¤[music swells and ends]¤
00:16:16.17\00:16:23.18
>>John: I want to encourage
you to get today's free offer.
00:16:24.81\00:16:27.45
It is "The Mystery of Death."
00:16:27.48\00:16:30.32
This small book
is going to answer
00:16:30.35\00:16:31.95
all of the
important questions you have
00:16:31.99\00:16:33.82
about what happens when you die,
00:16:33.86\00:16:35.72
about the existence of ghosts.
00:16:35.76\00:16:37.86
It'll settle it for you from the
Word of God as to whether or not
00:16:37.89\00:16:41.10
spirits come back
from the spirit world
00:16:41.13\00:16:43.43
to visit us where we are.
00:16:43.47\00:16:45.27
"The Mystery of Death."
00:16:45.30\00:16:46.80
800-253-3000
00:16:46.84\00:16:49.77
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:16:49.80\00:16:54.14
>>John: Join me on
It Is Written TV for
00:16:55.14\00:16:57.35
"Great Chapters of the Bible:
1 Corinthians [Chapter] 15."
00:16:57.38\00:17:01.62
It's the resurrection chapter,
00:17:01.65\00:17:03.92
which means the Bible in 1
Corinthians 15 offers us hope.
00:17:03.95\00:17:09.02
Everybody wants hope.
00:17:09.06\00:17:10.83
And everybody, if Jesus does
not return, is bound to die.
00:17:10.86\00:17:14.93
But what then?
00:17:14.96\00:17:16.53
First Corinthians chapter 15
tells us that death is an enemy,
00:17:16.56\00:17:20.50
the last enemy
that will be destroyed.
00:17:20.54\00:17:23.10
But the Word of God
assures us that there is hope
00:17:23.14\00:17:26.57
beyond the grave, and there is
life after life in this world.
00:17:26.61\00:17:31.81
First Corinthians 15,
00:17:31.85\00:17:33.15
it's one of the great
chapters of the Bible.
00:17:33.18\00:17:35.58
You will be encouraged
and you will be blessed
00:17:35.62\00:17:38.25
as you collide with the hope
that we have in Jesus Christ
00:17:38.29\00:17:43.16
and the
resurrection which is to come.
00:17:43.19\00:17:45.69
"Great Chapters of the Bible:
1 Corinthians [Chapter] 15."
00:17:45.73\00:17:50.20
Don't miss it.
00:17:50.23\00:17:51.40
Watch now on It Is Written TV.
00:17:51.43\00:17:54.50
>>John Bradshaw: A Harris Poll
in 2013 showed that 43 percent
00:17:55.50\00:17:59.84
of all Americans
believe in ghosts.
00:17:59.87\00:18:03.58
A British survey revealed that
more Britons believe in ghosts
00:18:03.61\00:18:07.85
than believe in a Creator.
00:18:07.88\00:18:09.58
The idea is that after they die,
00:18:09.62\00:18:11.89
the dead remain
with us in spirit.
00:18:11.92\00:18:15.49
When they're
gone, they hang around.
00:18:15.52\00:18:18.06
For what, I'm
not 100-percent sure.
00:18:18.09\00:18:21.36
But since before
Shakespeare wrote "Macbeth,"
00:18:21.40\00:18:24.93
with its witches and with
the ghost of Banquo coming back
00:18:24.97\00:18:27.67
to haunt Macbeth himself,
00:18:27.70\00:18:29.74
people have clung to this
idea that ghosts are real.
00:18:29.77\00:18:33.51
So let's look at something
in the Bible that shows us
00:18:33.54\00:18:35.61
definitively that the dead
don't return to haunt houses
00:18:35.64\00:18:39.98
or visit the living
after they have died.
00:18:40.02\00:18:42.62
In Job chapter 7,
Job speaks and says,
00:18:42.65\00:18:46.59
"The eye of him who
sees me will see me no more;
00:18:46.62\00:18:50.66
"while your eyes are
upon me, I shall no longer be.
00:18:50.69\00:18:54.20
"As the cloud
disappears and vanishes away,
00:18:54.23\00:18:57.90
"so he who goes down to
the grave does not come up.
00:18:57.93\00:19:02.54
"He shall never
return to his house,
00:19:02.57\00:19:06.31
nor shall his
place know him anymore."
00:19:06.34\00:19:09.64
That's Job 7,
verses 8 through 10.
00:19:09.68\00:19:12.58
I've been told all
kinds of stories by people
00:19:12.61\00:19:14.95
who were convinced that
their family members came back
00:19:14.98\00:19:18.09
to see them
after they were gone.
00:19:18.12\00:19:19.99
A lady told me about Uncle
Larry seeing out his last days
00:19:20.02\00:19:23.79
in her spare bedroom,
00:19:23.83\00:19:25.39
and how after he died, whenever
she entered into that room,
00:19:25.43\00:19:29.43
music would start playing.
00:19:29.46\00:19:30.80
¤[music box playing]¤
00:19:30.83\00:19:32.10
So where did
that music come from?
00:19:32.13\00:19:34.44
It sure wasn't Uncle Larry.
00:19:34.47\00:19:36.50
And how do we know that?
00:19:36.54\00:19:38.04
Because the Bible says that
the dead don't come back up.
00:19:38.07\00:19:41.88
Now, of course, that doesn't
refer to the resurrection.
00:19:41.91\00:19:45.08
But the Bible says the
dead don't come back up
00:19:45.11\00:19:47.65
and they don't
return to their house.
00:19:47.68\00:19:50.32
"But I saw my dad."
00:19:50.35\00:19:51.79
"My mother used to
visit me every night."
00:19:51.82\00:19:53.86
"I'm sure I saw a
vision of my grandmother."
00:19:53.89\00:19:56.76
Well, sorry, no, that was
not your grandmother you saw.
00:19:56.79\00:20:00.73
Of course, people
can just see things;
00:20:00.76\00:20:04.53
that happens.
00:20:04.57\00:20:06.07
But there's something
else that I want you to see.
00:20:06.10\00:20:08.84
Let me show you this.
In Revelation chapter 16,
00:20:08.87\00:20:11.37
you read about the seven
last plagues, judgments of God
00:20:11.41\00:20:15.04
upon an unrepentant world in the
last days of earth's history.
00:20:15.08\00:20:19.11
When the sixth plague
is poured out, John writes,
00:20:19.15\00:20:22.92
"I saw three unclean
spirits like frogs coming out
00:20:22.95\00:20:26.96
"of the mouth of the dragon,
out of the mouth of the beast,
00:20:26.99\00:20:29.89
"and out of the
mouth of the false prophet.
00:20:29.92\00:20:33.03
"For they are spirits of demons,
performing signs, which go out
00:20:33.06\00:20:38.20
"to the kings of the
earth and of the whole world,
00:20:38.23\00:20:41.64
to gather them to the battle of
that great day of God Almighty."
00:20:41.67\00:20:45.54
See what the devil's going
to do before this thing is over?
00:20:46.54\00:20:49.54
Miracles of a spiritualistic
nature, purposely designed
00:20:49.58\00:20:53.58
to deceive the whole world,
00:20:53.62\00:20:55.78
for the purpose of gathering
them to be forever lost.
00:20:55.82\00:20:59.09
So imagine, you've spent
your life watching TV shows
00:20:59.12\00:21:02.42
that assume the
reality of ghosts.
00:21:02.46\00:21:04.79
You've watched scary
movies and zombie movies,
00:21:04.83\00:21:08.60
zombies, vampire shows.
00:21:08.63\00:21:11.67
So, of course you're
inclined to believe in ghosts.
00:21:11.70\00:21:14.70
But in reality,
haunted houses are not haunted
00:21:14.74\00:21:19.54
by people who have
returned from the dead.
00:21:19.57\00:21:21.91
I know, people claim
that they've actually died
00:21:21.94\00:21:24.38
and then they've come back,
00:21:24.41\00:21:25.68
but the Bible
says, plainly, otherwise.
00:21:25.71\00:21:30.79
So who is haunting houses?
00:21:30.82\00:21:33.09
Who's causing the
noise in your attic?
00:21:33.12\00:21:35.49
Well, could be the wind--
00:21:35.52\00:21:38.03
or squirrels.
00:21:38.06\00:21:40.13
Or the devil.
00:21:40.16\00:21:41.80
He'll do anything
he can to convince you
00:21:41.83\00:21:44.13
that people come
back from the dead.
00:21:44.17\00:21:46.90
Because, as we
just saw Revelation say,
00:21:46.94\00:21:49.44
before Jesus
returns to this earth,
00:21:49.47\00:21:51.31
there will be massive deception
of a spiritualistic nature.
00:21:51.34\00:21:56.11
If you believe people
come back from the dead,
00:21:56.14\00:21:58.35
you've got no defense
against a deception like that.
00:21:58.38\00:22:02.55
Do you think the
devil wants people to know
00:22:02.58\00:22:04.32
that ghosts are
not departed people?
00:22:04.35\00:22:07.39
No, he does not.
00:22:07.42\00:22:08.86
What happens to,
let's say, voodoo
00:22:08.89\00:22:11.29
and other false
religious systems
00:22:11.33\00:22:13.66
if people understand
that there are no spirits?
00:22:13.70\00:22:16.46
Gone.
00:22:16.50\00:22:17.50
And the devil doesn't want that.
00:22:17.53\00:22:19.40
Séances don't connect
people with dead relatives.
00:22:19.43\00:22:23.57
Numerous individuals
would be exposed as frauds
00:22:23.61\00:22:27.68
if this became known.
00:22:27.71\00:22:30.41
The devil doesn't want that.
00:22:30.45\00:22:31.98
And what about mediums?
00:22:32.01\00:22:33.45
No, they're not
contacting your dead relatives.
00:22:33.48\00:22:37.25
Oh, I know that
they can impress people,
00:22:37.29\00:22:39.22
and it seems sometimes
that they can get things right,
00:22:39.25\00:22:42.62
but those who aren't just
making it up or getting lucky
00:22:42.66\00:22:46.66
are getting their
insights from...Satan himself.
00:22:46.70\00:22:51.33
¤[somber music]¤
00:22:51.37\00:22:52.90
What we know is that there's
a massive, elaborate system
00:22:52.93\00:22:56.30
of deception being
perpetrated by the devil,
00:22:56.34\00:22:59.71
and he wants us to be
led away from the truth
00:22:59.74\00:23:02.61
and set up to be
utterly swept away by deception.
00:23:02.64\00:23:07.02
The Bible is your
defense against deception.
00:23:07.05\00:23:10.99
So, do things happen?
00:23:11.02\00:23:13.49
Do unexplainable things occur?
00:23:13.52\00:23:15.99
Sure they do.
00:23:16.02\00:23:17.23
Now, in the case
of Old Green Eyes,
00:23:17.26\00:23:19.66
who I mentioned earlier,
many times people have simply
00:23:19.69\00:23:22.80
been confused by the
headlights of vehicles.
00:23:22.83\00:23:25.80
Harry Houdini and others
have exposed spiritist mediums
00:23:25.83\00:23:30.01
as frauds.
00:23:30.04\00:23:31.77
Some people who see
ghosts just see...something.
00:23:31.81\00:23:36.34
Or they think they do.
00:23:36.38\00:23:38.21
Of course, if you
want to believe in ghosts
00:23:38.25\00:23:40.28
or the Loch Ness
monster or Bigfoot,
00:23:40.32\00:23:42.98
and if you're
predisposed to believing that
00:23:43.02\00:23:44.79
based on your upbringing
or your culture or whatever,
00:23:44.82\00:23:48.49
nothing's going to stop you.
00:23:48.52\00:23:50.43
Except maybe the Bible--
00:23:50.46\00:23:53.06
that tells us we are
living in a spiritual war,
00:23:53.09\00:23:56.20
and that an angry devil is
doing all he can to draw people
00:23:56.23\00:23:59.30
away from the
Bible as their guide.
00:23:59.33\00:24:03.00
Let your faith
rest on the Word of God,
00:24:03.04\00:24:06.51
and you won't be deceived.
00:24:06.54\00:24:09.78
So why do things...happen?
00:24:09.81\00:24:12.55
Well, that's because
the devil is at work.
00:24:12.58\00:24:14.92
Can the devil cause
people to see weird stuff?
00:24:14.95\00:24:17.25
Yes, he can.
00:24:17.29\00:24:18.65
Can he confuse people?
00:24:18.69\00:24:20.29
Yes again, and he does.
00:24:20.32\00:24:22.26
And he's programming the
world right now to believe
00:24:22.29\00:24:25.69
a massive deception, that
the dead come back to visit us,
00:24:25.73\00:24:30.60
for the sole purpose that
we would be deceived and lost.
00:24:30.63\00:24:34.97
¤[somber music]¤
00:24:35.00\00:24:36.17
The Bible tells us again
and again that death is a sleep.
00:24:36.20\00:24:41.34
"The living...die,"
and, according to Solomon,
00:24:41.38\00:24:44.31
"know nothing."
00:24:44.35\00:24:45.31
Ecclesiastes 9, verse 5.
00:24:45.35\00:24:47.32
Paul wrote to the
Corinthians and said,
00:24:47.35\00:24:49.38
"Behold, I shew you a mystery;
we shall not all sleep."
00:24:49.42\00:24:54.86
He wrote to the
Thessalonians and said,
00:24:54.89\00:24:57.03
"But I do not want you
to be ignorant, brethren,
00:24:57.06\00:24:59.43
"concerning those
who have fallen asleep,
00:24:59.46\00:25:02.23
lest you sorrow as
others who have no hope."
00:25:02.26\00:25:05.60
That's why the Bible
says that this king died
00:25:05.63\00:25:08.27
"and slept with his fathers."
00:25:08.30\00:25:10.44
Death is a sleep, and no
one sleeping the sleep of death
00:25:10.47\00:25:14.31
is going to go sleepwalking
around a battlefield
00:25:14.34\00:25:16.95
or along a street in
Philadelphia--or in your attic.
00:25:16.98\00:25:20.65
The dead sleep
until the resurrection.
00:25:20.68\00:25:23.69
They don't come back as ghosts.
00:25:23.72\00:25:26.76
I want to encourage you to
rest your faith on the Bible.
00:25:26.79\00:25:29.96
Trust the Word of God.
00:25:29.99\00:25:32.16
Lean on Jesus, the
One who died for you.
00:25:32.19\00:25:35.30
God wants to grow your
understanding of Himself
00:25:35.33\00:25:38.53
and His Word in
preparation for eternity.
00:25:38.57\00:25:42.70
And how's that going for you?
00:25:42.74\00:25:44.41
How's your walk with God?
00:25:44.44\00:25:46.41
Are you surrendering
your life to Him each day,
00:25:46.44\00:25:48.81
asking Him to lead you and
fill you with His presence?
00:25:48.84\00:25:52.38
Are you praying and
reading the Bible daily?
00:25:52.41\00:25:55.58
There are evil spirits in
this world, and they're active,
00:25:55.62\00:25:59.15
and they often present
themselves as harmless fun.
00:25:59.19\00:26:03.29
But deception isn't fun.
00:26:03.32\00:26:06.09
Be guided by the right
spirit, the Holy Spirit.
00:26:06.13\00:26:09.50
Center your life on Him today.
00:26:09.53\00:26:11.53
Invite Him into your heart.
00:26:11.57\00:26:13.34
Let Him be your
Guide and your strength.
00:26:13.37\00:26:15.54
And watch God grow
you and bless your life.
00:26:15.57\00:26:18.81
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:19.81\00:26:21.81
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:21.84\00:26:25.25
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:25.28\00:26:28.48
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:28.52\00:26:32.65
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:32.69\00:26:34.22
to the address on your screen,
00:26:34.26\00:26:35.69
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:35.72\00:26:39.59
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:39.63\00:26:42.33
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:26:42.36\00:26:46.50
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:46.53\00:26:49.67
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:26:50.87\00:26:52.67
Our Father in heaven,
00:26:52.71\00:26:53.78
I thank You that You do
not want us to be deceived,
00:26:53.81\00:26:57.58
that You provide very
clear explanations in Your Word
00:26:57.61\00:27:01.48
as to the truth behind
these supernatural things
00:27:01.52\00:27:04.32
that have deceived and
caused fear in so many people.
00:27:04.35\00:27:08.66
Lord, guide us in Your Word.
00:27:08.69\00:27:10.89
Teach us Your way.
00:27:10.93\00:27:12.46
Defend us from the evil one,
00:27:12.49\00:27:14.83
who seeks to deceive everybody,
that none might be saved.
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We thank You for
salvation in Jesus,
00:27:18.90\00:27:21.34
the Lamb of God,
00:27:21.37\00:27:22.84
the mighty Lion of
the Tribe of Judah.
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Thank You that He today is
our defense and our strength
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and that He would
guide us in Your path
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and keep us close to Your heart.
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We offer our hearts to You.
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Thank You for taking our
lives and making them Yours.
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And we pray in Jesus' name,
00:27:40.29\00:27:42.66
amen.
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Thanks for joining me.
00:27:43.69\00:27:44.76
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
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Until then, remember,
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"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
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but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
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¤[dramatic theme music swells]¤
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